Bosor is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Bosor is the Greek form of Beor, the father of Balaam, the prophet who was hired by Balak to curse Israel. Though Bosor himself never speaks or acts in the biblical record, he is named in the New Testament as the father of one of Scripture’s most notorious figures. His identity is bound entirely to his son, and he enters the biblical story only through that relationship.
Bosor appears in 2 Peter 2:15, where the apostle Peter warns against false teachers who have forsaken the right way and gone astray. Peter compares them to Balaam, whom he calls “the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” The setting is a passage of sharp warning: Peter is describing the corruption of those who once knew the truth but turned aside for personal gain. Balaam’s story from the Old Testament—hired by Balak to curse Israel—stands as the classic example of a man who prostituted a prophetic gift for money.
What Scripture says of Bosor is minimal but pointed. He is identified only as the father of Balaam, and his name is preserved in connection with his son’s sin. The text does not record his own words, deeds, or fate. He is a silent figure, mentioned once in the entire King James Bible, yet his name is carried forward into the New Testament as part of the warning against greed and false teaching.
The Name
The name Bosor is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Beor. The meaning of the Hebrew name Beor is not clearly recoverable, and scholars have proposed various possibilities without firm consensus. Some have suggested a connection to a root meaning “to burn” or “to consume,” and others have linked it to a word for “torch” or “flame,” but these remain uncertain. Because the meaning is not well established, it is best to say plainly that the name’s significance is obscure. What is clear is that Bosor is not a title or a description but a personal name, and in the New Testament it serves simply to identify Balaam’s lineage.
A Closing Thought
Bosor never chose his son’s path, yet his name is forever tied to Balaam’s greed. It is a quiet reminder that our lives are not lived in isolation. The choices we make echo beyond us, shaping how our families and names are remembered. But this is not a word of condemnation for Bosor; it is an invitation to consider our own legacy. May we leave behind a name associated not with the wages of unrighteousness, but with faithfulness to the right way.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Peter 2:15 — Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;