ויחר אף אלהים כי הולך הוא. ואע"פ שנתן לו רשות מ"מ מחשבת בלעם הרשע נכרת מתוך מעשיו שאם לא היה דעתו לקלל לא היה לו לילך אלא ודאי כך היתה סברא שלו מאחר שאמר לו הקב"ה מתחלה לא תלך ואח"כ אמר לו לך א"כ חזר בו ובדעתו לקללם לפיכך חרה אפו של הקב"ה שהרי היה לו לעלות בדעתו שאין הקב"ה חוזר מדבריו וכשאמר לו קום לך אתם לא התירו לקללם אלא לפי שראה שהוא חומד ממון אמר לו לך אתם והוא הלך על דעת לקלל לכך שלח לו מלאך לשטן לו להודיע שהוא יודע מחשבותיו: ויחר אף אלהים כי הולך הוא , “G–d’s anger was kindled that he was walking (with them in the spirit);” although Bileam had been given permission to accept Balak’s invitation to come to him, he had not been given permission to curse the Israelites. It was obvious that unless he had intended to do just that, (manipulated G–d) he should have stayed at home. Bileam had thought that seeing the first time G–d had told him not to go to Balak, and now He had agreed to let him go, He must have changed His mind due to something having occurred after the first emissaries had returned to Moav. Seeing that Bileam was too anxious to collect his fee, he had not noticed that he had only been allowed to go אתם, with these emissaries, i. e. physically, but that he was still forbidden to go עמהם “with them in spirit,” something that G–d had forbidden already in verse 12. In order to save Bileam from committing a fatal sin, G–d even dispatched the angel as an obstacle, hoping that he would take the hint on his own. He hoped that Bileam would realise that G–d knew what he was up to.