14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:14-15 KJV)
Jamieson Fausset Brown
Verse 14. few–in comparison of the many tokens of thy faithfulness.
hold the doctrine of Balaam–“the teaching of Balaam,” namely, that which he “taught Balak.” Compare “the counsel of Balaam,” Nu 31:16. “Balak” is dative in the Greek, whence BENGEL translates, “taught (the Moabites) for (that is, to please) Balak.” But though in Numbers it is not expressly said he taught Balak, yet there is nothing said inconsistent with his having done so; and JOSEPHUS [Antiquities,4. 6. 6], says he did so. The dative case is a Hebraism for the accusative case.
children–Greek, “sons of Israel.”
stumbling-block–literally, that part of a trap on which the bait was laid, and which, when touched, caused the trap to close on its prey; then any entanglement to the foot [TRENCH].
eat things sacrificed unto idols–the act common to the Israelites of old, and the Nicolaitanes in John’s day; he does not add what was peculiar to the Israelites, namely, that they sacrificed to idols. The temptation to eat idol-meats was a peculiarly strong one to the Gentile converts. For not to do so involved almost a withdrawal from partaking of any social meal with the heathen around. For idol-meats, after a part had been offered in sacrifice, were nearly sure to be on the heathen entertainer’s table; so much so, that the Greek “to kill” (thuein) meant originally “to sacrifice.” Hence arose the decree of the council of Jerusalem forbidding to eat such meats; subsequently some at Corinth ate unscrupulously and knowingly of such meats, on the ground that the idol is nothing; others needlessly tortured themselves with scruples, lest unknowingly they should eat of them when they got meat from the market or in a heathen friend’s house. Paul handles the question in 1Co 8:1-13; 10:25-33.
fornication–often connected with idolatry.
Verse 15. thou–emphatic: “So THOU also hast,” As Balak and the Moabites of old had Balaam and his followers literally, so hast thou also them that hold the same Balaamite or Nicolaitane doctrine spiritually or symbolically. Literal eating of idol-meats and fornication in Pergamos were accompanied by spiritual idolatry and fornication. So TRENCH explains. But I prefer taking it, “THOU also,” as well as Ephesus (“in like manner” as Ephesus; see below the oldest reading), hast … Nicolaitanes, with this important difference, Ephesus, as a Church, hates them and casts them out, but thou “hast them,” namely, in the Church.
doctrine–teaching (see on JFB for Re 2:6): namely, to tempt God’s people to idolatry.
which thing I hate–It is sin not to hate what God hates. The Ephesian Church (Re 2:6) had this point of superiority to Pergamos. But the three oldest manuscripts, and Vulgate and Syriac, read instead of “which I hate,” “IN LIKE MANNER.”