Balaam, realizing God’s determination to bless Israel, refrains from seeking enchantments and directs his focus towards the wilderness where the Israelites are camped. The Spirit of God comes upon him, leading him to prophesy about Israel’s future blessings, revealing that pursuing divination had been futile. This moment marks a significant transformation in Balaam's understanding, as he acknowledges God's authority and prophetic inspiration, indicating a shift from his previous reliance on magic and sorcery.

1. NUMBERS 24 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord
to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at
other times, but turned his face toward the
wilderness.
CLARKE, "He went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments - We
have already had occasion to observe that the proper meaning of the word
‫נחש‬ nachash is not easily ascertained; see Num_21:9 (note), and Gen_3:1
(note). Here the plural ‫נחשים‬ nechashim is rendered enchantments; but it
probably means no more than the knowledge of future events. When
Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he therefore thought it
unnecessary to apply for any farther prophetic declarations of God’s will as
he had done before, for he could safely infer every good to this people, from
the evident disposition of God towards them.
GILL, "And when Balsam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,....
That it was good in his sight, what he approved of, and was well-pleasing to
him, and that it was his determined mind that Israel should be blessed, and
not cursed, from which there was no turning him, by offering sacrifices to
him, and much less by his sorceries and divinations:
he went not as at other times; or, "as at a time in a time" (q), at two times, of
which see Num_23:3, he abode in the place where the sacrifices were
offered, and did not depart to another at some distance, as he had twice
before done:
to seek for enchantments; which it seems he used before, for he not only
offered sacrifices to the true God, which yet were attended with
superstitious rites, but he made use of his divining art also; and not only
went to meet with God, and hear what he would say to him, but consulted
the devil also, being willing to have two strings to his bow, and that, if
1

2. possible, he might carry his point, and get what his covetous and ambitious
mind was desirous of: the words may be literally rendered, "to meet
enchantments" (r); but what should be meant by the phrase is not easy to
say; I should rather choose to render them, "to meet serpents", and make
use of them in his divinations, make observations on them, and predictions
from them: one sort of divination is called "ophiomancy", or divining by
serpents; so Calchas, on seeing a serpent devour eight sparrows with their
dam, foretold the duration of the siege of Troy (s):
but he set his face towards the wilderness: where the people of Israel lay
encamped, not with an intention to bless them, though he saw it pleased the
Lord, but to take an opportunity, if he could, without his leave, to curse
them; and therefore he did not go out as he did before, to know his will, but
stood by the sacrifice, with his face to the wilderness, where the people
were, to take any advantage that offered.
HENRY 1-4, "
The blessing itself which Balaam here pronounces upon Israel is much the
same with the two we had in the foregoing chapter; but the introduction to
it is different.
I. The method of proceeding here varies much in several instances. 1.
Balaam laid aside the enchantments which he had hitherto depended on,
used no spells, or charms, or magic arts, finding they did him no service; it
was to no purpose to deal with the devil for a curse, when it was plain that
God was determined immovably to bless, Num_24:1. Sooner or later God
will convince men of their folly in seeking after lying vanities, which cannot
profit. To what purpose should he seek for enchantment? He knew that God
was out of the reach of them. 2. He did not now retire into a solitary place as
before, but set his face directly towards the wilderness where Israel lay
encamped; and, since there is no remedy, but they must be blessed, he will
design nothing else, but will submit by compulsion. 3. Now the Spirit of God
came upon him, that is, the Spirit of prophecy, as upon Saul to prevent him
from taking David, 1Sa_19:23. He spoke not his own sense, but the language
of the Spirit that came upon him. 4. He used a different preface now from
what he had used before (Num_24:3, Num_24:4), much like that of David
(2Sa_23:1-3), yet savouring very much (as some think) of pride and vain-
glory, taking all the praise of this prophecy to himself, and magnifying
himself as one of the cabinet-council of heaven. Two things he boasts of: -
(1.) The favour God did him in making known himself to him. He heard the
words of God, and saw the vision of the Almighty. God himself had met him
and spoken to him (Num_23:16), and with this he was greatly puffed up.
Paul speaks with humility of his visions and revelations (2Co_12:1), but
Balaam speaks of his with pride. (2.) His own power to receive and bear
those revelations. He fell into a trance indeed, as other prophets did, but he
had his eyes open. This he mentions twice; but the words in the original are
not the same. The man whose eyes were shut, some think it may be read so
(Num_24:3-9), but now having his eyes open, Num_24:4. When he
attempted to curse Israel, he owns, he was in a mistake, but now he began to
see his error, and yet still he remained blinded by covetousness and
2

3. ambition, those foolish and hurtful lusts. Note, [1.] Those that oppose God
and his people will sooner or later be made to see themselves wretchedly
deceived. [2.] Many have their eyes open that have not their hearts open,
are enlightened, but not sanctified; and that knowledge which puffs men up
with pride will but serve to light them to hell, whither many go with their
eyes open.
JAMISON, "Num_24:1-25. Balaam foretells Israel’s happiness.
to seek for — that is, to use enchantments. His experience on the two
former occasions [Num_23:3, Num_23:15] had taught him that these
superstitious accompaniments of his worship were useless, and therefore
he now simply looked towards the camp of Israel, either with a secret design
to curse them, or to await the divine afflatus.
K&D, "The third saying. - Num_24:1 and Num_24:2. From the two
revelations which he had received before, Balaam, saw, i.e., perceived, that
it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel. This induced him not to go out for
auguries, as on the previous occasions. ‫ם‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫ם־בּ‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫,כּ‬ “as time after time,” i.e.,
as at former times (Num_23:3 and Num_23:15). He therefore turned his
face to the desert, i.e., to the steppes of Moab, where Israel was encamped
(Num_22:1). And when he lifted up his eyes, “he saw Israel encamping
according to its tribes; and the Spirit of God came over him.” The
impression made upon him by the sight of the tribes of Israel, served as the
subjective preparation for the reception of the Spirit of God to inspire him.
Of both the earlier utterances it is stated that “Jehovah put a word into his
mouth” (Num_23:5 and Num_23:16); but of this third it is affirmed that
“the Spirit of God came over him.” The former were communicated to him,
when he went out for a divine revelation, without his being thrown into an
ecstatic state; he heard the voice of God within him telling him what he was
to say. But this time, like the prophets in their prophesyings, he was placed
by the Spirit of God in a state of ecstatic sight; so that, with his eyes closed
as in clairvoyance, he saw the substance of the revelation from God with his
inward mental eye, which had been opened by the Spirit of God. Thus not
only does he himself describe his own condition in Num_24:3 and Num_
24:4, but his description is in harmony with the announcement itself, which
is manifestly the result both in form and substance of the intuition effected
within him by the Spirit of God.
CALVIN, "1.And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord. It is evident that
Balaam, in order to gratify the wicked king for the sake of the reward, endeavored
by various shifts and expedients to obtain an answer in accordance with his wishes.
Thus do the wicked seek to propitiate God by delusive means, just as we soothe
children by coaxing. And God for some time allowed him (163) to gloat upon his
fallacious oracle. He now, however, lays closer constraint upon him, and, breaking
off all delay, dictates an answer, which He compels him to deliver. For his obedience
3

4. is not here praised as if, when he understood the will of God, he yielded voluntarily
and abandoned his monstrous cupidity; but, because now there was no more room
for subterfuge, he dared not stir his foot, as if God had put forth His hand to retain
him in his place.
When it is said that “the Spirit of God was upon him,” (164) after he turned his eyes
“toward the wilderness” and beheld the camp of Israel, how they were marshalled
“according to their tribes,” we must understand it thus: not that he was influenced
by a sincere feeling of good-will, so that the sight itself suggested grounds for
blessing; but that he was induced by the inspiration of the same Spirit, who
afterwards put forth His influence in the prophecy itself. It is said, then, that the
Spirit of God was upon him, not as if it had begun to inspire him at that particular
moment when he cast his eyes upon the camp of Israel; but because it prompted him
to look in that direction, in order that the impulse of prophecy might be stronger in
him, as respecting a thing actually before his eyes. But after the Spirit had thus
affected his senses, or at any rate had prepared them to be fit instruments for the
execution of his office, it then also directed his tongue to prophesy; but in an
extraordinary manner, so that a divine majesty shone forth in the sudden change, as
if he were transformed into a new man. In a word, “the Spirit of God was upon
him,” shewing by manifest token that He was the author of his address, and that he
did not speak of his own natural intelligence. To the same intent it is said that “he
took up his parable,” because (165) the character of his address was marked with
unusual grandeur and magnificent brilliancy.
COFFMAN, "This great chapter is the climax of the Balaam narrative, culminating
in glorious prophecy of the Star that in "the last days" would rise out of Jacob, a
manifest reference prophetically to Him who is called the Bright and Morning Star.
Critical denials that there is any prophecy here should disturb no one. How can
people who do not believe there is any such thing as predictive prophecy be expected
to see even the plainest prophecy? The tragedy of this age is that "scholars" who
have first been intellectually castrated in some unbelieving seminary are by the
thoughtless being consulted for their opinions on such Scriptures as this chapter.
Even in the dim light of pre-Christian gloom the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls
enthusiastically accepted the Messianic import of this chapter. Also, the Jewish
scholars of all ages read the passage as a promise of the blessed Messiah. The proof
of this lies in the behavior of a false messiah, Bar Kochba, who led a Jewish revolt
against Rome (132-133 B.C.). The name assumed by this imposter was Bar Kochba,
meaning "Son of the Star."[1] It was the general understanding of the Hebrew
people that the holy Messiah would be "the Star" of this chapter, and Bar Kochba
called himself "Son of the Star" to take advantage of this widespread conviction.
Like so many prophecies, this one also is fulfilled twice. King David of Israel who
defeated and subjugated Moab was the first fulfillment, but David himself was an
eloquent type of the Greater David, the Christ, who is the ultimate and glorious
fulfillment of it.
4

5. This chapter contains the remaining five of the seven oracles making up the
prophecies of Balaam: Oracle III (Numbers 24:2-9), Oracle IV (Numbers 24:15-19),
Oracle V (Numbers 24:20), Oracle VI (Numbers 24:21,22), and Oracle VII
(Numbers 24:23,24). There is no solid evidence of any kind that the shorter oracles
at the end were added subsequent to the times of Moses. After the usual manner of
all the holy prophets, God's judgment upon other nations besides Israel were
included along with prophecies of the Chosen People.
"And when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not, as at the
other times to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes;
and the Spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said,"
These lines are merely an introduction to Oracle III, but several things of particular
importance are revealed. The mention of the Spirit of God coming upon Balaam
attributes a higher value to the remaining five oracles than that which belongs to the
first two, in which it was merely stated that God "put a word" in Balaam's mouth.
Also, the omission by Balaam of the usual pagan procedure of going to some
appropriate place to look for "signs," enchantments, or omens, shows that Balaam
recognized the utter uselessness of such customs. God, of old, gave to the prophets
clear and unequivocal statements which depended in no way whatever upon the
deductions, conclusions, and assumptions of the prophets. We are indebted to Keil
for providing the following quotation from Hengstenberg:
"The Church of God knows from the Word what God does, and what the church
must do in consequence. The wisdom of the world resembles augury and divination,
but the Church of God which is in possession of His word has no need of it, and it
only leads its followers to destruction, from inability to discern the will of God. To
discover this with certainty is the great privilege of the Church of God."[2]
"And he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes ..." (Numbers 24:2). This
means that the tents of Israel were arranged "according to the orderly distribution
of the camp, as set forth in Numbers 2,"[3] thus identifying the time of this episode
as being within the period of the wilderness journeyings. It appears to us as a
picayune objection indeed that finds in the word "dwelling" (Numbers 24:2) "the
picture of an Israel firmly settled in the land."[4] One wonders just what word Noth
would have chosen to describe Israel's tenure in that wilderness for some forty
years! Of course, there is absolutely nothing inappropriate in the use of the word
"dwelling" in this reference. One finds exactly the same use of tabernacles (also
translated dwellings) and tents synonymously in Numbers 24:5 below.
COKE, "Numbers 24:1. To seek for enchantments— In the margin, to the meeting
of enchantments; by which is meant the same as he calls, meeting the Lord, in the
3rd and 15th verses of the last chapter. It is difficult to understand what is meant by
these words. "Interpreters," says Mr. Saurin, "think they have found some passages
5

6. in Scripture, where the verb, from which the word enchantment is derived, is taken
in a good sense, and denotes the knowledge of futurity. See Genesis 5:15. They
conclude from this criticism, that the word enchantment signifies no more than the
revelations which Balaam desired of God concerning the destiny of the Israelites. It
is certain, that the sacred historian says nothing throughout his whole narration,
capable of convincing us that Balaam used enchantments on the first of the two high
places: I am apt to suspect that this man, abandoned to covetousness; not being able
to find any thing to his purpose in the divine inspirations, would at length have
betaken himself to magical arts; but that the spirit of God restrained him." Mr.
Saurin here seems not to have attended with his usual accuracy to the text; from
which it is plain, that Balaam only omitted to do now, what he had done before; for
it is said, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments; so that whatever
the phrase may imply, it is unquestionable, that he had done, at his two former
meetings with the Lord, what he now omitted to do, from a full persuasion that any
further inquiries into the will of the Lord upon this subject would be fruitless: and I
am very strongly of opinion, that the phrase implies no more, than the meeting the
Lord for information as to his will; and, perhaps, it might not improperly be
rendered, He went not as before, for the meeting, or obtaining divinations: i.e. for
information into future things from the Lord; for which purpose he retired, as we
have observed on ch. Numbers 23:3. Houbigant is of the same opinion; who says,
that the word ‫נחשׁים‬ nechashim, auguries, is here understood in a good sense; for
Balaam interpreted the will of the true God, not of the God of Moab, from these
auguries. The meaning of the passage seems no more than this; that Balaam,
convinced that it was perfectly in vain to retire any more, after the sacrifices, to
meet God and receive his commands, accordingly no more retired to the high and
secret place, but without any ceremony delivered the divine oracles. Le Clerc
explains it briefly thus: He judged it superfluous to inquire further into the mind of
God, as God had sufficiently declared his purpose to bless the Israelites.
He set his face toward the wilderness— We have had occasion more than once
before to observe, that any large and extensive champaign country, even though it
may happen to have villages in it, is called in the Scripture, wilderness. It is evident
from the 2nd verse, that wilderness here means the plains of Moab, where the
Israelites lay encamped, ch. Numbers 22:1.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:1. He went not as at other times — At former times; to seek
for enchantments — The word ‫,נחשׁ‬ from which ‫,נחשׁים‬ necashim, here rendered
enchantments, is derived, signifies to augur, conjecture, search, make trial, find out:
1 Kings 20:33, it is translated, to observe diligently; Genesis 30:27, to learn by
experience, and, in the margin of Genesis 44:5, to make trial, although in the text
there it is rendered to divine. It certainly is not necessary to understand the word of
enchantments. Nor is there any proof that Balaam had had recourse to any on either
of the two former occasions. On the contrary, the sacred historian informs us, that
he retired both times, not to meet evil spirits, and receive communications from
them, but to meet JEHOVAH, and receive intimations of his will, saying to Balak on
the first occasion, Whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And both times we
6

7. read that Jehovah put a word in Balaam’s mouth. All, therefore, that we can
reasonably conclude from the passage before us is, that Balaam omitted to do now
what he had done before. He went not — Retired not, as he had done the former
times, for the meeting, or obtaining of divinations, that is, for the purpose of
obtaining information from the Lord concerning future things, or to make inquiries
about them. M. Saurin seems to be clearly of this opinion, and to consider the
expression as signifying no more here than “the revelations which Balsam desired of
God concerning the destiny of the Israelites.” Houbigant is of the same mind,
observing that the word ‫נחשׁים‬ nechashim, auguries, is here to be understood in a
good sense, because Balaam interpreted the will of the true God, and not the will of
the god of Moab, from these auguries. Thus also Le Clerc, paraphrasing the
passage, says, “He judged it superfluous to inquire further into the mind of God, as
God had sufficiently declared his purpose to bless Israel.” Indeed, as Christ is
known to have no communion with Belial, it seems strange that any Christian
should ever have imagined that God would thus have made known his will, and thus
lay open the secrets of futurity, to a man that had or attempted to have intercourse
with evil spirits. See Isaiah 8:19; and Isaiah 44:25; and Isaiah 47:12. He set his face
toward the wilderness — Where Israel lay encamped, expecting what God, of his
own accord, would suggest to him concerning this matter.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face
toward the wilderness.
Ver. 1. He went not as at other times.] As being resolved to curse howsoever, and
without God’s leave; yea, al despito di Dio, as that mouth of blasphemy, Pope Julius
III, once said in another case; (a) to take his own course whatever came of it.
He set his face.] As fully bent to do it, and nothing should hinder him. So our
Saviour Christ "steadfastly set ( εστηριξε) his face to go to Jerusalem." [Luke 9:51]
He steeled his forehead against all oppositions.
POOLE, "Balaam lays aside his sorceries, and the Spirit of God comes upon him;
his eyes are open; hears the words of God, and sees the vision of the Almighty,
Numbers 24:1-4; prophesies of Israel’s prosperity, Numbers 24:5-9. Balak is angry;
commands him to flee; his answer, Numbers 24:10-14. He prophesies of the Messias
the King, and of the destruction of the nations, Numbers 24:15-24. He returns to his
place; and Balak goes his way, Numbers 24:25.
To seek for enchantments, i.e. to use enchantments, which he is said to have done,
either because when he consulted and sacrificed to God, he did also use
enchantments and consult with the devil, that if one would not, the other might help
him; or because he consulted God in a magical and superstitious way, by using such
postures or instruments or forms of words as enchanters used.
7

8. Toward the wilderness, where Israel lay encamped, either with intent to curse Israel
without God’s leave; or rather, expecting what God of his own accord would suggest
to him concerning this matter.
PETT, "Battles Against Evil Influence (Numbers 22:2 to Numbers 25:18).
Having defeated the Amorites and being in process of possessing their land Israel
are now faced with a more subtle threat. This commences with the approach of the
Aramean prophet Balaam, and continues with the results of his later evil plan.
3). The Defeat of the Evil Influence of Balaam (Numbers 22:2 to Numbers 24:25).
The follow-up war against the Amorites in Bashan may still have been in progress
under different generals while what follows was going on. ("They possessed his
land" - Numbers 21:35, and that would take time. See Numbers 32:39-42). But
meanwhile Moab, watching Israel from behind their frontiers, wondered what they
were going to do next, and decided to take their own initiative.
In those days warfare was conducted on a number of levels. The most obvious was
the clash of armies. But behind the clash of armies could be a variety of other
activities. These could include interchange of correspondence enforcing their case
by citing the power of their gods (see Judges 11:12-28), both encouraging their own
troops and dismaying the enemy. Preliminary ‘battles’ taking place between
champions in order to determine whose god was the most powerful (see 1 Samuel
17). And so on. But nothing was more important than ensuring that the gods were
on your side. And that was where certain men seen as possessing awesome powers
came in. Such men, ‘prophets’, ‘soothsayers’ and ‘diviners’ were seen as having
special influence with the gods, and operated through dreams, visions, trances,
omens, enchantments and the occult. We can compare the execration texts from
Egypt, written on pottery against Egypt’s enemies, pottery which was then broken
in order to apply the curse. (Amalek probably saw Moses with his hands held up in
the same light - Exodus 17:11). One such ‘diviner’ in those days was the mighty
Bala‘-‘am (‘the nation swallower’), held in awe throughout the Ancient Near East. It
was to him that Moab were to turn.
Thus in these chapters we have revealed in the tactics of Balak, king of Moab, a
different approach to the challenging of Israel from those before him. For while
Israel had made no attempt to interfere with Moab, Balak was afraid. Here was a
large and seemingly belligerent army on his frontiers and he wanted to get rid of
them. But he seemingly did not feel up to taking them on in battle. Having probably
heard of what Yahweh had done previously, and having seen them destroy the
enemy that he himself had been unable to defeat, he decided that he needed ‘similar’
powers on his side, and he needed somehow to influence Yahweh.
8

9. So he sent for Bala‘am (the ‘nation-swallower’), the famous prophet-diviner,
requesting that he come to him so that he might curse Israel. Balaam, the prophet-
diviner, was a man of great reputation who apparently lived in northern Syria. Such
people professed to be able to influence events by use of various occult methods.
They would often enter into drug induced trances in which they could see and hear
almost anything. They hired themselves out for gold, and their fees were high. The
subsequent story in fact reveals what an enigmatic figure he was. For while he was
certainly wanting to oblige Balak by bringing divine powers to his rescue, at the
same time he openly acknowledged that they were not fully under his control. He
acknowledged that unless the ‘gods’ were cooperative he could not achieve his ends.
Indeed in seeking to exercise his gifts with Yahweh he was revealed as being limited
in what he could achieve right from the beginning, by the response that came when
he commenced his sorceries.
However, while not approving of his methods, the account does suggest a certain
genuineness in what he sought to do, so much so that God was willing to have
dealings with him and reveal things to him on behalf of His own people. Yet it is
quite obvious that Balaam involved himself in the occult. He clearly considered that
he did get in touch with other world beings, and did expect to receive messages from
them. He was thus seen as engaging in spiritism and divination. Using Moses’ terms,
he contacted devils (Deuteronomy 32:17). But as with the medium of Endor later (1
Samuel 28:6-25), where confronted with such, God was willing to use them in order
to bring home His own message.
Bala‘am was not a worshipper of Yahweh, but that he was willing to listen to Him
and respond to Him the account makes clear. It would seem that at first he
mistakenly thought that he could treat Yahweh like any of his other other-world
‘contacts’. But he soon learned that he was dealing with something outside his
previous experience. What harm he could actually have done to Israel we do not
know, but certainly at the time everyone thought that he could do great harm.
The account is clearly a unity for it is based on a number of sections which follow a
basically chiastic pattern in four instalments, Numbers 22:2-14; Numbers 22:15-38;
Numbers 22:39 to Numbers 24:13; Numbers 24:14-25. But they also inter-relate.
Balaam is the man whose eyes are open in Numbers 24:3; Numbers 24:15. In
Numbers 24:4; Numbers 24:16 he is the one who has ‘heard the words of God and
saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance (or ‘falling down’) but having
his eyes open’. (This certainly sounds like drug use). He ‘took up his parable
(incantation)’ five times in Numbers 24:3; Numbers 24:15; Numbers 24:20-21;
Numbers 24:23. His extra prophecies are fourfold (Numbers 24:15-24) which with
his threefold prophecies/blessings in Numbers 23:7-10; Numbers 23:18-24; Numbers
24:3-9 make up a sevenfold series of prophecies.
The whole account is also notable for the emphasis put on threefold action. The ass
avoided the angel of Yahweh three times (Numbers 22:28; Numbers 22:32; see
verses 23, 25, 27). Balaam had three major encounters with Yahweh (Numbers
9

10. 22:9-12; Numbers 22:20; Numbers 22:32-35). Balaam offered three sets of sacrifices
(Numbers 22:39 to Numbers 24:13). Yahweh gives His word to Balaam three times
(Numbers 23:5; Numbers 23:16; Numbers 24:2 compare Numbers 22:38). Three
times things happen ‘in the morning’ (Numbers 22:13; Numbers 22:21; Numbers
22:41). We can note also that to Yahweh the messengers are but ‘men’ (’anoshim)
three times (Numbers 22:9; Numbers 22:20; Numbers 22:35).
But we may ask, ‘why is so much space given in Scripture to this rather strange
history when seemingly larger affairs are dealt with in a few sentences?’ The answer
lies mainly in the words which God put in Balaam’s mouth. Three times he spoke,
followed by further prophecy, and in doing so he confirmed the promises of God to
His people. That they were spoken by a non-Israelite prophet of the status of
Balaam made them even more significant. The words of such a man as Balaam
would be a major encouragement as Israel prepared to enter the land in order to
take possession, for they would be seen as coming from an external prophetic
source. It was only human nature among the weaker of them that while they might
have some doubts about what Yahweh promised, the promises seemed much more
certain when spoken by such a man as Balaam. And God graciously allowed it to be
so for their sakes.
In his first prophecy Balaam would speak of Israel as being like the dust of the earth
(compare Genesis 13:16), and as being innumerable (Numbers 23:10 compare
Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:16), both recognised signs of blessing as promised by
Yahweh. He would also describe them as a nation dwelling alone, different from all
other nations (Numbers 23:9), a holy nation (compare Exodus 19:5-6), thus further
confirming the promises and revealing that they were blessed by their God.
In the second he would speak of their deliverance from Egypt and their being firmly
established, with God among them as their King with, metaphorically speaking, the
strength and horns of the wild ox (Numbers 23:21), a fearsome Opponent indeed,
who could dispense lions with the toss of his head. While Israel themselves were
depicted as being, along with their God, dangerous and victorious like a pride of
lions (Numbers 23:24). In other words Israel had become a powerful people, with
the even more powerful Yahweh living among them as their King and God.
In the third he saw them as being in a land of fruitfulness, with plenteous waters
available to them (see Numbers 21:14-18), and spreading that fruitfulness around
the world, with their God still being powerful and they still being like a victorious
pride of lions.
And finally he saw the coming to them of a future ruler who would be victorious
over all around him (compare Genesis 17:6). This remarkable series of prophecies,
revealing the rise and triumph of Israel from early beginnings to its final triumph,
will be considered in more detail in the commentary. But it explains the importance
laid on these prophecies.
10

11. Then, secondly, God’s control of Balaam was probably seen as an example of the
greatness of Yahweh. The mighty Balaam was feared throughout the Ancient Near
East, but he was nothing before Yahweh. He was seen as subject to Yahweh’s will.
The thought would be that if Yahweh could defeat Balaam, He could defeat anyone.
For that Balaam was an awesome figure comes out in that his name has been found
in an Aramaic text written on wall plaster at Tell Deir ‘Alla in the Jordan valley
dating from around 700 BC in which he is seen as involved with a number of gods
and goddesses whose will he conveys to a disobedient people. His reputation as a
powerful contact person between men and the gods had passed into history, it had
been immortalised.
Verse 1-2
Chapter 24 Balaam’s Final Failed Attempt Is Followed By Various Prophecies.
Numbers 24:1
‘And when Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he did not go not, as
at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the
wilderness.’
Balaam now recognised that it was Yahweh’s intention to bless Israel. So he realised
that his enchantments, his ‘persuaders’, would not work and decided to try another
tack. He would set his face towards the wilderness and seek to enter into a trance.
Perhaps that would work.
PULPIT, "As at other times, or, "as (he had done) time after time." Septuagint,
κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός. To seek for enchantments. Rather, "for the meeting with aunties."
‫ים‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ַ‫ח‬ְ‫נ‬ ‫מראת‬ְ‫ק‬ִ‫.ל‬ Septuagint, to συνάντησιν τοῖς οἰωνοῖς. Nachashim; as in Numbers
23:23, is not enchantments in the sense of magical practices, but definitely auguries,
i.e. omens and signs in the natural world observed and interpreted according to an
artificial system as manifesting the purposes of God. As one of the commonest and
worst of heathen practices, it was forbidden to Israel (Le 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10)
and held up to reprobation, as in 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6.
Toward the wilderness. ‫ר‬ָ‫בּ‬ ְ‫ד‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ה‬ . Not "Jeshimon," but apparently the Arboth Moab
in which Israel was encamped, and which were for the most part desert as
compared with the country around.
BI 1-9, "He set his face toward the wilderness.
The face set toward the wilderness
Evidently there is a change at this point in Balaam’s method. Hitherto he has played the
soothsayer. At last he confesses himself vanquished, and instead of renewing the
practices of his magic science, awaits, with eye fixed upon the waste distant desert, a
revelation different in kind from any that have gone before it. It was a turning-point in
11

12. his strange history. Not the first, nor the greatest, yet real, and, would he have had it so,
saving. He has learned the helplessness of man striving with his Maker. He has learned
the futility of approaching the God of truth with a lie in the right hand. He has learned
that to “set the face toward the wilderness” is the one hope and wisdom of inquiring
man; to look away from enchantments; to look away from courts and crowds, from
pleasures and businesses; to look away from types and forms, and to fix the earnest gaze
upon that solitude of earth and heaven which is the presence of the soul in the presence
of God. The crisis was lost, we know, upon Balaam. The dreams of avarice and of
worldliness prevailed in him, even over the open vision. We cannot alter his destiny; let
us learn something from this incident.
1. There is in all of us a strange reluctance to the thing here described—this setting of
the face toward the wilderness where God is alone. I might say many things to you of
the ministerial man—the man, I mean, whose office it is to communicate with God
for the edification of His people. How often, when this ministry, the Church’s
prophesying, is to be, exercised, does the indolent, the half-hearted, the perfunctory
minister run to his “enchantments”; to his books and to his manuscripts, to his
commentaries; to the old “bakemeats,” his own or another’s, which have done duty
before, and can be made “coldly to furnish forth” another “table”! How often—to
change the illustration—does the abler, the more ingenious, the more eloquent
minister betake himself to his task of preparation for preaching by a mustering of his
own gifts of argument, of rhetoric, of pathos and persuasiveness, as the
enchantments by which he is to bring God into these hearts I How often does a
man—to use the prophet’s strange but expressive metaphor—“sacrifice to his net,
and burn incense to his drag”; pay the homage of a gratified vanity to his own
performance, count instead of weighing his hearers, and set down all to his own
credit in prophesying, of which he should rather say to himself in deepest self-
humiliation, “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?”
2. Yet think not that the Balaams of this age are all prophets, or that the warning is
only for the professional teacher. I seem to see a place for it in these lives which
minister and people live in common. How often, in the anxious questionings which
life brings to all of us—at those dubious turnings which compel decision, and cannot
be decided upon twice over—is the temptation powerfully present to seek for some
“enchantment” of discrimination between the wrong for us and the right! Who has
not made advice such an “enchantment”? “In the multitude of counsellors there is
safety”; but then the counsellors must be well chosen, must be honestly sought, must
be diligently informed, must be faithfully followed.
3. I would add a word upon the application of the text not to the life, but to the soul.
Side by side with a bold scepticism which simply passes by the gospel on the other
side there is also an anxiety, a curiosity, to hear, which secures an audience
wheresoever there is a preacher, which stimulates all manner of agencies for
bringing home the gospel. In the same degree the warning is more urgent, that we
confound not, in these highest matters, the “enchantments” and the “wilderness.”
Who feels not in himself the easiness of listening and the difficulty of praying? Who
is not conscious of the temptation to compound for inward torpor by outward bustle,
and to make a multiplication of services and communions an apology for neglect and
shameful sloth in the nearer and more intimate converse between the soul and its
God? (Dean Vaughan.)
12

13. Balaam . . . the man whose eyes are open.
Balaam—the open eye
An open eye is a rare thing even in the matters of common experience. They are the few
who can see clearly the things which God has set round them in their daily paths. Men of
science tell us that it is difficult to meet with a competent observer of even the simplest
and most familiar phenomena. Lawyers complain that a good witness, who can tell what
he knows, and only what he knows, is as rare. It is supposed by experienced persons that
a fact is just the most difficult thing in the world to get at, so few walk with their eyes
open and care to make themselves simply conductors of truth. We see things through
mists which take the colours of prejudice or passion, and it is but a vague outline of them
which meets our sight. “Lord, that our eyes may be opened,” is a prayer full of meaning
for all of us as we move amidst the realities of our daily lives. In the higher sphere of the
being the open eye is rarer still. The realities in that region are solemn things to look
upon. There is something awful in their grandeur, and even in their beauty. A man needs
courage and faith to face them as they are.
I. Balaam was a man whose eye was open in his day. He was a man of splendid natural
genius. We puzzle over the definition of genius; but perhaps it is only the open eye, the
power to see things simply as they are. In every sphere of man’s intellectual activity the
man of genius is the seer.
II. Balaam’s is at the same time a character of singular perplexity. He had both the open
eye and the itching palm. And this condition is far from rare. Splendid endowments are
often mated with moral narrowness or feebleness. With many of these men of insight,
men with the seer’s power, there is a flaw in the thoroughness somewhere. But then
these men, when their genius possesses them, rise above the sphere of their humiliation;
the temptations which ensnare them snap like the withes of Samson; they see clearly,
and declare with the freedom and the force of prophets the things which have been
shown to them by the Lord. Lord Bacon may have been capable of very poor ambitions,
very grovelling thoughts and actions; but when his genius possessed him, when he
loosed his splendid faculty in the quest of truth, the simplest fact became sacred to him;
he would not have dared to misrepresent or to tamper with what he saw for worlds. It
was thus with Balaam. On the lower level of his life he was grovelling; but when God
took possession of his genius he yielded it readily, and then he was true as steel to the
vision.
III. The man whose eyes were open saw some things with startling clearness. Some
words of his ring out like trumpet notes through the field of life’s battle; they are
conceived with a vividness and expressed with a force which makes them prophetic for
all ages; we hear from his lips the words of God.
1. The only word which a man can say with power is truth. The word that God also
saith, that shall stand (Num_22:38). The counsellor who knows the Divine plan is
the man who has power. The position of the Jews among the nations, and the
influence which they wielded, which is popularly much under-estimated, rested
wholly on the fact that they knew as no other nation knew the Divine counsels, they
held the key to the mystery of all these worlds. Balaam saw that the trickster and liar
is impotent. Laocoon, locked in the serpent wreaths, wrestling madly, but with the
death agony in his face, is not more powerless than the monger of falsehood to
13

14. escape his doom. The gain is there, it is always there; you can have it if you like by
cheating and lying. Balaam saw it, and there was that within him which longed for it.
But his eye was open; he dared not touch it. He saw the pure folly as well as the
shame of dreaming of it, of thinking that anything but truth, right, and the blessing
of God can stand a man in any stead in life, in death, and in the great court of
Heaven.
2. He saw with that open eye that the man who stands with God stands absolutely
beyond the reach of harm (Num_23:23).
3. There was a third thing that Balaam saw. The man whom God blesses is blessed;
the man whom God curses is cursed, absolutely and for ever. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob.—
The prosperity of the Church
With great admiration he beginneth to declare the future prosperity of that people, and
doth it by six similitudes.
1. As the valleys are they stretched forth, or as the rivers say some, which coming
from one head spread themselves into great broad waters, so this people having
sprung from Jacob, one patriarch, hath spread into this multitude, and yet further
shall spread into many more.
2. “As gardens by the river’s side.” Such gardens are watered so by the rivers as if the
heat be never so great, yet they are not burned up. So shall this people in all
adversities and dangers be preserved by the power and blessing of God till the
coming of the Messiah, and overcome by no assaults of Satan and his instruments.
3. “As the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted.”
4. “As the cedar trees beside the waters,” which, growing to a great height, notably
show how this people with their offspring should wonderfully grow with their virtue
and famous acts, getting a great name in the world.
5. “The water droppeth out of his bucket”; that is, as such water floweth abroad, so
shall this people abound with the water of heavenly doctrine and wisdom, and from
them be spread to other nations plentifully, according to that “Out of Sion shall a law
go, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
6. “His seed shall be in many waters.” As seed that is cast into a field well watered
soon springeth and beareth fruit, so this people. These are the prophetical
resemblances of this people Israel, which do still declare unto us the flourishing and
happy state of God’s Church, whatsoever worldly men conceive and think. The
Church is the tabernacle of God, wherein He dwelleth, and familiarly with His
chosen as with His domestics and household servants converseth, providing things
necessary both for this life and that to come. The Church is that little river which
spreadeth itself far and wide throughout the world. The Church is that well-watered
garden, set with sweet trees casting forth the fragrant smell of life, of the knowledge
of God and of virtue, whereof Solomon in his Canticles: “My sister, my spouse, is a
garden enclosed, as a spring shut up, and a fountain sealed up.” The Church is that
shadow that yieldeth comfortable cooling, in the sense and feeling of God’s wrath to
14

15. sin. It is that cedar planted by the water-side, and growing so high, whereof the
prophet in the Psalm: “The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree, and grow like a
cedar in Lebanon. Such as be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in their age; they shall be fat and
flourishing,” &c. The Church is that bucket, containing doctrine of life, and dropping
it out to the comfort of souls. Finally, that seed shall live again in the life to come,
and for ever spring and flourish. (Bp. Babington.)
Balaam’s third parable: the glory of the people of God
I. The preparation of the prophet to declare the Divine will.
1. Balaam renounces the search for auguries.
2. He beholds the encampment of Israel.
3. He is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
4. He hears Divine words and sees Divine visions.
II. The declaration by the prophet of Israel’s glory.
1. Their beautiful appearance.
(1) Beauty—
(a) Of order.
(b) Of culture and fertility.
(2) Fragrance.
(3) Majesty.
2. Their prosperous condition.
3. Their exalted position.
4. Their conquering power.
(1) Great strength.
(2) Great conquests.
(3) Great security.
(4) Great influence. (W. Jones.)
Balaam’s third parable
Seen from the top of the rocks, everything about Israel is perfection. Had we been down
in the valley, and looked into them from an earthly standpoint, we should have seen
deformity enough. But from God’s presence everything is changed. But mark the figures
under which this beauty is described. “As valleys are they spread forth.” These are the
valleys watered by the river; these are the people of God, made beautiful by the
refreshing streams of living water which flow down from the throne of God. Not yet are
they as watered “valleys,” but as “gardens by the river’s side.” This is a richer description
15

16. still. They are the garden of the Lord. They are the plants planted by the Father. They
have been taken out of the world—transplanted—and are now to “bring forth much
fruit.” The streams from “the river of God” find their way to the roots of their spiritual
life; and thus they become fruitful. Jesus is the source of their life and their fruitfulness.
And in all this we see growth—“as the valleys are they spread forth; as gardens by the
river’s side.” The entire figure implies sanctification—growth in grace. There will always
be three kinds of growth where the soul is really abiding in Jesus. There will be the
outward growth as the “lily”—the life before men; the hidden growth as the “roots” of
Lebanon—the life before God; and the relation toward men as the “branches spreading,”
the influence which they cast around. But the figure grows in richness: “as trees of lign
aloes which the Lord hath planted.” The aloe tree was highly valued on account of its
fragrance, and it was the tree from which the incense was prepared. Thus the believer
abiding in Jesus is a “ sweet savour” of Christ. The fragrance of that blessed One is
diffused far and wide through him. He is beautiful with the beauty which the Lord puts
upon him. His “scent is as the wine of Lebanon.” And to what cause is all this fragrance
due? To the “Lord’s planting.” There is one more step in advance in the spiritual life in
this verse: “as cedar trees beside the waters.” As the “lily” and “trees of Lebanon” in the
passage, in Hosea, so here. The growth of the believer is brought before us under the
loftiness of the cedar tree, its luxuriance, and the durability of its wood. Now, having
noticed what the people of God are as seen in Jesus, let us mark their testimony. “He
shall pour the water out of his buckets.” The people of God are personified, as a man
carrying two pails overflowing with water. A bucket or vessel is empty. It can give
nothing. It can only receive. The “buckets” are the “empty vessels” to be filled with
“living water” by the Holy Ghost. Like the two pails on a man’s shoulder which are filled
to the brim, he cannot move a step without the water overflowing. So with the believer
abiding in Jesus. He is the empty vessel filled by the Holy Ghost. He cannot move a step
without making that influence felt. There will be a trail of living water in his path—a
track of light in every step of the way. And oh, what empty places there are within us and
around us! Within us—desires, affections, longings, hopes, aims, plans; without us—
home, duties, efforts, a weeping Church, and a dying world. Oh, that these “buckets”
were filled with the “living water”! Then would gladness be written as with a sunbeam on
every brow, and sunshine light up every heart. “His seed shall be in many waters.” This
is the effect of the outpoured water from the buckets of the believer’s soul. He is made a
blessing on every side. “His king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be
exalted.” Christ the King of the Jews is to be “higher” than all the kings of this world; and
Christ’s kingdom “exalted” above all other kingdoms. All this glory is then traced to the
first great act of redemption “God brought him forth out of Egypt.” Thus deliverance
from Egypt and future glory are linked together. “He hath as it were the strength of the
buffalo.” Here is the power of God abiding with, and resting upon, those whom He has
redeemed. Then follows, in connection with their redemption from Egypt, that final
triumph and glory. “He shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones,
and pierce them through with his arrows.” This is the foretold destruction mentioned in
the New Testament, which awaits all the enemies of the Lord at His coming. But in the
meantime the attitude of the Church of Christ is one of expectation. Her attitude is not
one of judgment yet, but one of grace. This is strikingly brought before us in the next
clause; “he couched, he lay down as a lion.” The “couching” of the lion is always the
attitude of expectation—looking forward to the moment when he shall spring upon his
prey. “Lying down” indicates rest. The believer now rests in Jesus, and awaits His return.
In the meantime blessing is his portion—“blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is
16

17. he that curseth thee.” And we notice how the blessing culminates here. The first was,
“How shall I curse, or how shall I defy?” After it was, “He hath blessed, and I cannot
reverse it.” Lastly, it is “Blessed is he that blesseth thee.” This last form in which Balaam
expresses himself shows us God’s estimate of His people Israel. “He that toucheth you
toucheth the apple of His eye.” (F. Whitfield, M. A.)
Sermon at reopening of a church
I. Let us attempt to justify and elucidate this sacred exclamation. The language is
proper.
1. On account of the author of their construction.
2. The beneficial effect of their institution.
3. The pleasantness of their unity.
4. The joys of their fellowships.
5. Their perpetuity, and the certainty of their increase.
II. What ought to be the effects produced upon us by such a survey of the assemblies of
the people of God. We should—
1. Cherish a spirit of gratitude for the establishment and increase of these tents of
God.
2. Shun all that would impair, and diligently maintain all that would secure the
blessing.
(1) Guard against lukewarmness, as that which would deface the beauty of
ordinances, and rob us of the advantages we might receive from their celebration.
(2) Take care of holding the truth in unrighteousness.
(3) Be cautious not to violate the true spirit of love.
(4) Preserve the vigour of wholesome, salutary discipline; so that the testimony
may be borne you from on high, “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy
patience,” &c.
(5) Follow up all with importunate prayer. “Peace be within thy walls, &c. Pray
for the peace of Jerusalem,” &c.
3. Endeavour to increase the number of those who frequent the tabernacles, and
dwell in the tents of Jacob. Imitate the tribes when ambulating in the wilderness.
Remember that you are surrounded by those who have no hope. Tell them plainly
that you are pilgrims and strangers. Inform them of the privileges you enjoy by the
way; of the manna which drops by your door; of the streams which flow from the
rock Christ; of the light which guides your feet; of the cloud which screens you from
temptation; of the victories you obtain over your foes; of the prospect you have of
passing through Jordan safely; and of the rich land of promise which you are shortly
about to enter. Press on them not to linger.
4. Anticipate the time when your tents will be struck, and all the ransomed tribes
assemble in the tabernacle above. These tents of the Israelites were valuable as they
17

18. traversed the sands of Arabia; but they left them when they entered on the rest which
their prophets had predicted, and their poets sung. And what are our temples? They
are only preparatory for the enjoyments of the Canaan above. May it be your
privilege to join the tribes of the redeemed as they go up to Zion with everlasting joy
upon their heads! (J. Clayton, M. A.)
2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel
encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came
on him
BARNES, "Balaam gazed over the camp of Israel that stretched before him, and
allowed the spectacle to work its own influence upon him.
CLARKE, "The Spirit of God came upon him - This Divine afflatus he had not
expected on the present occasion, but God had not yet declared the whole of his will.
GILL, "And Balaam lifted up his eyes,.... Being on Mount Peor:
and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; in that exact
order in which they were directed to encamp under four standards, and so many tribes
under each standard, Num_2:1.
and the Spirit of God came upon him; not in his grace but in his gifts; not as a
spirit of sanctification, but as a spirit of prophecy, as the Targums of Onkelos and
Jonathan paraphrase it; and so sometimes the Spirit of God in this sense has come upon
wicked men, as on Caiaphas and others, Joh_11:51.
JAMISON, "he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes —
that is, in the orderly distribution of the camp (Num_2:1-34).
the spirit of God came upon him — Before the regular ministry of the prophets
was instituted, God made use of various persons as the instruments through whom He
revealed His will, and Balaam was one of these (Deu_23:5).
18

19. COKE, "Numbers 24:2. The spirit of God came upon him— That is, a prophetic
influence from God, whereby his mind was inspired to see and foretel future events.
Philo and others consider Balaam as merely passive in this affair, and that God
moved his organs much in the same manner as he did those of the ass: but the state
of his mind may, perhaps, be better understood, by saying in Homer's phrase, that
he uttered these predictions, εκων αεκοντι δε θυμω ; i.e. he was a voluntary agent,
but overruled to speak contrary to his inclinations; for he would gladly have
gratified Balak in cursing the Israelites, but he could not, or durst not, counteract
the divine authority, which enjoined him to bless them. Neither is it any just
exception against Balaam's being a true prophet, that he was a bad man: Saul was
among the prophets. See the First Principle on Numbers 24:5 of chap. 22: The
completion of his prophecies removes all objections that might arise from his
character.
BENSON, "Verse 2-3
Numbers 24:2-3. The Spirit of God came upon him — And is it likely that the Spirit
of God would have come upon a sorcerer or enchanter? A prophetic influence from
God came upon him, whereby he was enabled to foresee future events, and inspired
to utter the following words: The man whose eyes are open — Some, confounding
‫שׁתם‬ shetum, with ‫,סתם‬ or ‫שׂתם‬ setum, would translate the words, Whose eyes are or
were shut, for which there does not seem to be sufficient authority. The Seventy
render them, ο αληθινως ορων, seeing truly. His eyes indeed had been shut, and he
had been blind and stupid, having eyes but not seeing, nor understanding; but God
had opened them in a peculiar and prophetical manner. Hence the prophets were
called seers, from God’s having opened their eyes.
ELLICOTT, " (2) Abiding in his tents . . . —i.e., encamped according to the order
prescribed for the respective tribes. The cognate noun is rendered tabernacles in
Numbers 24:5.
And the spirit of God came upon him.—In regard to the two former utterances, it is
said that Jehovah put a word in the mouth of Balaam (Numbers 23:5; Numbers
23:15). In the present case the Spirit of God came upon (or, over) him. The same
expression is used of the messengers of Saul (1 Samuel 19:20), and of Saul himself
(Ibid, Numbers 24:23). The prophecy of Caiaphas (John 11:15) affords another
instance of the sovereign power of the Spirit as displayed through the medium of
wicked men.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding
[in his tents] according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
Ver. 2. And the spirit of God came upon him.] A common spirit, a spirit of
19

20. prophecy: "Have not we prophesied in thy name?," [Matthew 7:22] said those
castaways. In impiis quandoque sunt dona Dei, sine Deo. God gives gifts to men,
"yea to the rebellious," [Psalms 68:18] for the use of his Church. A blind man may
bear a torch in his hand, whereby others may receive benefit, though himself receive
none; so here.
WHEDON, "2. The Spirit of God came upon him — The inlet of God into the soul is
through the truth as a medium. The orderly aspect of the Hebrew camp encircling
the tabernacle — the abode of Jehovah — signalized by the cloudy pillar, awakened
faith in the mind of Balaam; not, indeed, a personal and saving trust in Jehovah, but
a realization of the truth of his claims and of Israel’s election. This faith prepared
Balaam for the incoming of the inspiring Spirit. This is not said of his two former
speeches, which were put into his mouth without his being thrown into a state of
ecstasy; but this utterance resembles the predictions of true prophets: the inner ear
is opened to hear the voice of God, and the spiritual eye, purged by the Spirit of
God, sees the substance of the revelation.
PETT, "Numbers 24:2
‘And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw (or ‘looked on’) Israel dwelling
according to their tribes, and the Spirit of God came on him.’
And there Balaam fixed his eyes on Israel dwelling in their usual formation, in their
tribes. Now he saw the whole of Israel. And as he did so ‘the Spirit of God’ came on
him, and he prophesied. What resulted was not his intention but he is seen as having
no choice in the matter. Yahweh intervened again to make him bless Israel.
3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
BARNES, "Whose eyes are open - i. e., opened in inward vision, to discern things
20

21. that were hidden from ordinary beholders.
CLARKE, "He took up his parable - His prophetic declaration couched in highly
poetic terms, and in regular metre, as the preceding were.
The man whose eyes are open - I believe the original ‫שתם‬ shethum, should be
translated shut, not open; for in the next verse, where the opening of his eyes is
mentioned, a widely different word is used, ‫גלה‬ galah, which signifies to open or reveal.
At first the eyes of Balaam were shut, and so closely too that he could not see the angel
who withstood him, till God opened his eyes; nor could he see the gracious intentions of
God towards Israel, till the eyes of his understanding were opened by the powers of the
Divine Spirit. This therefore he mentions, we may suppose, with humility and gratitude,
and to the credit of the prophecy which he is now about to deliver, that the Moabites
may receive it as the word of God, which must be fulfilled in due season. His words, in
their meaning, are similar to those of the blind man in the Gospel: “Once I was blind, but
now I see.”
GILL, "And he took up his parable,.... His parable of prophecy, as the Targums, his
prophetic speech, which, with a loud voice, he expressed in the hearing of Balak and his
nobles:
and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said; the preface to his prophecy is
pompous, and seems to be full of pride and vanity, and so the Targums of Jonathan and
Jerusalem represent him;"the man who is more excellent than his father hath said, to
whom hidden secrets, even what was hidden from the prophets is revealed to him;''and
the Jews have a saying (t) that he that has an evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a large soul,
or is covetous, is one of the disciples of Balaam the wicked:
and the man whose eyes are open hath said; or, as some (u) render it, whose eyes
were shut, but now open; either the eyes of his body, which were shut when the angel
met him, and the ass saw him and not he, but afterwards were open, and he saw him
also; or the eyes of his understanding blinded with ambition and covetousness, but were
open to see his mistake, at least so far as to be sensible that he could never prevail upon
God to allow him to curse Israel; or rather open, by the spirit of prophecy coming on
him, whereby he saw and foretold things to come.
JAMISON, "the man whose eyes are open — that is, a seer (1Sa_9:9), a prophet,
to whom the visioned future was disclosed - sometimes when falling into a sleep (Gen_
15:12-15), frequently into “a trance.”
K&D 3-5, "The third saying. - Num_24:1 and Num_24:2. From the two
revelations which he had received before, Balaam, saw, i.e., perceived, that
it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel. This induced him not to go out for
21

22. auguries, as on the previous occasions. ‫ם‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫ם־בּ‬ַ‫ע‬ַ‫פ‬ ְ‫,כּ‬ “as time after time,” i.e.,
as at former times (Num_23:3 and Num_23:15). He therefore turned his
face to the desert, i.e., to the steppes of Moab, where Israel was encamped
(Num_22:1). And when he lifted up his eyes, “he saw Israel encamping
according to its tribes; and the Spirit of God came over him.” The
impression made upon him by the sight of the tribes of Israel, served as the
subjective preparation for the reception of the Spirit of God to inspire him.
Of both the earlier utterances it is stated that “Jehovah put a word into his
mouth” (Num_23:5 and Num_23:16); but of this third it is affirmed that
“the Spirit of God came over him.” The former were communicated to him,
when he went out for a divine revelation, without his being thrown into an
ecstatic state; he heard the voice of God within him telling him what he was
to say. But this time, like the prophets in their prophesyings, he was placed
by the Spirit of God in a state of ecstatic sight; so that, with his eyes closed
as in clairvoyance, he saw the substance of the revelation from God with his
inward mental eye, which had been opened by the Spirit of God. Thus not
only does he himself describe his own condition in Num_24:3 and Num_
24:4, but his description is in harmony with the announcement itself, which
is manifestly the result both in form and substance of the intuition effected
within him by the Spirit of God.
CALVIN, "3.And the man whose eyes are open, (166) hath said. This preface has no
other object than to prove that he is a true prophet of God, and that he has received
the blessing, which he pronounces, from divine revelation; and indeed his boast was
true as regarded this special act, though it might be the case that pride and ambition
impelled him thus to vaunt. It is, however, probable that he prefaced his prophecy
in this way by the inspiration of the Spirit, in order to demand more credit for what
he said. From a consideration of this purpose we may the better gather the meaning
of his words. Balaam dignifies himself with titles, by which he may claim for himself
the prophetic office; whatever, therefore, he predicates of himself, we may know to
be the attributes of true prophets, whose marks and distinctions he borrows. To this
end he says that he is “hidden in his eye,” by which he means that he does not see in
the ordinary manner, but that he is endued with the power of secret vision.
Interpreters agree that ‫שתם‬ shethum, is equivalent to ‫סתם‬ sethum, which is closed or
hidden. Thus some render it in the pluperfect tense: The man who had his eyes
closed; and this they refer to the blindness of Balaam, since his ass saw more clearly
than himself. Others, who perceive this gloss to be too poor, expound it by anti-
phrasis, Whose eye was open; but, since this interpretation, too, is unnatural, I have
no doubt but that he says his eyes were hidden, because in their secret vision they
have more than human power. (167) For David makes use of the word to signify
mysteries, when he says:
“Thou hast manifested to me the hidden things (168) of wisdom.” (Psalms 51:6.)
Unless, perhaps, we may prefer that he was called the man with hidden eyes, as
22

23. despising all human things, and as one with whom there is no respect of persons; the
former interpretation, however, is the more suitable. And assuredly, when he adds
immediately afterwards, the hearer of “the words of God, which saw the vision of
the Almighty,” it must be taken expositively. To the same effect is what is added in
conclusion: “He who falls (169) and his eyes are opened;” for the exposition which
some give, that his mind was awake whilst he was asleep as regarded his body, is
far-fetched; and there is a tameness in the opinion of those who refer it to the
previous history, where it is recorded that, after Balaam had fallen under the ass,
his eyes were opened to see the angel (chap. 22:31.) Comparing himself, therefore, to
the prophets, he says that he fell down in order to receive his visions; for we often
read that the prophets were prostrated, or lost their strength, and lay almost lifeless,
when God revealed Himself to them; for thus did it please God to cast down His
servants as to the flesh, in order to lift them up above the world, and to empty them
of their own strength, in order to replenish them with heavenly virtue.
COFFMAN, "Verse 3
THIRD ORACLE
Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye was closed saith;
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
As valleys are they spread forth,
As gardens by the river-side,
As lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted,
As cedar-trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
And his seed shall be in many waters,
And his king shall be higher that Agag,
23

24. And his kingdom shall be exalted.
God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;
He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox:
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
And shall break their bones in pieces,
And smite them through with his arrows.
He couched, he lay down as a lion,
And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,
And cursed be every one that curseth thee."
Balak evidently had hoped that this third effort to curse Israel would be successful,
but Balaam's words here went further than ever in the opposite direction, going so
far as to pronounce blessings upon all who blessed Israel, and curses upon all who
cursed them! Balak's patience was exhausted, and his anger kindled against
Balaam, as indicated by his clapping his hands after the oracle was spoken.
"Whose eyes were closed (Numbers 24:3b) ... having his eyes open ..." (Numbers
24:4). Well, which was it? Jewish interpreters came up with the amazing postulation
that Balaam was blind in one eye and could see with the other![5] Others, including
such scholars as Albright, give another translation of the clause in Numbers 24:3,
rendering it, "Whose eye is true."[6] If this is received, the apparent contradiction is
removed. Traditionally, it has been believed for ages that God's revelation to his
prophets sometimes came during a kind of trance in which the prophet's eyes
remained open. Dummelow tells us that the word rendered "closed" in Numbers
24:3 "is of uncertain meaning, and that if it does mean `closed,' the true meaning is
that Balaam's eyes were closed to earthly sights but open to heavenly."[7] The word
for "open" in Numbers 24:4 is the ordinary one, indicating quite surely that when
Balaam received the oracle his eyes were open.[8]
It is also significant that in Numbers 24:4 we have two names for God. [~'Elohiym]
rendered "God," and [~'El] [~Shadday] translated "Almighty." Well, why don't the
critical commentators postulate plural sources for this verse? The simple answer, so
often avoided in other passages of the Pentateuch, is that various names for God are
used as synonyms, for the purpose of more fluent speech, there being no way to deny
that such is the usage of the two names here. "Here [~Shadday] is used simply as a
24

25. synonym for [~'Elohiym]."[9] Amen! And our own conviction is that this is by far
and away the principal reason for the various names of God in the Pentateuch.
Note in Numbers 24:5 the use of tabernacles and tents as complementary synonyms
in parallel lines. Gray commented thus: "Thy dwellings is merely a synonym for thy
tents in the parallel line."[10] All of that "tension" supposed by Noth to have been
produced by the use of these words[11] is merely due to his imagination.
The valleys, gardens, beautiful trees, and water buckets overflowing, etc., which are
mentioned in Numbers 24:6 and Numbers 24:7 are merely symbols of the blessings
of God which will accompany Israel.
In Numbers 24:7, we encounter the "piece de resistance" for the late-daters of the
Balaam narrative who gleefully affirm:
"The name Agag can scarcely refer to any other than Agag the king of the
Amalekites known from the Saul story (1 Samuel 15:8ff. On this account, this
discourse must be dated in the time of Saul."[12]
Even the great critical commentator Gray rejected the bald, unproved conclusions
such as that, saying "But Amalek (in the days of that Agag) was scarcely so
formidable a kingdom as to justify such an allusion."[13] The true explanation of
that which at first appears to be an anachronism is given by Whitelaw:
"It may safely be assumed that Agag was the official title of all the kings of
Amalek, resembling in this Abimelech, and Pharaoh. Here the word stands for the
dynasty and the nation of Amalek; and there is no need to suppose that there is any
reference to any particular individual or event in the distant future. The `king of
Israel' here spoken of is certainly not Saul. The very idea of Israel's having an
earthly monarch like the nations around them was alien to the mind of God."[14]
Jamieson also concurred in this explanation: "The Amalekites were then the most
powerful of all the desert tribes; Agag was a title common to all their kings."[15]
In Numbers 24:9, Orlinsky and some translators would substitute "king of beasts"
or "great lion" for the word "lioness" as given here and in Numbers 23:24, and in
Genesis 49:9, which Orlinsky called the "traditional rendition."[16] We are by no
means certain that this change should be allowed. A lioness aroused in defense of
her young could be intended, indicating a strength and fury by no means any less
than that of "king of beasts" or "great lion."
COKE, "Numbers 24:3. Balaam, the son of Beor, hath said— There seems to be no
reason for understanding this introduction, with Bishop Patrick, as a proof of
Balaam's vanity; since it is agreeable to the ordinary style of all the prophets. See
Isaiah 1:1. Jeremiah 1:1. Ezekiel 1:3. The next clause, The man whose eyes are open,
25

26. should rather be, whose eyes are opened; which agrees exactly with the version of
the Vulgate, approved by Le Clerc and Calmet; the man whose eyes were shut,
formerly shut, but now opened; referring either to that part of the history, wherein
we are told, that though the ass saw the angel, Balaam saw him not, till the Lord
opened his eyes; or to that more sublime intelligence wherewith God had now
enlightened his understanding; the man whose eyes are opened to the wonderful
knowledge of future things, through God's spirit. The 1st verse shews that his mind
was thus illuminated: there Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord, &c.; and in the 4th
verse we are told to what his eyes were opened: he saw this vision of the Almighty.
ELLICOTT, " (3) Balaam the son of Beor hath said.—The Hebrew word (neum) is
imperfectly rendered by hath said. It is the word which is commonly used in the
prophetical books of Scripture to denote a Divine saying, and is rarely used when a
human author is named. It occurs in the Pentateuch only in Genesis 22:16, Numbers
14:28, and in this chapter, where it is found in Numbers 24:3-4; Numbers 24:15-16.
The man whose eyes are open.—There is great diversity of opinion respecting the
meaning of the word which is here rendered open, and which, as it is here written,
occurs in no other place. If shatham is identified with satham, it means to close, not
to open. The meaning, however, of this verse is sufficiently explained by that which
follows, whichever rendering of the word shethum is adopted. Balaam appears to
have been thrown into an ecstatic state, as was Saul, and as were many of the
ancient prophets; and whilst the eye of the outer senses was closed, the eye of the
inner senses was preternaturally opened.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of
Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
Ver. 3. Whose eyes are open.] And therefore can speak it of a certainty: for what is
more sure than sight? q.d., Israel shall be blessed, and I will stand to it. He is
blessed, "yea, and he shall be blessed." [Genesis 27:33]
POOLE, " The eyes, either,
1. Of his body, as in the following verse; or,
2. Of his mind, which God had opened in a peculiar and prophetical manner,
whence prophets are called seers, 1 Samuel 9:9. He implies that before he was blind
and stupid, having eyes, but not seeing nor understanding. Some render the words
having his eyes shut, as the Hebrew verb satham signifies, the letters schin and
samech being frequently exchanged; and so the meaning is, that he received this
revelation either in a dream, when men’s eyes are simply shut; or in an ecstasy or
trance, when men’s eyes, though open, are in a manner shut, to wit, as to the use and
exercise of them.
26

27. WHEDON, "Verse 3
3. Parable — See Numbers 23:7, note.
Whose eyes are open — Thus, says Furst, the Syriac and several rabbins read; but
Keil, the Vulgate, the Revised Version, and others say that the Hebrew means whose
eyes are closed, that is, seeing only with the inner eye. The Seventy say the man who
truly sees. “Balaam describes himself as the man with closed eyes with reference to
his state of ecstasy, in which the closing of the outer senses went hand in hand with
the opening of the inner.” — Hengstenberg.
PETT, "Verses 3-9
Numbers 24:3-9 (3a-9)
‘And he took up his incantation (parable), and said,’
Here he begins with what was clearly his normal way of going into deep trance and
follows it with a series of contrasts presented chiastically.
Numbers 24:3-9 (3b-9)
“Balaam the son of Beor says,
And the man whose eye was closed says,
He says, who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down,
And having his eyes open.
a How goodly are your tents, O Jacob,
a Your tabernacles, O Israel!
b As valleys are they spread forth,
b As gardens by the riverside,
b As fragrant aloes which Yahweh has planted,
27

28. b As cedar trees beside the waters.
c Water shall flow from his buckets,
c And his seed shall be in many waters,
d And his king shall be higher than Agag,
d And his kingdom shall be exalted.
d God brings him forth out of Egypt,
d He has as it were the towering horns (‘strength’) of the wild-ox.
c He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
c And shall break their bones in pieces,
c And smite them through with his arrows.
b He couches, he lay down as a lion,
b And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
a Blessed be every one who blesses you,
a And cursed be every one who curses you.”
Note how different is the opening here. Balaam is deliberately going into a visionary
state.
“Balaam the son of Beor says; And the man whose eye was closed says; He says, who
hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down (or
‘falling into a trance”), and having his eyes open.’ These first phrases would
instantly refer back in the reader’s mind to the incident with his ass. There
Balaam’s eyes had been closed. That may also have been Balaam’s intention if
rumours had begun to spread around about what had happened, (and it was not the
kind of thing that servants kept to themselves). But then he had heard the words of
God, and had seen the vision of the Almighty, and had fallen down and had his eyes
opened (see Numbers 22:31, ‘then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw
the Angel of Yahweh -- and he bowed his head and fell on his face -- and the Angel
of Yahweh said to him’).
But these phrases may also be words that Balaam regularly used when working
himself into a trance, with the name of the right god inserted in each case. He was
28

29. revealing himself as one who can move from having his eyes closed to having his
eyes opened by meeting with, in this case, ‘the Almighty’ (Shaddai). Note the change
of title. Calling on Yahweh by His other title ‘the Almighty’ (Shaddai) might
succeed.
So the process is outlined. His ‘eyes’ are first closed, then he hears the words of God,
then he sees the vision of Shaddai, then he falls into a trance, then his eyes are
opened. In his trance-like state all is now ready for him to affect issues by his words.
Once again his incantation could hardly please the frustrated Balak. ‘How goodly
are your tents, O Jacob, Your tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread
forth, As gardens by the riverside, As fragrant aloes (aromatic trees) which Yahweh
has planted, As cedar trees beside the waters.’ Israel’s tents were to be ‘goodly’,
prosperous and flourishing and fruitful. They were to be like valleys fed by water
which are thus luxuriant, like gardens by the riverside which therefore flourish, like
aromatic trees which Yahweh has planted giving pleasure to all around, the kind of
trees found in king’s gardens (they were Yahweh’s planting - compare Psalms 1:3;
Isaiah 27:2-6), and as cedar trees beside the waters, which grow very strong. Cedar
trees were not noted for being by water, but the thought was that a cedar in such a
place would be even stronger and more luxuriant than normal. Note the emphasis
again on water. Nothing mattered to ancient peoples more than water. It was their
life source. So Israel’s dwellingplaces would be like fruitful valleys, like flowering
gardens, like scented trees and like strong cedars made even stronger by being by
the riverside. All these were pictures of what was most desirable to mankind.
“Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters.” This
probably indicates fruitfulness in childbearing, and the spreading of His people like
refreshing and reviving water among the nations so as to bless them and bring
justice to the world. In them will all the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 28:14). They will flow out to the nations
like water and dwell among them abundantly, as the waters of Eden went out to all
the world (Genesis 2:10-14).
The thought of water as an agent of life and blessing and bringer in of justice is
found everywhere in Scripture. Compare here Isaiah 33:20-22, where Jerusalem
would be like an immovable tent where Yahweh would be with His people in
majesty, and it would be a place of broad rivers and streams, because Yahweh was
their judge, lawgiver and king. Consider also Ezekiel 47:1-12 (compare Numbers
26:25-28) where the flowing forth of water brought life, as expanded in John 7:38,
‘out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water’; and the going forth of
God’s Instruction, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Consider
also the constant picture throughout Isaiah of spiritual blessedness in terms of
water, Isaiah 32:15-17; Isaiah 33:20-22; Isaiah 35:1; Isaiah 35:7; Isaiah 44:3-5;
Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 55:1; Isaiah 55:10-13; Isaiah 58:11.
“And his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.” Agag
29

30. was probably a royal name of the Amalekite kings like Pharaoh was of Egypt and
Abimelech of the Philistines. The Amalekites were doughty fighters, and their Agag
was seen as wielding widespread power because of the widespread nature of the
Amalekites as they spread over the wilderness descending to take their pickings
where they would (compare Num 13:45; Exodus 17:8-16; Judges 6:3; Judges 6:33;
Judges 7:12). Agag was feared, but Israel’s future king (whether heavenly or
earthly, for the king in mind here may be God) would be more feared. He would
enjoy more power and more widespread influence than Agag. Note how Balaam also
prophesies against the Amalekites in Numbers 24:20 demonstrating that Amalek
were very much in his mind. An Amalekite king under the name was defeated by
Saul and slain by Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:8-9; 1 Samuel 15:32-33. Haman the Agag-
ite in Esther 3:1 etc. possibly traced his descent back to the dynasty (Josephus links
him with the Amalekites).
“His king.” The King here is probably Yahweh (compare verse 21). But it would not
be surprising if Balaam spoke of Israel’s ‘king’. He probably knew little of the way
in which Israel was run, and would assume a supreme ruler. To him that would be
expressed in terms of ‘king’, for all nations in one way or another had a king. His
point was simply that whoever ruled Israel would be exalted, and that the sphere of
their rule would be exalted. It is not prophesying a particular king.
“God brings him forth out of Egypt. He has as it were the towering horns/strength
of the wild-ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their
bones in pieces, and smite them through with his arrows.” Again he compares God
as the Deliverer from Egypt to a mighty wild ox, eating up the nations as a wild ox
devours the vegetation; breaking their bones in pieces as a wild ox treads down
those who stand in its way; and smiting them through with his arrows, because He is
more than just a wild ox, but a wild ox typifying a mighty warrior. Who can
withstand such a God? And He is on Israel’s side.
The eating up of the nations is in contrast with Israel’s seed in many waters. In the
one case blessing, in the other judgment. It is the former who are to be blessed and
the latter who are to be cursed.
“He couches, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?” As
Numbers 23:24 suggests this description is of Yahweh and his consort Israel.
Yahweh is identified with His people. They are like an established pride of lions at
rest, best avoided and left undisturbed, lest they rend those who disturb them. It is a
brave and foolish people who dare to stir them up. This picture of the sleeping pride
of contented lions parallels the earlier pictures of Israel like watered gardens and
valleys, and aromatic and towering trees.
“Blessed be every one who blesses you, And cursed be every one who curses you.”
This parallels the ‘goodly tents’ of Jacob (Numbers 24:5). They are a people blessed
by Yahweh. Thus all who bless them will be blessed, and all who curse then will be
cursed, a real smack in the face to Balak.
30

31. So with this all round picture of Yahweh’s blessings on Israel we can understand
why Balak might feel that somehow he was not being fairly treated.
PULPIT, "Balaam … hath said. Rather, "the utterance of Balaam." ‫ם‬ֻ‫א‬ְ‫נ‬ is
constantly used, as in Numbers 14:28, for a Divine utterance, effatum Dei, but it
does not by itself, apart from the context, claim a superhuman origin. The man
whose eyes are open. ‫ן‬ִ‫י‬ָ‫ﬠ‬ָ‫ה‬ ‫ם‬ֻ‫ת‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֶב‬‫גּ‬ַ‫.ה‬ The authorities are divided between the
rendering in the text and the opposite rendering given in the margin. ‫ם‬ ַ‫ת‬ ָ‫ס‬ is used in
Daniel 8:26, and ‫ם‬ ָ‫ת‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ in Lamentations 3:8, in the sense of "shut;" but, on the other
hand, a passage in the Mishnah distinctly uses ‫שׁתם‬ and ‫סתם‬ in opposite senses. The
Vulgate, on the one hand, has obturatus; the Septuagint, on the other, has ὁ
ἀληθινῶς ὁρῶν, and this is the sense given by the Targums. Strange to say, it makes
no real difference whether we read "open" or "shut," because in any case it was the
inward vision that was quickened, while the outward senses were closed.
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of
God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[a]
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
BARNES, "The “falling” of which Balaam speaks was the condition under which the
inward opening of his eyes took place. It indicates the force of the divine inspiration
overpowering the seer. The faithful prophets of the Lord do not appear to have been
subject to these violent illapses Dan_8:17; Rev_1:17.
In Balaam and in Saul 1Sa_19:24 the word of God could only prevail by first subduing
the alien will, and overpowering the bodily energies which the will ordinarily directs.
CLARKE, "Falling into a trance - There is no indication in the Hebrew that he fell
into a trance; these words are added by our translators, but they are not in the original.
‫נפל‬ nophel is the only word used, and simply signifies falling, or falling down, perhaps in
this instance by way of religious prostration.
31

32. GILL, "He hath said, which heard the words of God,.... God speaking to him,
which he did several times, and with which he was greatly elated, see Num_22:9,
which saw the vision of the Almighty; not that he had a sight of any similitude of
God, though the angel that appeared to him, which was Christ the uncreated angel,
might appear in an human form, for some visible form was seen both by the ass and
him; but rather this respects the visions of God to him in the night; it may be in a dream,
as has been already observed, and which the following words seem to confirm:
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: or falling into a deep sleep, and yet
the eyes of his body open, which sometimes is the case with persons asleep; or the eyes
of his mind open, to receive the instructions given him in a dream or vision of the night;
unless this is to be understood of his falling on his face, when he had his vision, as
sometimes the prophets did, see Eze_1:28, so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem
paraphrase it; and the latter says, he prophesied of himself, that he should fall by the
sword; which is better than to interpret it of his falling when his ass lay down with him,
as some do: so men may have a great deal of light and knowledge in their heads, and yet
not have true grace in their hearts; great gifts, which puff up with pride and vanity, but
not sanctifying grace, which is of an humbling nature, 1Co_8:1, what he said under a
spirit of prophecy follows.
COKE, "Numbers 24:4. Falling into a trance— There is nothing in the original for
into a trance; which our translators have added, supposing him to have been in a
rapture or ecstacy when he had this vision, because it is added, having his eyes open;
that is, his mind being possessed of a clear apprehension of things, which God
revealed to him when his senses were locked up: but Le Clerc takes this expression,
as well as the former, to have a reference to what beset him by the way; when,
having his eyes open to see the angel, he bowed his head, and fell flat on his face.
What would lead one to prefer this explanation, is, that it does not appear that
Balaam fell into any trance or ecstacy when he delivered the prophecies in this or
the foregoing chapter. It is true, he declares himself to have been no more than a
passive instrument in the hands of the Lord. See the Sixth Principle on ch. 22: Balak
and his courtiers might easily perceive this by his manner of acting and speaking, so
like what we read was usual, not only with the true prophets among the Jews, as
well as the pretended ones who had apostatised to the worship of Baal, both which
had the character of madmen given them; (see 1 Samuel 19:23. 1 Kings 18:28. 2
Kings 9:11; 2 Kings 9:37.) but was also believed to be the case of the heathen
pythonesses, and other oracle-mongers. But the most convincing argument, to them,
was his acting a part so contrary to his interest and inclination, and the extreme
mortification and displeasure we may reasonably suppose him to have shewn at his
disappointment; from all which, Balak, his princes, and allies, might be thoroughly
satisfied that their designs against Israel were defeated by a divine and irresistible
power, and that all their future attempts would meet with no better, if not worse
success than the former had done. However, the divine providence took special care
to convince, not only them, but future ages, of Balaam's prophetic commission,
32

33. before he left the Moabitish Court; for he had no sooner, in some measure, appeased
the King's anger, (Numbers 24:12, &c.) than he felt himself seized with a fresh
prophetic impulse; and, having gained the attention of the whole assembly, began to
extend his predictions on sundry kingdoms and people, and to display their various
fates by sea and land, in so plain a manner, that however slight an impression they
might make on those who then heard them, yet, by their timely accomplishment
afterwards, they sufficiently declared that they all flowed from the same divine
original; as will abundantly appear in the course of our notes on the present
chapter. See Psalmanazar's Essays. It may be proper just to observe, that a learned
writer of our own understands the occurrence of the ass and the angel, &c. in this
part of the sacred story, as a vision. See Dr. Jortin's Dissertations, p. 186. And to the
arguments which he uses in defence of his opinion, it may perhaps be thought by
some, that the present verse affords an additional one.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:4. The vision of the Almighty — So called properly,
because he was awake when the following things were revealed to him. Falling into a
trance — In the Hebrew it is only falling, namely, fainting and falling to the ground,
as the prophets sometimes used to do. Our translators supply the words, into a
trance, supposing him to have been in an ecstasy or rapture when he had the vision,
as it is probable he was; because it follows, having his eyes open — Which implies,
that when all his outward senses were locked up, his mind had a clear apprehension
of the things which God revealed to him.
ELLICOTT, "(4) Falling into a trance, but having his eyes open.—Better, falling
(upon his face), and having his eyes opened. The physical effect produced upon
Balaam appears to have been the same as that which was produced upon Saul (1
Samuel 19:24), upon Ezekiel (Num. i 28), upon Daniel (Num. viii, 17. 18). and upon
St. John (Revelation 1:17). The word which is here rendered “open” (gelui) is a
different word from that which is so rendered in Numbers 24:2, and is frequently
used in reference to Divine communications and spiritual intuition. There may be a
reference to the events which befel Balaam on his journey (Numbers 22:31).
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the
vision of the Almighty, falling [into a trance], but having his eyes open:
Ver. 4. Falling into a trance.] As was usual with the prophets; [Genesis 15:12 Daniel
8:17-19 2 Peter 1:21] {See Trapp on "1 Peter 1:21"} They were carried out of and
beyond themselves. And still -
“ Amor Dei est ecstaticus, neque iuris
Se sinit esse sui - ”
33

34. POOLE, "The vision; so called either strictly and properly, because he was awake
when this was revealed to him; or largely and improperly, for any extraordinary
discovery of God’s mind to him, whether sleeping or waking. A trance, or ecstasy,
fainting and falling upon the ground, as the prophets used to do. See 1 Samuel 19:24
Ezekiel 1:28 3:23 43:3 Daniel 8:17,18 10:15 Revelation 1:17. Others, falling suddenly
into a sleep, as the prophets sometimes did, as Genesis 15:12 Daniel 8:18.
PULPIT, "Falling into a trance. Rather, "falling down." Qui cadit, Vulgate. The
case of Saul, who "fell down naked all that day" (1 Samuel 19:24), overcome by the
illapse of the Spirit, affords the best comparison. Physically, it would seem to have
been a kind of catalepsy, in which the senses were closed to outward things, and the
eyes open but unseeing. The word for "open" in this verse is the ordinary one, not
that used in Numbers 24:3.
5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
GILL, "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,.... Not that the matter of which they
were made was so rich, or their structure so admirable, but the order in which they were
placed was so beautiful and agreeable:
and thy tabernacles, O Israel; which is the same thing in other words, and which
may be applied figuratively to the church of God, which often goes by the names of Jacob
and Israel; and agrees with particular congregations and assemblies of saints, where
they dwell as in tents in a movable state, like pilgrims and sojourners; and which are the
dwelling places of Father, Son, and Spirit, and of the people of God with one another;
and are goodly, pleasant, and delightful, because of the presence of God with them, and
on account of the provisions there made for them, and the company they there enjoy; see
Psa_84:1.
HENRY 5-9, "II. Yet the blessing is for substance the same with those
before. Several things he admires in Israel: -
1. Their beauty (Num_24:5): How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! Though
they dwelt not in stately palaces, but in coarse and homely tents, and these,
no doubt, sadly weather-beaten, yet Balaam sees a beauty in those tents,
because of their admirable order, according to their tribes, Num_24:2.
34

35. Nothing recommends religion more to the good opinion of those that look
upon it at a distance than the unity and harmony of its professors, Psa_
133:1. The amiableness of this people, and the great reputation they should
gain among their neighbours, are compared (Num_24:6) to the beauty and
sweetness of fruitful valleys and fine gardens, flourishing trees and fragrant
spices. Note, Those whose eyes are open see the saints on the earth to be
excellent ones, and their delight is accordingly in them. The righteous,
doubtless, is more excellent than his neighbour. They are trees which the
Lord has planted; that is their excellency. The branches of righteousness
are the planting of the Lord. See Hos_14:5-7.
2. Their fruitfulness and increase. This may be intended by those
similitudes (Num_24:6) of the valleys, gardens, and trees, as well as by
those expressions (Num_24:7), He shall pour the water out of his buckets;
that is, God shall water them with his blessing like rain from heaven, and
then his seed shall be in many waters. Compare Hos_2:23, I will sow her
unto me in the earth. And waters are in scripture put for peoples, and
multitudes, and nations. This has been fulfilled in the wonderful increase of
that nation and their vast multitude even in their dispersion.
3. Their honour and advancement. As the multitude of the people is the
honour of the prince, so the magnificence of the prince is the honour of the
people; Balaam therefore foretells that their king shall be higher than
Agag. Agag, it is probable, was the most potent monarch in those parts;
Balaam knew of none more considerable than he was; he rose above the rest
of his neighbours. But Balaam foretells that Israel's chief commander, who,
after Moses, was Joshua, should be more great and honourable than ever
Agag was, and make a far better figure in history. Saul, their first king,
triumphed over Agag, though, it is said, he came delicately.
4. Their power and victory, Num_24:8. (1.) He looks back upon what they
had done, or rather what had been done for them: God brought them forth
out of Egypt; this he had spoken of before, Num_23:22. The wonders that
attended their deliverance out of Egypt contributed more to their honour,
and the terror of their adversaries, than any thing else, Jos_2:10. He that
brought them out of Egypt will not fail to bring them into Canaan, for, as for
God, his work is perfect. (2.) He looks down upon their present strength.
Israel hath, as it were, the strength of a unicorn, of which creature it is said
(Job_39:9, Job_39:10), Will he be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy
crib? Canst thou bind him with his band in the furrow? “No, Israel is too
powerful to be checked or held in by my curses or thy armies.” (3.) He looks
forward to their future conquests: He shall eat up the nations his enemies;
that is, “he shall not only destroy and devour them as easily and irresistibly
as a lion does his prey, but he shall himself be strengthened, and fattened,
and enriched, by their spoils.”
5. Their courage and security: He lay down as a lion, as a great lion,
Num_24:9. Now he does so in the plains of Moab, and asks no leave of the
king of Moab, nor is he in fear of him; shortly will he do so in Canaan. When
he has torn his prey, he will take his repose, quiet from the fear of evil, and
bid defiance to all his neighbours; for who shall stir up a sleeping lion? It is
observed of lions (as the learned bishop Patrick takes notice here) that they
do not retire into places of shelter to sleep, but lie down any where, knowing
35

36. that none dares meddle with them: thus secure were Israel in Canaan,
chiefly in the days of David and Solomon; and thus is the righteous bold as a
lion (Pro_28:1), not to assault others, but to repose themselves, because
God maketh them to dwell in safety, Psa_4:8.
6. Their interest, and influence upon their neighbours. Their friends, and
those in alliance with them, were happy: Blessed is he that blesseth thee;
those that do them any kindness will certainly fare the better for it. But
their enemies, and those in arms against them, were certainly miserable:
Cursed is he that curseth thee; those that do them any injury do it at their
peril; for God takes what is done to them, whether good or evil, as done to
himself. Thus he confirms the blessing of Abraham (Gen_12:3), and speaks
as if therefore he did at this time bless Israel, and not curse them, because
he desired to share in the blessing of Israel's friends and dreaded the curse
on Israel's enemies.
JAMISON 5-7, "How goodly are thy tents, ... O Israel! — a fine burst of
admiration, expressed in highly poetical strains. All travellers describe the beauty which
the circular area of Bedouin tents impart to the desert. How impressive, then, must have
been the view, as seen from the heights of Abarim, of the immense camp of Israel
extended over the subjacent plains.
K&D 5-6, "“How beautiful are thy tents, O Jacob! thy dwellings, O Israel!
Like valleys are they spread out, like gardens by the stream, like aloes
which Jehovah has planted, like cedars by the waters. Water will flow out
of his buckets, and his seed is by many waters. And loftier than Agag be his
king, and his kingdom will be exalted.” What Balaam had seen before his
ecstasy with his bodily eyes, formed the substratum for his inward vision, in
which the dwellings of Israel came before his mental eye adorned with the
richest blessing from the Lord. The description starts, it is true, from the
time then present, but it embraces the whole future of Israel. In the blessed
land of Canaan the dwellings of Israel will spread out like valleys. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ‫נ‬ does
not mean brooks here, but valleys watered by brooks. ‫ה‬ ָ‫טּ‬ִ‫,נ‬ to extend oneself,
to stretch or spread out far and wide. Yea, “like gardens by the stream,”
which are still more lovely than the grassy and flowery valleys with brooks.
This thought is carried out still further in the two following figures. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ָ‫ֲה‬‫א‬
are aloe-trees, which grow in the East Indies, in Siam, in Cochin China, and
upon the Moluccas, and from which the aloe-wood was obtained, that was so
highly valued in the preparation of incense, on account of its fragrance. As
the aloes were valued for their fragrant smell, so the cedars were valued on
account of their lofty and luxuriant growth, and the durability of their
wood. The predicate, “which Jehovah hath planted,” corresponds, so far as
the actual meaning is concerned, to ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫מ‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ֲל‬‫ע‬, “by water;” for this was “an
expression used to designate trees that, on account of their peculiar
excellence, were superior to ordinary trees” (Calvin; cf. Psa_104:16).
36

37. CALVIN, "5.How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! The internal condition of
prosperity enjoyed by the people is described by various similitudes akin to each
other, and expressive of the same thing. He compares them to valleys and well-
watered gardens, and then to trees which were rendered succulent by abundance of
moisture, and finally to fields whose seeds imbibe fatness from the waters. The word
we translate “valleys spread forth,” some prefer to render “streams;” and the
Hebrew word signifies both; but the course of the metaphors requires that valleys
should be rather understood. For the same reason I have given the translation “aloe-
trees;” for, although the word ‫אהלים‬ ohelim, often means “tabernacles,” I have no
doubt but that it here refers to trees, so as to correspond with what follows as to the
cedars. They are called trees “which the Lord hath planted,” as surpassing the
ordinary growth of nature in their peculiar excellency, and exhibiting something
more noble than the effect of human labor and skill.
In the concluding similitude the interpreters have erred, in nay opinion. Some
translate it, “His seed (is) many waters;” others, “on many waters;” but (170) the
literal translation which I have given runs far better, viz., that he is like a rich and
fertile field, whose seed is steeped in much water.
Thus far Balaam has been speaking of God’s blessing, which shall enrich the people
with an abundance of all good things.
BENSON 5-6, "Numbers 24:5-6. How goodly are thy tents, &c. — Having seen them
pitched in the plains of Moab, (Numbers 24:2,) he thus breaks forth into admiration
of their beautiful order, as they lay ranged under their several standards. As the
valleys — Which often from a small beginning are spread forth far and wide. As
gardens — Pleasant and fruitful, and secured by a fence. As lign- aloes — An
Arabian and Indian tree of a sweet smell, yielding shade and shelter both to man
and beast; such is Israel, not only safe themselves, but yielding shelter to all that join
themselves to them. Which the Lord hath planted — Nature, not art.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, [and] thy tabernacles,
O Israel!
Ver. 5. How goodly are thy tents.] It fareth with a hypocrite, as with a surveyor of
lands, that taketh an exact compass of other men’s grounds, of which he shall never
enjoy a foot. See Numbers 23:10.WHEDON, " 5. How goodly — Beauteous,
delightful, profitable, and enduring.
Thy tents — In the Greek, houses. The Church is called the tents of Jacob (Malachi
2:12) and the tents of Judah. Zechariah 12:7.
37

38. Tabernacles — Both the public abode of Jehovah and the private dwellings of the
people surrounding it, symbolizing the communion of the Church with Christ and
with one another.
O Israel — A name suggestive of princeliness. Genesis 32:28.
SIMEON, "BALAAM’S THIRD ATTEMPT TO CURSE ISRAEL
Numbers 24:5; Numbers 24:9. How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy
tabernacles, O Israel! — — — Blessed is he that blesseth thee; and cursed is he that
curseth thee.
IF there were no other instance than that before us, we could never doubt the
influence of God over all his creatures. Balaam had shewn strongly enough his
desire to curse Israel; but had been twice constrained to speak the words which God
had put into his mouth. On this third occasion, he saw that it was in vain to use
enchantments; and therefore he laid them all aside; and gave himself up, without
any further resistance, to declare whatever God should say unto him.
His preface is usually represented as a pompous recital of his own peculiar
privileges and attainments: but it is rather a relation of the circumstances that
occurred whilst he was on his way to Balak. He speaks of himself as “the man whose
eyes were shut,” (so it should be read; and so it is read in the margin of our Bibles:)
and who “had a vision of the Almighty, falling, but having his eyes open:” (the
words, “into a trance,” are printed in italics, to shew that they are inserted by the
translators, and are not in the original:) his ass fell, and he fell also; and then his
eyes were opened, to sec the angel; whom, though his ass had seen, he had not till
then been enabled to behold. On a view of the orderly manner in which the
Israelites were encamped, he expressed his admiration of them; and then, in the
concluding words of our text declared the irreversible decree of God respecting
them: “Blessed, &c. &c.”
We shall consider these words,
I. In reference to the Jewish nation—
To them, in their primary sense, the words must certainly refer. But, when we read
such a solemn declaration respecting them, we are naturally led to ask,
1. How can we account for it?
[Was there any peculiar merit in them, that had induced Jehovah so wonderfully to
signalize them with his favour? No: they were a stiff-necked people from first to last.
But God had “chosen them for himself to he a peculiar people:” and had pledged
38

39. himself to fulfil to them all the promises, which he had made to Abraham respecting
them. Whoever therefore should set himself against that people, would he
endeavouring to thwart the divine counsels; whilst every one who should promote
the prosperity of Zion, would, in fact, advance the designs of God. No wonder
therefore that God pronounced a blessing or a curse on all, according as they co-
operated with him, or opposed his will.]
2. How was it fulfilled?
[In addition to all that has been stated on the two former occasions, we are here led
to contemplate the prosperity of Israel under the images of a verdant valley, a well-
watered garden, and fragrant or stately trees: they are further spoken of as
marvellously enriched, prolific, powerful. But we may particularly notice the
discrimination made between the Gibeonites and all the other nations of Canaan.
These, because they made a league with Joshua, were spared, protected, and
preserved; whilst all the others, without exception, were destroyed [Note: Joshua
9:25-27; Joshua 10:1-11.]. And, many hundred years afterwards, when Saul had
broken the covenant with them, and had sought to destroy them, God avenged their
cause by a famine during three successive years, and caused the injustice of Saul to
be punished in the destruction of almost all his family [Note: 2 Samuel 21:1-9.].
When at last the Israelites had provoked God utterly to abandon them, they became
weak as others, and were left, as at this day, to experience all the evils, which, as
God’s instruments, they themselves had inflicted upon other nations.]
The declaration in our text must further be considered,
II. In reference to the spiritual Israel—
If only we reflect, that this declaration was a repetition of the promise made to
Abraham and to Jacob, its application to the spiritual seed of Abraham will be
obvious and undeniable [Note: Genesis 12:3; Genesis 27:29.]. Let us consider then,
1. What is implied in this declaration—
[It does not relate to temporal benefits or evils, but to those which are spiritual and
eternal — — — And it shall assuredly be fulfilled to men in its utmost extent,
according as they shall be found to have loved and aided the true Israelites, or to
have hated and opposed them [Note: Isaiah 54:15-17; Isaiah 60:14; Isaiah
65:13-14.] — — — Divine Providence even in this world may be expected to put a
difference between the friends and enemies of Zion [Note: Psalms 122:6; Psalms
129:5-8.]: but, if none be visible in this world, it shall be made visible enough in the
world to come [Note: 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7.].]
2. On what ground we may expect its accomplishment—
[The circumstance of its being uttered by the voice of inspiration, is a pledge of its
39

40. accomplishment. It may appear strange indeed that God should interest himself to
such an extent in behalf of his believing people: but there are two grounds on which
we may be well assured that he will do so: the one is, that he considers our conduct
towards his Church, as a criterion of our true character [Note: Luke 2:34-35; 1
Peter 2:6-8.]; and the other is, that he identifies himself with his Church, accounting
every thing which is done to them, as done to himself [Note: Whether good,
Matthew 25:40 or evil, Zechariah 2:8; Acts 9:4-5.]. Realize these thoughts, and all
doubt respecting the accomplishment of the declaration will vanish for ever.]
Learn,
1. The importance of ascertaining our true character—
[If we truly “love him that begat, we shall also love those who are begotten of him
[Note: 1 John 5:1.].” Let us bring ourselves to this test, and carefully judge ourselves
as in the presence of God.]
2. The blessedness of being Israelites indeed—
[If God be so interested about you as to deal with men according to their conduct
towards you, what blessings may not you yourselves expect at his hands? — — —]
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
BARNES, "As gardens by the river’s side - Balaam’s language reflects the
famous artificial gardens along the banks of his own river, the Euphrates.
As the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted - The latter words
contain an apparent reference to Paradise (compare Gen_2:8). The aloe, imported from
China and the far distant east, furnished to the ancients one of the most fragrant and
precious of spices; compare Psa_45:8; Pro_7:17,
40

41. As cedar trees beside the waters - i. e., as the noblest of trees branching forth in
the fairest of situations: an image of majestic beauty, as that of the last verse was of rare
fecundity.
CLARKE, "Lign aloes which the Lord hath planted - Or, as the tents which the
Lord hath pitched; for it is the same word, ‫אהלים‬ ohalim, which is used in the 5th verse.
But from other parts of Scripture we find that the word also signifies a species of tree,
called by some the sandal tree, and by others the lignum or wood aloes. This tree is
described as being eight or ten feet high, with very large leaves growing at the top; and it
is supposed that a forest of those at some distance must bear some resemblance to a
numerous encampment. As the word comes from the root ‫אהל‬ ahal, which signifies to
spread or branch out, and therefore is applied to tents, because of their being extended
or spread out on the ground; so when it is applied to trees it must necessarily mean such
as were remarkable for their widely-extended branches; but what the particular species
is, cannot be satisfactorily ascertained. By the Lord’s planting are probably meant such
trees as grow independently of the cultivation of man - Nullis hominum cogentibus; or,
as Virgil expresses it,
Sponte sua quae se tollunt in luminis oras.
Virg., Geor. ii., 47.
“Such as sprung up, spontaneously into the regions of light.”
As cedar trees - Gabriel Sionita, a very learned Syrian Maronite, who assisted in
editing the Paris Polyglot, a man worthy of all credit, thus describes the cedars of Mount
Lebanon, which he had examined on the spot: -
“The cedar grows on the most elevated part of the mountain, is taller
than the pine, and so thick that five men together could scarcely fathom
one. It shoots out its branches at ten or twelve feet from the ground; they
are large, and distant from each other, and are perpetually green. The
cedar distils a kind of gum, to which different effects are attributed. The
wood of it is of a brown color, very solid, and incorruptible if preserved
from wet. It bears a small apple, like to that of the pine.”
Deuteronomy la Roque relates some curious particulars concerning this tree, which he
learned from the Maronites of Mount Libanus:
“The branches grow in parallel rows round the tree, but lessen
gradually from the bottom to the top, shooting out parallel to the horizon,
so that the tree is, in appearance, similar to a cone. As the snows, which
fall in vast quantities on this mountain, must necessarily, by their weight
on such a vast surface, break down these branches, nature, or rather the
God of nature, has so ordered it, that at the approach of winter, and
during the snowy season, the branches erect themselves, and cling close
to the body of the tree, and thus prevent any quantity of snow from
41

42. lodging on them.”
Mr. Maundrell, who visited Mount Libanus in 1697, gives the following description of
the cedars still growing there: -
“These noble trees grow among the snow, near the highest part of
Lebanon, and are remarkable, as well for their own age and largeness as
for those frequent allusions to them in the word of God. Some of them are
very old, and of a prodigious bulk; others younger, and of a smaller size.
Of the former I could reckon only sixteen, but the latter are very
numerous. I measured one of the largest, and found it twelve yards and
six inches in girt, and yet sound, and thirty-seven yards in the spread of
its branches. At about five or six yards from the ground it was divided
into five limbs, each of which was equal to a great tree.” - Journey from
Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 142.
GILL, "As the valleys are they spread forth,.... Long and broad, lying between
several mountains, and reaching from hill to hill; so the armies of Israel lay encamped in
the plains and villages of Moab, making a very considerable length and breadth; the
camp of Israel is said to be twelve miles long, and twelve miles broad; so the Targum on
Num_2:3 and this may denote the lowness of the saints and people of God in their own
eyes, and their largeness in themselves; and especially when the place of their tents shall
be enlarged, and the curtains of their habitations be stretched forth in the latter day; and
also their fruitfulness, meads, and valleys abounding with herbs and flowers, as the
churches of God do with the fruits of the Spirit, grace, and righteousness, and with
plants of the Lord's right hand planting. Some render it as brooks and torrents of water,
so the Targum of Jonathan; which diffuse and spread themselves, and on the banks of
which stand beautiful trees in goodly order:
as gardens by the river's side: laid out in a delightful manner, full of flowers, plants,
and trees, and well watered; like to these, in several spots, were the people of Israel
formed into several camps; and to these may the churches of God be compared, who are
distinguished and enclosed by sovereign grace, full of trees of righteousness of the Lord's
planting, watered by the river of divine love, and from Christ the fountain of gardens; see
Son_4:12,
as the trees of lign aloes, which the Lord hath planted: which are not planted
and raised by the art and industry of man, but grow up without culture, as the mere
produce of nature, under a divine providence; these are called lign wood or tree aloes, to
distinguish them from another sort of aloes, which are no other than plants; but these
are what the Indians call Calambra or Calembac, and, physicians Xyloaloes and
Agallochium, and are of a very aromatic and fragrant scent. This tree is said to be about
eight or ten feet high; at the head of it is a large bunch of leaves, which are thick and
indented, broad at bottom, but growing narrower towards the point, and about four feet
in length; the blossom of it is red, intermixed with yellow, and double like a pink; from
this blossom comes fruit, round like a large pea, white and red; the juice of these leaves
42

43. is drawn out by cutting them with a knife, and received into bottles; the smell of the
wood is exquisite (w). P. Martyr (x) speaks of a trunk of lign aloes, which being cut, a
sweet savour proceeds from it. It may be observed what Isidore (y) remarks, that it
grows in Arabia, as well as in India, and so might be well known to Balaam. And to these
the Israel of God may be compared for their fragrancy, being clothed with the
righteousness of Christ, all whose garments smell of or like these aloes, Psa_45:8 and
having the graces of the Spirit of God in them, the smell of which is preferable to all
spices, and they themselves are signified by the same, Son_4:10,
and as cedar trees beside the waters; which are tall and high, large and spreading,
durable lasting, to which the righteous are compared; see Gill on Psa_92:12.
JAMISON, "As the valleys — Hebrew, “brooks,” the watercourses of the
mountains.
lign aloes — an aromatic shrub on the banks of his native Euphrates, the conical
form of which suggested an apt resemblance to a tent. The redundant imagery of these
verses depicts the humble origin, rapid progress, and prosperity of Israel.
COKE, "Numbers 24:6. As the valleys, &c.— Struck with the beauty and regularity
of the Israelitish camp, Balaam elegantly compares them to spacious vallies,
stretching out to a great length; and to beautiful gardens laid out along the banks of
a river, and adorned with rows of stately trees. "The expression of Balaam," says
the celebrated Scheuchzer, "will appear natural to those, who have ever seen a fine
extent of country from the top of a mountain. The prophet, from the summit of
mount Peor, beheld the whole camp of the Israelites, arranged according to the
disposition which had been made of them by the command of God himself, and
separated into what might be called streets. He discovered, as in perspective, the
tribes in general, and each one in particular, disposed in the most beautiful order;
and he very justly compares the spectacle to those rivers which spread themselves
through a province, and have gardens upon their banks: a plan not only useful and
pleasant, but even sometimes necessary. Hence, it happens, that in the hottest
countries of Europe, and even in those which are temperate, we see along the sides
of lakes and rivers an agreeable scene of gardens, vineyards, verdant meadows, nay,
and often fine houses, which are usually inhabited in the summer-time, in order to
the being less incommoded by the heat. In these sweet spots the water continually
sprinkles the plants, and you always breathe a refreshing air. If we transport
ourselves in idea into the Asiatic regions, we shall see that this situation becomes
more necessary, in proportion as we advance towards the equator. The road which
Balaam had taken along the Euphrates was, doubtless, one of these fine long chains
of gardens, such as that which one sees betwixt Padua and Venice." The expression,
as the vallies are they spread forth, may be rendered, as streams of water are they
extended. We have before observed, that the original word ‫נחל‬ nachal, is used both
for a valley, and a stream; (see chap. Numbers 13:23.) but the context clearly gives
43

44. the preference to vallies. Houbigant, in order to keep up what he justly calls the
correspondence of the sentences, renders it after the Samaritan, Such are the shady
vallies; such the gardens by the river side; such the trees, &c. Balaam, says he,
compares the camp of Israel to pleasant vallies and delightful groves, an appearance
of which the orderly disposition of the tents exhibited.
As the trees of lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted— There were two sorts of
aloes; one an odoriferous tree growing in India and Arabia, called by Pliny
Ξυλαλοης, the lign, or wood-aloes: this is that which is often joined with myrrh in
Scripture; as it was of a fragrant smell, and, as Calmet has observed, frequently
used in the East as a perfume. The other is a purgative plant. Parkhurst says, the
‫אהלים‬ ahalim, are trees or plants of the aromatic kind, so called from their wide
shadowing branches or leaves for ‫אהל‬ ohel signifies a tent. See Proverbs 7:17. Song
of Solomon 4:14. Which the Lord hath planted, means only which grew of
themselves; without culture, without art, solo Dei nutu, as Bochart expresses it: so
Psalms 104:16. The cedars of Lebanon are said to be planted by God, because they
grew there most stately, without the art of man; nullis hominum cogentibus, as
Virgil speaks; see Georg. 2: Numbers 24:10. These, in common speech, we call the
productions of nature; but what we vulgarly ascribe to nature, the Scripture
language, with more truth and propriety, ascribes to God; for the productions of
nature are nothing else than the effects of the Divine power and energy, operating
either immediately, or by the mediation of inferior agents, in a certain uniform
order which he himself has established. With respect to the cedars, every one knows
the esteem in which they were held by the ancients, as well for their fragrancy, as on
other accounts. Salmasius assures us, that the Greeks always made it a point to burn
this wood upon their altars. All these metaphors Balaam makes use of to celebrate
the present and future prosperity of the Israelites: a prosperity, the same of which
was about to spread itself among all the neighbouring nations, as the perfume of
these odoriferous plants is everywhere disseminated by the winds.
BENSON, " (6) As gardens by the river’s side.—It is probable that the allusion may
be to the Euphrates, although the definite article is not prefixed to the word nahar
(river) in the Hebrew. (Comp. Isaiah 7:20.)
As cedar trees beside the waters.-The difference between cedars which grow beside
running water which their roots can reach, and the ordinary type of cedars which
throw out their strength in lateral branches is illustrated in Ezekiel 31:3-4, where
the proud Assyrian is compared to a cedar having “his top among the thick boughs”
(or, the clouds), which “the waters made great.” (Comp. Psalms 1:3; Psalms 92:12.)
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the
river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, [and] as cedar
trees beside the waters.
Ver. 6. As the trees of lign aloes.] An odoriferous sweet smelling tree, growing in
44

45. Arabia, which is said to be a country so sweet that swine cannot live in it.
POOLE, " Valleys ofttimes from a small beginning are spread forth fir and wide.
Others, as the brooks, or rivers, as the word signifies, which stretch out and disperse
their waters into several channels, and sometimes farther. Are they spread forth, i.e.
the Israelites last mentioned. As gardens by the river’s side; pleasant and fruitful,
and secured by a fence.
Trees of lign-aloes; an Arabian and Indian tree, of a sweet smell, yielding good
shade and shelter both to man and beast; such is Israel, famous among the nations,
and not only save themselves, but yielding shelter to all that join themselves to them.
Which the Lord hath planted; which are the best of the kind; such as not man, but
God, might seem to have planted, as the best of all sorts are ascribed to God, as the
trees, hills, cities, of God, &c. Compare Psalms 104:16.
As cedar trees, which are famous for growth, and height, and strength, and
durableness, whence Solomon’s temple was built of this wood, 1 Kings 6:9,10.
Beside the waters, where trees thrive best.
WHEDON, " 6. As the valleys — Well watered by brooks.
As gardens — Still more lovely than the verdant and flowery valleys.
Lignaloes — Aloe-trees abound in Eastern Asia. On account of their fragrance they
are highly prized for the preparation of incense and unguents. See John 19:39.
Although this tree is rare in Chaldea or Syria, it is reasonable to suppose it was
known to Balaam or he would scarcely have mentioned it as he does.
The Lord hath planted — Extraordinary trees are described as “the trees of
Jehovah.” See Psalms 104:16.
PULPIT, "As the valleys, or, "as the torrents" ( ‫ים‬ִ‫ל‬ָ‫ח‬ְ‫נ‬ ), which pour down in parallel
courses from the upper slopes. As gardens by the river's side. The river ( ‫ר‬ָ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ ), as in
Numbers 22:5) means the Euphrates. Balaam combines the pleasant imagery of his
own cultivated land with that of the wilder scene amidst which he now stood. As the
trees of lign aloes. ‫ים‬ִ‫ל‬ָ‫ה‬ ָ‫א‬ . Aloe trees, such as grew in the further east, where Balaam
had perhaps seen them. Which the Lord hath planted, or, "the Lord's planting," a
poetical ,way of describing their beauty and rarity (cf. Psalms 1:3; Psalms 104:16).
45

46. 7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
“Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
BARNES, "Balaam’s native soil was ordinarily irrigated by water fetched from the
neighboring Euphrates, and carried in buckets suspended from the two ends of a pole.
Thus the metaphor would import that Israel should have his own exuberant and
unfailing channels of blessing and plenty. Some take the word to be predictive of the
future benefits which, through the means of Israel, were to accrue to the rest of the
world.
Agag - The name, apparently hereditary (compare 1 Sam. 15) to the chieftains of
Amalek, means “high.” The words point to the Amalekite kingdom as highly prosperous
and powerful at the time (compare Num_24:20); but also to be far excelled by the future
glories of Israel. The Amalekites never in fact recovered their crushing defeat by Saul
(1Sa_15:2 ff), though they appear again as foes to Israel in the reign of David (1Sa_
27:1-12 and 30). The remnant of them was destroyed in the reign of Hezekiah 1Ch_4:43.
CLARKE, "He shall pour the water out of his buckets, etc. - Here is a very
plain allusion to their method of raising water in different parts of the East. By the well a
tall pole is erected, which serves as a fulcrum to a very long lever, to the smaller end of
which a bucket is appended. On the opposite end, which is much larger, are many
notches cut in the wood, which serve as steps for a man, whose business it is to climb up
to the fulcrum, in order to lower the bucket into the well, which, when filled, he raises by
walking back on the opposite arm, till his weight brings the bucket above the well’s
mouth: a person standing by the well empties the bucket into a trench, which
communicates with the ground intended to be watered.
His seed shall be in many waters - Another simple allusion to the sowing of rice.
The ground must not only be well watered, but flooded, in order to serve for the proper
growth of this grain. The rice that was sown in many waters must be the most fruitful. By
an elegant and chaste metaphor all this is applied to the procreation of a numerous
posterity.
His king shall be higher than Agag - This name is supposed to have been as
common to all the Amalekitish kings as Pharaoh was to those of Egypt. But several
critics, with the Septuagint, suppose that a small change has taken place here in the
46

47. original word, and that instead of ‫מאגג‬ meagag, than Agag, we should read ‫מגוג‬ miggog,
than Gog. As Gog in Scripture seems to mean the enemies of God’s people, then the
promise here may imply that the true worshippers of the Most High shall ultimately
have dominion over all their enemies.
GILL, "He shall pour the water out of his buckets,.... That is, God shall
plentifully send down rain out of the clouds upon these valleys, gardens, and trees, and
make them fruitful; and this may be a figure of the grace of God, with which his churches
are watered, and become fruitful by means of the word and ordinances, which is
conveyed through them out of the fulness which is in Christ:
and his seed shall be in many waters; the seed and offspring of Israel shall be in a
place of many waters, in a land of brooks and waters, shall dwell in a well watered land,
the land of Canaan, Deu_8:7 or shall be like seed sown near water, or in well watered
places, which springs up and brings forth much fruit, see Isa_32:20 or shall become, or
be over many waters, to which people, kingdoms, and nations, are sometimes compared;
and so may denote the multitude of Israel, and the large extent of their dominions, see
Rev_17:1,
and his king shall be higher than Agag; who might be the then present king of
Amalek, reckoned one of the greatest kings on earth; and this name, some think, was
common to all the kings of Amalek, as Pharaoh to the kings of Egypt; and according to
Jarchi and Aben Ezra, this is a prophecy of the first king of Israel, Saul, and of his
conquering Agag king of Amalek, for there was one of this name in his time, 1Sa_15:7,
and his kingdom shall be exalted; that is, the kingdom of the people of Israel, as it
was more especially in the days of David and Solomon; and will be abundantly more in
the days of the Messiah, when his kingdom shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to
the ends of the earth, and the kingdoms of this world shall become his, and he shall reign
over all the earth; and so the Jerusalem Targum,"and the kingdom of the King Messiah
shall become very great;''and so other Jewish writers (z) refer this prophecy to the days
of the Messiah.
JAMISON, "his king shall be higher than Agag — The Amalekites were then the
most powerful of all the desert tribes, and “Agag” a title common to their kings.
K&D, "And not only its dwellings, but Israel itself would also prosper
abundantly. It would have an abundance of water, that leading source of all
blessing and prosperity in the burning East. The nation is personified as a
man carrying two pails overflowing with water. ‫ָו‬‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ָ‫דּ‬ is the dual ‫ם‬ִ‫ַי‬‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ָ‫.דּ‬ The
dual is generally used in connection with objects which are arranged in
pairs, either naturally or artificially (Ges. §88, 2). “His seed” (i.e., his
posterity, not his sowing corn, the introduction of which, in this connection,
would, to say the least, be very feeble here) “is,” i.e., grows up, “by many
waters,” that is to say, enjoys the richest blessings (comp. Deu_8:7 and
47

48. Deu_11:10 with Isa_44:4; Isa_65:23). ‫ם‬ֹ‫ר‬ָ‫י‬ (optative), “his king be high before
(higher than) Agag.” Agag (‫ַג‬‫ג‬ֲ‫ע‬, the fiery) is not the proper name of the
Amalekite king defeated by Saul (1Sa_15:8), but the title (nomen dignitatis)
of the Amalekite kings in general, just as all the Egyptian kings had the
common name of Pharaoh, and the Philistine kings the name of Abimelech.
(Note: See Hengstenberg (Dissertations, ii. 250; and Balaam, p. 458).
Even Gesenius could not help expressing some doubt about there being
any reference in this prophecy to the event described in 1Sa_15:8.,
“unless,” he says, “you suppose the name Agag to have been a name that was
common to the kings of the Amalekites” (thes. p. 19). He also points to the name
Abimelech, of which he says (p. 9): “It was the name of several kings in the land
of the Philistines, as of the king of Gerar in the times of Abraham (Gen_20:2-3;
Gen_21:22-23), and of Isaac (Gen_26:1-2), and also of the king of Gath in the time
of David (Psa_34:1; coll. 1Sa_21:10, where the same king of called Achish). It
seems to have been the common name and title of those kings, as Pharaoh was of
the early kings of Egypt, and Caesar and Augustus of the emperors of Rome.”)
The reason for mentioning the king of the Amalekites was, that he was
selected as the impersonation of the enmity of the world against the
kingdom of God, which culminated in the kings of the heathen; the
Amalekites having been the first heathen tribe that attacked the Israelites
on their journey to Canaan (Exo_17:8). The introduction of one particular
king would have been neither in keeping with the context, nor reconcilable
with the general character of Balaam's utterances. Both before and
afterward, Balaam predicts in great general outlines the good that would
come to Israel; and how is it likely that he would suddenly break off in the
midst to compare the kingdom of Israel with the greatness of one particular
king of the Amalekites? Even his fourth and last prophecy merely
announces in great general terms the destruction of the different nations
that rose up in hostility against Israel, without entering into special details,
which, like the conquest of the Amalekites by Saul, had no material or
permanent influence upon the attitude of the heathen towards the people of
God; for after the defeat inflicted upon this tribe by Saul, they very speedily
invaded the Israelitish territory again, and proceeded to plunder and lay it
waste in just the same manner as before (cf. 1Sa_27:8; 1Sa_30:1.; 2Sa_
8:12).
(Note: Even on the supposition (which is quite at variance with the
character of all the prophecies of Balaam) that in the name of Agag, the
contemporary of Saul, we have a vaticinium ex eventu, the allusion to this
particular king would be exceedingly strange, as the Amalekites did not perform
any prominent part among the enemies of Israel in the time of Saul; and the
command to exterminate them was given to Saul, not because of any special harm
that they had done to Israel at that time, but on account of what they had done to
Israel on their way out of Egypt (comp. 1Sa_15:2 with Exo_17:8).)
‫כּ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫,מ‬ his king, is not any one particular king of Israel, but quite generally
the king whom the Israelites would afterwards receive. For ‫כּ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫מ‬ is
substantially the same as the parallel ‫ת‬ ֻ‫כ‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫,מ‬ the kingdom of Israel, which
48

49. had already been promised to the patriarchs (Gen_17:6; Gen_35:11), and in
which the Israelites were first of all to obtain that full development of power
which corresponded to its divine appointment; just as, in fact, the
development of any people generally culminates in an organized kingdom. -
The king of Israel, whose greatness was celebrated by Balaam, was
therefore neither the Messiah exclusively, nor the earthly kingdom without
the Messiah, but the kingdom of Israel that was established by David, and
was exalted in the Messiah into an everlasting kingdom, the enemies of
which would all be made its footstool (Psa_2:1-12 and Psa_110:1-7).
CALVIN, "7.And his king shall be higher than Agag. He now begins to enlarge on
their outward prosperity, viz., that the people of Israel shall be powerful and
flourishing, and endowed with a warlike spirit to resist the assaults of their enemies;
for it would not be sufficient that they should abound with all blessings, unless the
ability to defend them should also be superadded. It is by no means a probable
conjecture that he speaks of Saul who made prisoner of their king, Agag, in the
battle with the Amalekites; but their opinion is the more correct one, who suppose
that this was a name common to all the kings of that nation. It was, therefore, God’s
intention to declare the superiority of His chosen people to the Amalekites; nor need
we be surprised that they should be thus brought into especial antagonism with
them, not only because they were the constant enemies of Israel, but because their
power was then excessively great, as we shall very soon see: “Amalek was the first of
nations,” etc. (verse 20.)
Although for a long time afterwards, there was no king in Israel, still there is no
absurdity in the fact that the commonwealth should be designated by the name of
“king,” and “kingdom;” especially since God had postponed the full
accomplishment of His grace until the time of the establishment of the kingdom.
Hence, in this prophecy, Balaam, however little he might have been aware of it,
embraced the time of David; and consequently he predicted things which were only
accomplished in Christ, on whom the adoption was founded.
What follows has been already expounded, viz, that God, in delivering His people,
had made it plain that He would have them remain in safety and perpetuity; and
that He was able to bring this to pass.
COKE, "Numbers 24:7. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, &c.— Very
different are the interpretations given to this obscure passage. 1. The LXX render
the Hebrew widely different from our translation; a man shall come out of his seed,
and shall rule over many nations; which also is the translation of Onkelos, and the
Targum of Jerusalem, though the latter is somewhat more particular; a king shall
proceed from their sons; their Redeemer shall come from among them, and the
reign of the king-Messiah shall be greatly exalted. St. Cyprian follows exactly the
version of the LXX, in quoting this passage against the Jews, lib. 2: cap. 10 and the
49

50. learned Bishop Fell, in a note upon the place, has shewn, that the Greek interpreters
rendered it thus, because in the language of the Hebrews they speak proverbially of
water which distills from a bucket, for a man who is born, or who issues from his
father: he adds, that ‫זרע‬ zerang, signifying equally posterity, and the arm of power,
the LXX have taken the word in the latter sense, as an emblem of empire over many
people: in the same manner as God says, (speaking to David,) I will set his hand in
the sea, and his right hand in the rivers, to mark the extent of his power. This
conjecture must at least be granted to be ingenious. 2. Houbigant says that the
Hebrew, literally rendered, is aquas prorumpere faciet ex precordiis suis, (Israel)
He shall make waters to flow from his bowels, ‫דל‬ dal, in the Persian language is, says
he, the inward part of a thing, the heart, the bowels; which signification we have
therefore chosen, because our Lord Christ referred to this place, when he said, he
that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water. John 7:38. For unless you interpret it in this manner, there is no place
in the sacred volume which speaks of water flowing from the belly. Balaam speaks
in this place metaphorically, as becomes him who had taken up his parable: but
waters, thus used, it appears from St. Paul, signified the doctrine with which one is
imbued. See 1 Corinthians 3:6. This was fixed among the Jews before the apostle's
time, as appears from the baptism of John, and from others of the like kind used
before John; for if any one was sprinkled with the water of baptism, he professed
thereby to embrace that doctrine and form of manners, into which he was instituted
by him who baptized him. This interpretation of our's agrees well with what
follows; and his seed in many waters: that is, his seeds or plants shall be well
watered. So that, according to Houbigant, the meaning is, "he shall be well
instructed in true doctrine himself, and plentifully afford that instruction to his
posterity." 3. Those who may think the foregoing interpretations too much forced,
will read the passage according to its most literal translation, thus, waters shall flow
from his buckets, and his seed shall be by many waters; which seems to be a
metaphorical expression for the great increase of Israel; for increase of posterity is
represented in Scripture by the flowing out of waters. Isaiah 48:1. Proverbs 18-5:15
a passage which seems clearly to explain this: many waters are put for many people,
Jeremiah 47:2. Revelation 17:15 and Isaiah 32:20 the expression seems well to
explain the latter clause, his seed shall be, &c. It may be proper just to observe, that
Le Clerc would render it, from his boughs the waters shall distill; and he
understands the passage as expressive of the plenty and fertility of the country
which the Hebrews should possess. See Ezekiel 17:23. Dr. Lowth, in his elegant
version, understands the passage in this last sense.
Illi uda multo rore stillant germina, Faetusque alunt juges aquae.
His king shall be higher than Agag— Most commentators suppose that Agag was a
common name of all the kings of the Amalekites, as Pharaoh was of Egypt, &c. and
as the Amalekites at this time were the most flourishing and formidable people of
the East, it is supposed that Balaam foretels in these words, that the king of Israel
should be the greatest of kings; for he knew none greater than Agag. Some think
that they have a particular respect to Saul the first king of Israel, who subdued the
50

51. Amalekites, and took Agag captive. The Jews themselves, however, think the
passage has its full completion in the Messiah. The LXX, Samar. Onkelos, Syr.
Arab. Aquila, Symmachus, and many fathers of the church, to whom we may add
Houbigant, read the passage differently; his king shall be greater than Gog. Now
Gog, in the Scripture, means the Scythians, and other northern nations. See Ezek.
chapters 38: and 39: and Mede's Works, p. 574. Many learned men prefer this
reading to the other, meaning by Gog the enemies of the church in general. It was
easy to confound the Hebrew ‫מגוג‬ magog, with ‫מאגג‬ meagag, says Mr. Samuel
Wesley, Dissert. on Job; and so to read Agag instead of Gog; and if so, may we not
as well suppose, that the reading was changed from ‫מהגג‬ mehagog, which may
signify above the top, or above all height; for ‫גג‬ gag signifies locus sublimis, the top
of any thing, the roof of a house; and is frequently so used in Scripture. See
Calasio's Concordance on the word. And then the meaning of the passage will be,
his king shall be exalted above all height; i.e. super-eminently, and above all kings;
to which the correspondent clause is, and his kingdom shall be exalted; shall be
raised to the highest dignity and glory; in which, most probably, there is a reference
to the Messiah and his kingdom.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:7. He shall pour the water — That is, God will abundantly
water the valleys, gardens, and tress, which represent the Israelites; he will
wonderfully bless his people, not only with outward blessings, of which a chief one
in those parts was plenty of water, but also with higher gifts and graces, with his
word and Spirit, which are often signified by water, and at last with eternal life, the
contemplation whereof made Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous. His
seed shall be in — Rather, by; many waters — This may mean, His seed shall be
sown in a ground well watered, and consequently shall bring forth a plentiful crop.
Or, as many waters are frequently put figuratively for many people, (see Jeremiah
47:2;
Revelation 17:15; Isaiah 32:20,) and the flowing out of waters signifies an increase
of posterity, the words may here be intended to express, by a metaphor, the great
increase of Israel. His king shall be higher than Agag — It has been supposed, with
great probability, by most commentators, that Agag was the common name of the
kings of Amalek, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptian kings, and Abimelech of those of
the Philistines. “Amalek was a neighbouring country, and therefore is fitly
introduced upon the present occasion, and it was likewise at that time a great and
flourishing kingdom, being styled (Numbers 24:20) the first of the nations; and
therefore for the king of Israel to be exalted above the king of Amalek was really a
wonderful exaltation. But, wonderful as it was, it was accomplished by Saul, who
smote the Amalekites from Havilah, &c., and took Agag, the king of the Amalekites,
alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword, 1 Samuel
15:7-8. The first king of Israel subdued Agag, the king of the Amalekites. So that it
might truly and properly be said, His king shall be higher than Agag, and his
kingdom shall be exalted, as it was afterward greatly by David and Solomon.” —
Newton.
51

52. ELLICOTT, " (7) He shall pour the water out of his buckets.—Better, Water shall
flow from his buckets; or, he shall flow with water from his buckets. The nation is
personified as a man carrying two buckets full of water, which was the type and
leading source of blessing and prosperity in the East. This is a beautiful image, as
Bishop Wordsworth has observed, of the true Israel “pouring out the living waters
of salvation, the pure streams of the Spirit, and making the wilderness of the world
to rejoice and be glad.”
His seed shall be in many waters.—This may mean that Israel should inhabit
Canaan—“a land of brooks of water” (Deuteronomy 8:7; Deuteronomy 11:11); or it
may mean that, like seed sown and trees planted by the waters (Isaiah 32:20; Isaiah
44:4; Isa_65:22-23), they should inherit the richest blessings.
His king shall be higher than Agag . . .-Agag appears to have been the title (nomen
dignitatis) of the Amalekite kings, as Pharaoh of the Egyptian and Abimelech of the
Philistine kings. The reference does not seem to be to any particular king, but to the
kingdom which should hereafter be established in Israel—to the kings, generally,
which should come out of the loins of Abraham (Genesis 17:6; Genesis 35:11).
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed
[shall be] in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom
shall be exalted.
Ver. 7. His seed shall be in many waters.] He shall sow in locis irriguis; as men are
bid to cast their bread, their alms, upon the waters, upon the poor; as upon a well-
watered soil. [Ecclesiastes 11:1] Such is the land of Egypt, watered by Nile; which
makes the ground so fruitful, that they do but throw in the seed, and have four rich
harvests in less than four months, - saith one that had been there. (a)
He shall be higher than Agag.] King of the Amalekites, who was then the greatest
monarch of those parts, and did haply think as highly of himself as that proud
prince of Tyre, [Ezekiel 28:2-6] or as the great Cham of Cataia, of whom it is
reported that every day, after he had dined, he caused the trumpets to be sounded,
by that sign giving leave to other princes of the earth to go to dinner.
POOLE, " He, i.e. God, will abundantly water the valleys, gardens, and trees, is
which represent the Israelites, Numbers 24:6, i.e. he will wonderfully bless his
people, not only with outward blessings, of which a chief one in those parts was
plenty of water, but also with higher gifts and graces, with his word and Spirit,
which are often signified by waters, John 3:5 John 4:10 7:38,39, and at last with
eternal life, the contemplation whereof made Balaam desire to die the death of the
righteous. Others thus, God shall make his posterity numerous; for the procreation
52

53. of children is oft signified by waters, fountains, cisterns, &c., as Psalms 68:26
Proverbs 5:15,18 9:17 Isaiah 48:1. But there is no necessity of flying to metaphors
here, and therefore the other being the literal and proper sense, is by the laws of
good interpretation to be preferred before it.
In many waters: this also may be literally understood of their seed, which shall be
sown in waterish ground, and therefore bring forth a better increase, Isaiah 32:20.
Others thus, His seed shall be so numerous, that it shall branch forth into many
people, the several tribes being reckoned and sometimes called several people. Or,
his seed shall rule over many people or nations, which are sometimes signified by
many waters, as Psalms 144:7 Isaiah 57:20 Jeremiah 47:2 Revelation 17:15. But here
also the literal sense seems best. His king, i.e. the king of Israel; either God, who was
in a peculiar manner their King or Ruler, Numbers 23:21 Jude 6:13 1 Samuel 8:7
Isaiah 33:22; or their chief governor or governors, whether king or others; for
Moses called their king, Deuteronomy 33:5, and the judges were in a manner kings.
Than Agag, i.e. than the king of the Amalekites, which king and people were famous
and potent in that age, Numbers 24:20, as may be guessed by their bold attempt
upon so numerous a people as Israel was. And it is probably thought by the Jewish
and other interpreters, that the Amalekitish kings, as Abimelech was of the
Philistines, and Pharaoh of the Egyptians, and Caesar of the Romans. But though
this king only be instanced in, yet other kings, to wit, such as did or should border
upon the Israelites, are doubtless to be understood, above whom the kings and
people of Israel sometimes were advanced, and oftener should have been, if they had
not been their own hinderance by their sins. Some make this a prophecy of Saul’s
conquering Agag and his people, 1 Samuel 15:7,8. But the words seem to be more
general, and to signify a greater honour and advantage to Israel than that was.
WHEDON, " 7. His buckets — Israel is poetically portrayed as a water-carrier with
two overflowing pails, such as irrigated Balaam’s native soil with water carried
from the Euphrates. In the burning East an abundance of water is a large element
of personal happiness and of national prosperity. Water is often used in the Bible as
a symbol of spiritual blessing, especially in Isaiah 12:3; Isaiah 35:6-8; Isaiah
41:17-18; Isaiah 43:19-20; Isaiah 44:3-4; Isaiah 49:10; Isaiah 55:1; Isaiah 58:11.
Seed… in many waters — His children shall either enjoy copious waters literally,
(Deuteronomy 8:7,) or they shall dwell among many peoples, figuratively expressed
by waters, Psalms 144:7; Revelation 17:15.
King… higher than Agag — Agag was an hereditary title of the chieftains of
Amalek, as elsewhere was and is Caesar and Czar. The word signifies high, or in the
Arabic, fiery. At this time Amalek was at the zenith of power and glory. Numbers
24:20. The prediction is, that this glory shall pale before the splendour of some
future king of Israel. This was fulfilled in Solomon, though Saul irrecoverably
crushed Amalek and captured Agag. 1 Samuel 15:8. Extreme typologists refer this
53

54. prediction to Christ. John 1:49; John 12:13-15; comp. Psalms 89:27-28.
His kingdom — The kingdom of the Messiah. — Jerusalem Targum.
PULPIT, "He shall pour the water, or, "the water shall overflow." Out of his
buckets. ‫ָו‬‫י‬ְ‫ל‬ ָ‫דּ‬ is the dual, "his two buckets." The image, familiar enough to one who
lived in an irrigated land, is of one carrying two buckets on the ends of a pole which
are so full as to run over as he goes. And his seed … in many waters. It is uncertain
in what sense the word "seed" issued. It may be an image as simple as the last, of
seed sown either by or actually upon many waters (cf. Ecclesiastes 11:1), and so
securing a plentiful and safe return; or it may stand for the seed, i.e; the posterity,
of Israel, which should grow up amidst many blessings (Isaiah 44:4). The former
seems most in keeping here. His king shall be higher than Agag. Rather, "let his
king be higher than Agag." The name Agag ( ‫ַג‬‫ג‬ ַ‫,א‬ the fiery one) does not occur again
except as the name of the king of Amalek whom Saul conquered and Samuel slew (1
Samuel 35-15:1 .); yet it may safely be assumed that it was the official title of all the
kings of Amalek, resembling in this "Abimelech" and "Pharaoh." Here it seems to
stand for the dynasty and the nation of the Amalekites, and there is no reason to
suppose that any reference was intended to any particular individual or event in the
distant future. The "king" of Israel here spoken of is certainly not Saul or any other
of the kings, but God himself in his character as temporal Ruler of Israel; and the
"kingdom" is the kingdom of heaven as set forth by way of anticipation in the polity
and order of the chosen race. As a fact, Israel had afterwards a visible king who
overthrew Agag, but their having such a king was alien to the mind of God, and due
to a distinct falling away from national faith, and therefore could find no place in
this prophecy.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
54

55. CLARKE, "God brought him forth out of Egypt - They were neither expelled
thence, nor came voluntarily away. God alone, with a high hand and uplifted arm,
brought them forth. Concerning the unicorn, see Num_23:22 (note).
GILL, "God brought him forth out of Egypt, he hath as it were the strength
of an unicorn,.... Here he repeats what he had said in a former prophecy; see Gill on
Num_23:22, he shall eat up the nations his enemies: the seven nations of Canaan, which
should be subdued by Israel, and that with as much ease as a lion devours its prey; nor
would the Canaanites be able to make any more resistance to them than a creature in the
paws of a lion; and the phrase denotes the utter destruction of them:
and shall break their bones; as the lion breaks the bones of such creatures that fall a
prey to him; signifying that all their strength should be taken from them, their mighty
men slain, and their fortified cities taken:
and pierce them through with his arrows: slay them utterly.
K&D 8-9, "In Num_24:8 and Num_24:9, Balaam proclaims still further:
“God leads him out of Egypt; his strength is as that of a buffalo: he will
devour nations his enemies, and crush their bones, and dash them in pieces
with his arrows. He has encamped, he lies down like a lion, and like a
lioness: who can drive him up? Blessed be they who bless thee, and cursed
they who curse thee!” The fulness of power that dwelt in the people of Israel
was apparent in the force and prowess with which their God brought them
out of Egypt. This fact Balaam repeats from the previous saying (Num_
23:22), for the purpose of linking on to it the still further announcement of
the manner in which the power of the nation would show itself upon its foes
in time to come. The words, “he will devour nations,” call up the image of a
lion, which is employed in Num_24:9 to depict the indomitable heroic
power of Israel, in words taken from Jacob's blessing in Gen_49:9. The Piel
‫ם‬ ֵ‫ֵר‬‫גּ‬ is a denom. verb from ‫ם‬ ֶ‫ֶר‬‫גּ‬, with the meaning to destroy, crush the
bones, like ‫שׁ‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֵ‫,שׁ‬ to root out (cf. Ges. §52, 2; Ewald, §120, e.). ‫יו‬ ָ‫צּ‬ ִ‫ה‬ is not the
object to ‫ץ‬ ַ‫ח‬ ְ‫מ‬ִ‫;י‬ for ‫ץ‬ ַ‫ח‬ ָ‫,מ‬ to dash to pieces, does not apply to arrows, which
may be broken in pieces, but not dashed to pieces; and the singular suffix in
‫יו‬ ָ‫צּ‬ ִ‫ח‬ can only apply to the singular idea in the verse, i.e., to Israel, and not to
its enemies, who are spoken of in the plural. Arrows are singled out as
representing weapons in general.
(Note: The difficulty which many feel in connection with the word ‫יו‬ ָ‫צּ‬ ִ‫ח‬
cannot be removed by alterations of the text. The only possible conjecture ‫יו‬ ָ‫צ‬ָ‫ל‬ֲ‫ח‬
(his loins) is wrecked upon the singular suffix, for the dashing to pieces of the loins
of Israel is not for a moment to be thought of. Knobel's proposal, viz., to read
‫יו‬ ָ‫מ‬ ָ‫,ק‬ has no support in Deu_33:11, and is much too violent to reckon upon any
approval.)
Balaam closes this utterance, as he had done the previous one, with a
55

56. quotation from Jacob's blessing, which he introduces to show to Balak, that,
according to words addressed by Jehovah to the Israelites through their
own tribe-father, they were to overcome their foes so thoroughly, that none
of them should venture to rise up against them again. To this he also links
on the words with which Isaac had transferred to Jacob in Gen_27:29 the
blessing of Abraham in Gen_12:3, for the purpose of warning Balak to desist
from his enmity against the chosen people of God.
COKE, "Numbers 24:8. God brought him forth out of Egypt— The meaning of
which both here and in chap. Numbers 23:22 is, That as it was God, their guide and
king, who with a strong arm brought them forth out of Egypt; so that same God will
make them victorious over all their enemies; and, consequently, all opposition is in
vain. As a proof of which, the prophet adds, he, i.e. Israel, hath, i.e. from God, as it
were, the strength of an unicorn. That there is no such animal as the unicorn,
vulgarly understood, is on all hands agreed. The question therefore is, what animal
is meant by the original word ‫ראם‬ reem? There are two opinions, 1st, that of
Bochart, who thinks that an eastern animal, of the stag or deer kind, is meant,
remarkable for his height, [see Psalms 92:10.] strength, and fierceness; see Bochart,
vol. 2: p. 949. 2nd, Others, of which number particularly is the learned Scheuchzer,
suppose the rhinoceros to be meant. See Scheuch. Phys. Sacr. vol. 4. Bochart's
opinion seems the most probable, (as we may collect from Deuteronomy 33:17.) that
no one-horned animal can be meant; for it is there said of Joseph, his horns are the
horns of a ‫ראם‬ reem; with them he shall push the people to the ends of the earth; and
they (that is, these two horns) are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands
of Manasseh, i.e. the two tribes which sprung from Joseph. See Parkhurst's
Lexicon: who says that ‫רים‬ rim, which occurs, Job 10-39:9 and plural ‫רמים‬ ramim,
Psalms 22:21 in his opinion, denote the same kind of animal as ‫ראם‬ reem, or are only
other names for the Oryx. So that, according to this interpretation, Balaam foretels
that, as the ‫ראם‬ reem or oryx, exceeds other goats in eminence and size, so Israel
should surpass in glory the other neighbouring nations, and rule over them by his
strength and power. The word which we may render strength ‫תועפת‬ toapat,
rendered by the interlineary version indefatigationes, and by Le Clerc altitudines,
the heights, may, perhaps, more properly signify quick and indefatigable motions;
and if so, it is with great propriety applied to the oryx, as well as to the quick and
sudden conquest of the children of Israel. We should, however, just observe, that
there is a species of the rhinoceros with two horns, which is a native of Africa, and is
very frequently found at the Cape of Good Hope.
He shall eat up the nations his enemies— If this refers to the animal just mentioned,
it will be a strong argument for interpreting it of the rhinoceros, since the
particulars here expressed can by no means be applied to any thing of the goat or
deer kind. If, however, ‫ראם‬ reem be understood to mean the oryx, we must
understand Balaam as referring to the lion, whereof he speaks in the next verse, and
pierce them with his arrows, which entirely destroys the metaphor. The Hebrew
literally is, and his transfixings shall transfix, ‫וחציו‬ ‫ימוחצ‬ vechitzaiv yimchatz; by
56

57. which, I apprehend, no more is meant, than that he shall deeply pierce and wound
his enemies; and, if we understand it of the rhinoceros, we may very properly
translate it, and deeply wound them with his horns; for every naturalist informs us
what terrible havock the rhinoceros makes with his horn, or horns, in combat with
other beasts.
BENSON, "Verse 8-9
Numbers 24:8-9. He shall eat up the nations, &c. — The expressions in these verses
are intended to signify the victories which the Israelites should gain over their
enemies, and particularly the Canaanites, and the secure and quiet possession they
should have of the land afterward, all which was fulfilled especially in the days of
David and Solomon. He couched, he lay down as a lion — It is remarkable that God
here put into the mouth of Balaam nearly the same expressions which Jacob had
used concerning Judah, (Genesis 49:9,) and Isaac concerning Jacob, Genesis 27:29.
And what wonder, considering that all these prophecies proceeded from one and the
same spirit?
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the
strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their
bones, and pierce [them] through with his arrows.
Ver. 8. God brought him forth out of Egypt.] This he tells Balak, in answer to that
complaint of his. [Numbers 20:5] Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, q.d.,
Come they are indeed, but not of themselves, but by God, who said, "Out of Egypt
have I called my son."HEDON, " 8. Unicorn — This comparison is only an
amplification of that in chap. xxiii, 22. See note.
Eat up the nations — Destroy them. As an illustration take the seven nations of
Canaan. Numbers 14:9; Deuteronomy 7:1. So all nations shall be utterly wasted or
conquered by spiritual Israel. Isaiah 60:12.
Break their bones — Literally, unmarrow their fat bones — weakening them
beyond recovery.
Arrows — The chief missiles of ancient war. They are figurative of the piercing
words of inspiration. Psalms 45:5; Psalms 64:4.
PULPIT, "And shall break their bones. ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ָר‬‫ג‬ְ‫י‬ (cf. Ezekiel 23:34) seems to mean
"crush" or "smash." The Septuagint has ἐκμυελιεῖ, "shall suck out," i.e; the
marrow, but the word does not seem to bear this meaning. Pierce them through with
his arrows, or, "dash in pieces his arrows," i.e; the arrows shot at him. ‫ץ‬ָ‫ח‬ ִ‫מ‬ְ‫י‬ ‫יו‬ָּ‫ח‬ ִ‫.ח‬
The difficulty is the possessive suffix to "arrows," which is in the singular;
57

58. otherwise this rendering gives a much better sense, and more in keeping with the
rest of the passage The image in Balaam's mind is evidently that of a terrible wild
beast devouring his enemies, stamping them underfoot, and dashing to pieces in his
fury the arrows or darts which they vainly launch against him (compare the
imagery in Daniel 7:7).
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?
“May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!”
CLARKE, "He couched, he lay down as a lion, etc. - See the original terms
explained Num_23:24 (note).
These oracles, delivered by Balaam, are evident prophecies of the victories which the
Israelites should gain over their enemies, and of their firm possession of the promised
land. They may also refer to the great victories to be obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ,
that Lion of the tribe of Judah, over sin, death, and Satan, the grand enemies of the
human race; and to that most numerous posterity of spiritual children which should be
begotten by the preaching of the Gospel.
GILL, "He couched,.... Which may respect the posture of the armies of Israel in the
plains of Moab:
he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion; as he would do, and did in the land of
Canaan, when conquered by Israel; they took up their residence on it quietly, and dwelt
in it securely, and in no more fear of their enemies than a lion, which lays itself down
and sleeps without concern anywhere:
who shall stir him up? who dare do it? as it would be a very rash, bold, daring, and
dangerous thing to rouse up a lion lying down; so it is suggested it would be alike to
provoke Israel to war at some certain times, in the days of David more especially:
blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee; which are
58

59. the very words in which Isaac blessed Jacob, the ancestor of these people, Gen_27:29
and which blessing is confirmed by Balaam against his will, and whereby he cursed
himself instead of Israel; for though he could not curse him with words, he had cursed
him in his heart, and would have done it verbally if he could (a).
CALVIN, "9.Blessed is he that blesseth thee. This mode of expression signifies that
the Israelites were elected by God, on these terms, that He would account as
conferred upon Himself whatever injury or benefit they might receive. Nor is there
anything new in this, that God should declare that He would be an enemy to the
enemies of His Church; and, on the other hand, a friend to her friends, which is a
token of the high favor with which He regards her. Hence, however, we are taught,
that whatever good offices are performed towards the Church, are conferred upon
God Himself, who will recompense them faithfully: and, at the same time, that
believers cannot be injured, without His avenging them: even as He says; “He that
toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye.” (Zechariah 2:8.) If any should object
that Balaam himself went unrewarded, although he blessed the people, the reply is
an easy one, that he was unworthy of any praise, who was by no means disposed in
the people’s favor of his own accord, and out of pure and generous feeling; but who
was forcibly drawn in a direction whither he was unwilling to go. Meanwhile, this
point remains unshaken, that whosoever have contributed their labors for the
Chureh’s welfare, and have been her faithful helpers, shall be sure partakers of the
blessing which is here promised.
COKE, "Numbers 24:9. He couched, he lay down as a lion— This verse, as well as
the 24th of the former chapter, refers to the entire victory which the Israelites
should obtain over their enemies, and to their perfect and quiet possession of the
land of Canaan. Naturalists inform us, that the lion never retires into any private
place to sleep; but, confident in his own courage, sleeps all the night in an open
place, as if he knew that nobody durst attack him while he slept. See Scheuchzer,
vol. 4: p. 31. "These passages," says Bishop Newton, "are a manifest prophecy of the
victory which the Israelites should gain over their enemies, and particularly the
Canaanites, and of their secure possession and quiet enjoyment of the land
afterwards, and particularly in the reigns of David and Solomon." It is remarkable
too, that God hath here put into the mouth of Balaam much the same things which
Jacob had before predicted of Judah, Genesis 49:9 and Isaac had predicted of
Jacob, Genesis 27:29. Such analogy and harmony is there between the prophesies of
Scripture.
REFLECTIONS.—Convinced now how vain were his enchantments, Balaam retires
no more to ask counsel, but sets his face toward the camp of Israel, and the spirit of
prophesy comes upon him. 1. He prefaces his parable with a declaration of the
visions that he was favoured with, and the distinctness of his views of the events that
he predicted. Poor subject of boasting! while his heart remained unchanged, his
knowledge rendered him but the more guilty. Note; It is not light in the
understanding, but grace in the heart, that is the truly valuable blessing. 2. He
59

60. admires the beauty of Israel's host, and their regularity and order; spacious as the
valleys, pleasing to look upon as a blooming garden, fragrant as the smell of aloes,
and strong as the cedar. The church of God, in this valley of humiliation, is inclosed
like a garden from the world around it, watered with the rivers of divine love,
adorned with graces more fragrant than spices: and every believer is a tree of
righteousness planted of God, more flourishing than the cedar of Libanus. 3. He
foretels the plenty, honour, and conquer which God would give them from heaven:
his rain shall water their furrows; their kings shall eclipse the glory of the most
renowned monarchs; and their people, strong as the unicorn, shall push their
enemies the Canaanites, as they have done the Egyptians, till they have destroyed
them, and dwell in peaceful security; none daring to disturb them in their
possessions, any more than to rouse the slumbering lion. Note; Great is the glory of
God's spiritual Israel, every faithful believer shall be a king upon his throne, and
receive a kingdom not only higher than Agag's but also eternal in the heavens.
ELLICOTT, " (9) He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion.—The
Hebrew labi (great lion) should be rendered “a lioness,” as in Numbers 23:24. The
image of a lion connects this verse with the preceding verse: “he shall eat up the
nations.” (See Note on Numbers 23:24.)
Blessed is he that blesseth thee . . . —Compare the original blessing which was
pronounced upon Abraham by the Lord (Genesis 12:3), and which was afterwards
adopted by Isaac in the blessing which he pronounced upon Jacob (Genesis 27:29).
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who
shall stir him up? Blessed [is] he that blesseth thee, and cursed [is] he that curseth
thee.
Ver. 9. He lay down as a lion.] {See Trapp on "Genesis 49:9"}
And cursed is he.] Here the sorcerer pronounceth a curse upon himself; for he
desired to curse Israel, and therefore in God’s account he did it.
“ Qui, quia non licuit, non facit, ille facit. ” - Ovid.
WHEDON, "Verse 9
9. He couched — This is Jacob’s blessing upon Judah, the ancestor of Jesus Christ,
the lion of his tribe, predicting his final triumph over the world. Genesis 49:9; John
16:33, notes.
Who shall stir him up — None. Hence his victory and peace will be lasting.
Blessed… blesseth — The conclusion of Isaac’s blessing upon Jacob, Genesis 27:29,
60

61. and of Jehovah’s upon Abraham. Genesis 12:3. Thus God shows that he keeps in
mind his own promises, puts honour upon words spoken centuries before, and
shows Balak the immutability of his purposes.
Cursed — God so identifies himself with his people that he punishes malevolence
toward them as a wrong to himself. Matthew 25:41-45.
PULPIT, "A lion. ‫י‬ ִ‫ר‬ ַ‫א‬ . A great lion. ‫יא‬ ִ‫ָב‬‫ל‬. See on Numbers 23:24, and Genesis 49:9.
Blessed is he that blesseth thee, &c. In these words Balaam seems to refer to the
terms of Balak's first message (Numbers 22:6). Far from being affected by blessings
and cursings from without, Israel was itself a source of blessing or cursing to others
according as they treated him.
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam.
He struck his hands together and said to him, “I
summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have
blessed them these three times.
GILL, "And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam,.... He had bore much
and long, but he could bear no longer, he was quite impatient, his last words more
especially must exceedingly nettle him:
and he smote his hands together; as expressive of his indignation, vexation, and
disappointment:
and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemies; he had sent
princes to him, one set of them after another, to invite him into his country, and to his
court, with great promises of reward to curse Israel, whom he reckoned his enemies, and
not to bless them:
and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times; done
nothing else but bless them with blessing upon blessing, time after time; even everyone
of the three times he opened his mouth, as Balak expected, to have cursed them.
HENRY 10-14, "We have here the conclusion of this vain attempt to curse
Israel, and the total abandonment of it. 1. Balak made the worst of it. He
61

62. broke out into a rage against Balaam (Num_24:10), expressed both in words
and gesture the highest degree of vexation at the disappointment; he smote
his hands together, for indignation, to see all his measures thus broken, and
his project baffled. He charged Balaam with putting upon him the basest
affront and cheat imaginable: “I called thee to curse my enemies, and thou
hast shown thyself in league with them, and in their interests, for thou hast
blessed them these three times, though, by appointing the altars to be built
and sacrifices to be offered, thou madest be believe thou wouldest certainly
curse them.” Hereupon he forbade him his presence, expelled him his
country, upbraided him with the preferments he had designed to bestow
upon him, but now would not (Num_24:11): “The Lord hath kept thee back
from honour. See what thou gettest by pleasing the Lord, instead of pleasing
me; thou has hindered thy preferment by it.” Thus those who are any way
losers by their duty are commonly upbraided with it, as fools, for preferring
it before their interest in the world. Whereas, if Balaam had been voluntary
and sincere in his adherence to the word of the Lord, though he lost the
honour Balak designed him by it, God would have made that loss up to him
abundantly to his advantage. 2. Balaam made the best if it. (1.) He
endeavours to excuse the disappointment. And a very good excuse he has
for it, that God restrained him from saying what he would have said, and
constrained him to say what he would not; and that this was what Balak
ought not to be displeased at, not only because he could not help it, but
because he had told Balak before what he must depend upon, Num_24:12,
Num_24:13. Balak could not say that he had cheated him, since he had given
him fair notice of the check he found himself under. (2.) He endeavours to
atone for it, Num_24:14. Though he cannot do what Balak would have him
do, yet, [1.] He will gratify his curiosity with some predictions concerning
the nations about him. It is natural to us to be pleased with prophecy, and
with this he hopes to pacify the angry prince. [2.] He will satisfy him with an
assurance that, whatever this formidable people should do to his people, it
should not be till the latter days; so that he, for his part, needed not to fear
any mischief or molestation from them; the vision was for a great while to
come, but in his days there should be peace. [3.] He will put him into a
method of doing Israel a mischief without the ceremonies of enchantment
and execration. This seems to be implied in that word: I will advertise thee;
for it properly signifies, I will counsel thee. What the counsel was is not set
down here, because it was given privately, but we are told afterwards what it
was, Num_31:16. He counselled him to entice the Israelites to idolatry, Rev_
2:14. Since he could not have leave from God to curse them, he puts him in a
way of getting help from the devil to tempt them. Flectere si nequeo
superos, Acheronta movebo - If I cannot move heaven, I will solicit hell.
JAMISON 10-14, "Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote
his hands together — The “smiting of the hands together” is, among Oriental people,
an indication of the most violent rage (see Eze_21:17; Eze_22:13) and ignominious
dismissal.
62

63. K&D 10-11, "This repeated blessing of Israel threw Balak into such a
violent rage, that he smote his hands together, and advised Balaam to fly to
his house: adding, “I said, I will honour thee greatly (cf. Num_22:17 and
Num_22:37); but, behold, Jehovah has kept thee back from honour.”
“Smiting the hands together” was either a sign of horror (Lam_2:15) or of
violent rage; it is in the latter sense that it occurs both here and in Job_
27:23. In the words, “Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour,” the irony
with which Balak scoffs at Balaam's confidence in Jehovah is
unmistakeable.
CALVIN, "9.Blessed is he that blesseth thee. This mode of expression signifies that
the Israelites were elected by God, on these terms, that He would account as
conferred upon Himself whatever injury or benefit they might receive. Nor is there
anything new in this, that God should declare that He would be an enemy to the
enemies of His Church; and, on the other hand, a friend to her friends, which is a
token of the high favor with which He regards her. Hence, however, we are taught,
that whatever good offices are performed towards the Church, are conferred upon
God Himself, who will recompense them faithfully: and, at the same time, that
believers cannot be injured, without His avenging them: even as He says; “He that
toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye.” (Zechariah 2:8.) If any should object
that Balaam himself went unrewarded, although he blessed the people, the reply is
an easy one, that he was unworthy of any praise, who was by no means disposed in
the people’s favor of his own accord, and out of pure and generous feeling; but who
was forcibly drawn in a direction whither he was unwilling to go. Meanwhile, this
point remains unshaken, that whosoever have contributed their labors for the
Chureh’s welfare, and have been her faithful helpers, shall be sure partakers of the
blessing which is here promised.
COFFMAN, ""And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his
hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies,
and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee
thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, Jehovah hath
kept thee back from honor. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy
messengers that thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full
of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad
of mine own mind; what Jehovah speaketh, that will I speak? And now, behold, I go
unto my people: come, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy
people in the latter days. And he took up his parable and said,"
Despite Balak's very justifiable anger against Balaam and the threatening manner
of his abrupt dismissal, it appears that Balaam did not actually return to his "own
people" at all, for it was not long until he died in the defeat of the Midianites
(Numbers 31:8). One wonders why this change on Balaam's part. It was likely due
to the fact that Balaam probably offered to mollify the anger of Balak by counseling
63

64. him with regard to the seduction of the Israelites by the Moabite women, a
seduction surely carried out on Balaam's advice, and we are apparently justified in
supposing that it came about from Balaam's further seeking to win the approval of
Balak (Numbers 31:16).
"Spake I not also unto thy messengers ...?" (Numbers 24:12). Balaam's defense of
his duplicity here was only partially true. Yes, he had indeed spoken to Balak's
messengers as he here indicated, but he omitted to tell them that God would bless
Israel and not curse them at all. That partial answer coupled with his continuance in
keeping the matter before him for consideration very effectively deceived Balak into
believing that Balaam would indeed actually curse Israel. Balak's frustration and
anger were justified. Despite this, however, his implacable hatred of the people of
God was not justified.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he
smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine
enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed [them] these three times.
Ver. 10. And he smote his hands together.] So doth God at the covetous person, such
as Balaam was. "Behold, I have smitten my hands at thy dishonest gain which thou
hast made," &c. [Ezekiel 22:13]
EBC, "THE MATTER OF BAAL-PEOR
Numbers 24:10-25; Numbers 25:1-18
THE last oracle of Balaam, as we have it, ventures into far more explicit predictions
than the others, and passes beyond the range of Hebrew history. Its chief value for
the Israelites lay in what was taken to be a Messianic prophecy contained in it, and
various bold denunciations of their enemies. Whether the language can bear the
important meanings thus found in it is a matter of considerable doubt. On the
whole, it appears best not to make over-much of the prescience of this mashal,
especially as we cannot be sure that we have it in the original form. One fact may be
given to prove this. In Jeremiah 48:45, an oracle regarding Moab embodies various
fragments of the Book of Numbers, and one clause seems to be a quotation from
Numbers 24:17. In Numbers the reading is, "and break down, all the sons of
tumult"; in Jeremiah it is, "and the crown of the head of the sons of tumult" The
resemblance leaves little doubt of the derivation of the one expression from the
other, and at the same time shows diversity in the text.
The earlier deliverances of Balaam had disappointed the king of Moab; the third
kindled his anger. It was intolerable that one called to curse his enemies should bless
them again and again. Balaam would do well to get him back to his own place. That
Jehovah of whom he spake had kept him from honour. If he delayed he might find
64

65. himself in peril. But the diviner did not retire. The word that had come to him
should be spoken. He reminded Balak of the terms on which he had begun his
auguries, and, perhaps to embitter Moab against Israel, persisted in advertising
Balak "what this people should do to his people in the latter days."
The opening was again a vaunt of his high authority as a seer, one who knew the
knowledge of Shaddai. Then, with ambiguous forms of speech covering the
indistinctness of his outlook, he spoke of one whom he saw far away, in imagination,
not reality, a personage bright and powerful, who should rise star-like out of Jacob,
bearing the sceptre of Israel, who should smite through the corners of Moab and
break down the sons of tumult. Over Edom and Seir he should triumph, and his
dominion should extend to the city which had become the last refuge of a hostile
people. Of spiritual power and right there is not a trace in this prediction. It is
unquestionably the military vigour of Israel gathered up into the headship of some
powerful king Balaam sees on the horizon of his field of view. But he anticipates
with no uncertainty that Moab shall be attacked and broken, and that the victorious
leader shall even penetrate to the fastnesses of Edom and reduce them. A people like
Israel, with so great vitality, would not be content to have jealous enemies upon its
very borders, and Balak is urged to regard them with more hatred and fear than he
has yet shown.
The view that this prophecy "finds its preliminary fulfilment in David, in whom the
kingdom was established, and by whose victories the power of Moab and Edom was
broken, but its final and complete fulfilment only in Christ," is supported by the
unanimous belief of the Jews, and has been adopted by the Christian Church. Yet it
must be allowed that the victories of David did not break the power of Moab and
Edom, for these peoples are found again and again, after his time, in hostile attitude
to Israel. And it is not to the purpose to say that in Christ the kingdom reaches
perfection, that He destroys the enemies of Israel. Nor is there an argument for the
Messianic reference worth considering in the fact that the pseudo-Messiah in the
reign of Hadrian styled himself Bar-cochba, son of the star. A pretender to Messiah-
ship might snatch at any title likely to secure for him popular support; his choice of
a name proves only the common belief of the Jews, and that was very ignorant, very
far from spiritual. There is indeed more force in the notion that the star by which
the wise men of the East were guided to Bethlehem is somehow related to this
prophecy. Yet that also is too imaginative. The oracle of Balaam refers to the virility
and prospective dominance of Israel, as a nation favoured by the Almighty and
destined to be strong in battle. The range of the prediction is not nearly wide enough
for any true anticipation of a Messiah gaining universal sway by virtue of redeeming
love. It is becoming more and more necessary to set aside those interpretations
which identify the Saviour of the world with one who smites and breaks down and
destroys, who wields a sceptre after the manner of Oriental despots.
In Balaam’s vision small nations with which he happens to be acquainted bulk
largely-the Kenites, Amalek, Moab, and Edom. To him the Amalekites appear as
having once been "the first of the nations." We may explain, as before, that he had
65

66. been impressed on some occasion by what he had seen of their force and the royal
state of their king. The Kenites, dwelling either among the cliffs of Engedi or the
mountains of Galilee, were a very small tribe; and the Amalekites, as well as the
people of Moab and Edom, were of little account in the development of human
history. At the same time the prophecy looks in one direction to a power destined to
become very great, when it speaks of the ships of Chittim. The course of empire is
seen to be westward. Asshur, or Assyria, and Eber-the whole Abrahamic race,
perhaps, including Israel-are threatened by this rising power, the nearest point of
which is Cyprus in the Great Sea. Balaam is, we may say, a political prophet: to
class him among those who testified of Christ is to exalt far too much his inspiration
and read more into his oracles than they naturally contain. There is no deep
problem in the narrative regarding him-as, for instance, how a man false at heart
could in any sense enter into those gracious purposes of God for the human race
which were fulfilled by Christ.
Balaam, we are told, "rose up and returned to his own place"; and from this it
would seem that with bitterness in his heart he betook himself to Pethor. If he did
so, vainly hoping still that Israel would appeal to him, he soon returned to give
Balak and the Midianites advice of the most nefarious kind. We learn from
Numbers 31:16, that through his counsel the Midianite women caused the children
of Israel to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor. The statement is
a link between chapters 24 and 25. Vainly had Balaam as a diviner matched himself
against the God of Israel. Resenting his defeat, he sought and found another way
which the customs of his own people in their obscure idolatrous rites too readily
suggested. The moral law of Jehovah and the comparative purity of the Israelites as
His people kept them separate from the other nations, gave them dignity and vigour.
To break down this defence would make them like the rest, would withdraw them
from the favour of their God and even defeat His purposes. The scheme was one
which only the vilest craft could have conceived; and it shows us too plainly the real
character of Balaam. He must have known the power of the allurements which he
now advised as the means of attack on those he could not touch with his
maledictions nor gain by his soothsaying. In the shadow of this scheme of his we see
the diviner and all his tribe, and indeed the whole morality of the region, at their
very worst.
The tribes were still in the plain of Jordan; and we may suppose that the victorious
troops had returned from the campaign against Bashan, when a band of Midianites,
professing the utmost friendliness, gradually introduced themselves into the camp.
Then began the temptation to which the Midianitish women, some of them of high
rank, willingly devoted themselves. It was to impurity and idolatry, to degradation
of manhood in body and soul, to abjuration at once of faith and of all that makes
individual and social life. The orgies with which the Midianites were familiar
belonged to the dark side of a nature-cultus which carried the distinction between
male and female into religious symbolism, and made abject prostration of life before
the Divinity a crowning act of worship. Surviving still, the same practices are in
India and elsewhere the most dreadful and inveterate barriers which the Gospel and
66

67. Christian civilisation encounter. The Israelites were assailed unexpectedly, it would
appear, and in a time of comparative inaction. Possibly, also, the camp was
composed to some extent of men whose families were still in Kadesh waiting the
conquest of the land of Canaan to cross the border. But the fact need not be
concealed that the polygamy which prevailed among the Hebrews was an element in
their danger. That had not been forbidden by the law; it was even countenanced by
the example of Moses. The custom, indeed, was one which at the stage of
development Israel had reached implied some progress; for there are conditions
even worse than polygamy against which it was a protest and safeguard. But like
every other custom falling short of the ideal of the family, it was one of great peril;
and now disaster came. The Midianites brought their sacrifices and slew them; the
festival of Baalpeor was proclaimed. "The people did eat and bowed down to their
gods." It was a transgression which demanded swift and terrible judgment. The
chief men of the tribes who had joined in the abominable rites were taken and
"hanged up before the Lord against the sun"; the "judges of Israel" were
commanded to slay "every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor."
The narrative of the "Priests’ Code," beginning at Numbers 25:6, and going on to
the close of the chapter, adds details of the sin and its punishment. Assuming that
the row of stakes with their ghastly burden is in full view, and the dead bodies of
those slain by the executioners are lying about the camp, this narrative shows the
people gathered at the tent of meeting, many of them in tears. There is a plague, too,
which is rapidly spreading and carrying off the transgressors. In the midst of the
sorrow and wailing, when the chief men should have been bowed down in
repentance, one of the princes of Simeon is seen leading by the hand his Midianitish
paramour, herself a chief’s daughter. In the very sight of Moses and the people the
guilty persons enter a tent. Then Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, following them,
inflicts with a javelin the punishment of death. It is a daring but a true deed; and for
it Phinehas and his seed after him are promised the "covenant of peace," even the
"covenant of an everlasting priesthood." His swift stroke has vindicated the honour
of God, and "made an atonement for the children of Israel." An act like this, when
the elemental laws of morality are imperilled and a whole people needs a swift and
impressive lesson, is a tribute to God which He will reward and remember. True,
one of the priestly house should keep aloof from death. But the emergency demands
immediate action, and he who is bold enough to strike at once is the true friend of
men and of God.
The question may be put, whether this is not justice of too rude and ready a kind to
be praised in the name of religion. To some it may seem that the honour of God
could not be served by the deed attributed to Phinehas; that he acted in passion
rather than in the calm deliberation without which justice cannot be dealt out by
man to man. Would not this excuse the passionate action of a crowd, impatient of
the forms of law, that hurries an offender to the nearest tree or lamp-post? And the
answer cannot be that Israel was so peculiarly under covenant to God that its
necessity would exonerate a deed otherwise illegal. We must face the whole problem
alike of personal and of united action for the vindication of righteousness in times of
67

68. widespread license.
It is not necessary now to slay an offender in order clearly and emphatically to
condemn his crime. In that respect modern circumstances differ from those we are
discussing. Upon Israel, as it was at the time of this tragedy, no impression could
have been made deep and swift enough for the occasion otherwise than by the act of
Phinehas. But for an offender of the same rank now, there is a punishment as stern
as death, and on the popular mind it produces a far greater effect-publicity, and the
reprobation of all who love their fellowmen and God. The act of Phinehas was not
assassination; a similar act now would be, and it would have to be dealt with as a
crime. The stroke now is inflicted by public accusation, which results in public trial
and public condemnation. From the time to which the narrative refers, on to our
own day, social conditions have been passing through many phases. Occasionally
there have been circumstances in which the swift judgment of righteous indignation
was justifiable, though it did seem like assassination. And in no case has such action
been more excusable than when the purity of family life has been invaded, while the
law of the land would not interfere. We do not greatly wonder that in France the
avenging of infidelity is condoned when the sufferer snatches a justice otherwise
unattainable. That is not indeed to be praised, but the imperfection of law is a
partial apology. The higher the standard of public morality the less needful is this
venture on the Divine right to kill. And certainly it is not private revenge that is ever
to be sought, but the vindication of the elemental righteousness on which the well-
being, of humanity depends. Phinehas had no private revenge to seek. It was the
public good.
It is confidently affirmed by Wellhausen that the "Priestly Code" makes the cultus
the principal thing, and this, he says, implies retrogression from the earlier idea.
The passage we are considering, like many others ascribed to the "Priests’ Code,"
makes something else than the cultus the principal thing. We are told that in the
teaching of this code "the bond between cultus and sensuality is severed; no danger
can arise of an admixture of impure, immoral elements, a danger which was always
present in Hebrew antiquity." But here the danger is admitted, the cultus is entirely
out of sight, and the sin of sensuality is conspicuous. When Phinehas intervenes,
moreover, it is not in harmony with any statute or principle laid down in the
"Priests’ Code"-rather, indeed, against its general spirit, which would prohibit an
Aaronite from a deed of blood. According to the whole tenor of the law the
priesthood had its duties, carefully prescribed, by doing which faithfulness was to
be shown. Here an act of spontaneous zeal, done not "on the positive command of a
will outside," but on the impulse arising out of a fresh occasion, receives the
approval of Jehovah, and. the "covenant of an everlasting priesthood" is confirmed
for the sake of it. Was Phinehas in any sense carrying out statutory instructions for
atonement on behalf of Israel when he inflicted the punishment of death on Zimri
and his paramour? To identify the "Priestly Code" with "cultus legislation," and
that with theocracy, and then declare the cultus to have become a "pedagogic
instrument of discipline," "estranged from the heart," is to make large demands on
our inattention.
68

69. In the closing verses of the chapter another question of a moral nature is involved. It
is recorded that after the events we have considered Jehovah spake unto Moses,
saying, "Vex the Midianites, and smite them; for they vex you with their wiles,
wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi,
the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain on the day of the
plague in the matter of Peor." Now is it for the sake of themselves and their own
safety the Israelites are to smite Midian? Is retaliation commanded? Does God set
enmity between the one people and the other, and so doing make confession that
Israel has no duty of forgiveness, no mission to convert and save?
There is difficulty in pronouncing judgment as to the point of view taken by the
narrator. Some will maintain that the historian here, whoever he was, had no higher
conception of the command than that it was one which sanctioned revenge. And
there is nothing on the face of the narrative which can be brought forward to
disprove the charge. Yet it must be remembered that the history proceeds on the
theocratic conception of Israel’s place and destiny. To the writer Israel is of less
account in itself than as a people rescued from Egypt and called to nationality in
order to serve Jehovah. The whole tenor of the "Priests’ Code" narrative, as well as
of the other, bears this out. There is no patriotic zeal in the narrow sense, -"My
country right or wrong." Scarcely a passage can be pointed to implying such a
sentiment, such a drift of thought. The underlying idea in the whole story is the
sacredness of morality, not of Israel; and the suppression or extinction of this tribe
of Midianites with their obscene idolatry is God’s will, not Israel’s. Too plain,
indeed, is it that the Israelites would have preferred to leave Midian and other tribes
of the same low moral best unmolested, free to pursue their own ends.
And Jehovah is not revengeful, but just. The vindication of morality at the time the
Book of Numbers deals with, and long afterwards, could only be through the
suppression of those who were identified with dangerous forms of vice. The forces at
command in Israel were not equal to the task of converting; and what could be
achieved was commanded-opposition, enmity; if need were, exterminating war. The
better people has a certain spiritual capacity, but not enough to make it fit for what
may be called moral missionary work. It would suffer more than it would gain if it
entered on any kind of intercourse with Midian with the view of raising the
standard of thought and life. All that can be expected meanwhile is that the
Israelites shall be at issue with a people so degraded; they are to be against the
Midianites, keep them from power in the world, subject them by the sword.
Our judgment, then, is that the narrative sustains a true theocracy in this sense,
exhibits Israel as a unique phenomenon in human history, not impossible, -there lies
the clear veracity of the Bible accounts, -but playing a part such as the times
allowed, such as the world required. From a passage like that now before us, and
the sequel, the war with Midian, which some have regarded as a blot on the pages of
Scripture, an argument for its inspiration may be drawn. We find here no ethical
anachronisms, no impracticable ideas of charity and pardon. There is a sane and
69

70. strenuous moral aim, not out of keeping with the state of things in the world of that
time, yet showing the rule and presenting the will of a God who makes Israel a
protesting people. The Hebrews are men, not angels; men of the old world, not
Christians-true! Who could have received this history if it had represented them as
Christians, and shown us God giving them commands fit for the Church of today?
They are called to a higher morality than that of Egypt, for theirs is to be spiritual;
higher than that of Chaldea or of Canaan, for Chaldea is shrouded in superstition,
Canaan in obscene idolatry. They can do something; and what they can do Jehovah
commands them to do. And He is not an imperfect God because His prophet does
not give from the first a perfect Christian law, a redeeming gospel. He is the "I
Am." Let the whole course of Old Testament development be traced, and the sanity
and coherency of the theocratic idea as it is presented in law and prophecy, psalm
and parable, cannot fail to convince any just and frank inquirer.
The end of Balaam’s life may be glanced at before the pages close that refer to his
career. In Numbers 31:8, it is stated that in the battle which went against the
Midianites Balaam was slain. We do not know whether he was so maddened by his
disappointment as to take the sword against Jehovah and Israel, or whether he only
joined the army of Midian in his capacity of augur. F. W. Robertson imagines "the
insane frenzy with which he would rush into the field, and finding all go against
him, and that lost for which he had bartered heaven, after having died a thousand
worse than deaths, find death at last upon the spears of the Israelites." It is of
course possible to imagine that he became the victim of his own insane passion. But
Balaam never had a profound nature, was never more than within sight of the
spiritual world. He appears as the calculating, ambitious man, who would reckon
his chances to the last, and with coolness, and what he believed to be sagacity, decide
on the next thing to attempt. But his penetration failed him, as at a certain point it
fails all men of his kind. He ventured too far, and could not draw back to safety.
The death he died was almost too honourable for this false prophet, unless, indeed,
he fell fleeing like a coward from the battle. One who had recognised the power of a
higher faith than his country professed, and saw a nation on the way to the vigour
that faith inspired, who in personal spleen and envy set in operation a scheme of the
very worst sort to ruin Israel, was not an enemy worth the edge of the sword. Let us
suppose that a Hebrew soldier found him in flight, and with a passing stroke
brought him to the ground. There is no tragedy in such a death; it is too
ignominious. Whatever Balaam was in his boyhood, whatever he might have been
when the cry escaped him, "Let me die the death of the righteous," selfish craft had
brought him below the level of the manhood of the time. Balak with his pathetic
faith in cursing and incantation now seems a prince beside the augur. For Balaam,
though he knew Jehovah after a manner, had no religion, had only the envy of the
religion of others. He came on the stage with an air that almost deceived Balak and
has deceived many. He leaves it without one to lament him. Or shall we rather
suppose that even for him, in Pethor beyond the Euphrates, a wife or child waited
and prayed to Sutekh and, when the tidings of his death were brought, fell into
inconsolable weeping? Over the worst they think and do men draw the veil to hide it
70

71. from some eyes. And Balaam, a poor, mean tool of the basest cravings, may have
had one to believe in him, one to love him. He reminds us of Absalom in his
character and actions-Absalom, a man void of religion and morals; and for him the
father he had dethroned and dishonoured wept bitterly in the chamber over the gate
of Mahanaim, "My son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my
son, my son!" So may some woman in Pethor have wailed for Balaam fallen under
the spear of a Hebrew warrior.
PETT, "Verse 10
‘And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together,
and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have
altogether blessed them these three times.” ’
By this time Balak was very angry. He smote his hands together in his fury and
cried, ‘I called you to curse my enemies and --- you have blessed them three times.’
A threefold blessing was completeness of blessing. Thus instead of a curse they had
received multiplied blessing. The very opposite of what Balak had wanted had been
accomplished.
BI 10-19, "Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam.
Balaam and Balak
I. The cause of Balak’s anger. That Balaam had not fulfilled the terms of his contract
(Num_24:10-11).
1. Consider the reason and nature of the contract. Urgency of case. Great reputation
of Balaam.
2. Consider the position and reputation of Balaam.
(1) He is called a prophet (2Pe_2:16).
(2) God held communication with him (Num_22:9; Num_22:12; Num_22:20;
Num_22:31; Num_23:4-5).
(3) He was also a warrior-chief (Num_31:8).
(4) He was a man of high gifts of intellect and genius, besides having a
knowledge of the true God.
3. Consider how Balaam had failed in his contract (Num_23:1-30; Num_24:1-9).
II. Balaam’s self-justifying answer (Num_24:12-13).
1. Was it true? Yes (Num_22:13-18).
2. If true, why did he leave home? He loved money (2Pe_2:15).
3. If God Commanded him to go (Num_22:20), why was he blamed for going
(Num_22:22)?
71

72. (1) God’s permission was based upon Barnum’s strong desire to go. God gave
him up to his own lust.
(2) God’s displeasure arose from the fact that Balaam was so determined to go
and do that which he was told he must not do. Sinners must not think that their
sin is any the less odious because God permits it.
III. Balaam’s parable (Num_24:14-19).
1. The situation.
(1) Behind him lay the vast expanse of desert extending to his native Assyria.
(2) On his left the red mountains of Edom and Seir.
(3) Immediately below him lay the vast encampment of Israel.
(4) Beyond them, on the west of Jordan, rose the hills of Palestine—the
promised land.
2. The parable.
(1) The condition of the prophet when he had the vision (Num_24:16).
(2) The leading subject of the parable—the mighty and glorious King of Israel.
(a) The prophet sees Him in person.
(b) He is able to distinguish His nationality.
(c) He sees Him as a mighty conqueror.
(3) That this refers to Christ is clear to any one who accepts the testimony of
God’s Word.
Lessons:
1. God intrusts superior talents to men who may abuse them.
2. One besetting sin may be enough to dim the most splendid abilities and destroy
the most brilliant reputation.
3. Balaam’s failure to curse Israel is a significant type of the fact that he whom God
hath blessed can no man curse. (D. C. Hughes, M. A.)
Spake I not also to thy messengers.—
Worldly profit should not withdraw us from Christian duties
Matters of profit must not carry us beyond our calling, we must not pursue them when
we have no warrant to desire them. A notable example hereof we have in Gideon, he had
a kingdom offered unto him; for the men of Israel said unto him, “Reign thou over us,
both thou and thy son, and thy son’s son.” He saw no calling from God and therefore
refused it, and betook himself to a private life, saying (Jdg_8:22-23). The like we see in
our Saviour Christ, He refused to be made a temporal king (Joh_6:15). We see the
disciples of Christ left all, and neglected the service of themselves, and the seeking of
their own benefit for the service of God (Mat_19:27). Whereby we see that albeit profits
be in time and place to be looked after, yet we must all look to have our warrant in
72

73. seeking for them. The reasons remain to be considered, to enforce this truth, and to gain
our affections to the embracing of it.
1. For, first, by too much following the profits of this life, we may lose a greater
profit. If we should win the world, and lose our souls; if we should catch the riches of
this life, and crack ,the peace of a good conscience, it would prove in the end a small
gain unto us.
2. Secondly, the things of this life serve only for a season. The hope that we have is
this—we look for a kingdom. We cannot have a heaven in this life, and another in the
life to come.
The uses come now to be stood upon.
1. First, we see it is a dangerous bait to be in love with the world.
2. Secondly, we see that our own private respects are not the chief things that we
must respect, but seek a sanctified use of the blessings of this life, and a warrant to
our consciences for the right using of them. These blessings of God become curses
unto us unless we use them lawfully.
3. Lastly, this doctrine serveth to reprove those that esteem earthly things above
heavenly, and mind their profits more than their salvation. These invert the course of
nature and turn all things upside down, they set the earth above the heavens, and
thrust down the heavens beneath the earth. This is like that confusion and disorder
which the wise man speaketh of (Ecc_10:6-7). (W. Attersoll.)
11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would
reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept
you from being rewarded.”
CLARKE, "Lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honor - A bitter and
impious sarcasm. “Hadst thou cursed this people, I would have promoted thee to great
honor; but thou hast chosen to follow the directions of Jehovah rather than mine, and
what will he do for thee?”
GILL, "Therefore now flee thou to thy place,.... His own country, from whence
Balak had sent for him, and he came; begone directly, make all haste away; he speaks as
73

74. one so provoked, that he could not bear him in his presence, and as threatening him if he
did not at once get out of his sight:
I thought to promote thee unto great honour; to bestow much wealth and riches
upon him, and to prefer him in his court to high offices of honour and dignity; he had
promised that he would, and he thought as he said, he was determined upon it, had he
performed as he expected:
but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour; the Lord thou hast so much
talked of, and at whose beck and command thou hast been, and by whom thou hast been
checked and controlled, he has hindered thee from riches and honour; see what thou
hast got, or rather lost, by hearkening to him, and how he will pay thee for it.
COKE, "Numbers 24:11. The Lord hath kept thee back from honour— Pyle has
paraphrased this very well: "The God you seem to be so great withal has deprived
you of the best post in my court, for the service you have done him:" for it is not to
be imagined that Balak would have been in this passion with Balaam, had he really
believed that he acted under the influence of the Supreme God, Creator and
Sovereign of the universe; he probably considered Jehovah only as a national God,
according to the prevailing opinion of those times. So that certainly we should
rather read, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour; which carries a vile
insinuation, that he had acted in concert with the Israelites, and been more careful
to please their God Jehovah, than Baal-peor, and the other gods of the Moabites.
WHEDON, " 11. Now flee — Away with you immediately! Here is no threat, but
rather disgust. Balaam did not obey. Numbers 31:8.
The Lord hath kept thee back — A piece of stinging irony, scoffing at Balaam’s
trust in Jehovah.
Honour — Promised in Numbers 22:17.
PETT, " “Therefore now flee you to your place. I thought to promote you to great
honour, but, lo, Yahweh has kept you back from honour.”
Then he warned him to flee before vengeance overtook him. He had been given
hospitality and could therefore not be harmed, but let him not assume that he would
be safe if he stayed around. And he reminded him that he had intended to give him
great honour and that Yahweh had kept him back from it. So he would do well to
offer less of these eulogies about Yahweh Who had robbed him of so much.
74

75. 12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the
messengers you sent me,
GILL, "And Balaam said unto Balak,.... In order to mitigate his wrath, and bring
him into a better temper:
spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me: those that
came to him a second time; for to the first he said nothing of what is after related, but to
the last he did much the same as he had afterwards said to Balak himself: saying,
HENRY 12-14, "But Balaam reminds him, on the other hand, of the
declaration which he made to the messengers at the very outset (Num_
22:18), that he could not on any account speak in opposition to the
command of Jehovah, and then adds, “And now, behold, I go to my people.
Come, I will tell thee advisedly what this people will do to thy people at the
end of the days.” ‫ץ‬ַ‫ָע‬‫י‬, to advise; here it denotes an announcement, which
includes advice. The announcement of what Israel would do to the Moabites
in the future, contains the advice to Balak, what attitude he should assume
towards Israel, if this people was to bring a blessing upon his own people
and not a curse. On “the end of the days,” see at Gen_49:1.
CALVIN, "12.And Balaam said unto Balak. Balaam speaks the truth, indeed, yet in
a bad spirit, as we have seen: for he excuses himself with servility (171) to Balak,
that it did not depend on himself that he did not comply with his wishes, but that
God had stood in the way. For he grieves at the loss of his reward; and however
grandly he may declaim on the supremacy of God, he still signifies that he has
rather acted upon compulsion than willingly executed what was enjoined upon him.
By “the word (sermonem) of Jehovah,” (172) he means not only His decree, but
what had been dictated to him, and which he would have still greatly desired to
alter; but he indicates that he was bound by the power of the Spirit to declare, even
against his own will, whatever revelation he received. Thus the word “do” refers to
his tongue, or his charge as a prophet; since he had not been hired by Balak to
perform any manual act, but only to injure the people by his words. The word
“heart” (173) is contrasted with the revelation of the Spirit; for impostors are said to
speak out of their own heart, when they falsely make use of God’s name to cover
their own inventions. He, therefore, declares that he was not at liberty to speak “of
his own heart,” because he was the minister of the Spirit.
PETT, "Verse 12-13
75

76. ‘And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak also to your messengers whom you sent
to me, saying, “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go
beyond the word of Yahweh, to do either good or bad of my own mind. What
Yahweh says, that will I speak?”
But Balaam replied equally strongly and reminded him that he had done nothing
other than he had said he would do. He had said from the beginning that even if
Balak gave him his treasure house stocked to the brim, he would not go beyond the
word of Yahweh. He would not, nay could not, do good or bad in his own mind. It
was not within his ability to do so. He was not the master of the gods, he was their
interpreter. He could only say what Yahweh had said to him. (He would have made
the same reply to a Babylonian king about Marduk. His view was that he dealt with
‘gods’ and even though he did try to influence their decisions, and had ways of doing
so, in the end simply brought the message that they gave, and was in no position to
force them if they did not respond as he wanted. All he could do was keep trying).
13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold
in his palace, I could not do anything of my own
accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command
of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord
says’?
GILL, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold,.... Which are
the very words he said to the princes of Moab, Num_22:18,
I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad;
for though here it is the "commandment", and there the "word" of the Lord, yet it is the
same word in both places in the original text: indeed, here he omits the relation to the
Lord he there claims, saying "my God"; and instead of "little or great", here it is "good or
bad", but the sense is the same: and he adds, for explanation sake:
of mine own mind: or out of my heart, which was disposed well enough to serve
Balak, but was laid under a restraint by the Lord:
76

77. but what the Lord said, that will I speak; and he had not only said this to the
messengers, but to the king himself, and therefore he thought, that as he had openly and
honestly told him this at first, he had no reason to be so angry with him; see Num_
22:38.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I
cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do [either] good or bad of
mine own mind; [but] what the LORD saith, that will I speak?
Ver. 13. I cannot go beyond.] Here was coloured covetousness, or "a cloak of
covetousness." [1 Thessalonians 2:5] {See Trapp on "1 Thessalonians 2:5"} God lets
out the tedder to wicked men for a time, and then calls them back with shame
enough to their task; lets them have the ball on the foot till they come almost to the
goal, and then defeats them of their great hopes; as he did this sinful couple. Balak
had not his will, nor Balaam his wages; God fooled them both, pulling the morsel
out of their mouths, that they had well-nigh devoured.
14 Now I am going back to my people, but come,
let me warn you of what this people will do to
your people in days to come.”
BARNES, "I will advertise thee - i. e., “I will advise thee,” words which refer to the
ensuing prophecy.
GILL, "And now, behold, I go unto my people,.... According to thine order, I shall
not stay to make thee uneasy with my company, only I crave thy patience to hear me a
little before we part:
come therefore, and I will advertise thee; about some things that shall come to
pass in future time, respecting this people, and thine, and other nations, both near and
remote; and he hoped by this to bring him into a better temper, and part good friends:
or "I will counsel thee"; what thou shall do, as the Targum of Onkelos, and so makes a
sentence of this of itself, independent of, and distinct from what follows, beginning the
next clause thus:
and I will show them what this people, &c. referring the former to the counsel
Balaam gave to Balak, how to seduce the people into idolatry; and the Targum of
Jonathan expresses it at large;"come, I will counsel thee, go and prepare victualling
77

78. houses, and place lewd women there to sell food and drink at a low price, and bring this
people to eat, and drink, and be drunken; and let them lie with them, and deny their
God, and they will be delivered into thine hands in a little time, and many of them will
fall;''which advice was followed, Num_25:1 and is referred to, Num_31:16 but though
Balaam did give him such advice before he left him, which is highly probable, yet it is not
what is intended here, since what follows is closely connected with the above clause, and
contains the thing he advertised or advised him of:
what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days; not what the Moabites
should do to the Israelites now, as the Vulgate Latin version, quite contrary to the
original text, but what the Israelites should do to the Moabites in future times; not only
in the times of David, by whom they were subdued, 2Sa_8:2 but in much later times,
even in the times of Alexander, or King Jannaeus, who overcame them, as Josephus (b)
relates. Now this might be said to Balak to make him easy, that it would not be until the
latter days, many hundreds of years hence, ere the people of Israel would fight with
Moab, and subdue it; and therefore he need be under no concern about them, since he
would meet with no trouble from them in his time, nor his people for years to come.
CALVIN, "12.And Balaam said unto Balak. Balaam speaks the truth, indeed, yet in
a bad spirit, as we have seen: for he excuses himself with servility (171) to Balak,
that it did not depend on himself that he did not comply with his wishes, but that
God had stood in the way. For he grieves at the loss of his reward; and however
grandly he may declaim on the supremacy of God, he still signifies that he has
rather acted upon compulsion than willingly executed what was enjoined upon him.
By “the word (sermonem) of Jehovah,” (172) he means not only His decree, but
what had been dictated to him, and which he would have still greatly desired to
alter; but he indicates that he was bound by the power of the Spirit to declare, even
against his own will, whatever revelation he received. Thus the word “do” refers to
his tongue, or his charge as a prophet; since he had not been hired by Balak to
perform any manual act, but only to injure the people by his words. The word
“heart” (173) is contrasted with the revelation of the Spirit; for impostors are said to
speak out of their own heart, when they falsely make use of God’s name to cover
their own inventions. He, therefore, declares that he was not at liberty to speak “of
his own heart,” because he was the minister of the Spirit.
COKE, "Numbers 24:14. Come, therefore, and I will advertise thee what this
people, &c.— Here, say the generality of commentators, Balaam most probably gave
to Balak the infamous counsel mentioned, chap. Numbers 31:16 and accordingly
some of the paraphrases here insert that counsel; and the Vulgate so understands
the passage, dabo consilium tibi quid populus tuus faciat huic populo, extremo
tempore; i.e. I will counsel thee what thy people may do to this people as their last
resource. That Balaam was indeed the author of that wicked counsel is
unquestionable, from comparing chap. Numbers 31:16 with Revelation 2:14. But
how it should come into the head of any man to conceive that it was now given, I
cannot apprehend. The words of Balaam, and his present circumstances, are both
78

79. clearly against such a supposition. The king, highly dissatisfied with him, orders
him in great wrath to depart; therefore now flee thou to thy place, Numbers 24:11.
The prophet, full of the divine spirit, and unable to resist its impetus, acts a part the
most contrary to his interest, and utters such prophesies as were calculated still
more to enrage the already incensed monarch, whom he tells, that, being now about
to depart to his people, he would inform him, by his prophetic skill, what this people
of Israel (whom he was called to curse, but whom, the Lord compelling him, he was
obliged to bless) should do to his people in the latter days; i.e. what, in future times,
should be the fate of the Moabitish and other nations from the Israelites; and
accordingly we find that his succeeding prophesies all refer to this particular.
ELLICOTT, " (14) I go unto my people.—Such was, probably, the intention of
Balaam when he spoke these words. The account of the death of Balaam, however,
shows that he still lingered amongst the Moabites.
I will advertise thee . . . —The word which is here employed generally means to
advise. The announcement which Balaam made to Balak virtually included advice,
inasmuch as it foretold the supremacy of Israel over all their foes, and,
consequently, implied the folly of opposition to their progress. It does not appear
whether it was or was not at this time that Balaam “taught Balac to cast a stumbling
block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication” (Revelation 2:14). In any case, there does not appear to be any
reference to such advice in this verse, although it is inserted in the Targum of
Palestine in this place.
In the latter days.—Literally, in the end of the days. (See Genesis 49:1, where the
same expression occurs, and Note.) The prophecy which follows refers exclusively to
the future; and it is divided into four parts by the recurrence of the words “He took
up his parable” at Numbers 24:15; Numbers 24:20-21; Numbers 24:23.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come [therefore,
and] I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
Ver. 14. I will advertise thee,] viz., What to do; as he did. [Numbers 31:16] Parasites
propound to princes, suavia potius quam sana consilia, pleasing but pestilent
counsel, and so do officiously mischieve them; as the dragon is said to bite the
elephant’s ear, and there hence to suck his blood, that being the only place that he
cannot reach with his trunk to defend.
POOLE, " Advertise thee, or inform thee, to wit, concerning future things, as it here
follows, for this word seems inseparably joined with the following. Others, give thee
counsel, and tell thee what this people, &c. So it is a short and defective speech, such
as we have Exodus 4:5 13:8. And by counsel. they understand that which is related
79

80. Numbers 25:1,2, which was done by Balaam’s counsel, Numbers 31:16 Revelation
2:14. But the former sense is more unforced and agreeable to the following words as
they lie.
In the latter days: not in thy time, therefore thou hast no reason to fear, but in
succeeding ages, as 2 Samuel 8:2, &c.
WHEDON, " 14. I will advertise thee — Tell thee advisedly. Balaam here shows that
he is conscious of a true prophetic vision.
In the latter days — Literally, at the end of the days. Not some indefinite future, but
the beginning of the last future, the Messianic age from its commencement to its
consummation. Genesis 49:1, note.
PETT, " The Prophecies of Balaam (Numbers 24:14-25).
Balaam then told Balak that he would be returning to his people. This may signify
his fellow soothsayers, living together as a people. Or it may simply mean he was
returning to the Amavites. However, before doing so, being in prophetic mode, he
offered him a prophecy for free. In view of Balak’s attitude it no doubt gave him
great satisfaction, for in it he foresees the defeat of Moab.
Analysis.
a Balaam says he will return home after prophesying (Numbers 24:14)
b Balaam prophesies concerning Israel (Numbers 24:13-19)
c Balaam looks at and prophesies concerning wandering Amalek (Numbers 24:20)
c Balaam looks at and prophesies concerning the wandering Kenites (Numbers
24:21-22)
b Balaam prophesies concerning Eber (Israel and their fellow Semites) (Numbers
24:23-24)
a Balaam returns home (Numbers 24:25).
Numbers 24:14
“And now, behold, I go to my people. Come, and I will advertise you what this
people shall do to your people in the latter days.”
Balaam then declared that he was returning to his people, but was meanwhile in
80

81. such constraint in spirit that he had to give another prophetic declaration
concerning the distant future of ‘this people’, the Israelites.
PULPIT. "I will advertise thee. ְ‫צ‬ָ‫יﬠ‬ ִ‫א‬ has properly the meaning "advise", but it
seems to have here the same subordinate sense of giving information which "advise"
has with us. The Vulgate here has followed the surmise of the Jewish commentators,
who saw nothing in Balaam but the arch-enemy of their race, and has actually
altered the text into "dabo consilium quid populus tuus populo huic faciat" (cf.
Numbers 31:16).
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
CLARKE, "The man whose eyes are open - See on Num_24:3 (note). It seems
strange that our version should have fallen into such a mistake as to render ‫שתם‬
shethum, open, which it does not signify, when the very sound of the word expresses the
sense. The Vulgate has very properly preserved the true meaning, by rendering the
clause cujus obturatus est oculus, he whose eyes are shut. The Targum first paraphrased
the passage falsely, and most of the versions followed it.
GILL, "And he took up his parable, and said,.... In this and the following verse;
the same preface, in the same words, is made to his prophecy as before; see Gill on
Num_24:3, Num_24:4; only one clause is added, "and knew the knowledge of the Most
High"; that Balaam had some knowledge of God is certain from the names by which he
calls him, being such that he made himself known by to the patriarchs, and by which he
is frequently called in the sacred writings; but then this knowledge of his was merely
notional and speculative, and not spiritual and supernatural, and was such as men may
have who are destitute of the grace of God: he was one that professed to know him in
81

82. words, but in works denied him, see 1Co_13:2 and he also was admitted to much
nearness to God, and converse with him, of which he boasted; but then this was not for
his own sake, or as a mark of friendship to him, but for the sake of the people of Israel,
and to prevent his doing them mischief. His prophecy follows.
HENRY 15-16, "The office of prophets was both to bless and to prophesy in
the name of the Lord. Balaam, as a prophet, per force had blessed Israel;
here he foretels future events.
I. His preface is much the same as that, Num_24:3, Num_24:4. He
personates a true prophet admirably well, God permitting and directing
him to do so, because, whatever he was, the prophecy itself was a true
prophecy. He boasts, 1. That his eyes are open (Num_24:15), for prophets
were in old time called seers (1Sa_9:9), because they must speak what they
had seen, and therefore, before they opened their lips, it was necessary that
they should have their eyes open. 2. That he has heard the words of God,
which many do that do not heed them, nor hear God in them. 3. That he
knew the knowledge of the Most High; this is added here. A man may be full
of the knowledge of God and yet utterly destitute of the grace of God, may
receive the truth in the light of it and yet be a stranger to the love of it. 4.
That he saw the vision of the Almighty, but not so as to be changed into the
same image. He calls God the Most High, and the Almighty; no man could
speak more honourably of him, nor seem to put a greater value upon his
acquaintance with him, and yet he had no true fear of him, love to him, or
faith in him, so far may a man go towards heaven, and yet come short.
JAMISON, "
K&D, "Balaam's fourth and last prophecy is distinguished from the
previous ones by the fact that, according to the announcement in Num_
24:14, it is occupied exclusively with the future, and foretells the victorious
supremacy of Israel over all its foes, and the destruction of all the powers of
the world. This prophecy is divided into four different prophecies by the
fourfold repetition of the words, “he took up his parable” (Num_24:15,
Num_24:20, Num_24:21, and Num_24:23). The first of these refers to the
two nations that were related to Israel, viz., Edom and Moab (Num_
24:17-19); the second to Amalek, the arch-enemy of Israel (Num_24:20); the
third to the Kenites, who were allied to Israel (Num_24:21 and Num_
24:22); and the fourth proclaims the overthrow of the great powers of the
world (Num_24:23 and Num_24:24). - The introduction in Num_24:15 and
Num_24:16 is the same as that of the previous prophecy in Num_24:3 and
Num_24:4, except that the words, “he which knew the knowledge of the
Most High,” are added to the expression, “he that heard the words of God,”
to show that Balaam possessed the knowledge of the Most High, i.e., that the
word of God about to be announced had already been communicated to him,
and was not made known to him now for the first time; though without
implying that he had received the divine revelation about to be uttered at
the same time as those which he had uttered before.
82

83. CALVIN, "15.Balaam the son of Beor hath said. Inasmuch as he was preparing to
treat of most important matters, it is not without reason that he renews his preface,
in order to obtain more authority for his prophecy: and although it was not without
ambition that he proclaimed these magnificent titles, still we cannot doubt but that
God would ratify by them what he had determined to deliver through the mouth of
the prophet. It was requisite that this worthless man, whose doctrine would
otherwise have been contemptible: should be marked out by Divine indications; and
thus it was that he assumed a character that he did not possess, and attributed to
himself what only belongs to true prophets. I have before explained how the open
and the closed eye are spoken of in the same sense, though for different reasons:
forhe calls the eye “hidden,” as perceiving the secret things of darkness, which are
incomprehensible to the human sense; but he claims for himself “open eyes,” in that
he beholds, by prophetic vision, what he is about to say, as if he would deny that he
was going to speak of things which were obscure, and scarcely intelligible to himself.
COFFMAN, "FOURTH ORACLE
"Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye was closed saith;
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not nigh:
There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
And shall smite through the corners of Moab,
And bring down all the sons of tumult.
And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies;
83

84. While Israel doeth valiantly.
And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said,
FIFTH ORACLE
Amalek was the first of the nations;
But his latter end shall come to destruction
And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said,
SIXTH ORACLE
Strong is thy dwelling-place,
And thy nest is set in the rock.
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,
Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
And he took up his parable and said,
SEVENTH ORACLE
Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?
But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber;
And he also shall come to destruction.
And Balaam rose up and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his
way."
Numbers 24:15-16 are an introduction to the fourth oracle almost the same as that
which is given for the third (Numbers 24:3,4). (See under those verses for comment.)
The fourth oracle, of course, is the outstanding prophecy of the whole Balaam
narrative. The focal point is that mysterious person who rises out of Jacob/Israel,
84

85. called a Star, then a Sceptre, and in Numbers 24:19, "One who shall have
dominion." Interpreters of all ages, races, and persuasions of mankind have
invariably found in these verses a prophecy of the Messiah. "Even the men of the
Dead Sea Scrolls community regarded this passage as Messianic."[17] The whole
Jewish people also so received it. Even a pretended Messiah built up his claims by
assuming a name (Bar Kochba) which means "son of a star."[18] Efforts of critical
writers to restrict the prophecy to a partial fulfillment of it in the times of David the
king, and then to deny the prophetic element completely by alleging a date
subsequent to the events prophesied, making the whole narrative a pretended
prophecy must be rejected. Such postulations of arrogant ignorance can deceive no
one who receives the Bible as the Word of God.
As for the times when this remarkable Person was to be expected, the answer is
given in Numbers 24:14, "in the latter days," an expression always associated with
the times of the Messiah and the New Israel in the prophecies. It has the same
meaning here. Wade also observed that the expressions "not now ... not nigh"
(Numbers 24:17) have the meaning of, "in the distant future."[19] The same writer
also affirmed that "This prophecy possibly influenced the belief that the birth of the
Messiah would be heralded by a star (Matthew 2:2)."[20] However that might have
been, "Christ himself and not the star that was seen at his birth is the true
fulfillment of the prophecy."[21]
We must not limit the scope of this remarkable prophecy to the history of Israel as
recorded in the O.T. To do so is to misunderstand it. Gray, who accepted such
limitations of it, stated the meaning thus: "It contemplates the worldwide dominion
of Israel and the violent destruction of all who oppose it."[22] The Scriptures never
taught any such thing as that. The glories of the worldwide dominion of "Israel"
which surely occur in the O.T. do not refer to physical, secular Israel at all, but to
the New Israel in Christ Jesus, and the "violent destruction" mentioned by Gray as
applicable to all who oppose the historical secular Israel actually applies to all the
sons of Adam who at last refuse to accept salvation in Christ and shall be violently
overthrown by God Himself in the final judgment. Thus, we have the certain and
unmistakable emergence of the final judgment in these verses, making them also a
positive and absolutely certain reference to the Christ in his incarnation, kingdom,
and Second Advent!
This view is further corroborated by a glance at the KJV where we have in
Numbers 24:17, "And destroy all the children of Sheth ..." Most current
commentators have missed the meaning of this altogether by following more recent
translations which give "sons of tumult," or "sons of pride," neither of which
renditions has any essential meaning. "Children of Sheth" here means "children of
Seth," that is, "children of men," "sons of Adam," "the race of mankind," all of
them!"[23] (see the margin in the ASV). Plaut's full explanation for this meaning is
as follows:
Children of Seth. This means "children of men." Seth was Adam's third son
85

86. (Genesis 4:25), from whom all men are descended. Noah was of his line.[24]
This view of the passage reveals it to be in absolute harmony with all that the Holy
Scriptures reveal with reference to the final judgment, the occasion when God "will
wipe this Adam off the face of the earth," the sole exceptions being the redeemed of
God.
Now, just a word of reference to the reason why very brilliant and learned men,
such as Gray, for example, miss the meaning of the passage altogether. That writer
revealed the secret of his error as follows, where he applied the meaning of this
prophecy to, "The final period of the future, so far as it falls within the range of the
speaker's perspective!"[25] Here is the germ of that error which negates the
conclusions of all scholars who have permitted themselves to be entrapped and
handicapped by the "a priori" assumptions received in many theological seminaries
throughout current times. The limitations underscored in Gray's quotation means
that Balaam could not have prophesied anything that did not fall within the purview
of Balaam's own mind, or perspective. Ridiculous! Balaam was not the author of
this prophecy. If there is a word of truth in the Holy Bible, this prophecy came from
GOD, not from Balaam. The shibboleth received in some seminaries to the effect
that no prophecy could exceed the dimensions of the mind of the human instrument
through whom God spoke is rejected here out of hand. It is a sheer falsehood! An
apostle of Christ, no less than Peter, revealed the very opposite end of this
seminarian booby trap as Divine truth in 1 Peter 1:10-12. (See the exegesis and
comment on that passage in this series. We might refer to this as the Higher
Criticism of the so-called "higher criticism.")
This glorious prophecy of Jesus Christ, coming here in the mouth of an evil man like
Balaam raises the question of just why God might have done such a thing. The
situation demanded it. There was no Hebrew prophet at this time in whom the
pagan world would have had the slightest confidence; and, therefore, God gave
them a witness after their own hearts, one whom they were prepared to pay and to
trust. That witness and his message must have had an incredibly strong impact
upon the people of that era, at the precise moment when God was about to send the
hosts of Israel across the Jordan with a commission to destroy the Canaanites. That
this was the case cannot be doubted, as witness the words of Rahab (Joshua 2:9),
and the abject fear of the Amalekites (Joshua 5:1). Some commentators cannot
imagine why the Balaam narrative is found just here, but anyone who discerns the
total purpose of God in moving Israel into Canaan cannot fail to see the very crucial
importance of these events and why the record of them belongs exactly where it is in
the sacred text.
Numbers 24:19 is held to be unintelligible by some, due to alleged damage to the
Hebrew text. Noth, for example, said: "The text of Numbers 24:19 has been
transmitted so defectively that its original wording can no longer be
determined."[26] This writer is not qualified to determine the accuracy of such a
view, but the lines as they appear in our version make excellent sense when properly
86

87. understood.
"Out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
And shall destroy the remnant from the city ..." (Numbers 24:19).
"City," as used here, is not any particular city, but as Leon Morris identified it, "It
is urban civilization in organized rebellion against God." It is the City of Mankind,
that entire organization of rebellious Adam against his God, referred to in the plural
in Revelation as "the cities of the Gentiles." (Revelation 16:19). It is called
"Mystery, Babylon the Great." The message of Numbers 24:19 is simple enough.
Even the remnant of Adam's rebellious race shall at last perish in the final holocaust
that shall terminate God's Operation Adam, that occasion being depicted frequently
in Holy Writ as the Judgment. Men might wish to ponder this question: How can
there be any future for any species of life in open rebellion against the Creator and
launched on a collision course with disaster? The disastrous results of what Balaam
prophesied were evidently discerned by him in some degree at least, for he
exclaimed, "Alas, who shall live when God doeth this ...?" (Numbers 24:23).
We shall pass over the remaining three oracles with little comment. There is no
evidence whatever that they were "added at a later time," there being nothing of
such significance in them as to have justified such an action. The principal thrust of
all three is that the destruction prophesied was to be universal and extend to all
nations, not merely to Israel. The interpretation of any of these last three is
uncertain, as Gray said, "Due to their brevity, and to certain defects in the text,
anything approaching certainty in the interpretation is out of the question."[27]
Despite this, there are a few points of very great significance.
The mention of the Kenites here as an important, independent nation marks the
times of Moses as the date of the narrative. The status and importance of the
Kenites surfaces in Numbers 24:21,22. W. F. Albright, commenting on this, declared
that, "The only time when these people were an autonomous people was in the
Mosaic age, so the oracle could not have come from the tenth century, as suggested
by many."[28]
Another item of interest in these final three oracles is the mention of Amalek in
Numbers 24:20, calling him the "first of the nations." Keil interpreted this to mean
that Amalek was, "The first of the heathen nations to open conflict against God's
people, Israel."[29] Keil is usually quite dependable, and this might indeed be the
true meaning of this place; but it should be pointed out that strong opinion to the
contrary has been registered. Carson called this, "A doubtful interpretation";[30]
and there appears to be some Biblical support for the view that the Amalekites were
indeed a formidable and mighty race of people. It will be remembered that when the
Ten Spies brought back their report, the principal ground of the fears they cited
was based on the fact that Amalek dwelt there (Numbers 13:28ff).
87

88. Due to the appearance of Balaam at a later time in this narrative and the account of
his death indicating that he was fighting with Midian against Israel when he was
killed with the sword, we supposed (in the comment on Numbers 24:11) that Balaam
might indeed have stayed awhile after this in order to continue his efforts to please
Balak, but Numbers 24:25 states flatly that Balaam rose up and went and returned
to his place. If the meaning of this is that Balaam indeed returned to his residence in
Mesopotamia, then it would indicate a somewhat longer time-lapse between the
prophecy and his death, allowing long enough for such a journey and his
subsequent return as an ally of Midian. If, on the other hand, "his place" refers to a
temporary residence provided by the Midianites for Balaam, the time-lapse between
prophecy and the death of Balaam could have been much shorter. The Bible does
not enable us to know certainly whether "his place" means such a temporary
dwelling in the land of Midian, or if it refers to Balaam's residence in Mesopotamia.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:15. He took up his parable — A weighty and solemn
speech, delivered in figurative and majestic language, is often termed a parable in
Scripture. Such are these prophecies of Balaam; we cannot peruse them without
being struck, not only with their beauty, but with their uncommon force and energy.
WHEDON, "Verses 15-24
THE FOURTH PROPHECY, Numbers 24:15-24.
In these prophecies there is a gradual unfolding of the divine purposes respecting
Israel and his foes. In the first, there is a denial of any ability to curse those blessed
of Jehovah. In the second, it becomes certain that Israel will triumph over all his
enemies. In the third, the positive side of Israel’s future appears, his prosperity is
vividly portrayed, and all who bless him are pronounced blessed, and his cursers are
cursed. In the fourth, the names of the hostile nations to be conquered by Israel in
the future are recorded, with the prediction of his prosperity even to the most
distant ages. It is divided into four distinct parts, each beginning with the words,
“And he uttered his prophecy and said,” which precede each of the seven
prophecies, in all corresponding to the seven altars and seven victims. Since this
number indicates perfection, we are taught that Balaam made a perfect trial of his
skill before his failure was acknowledged.
PETT, "Verses 15-19
Balaam Prophesies Concerning Israel (Numbers 24:15-19)
Numbers 24:15
‘And he took up his oracle (parable), and said,
88

89. “Balaam the son of Beor says,
a And the man whose eye was closed says,
b He says, who hears the words of God,
c And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
b Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
a Falling down, and having his eyes open.
(Note how the introduction follows the usual pattern, taken up again in what
follows).
a I see him, but not now,
a I behold him, but not nigh,
a There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
a And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
b And shall smite through the corners of Moab,
b And break down all the sons of tumult.
b And Edom shall be a possession,
b Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession,
a While Israel does valiantly.
a And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
a And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
As before he goes into a trance. ‘Whose eye was closed’ may be a wry reference to
his experience on the road with his ass, rumours of which may have been spreading
around. Compare Numbers 24:3. But as previously the whole first phrases were his
way of ‘entering’ the sphere of the gods.
“I see him, but not now, I behold him, but not nigh,” He firstly declares that what he
speaks of is not to happen in the near future. It refers to the distant future (compare
Numbers 24:14). It is ‘not now, -- not near’. Indeed in all his proclamations the ‘far
89

90. future’ is in mind. Thus he had desired that his last end should be like that of Israel,
one that resulted in length of days because of righteousness (Numbers 23:10), he had
stressed that the lioness of Israel would not lie down until with Yahweh they had
eaten of the prey and drunk the blood of the slain (Numbers 23:14), he had looked
ahead to Israel’s seed being in many waters, his king higher than Agag, and his
kingdom exalted (Numbers 24:7). Now he was to speak further of that king.
“There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.”
As already mentioned the question as to what ‘king’ is meant is not to be
particularised. It is not even a prophecy that Israel would have ‘a king’. He simply
speaks of their supreme ruler, something which he would assume for them as for all
nations. His expression for such would be ‘melek’. He would almost certainly have
used that title of Moses. And because Israel were to be exalted, so would be their
supreme ruler. Indeed their heaven-supported ‘king’ would be part of the cause of
their rise. And here he sees one such in terms of a ‘rising star’, and a ‘sceptre’, one
who would be special and would one day smite Moab, and Edom, and Mount Seir,
and all who caused trouble to Israel.
“And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of
tumult. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also, His enemies, shall be a
possession.” So Moab would be smitten from corner to corner, Edom would be
possessed, Seir (His enemies) would be a possession. Thus He would possess both
land and people. Those who would cause trouble to Israel are depicted as ‘the sons
of tumult’. This might especially have in mind the desert peoples like the Midianites,
whom Balaam had already met as being antagonistic towards Israel, the Amalekites,
whose fierce king he had already mentioned, and the Kenites (see below).
“While Israel does valiantly. And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall
destroy the remnant from the city.” He would with his people ‘do valiantly’ and
would have wide dominion, and would ‘destroy the remnant from the city’, that is,
would have widespread success and come across no city that could resist him and
prevent his total victory. This parallels the rising star and sceptre, declaring his
success.
The picture of a rising star, combined with a sceptre, who would have dominion,
depicted an especially great king. It was a declaration of the fact that the royal
house of Israel would eventually produce a ‘super-star’, a ‘king’ who would rule
over many nations. And these nations he depicted in terms of the ones whom he
knew to be at odds with Israel at that time. This last fact firmly dates this prophecy
to this particular time. Seen in terms of an ‘anointed king’ of Israel this was a
‘messianic’ prophecy. His picture is really one of final triumph, brought about by a
supreme king. It is essentially applicable to David, and to strong kings who followed
after him, but its final fulfilment required a king who would finally triumph and
gain everlasting dominion, and that could only be the Messiah.
For a star as representing the king of Babylon see Isaiah 14:12; and as representing
90

91. the Messiah see Revelation 22:16. See also Daniel 8:10. The use of stars of rulers in
this way was also known in non-Biblical literature. In the future the ‘star of David’
would come to represent the Davidic house. Compare also how Bar Kochba’s
Messianic claims were supported by naming him ‘son of the star’ when he led the
Jewish rebellion against the emperor Hadrian in c.135 AD.
SIMEON, "CHRIST THE STAR SPOKEN OF BY BALAAM
Numbers 24:15-17. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor
hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, who heard the
words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, who saw the vision of the
Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: I shall see him, but not
now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a
sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all
the children of Sheth.
IT has pleased God on various occasions to make known his will to persons of a very
unworthy character; and to shew that his ways and thoughts are not regulated by
the vain maxims of human wisdom. He proclaimed to Ahaz the conception of our
Emmanuel in the womb of a virgin. To Nebuchadnezzar he revealed the successive
destruction of the four great monarchies, and the erection of the Messiah’s kingdom
on the ruins of them all. Thus, in the passage before us, we are informed, that he
declared to Balaam not only his purposes respecting Israel and the nations that
surrounded them, but the advent of that glorious person, who, as a star should
enlighten, and as a prince should govern, the whole world.
Let us consider,
I. The prophecy—
The introduction to this prophecy is not unworthy of our notice—
[It seems very strongly to characterize the person who delivered it. When prophecies
have been delivered by pious men, they have either been introduced with a plain
declaration, “Thus saith the Lord;” or the prefatory observations have been
calculated to exalt and glorify God. But Balaam’s prediction is ushered in with a
pompous exhibition of his own attainments, intended, as it should seem, to wrest
from Balak that respect and honour, which he had failed to procure by his
preceding prophecies [Note: There is some little obscurity in the passage, occasioned
by the translation. The words “whose eyes are open,” in ver. 15 should be, “whose
eyes were shut;” and the words “in a trance,” which are printed in italics, should
not have been inserted. The former refers to his not seeing the angel, when the ass
saw him; and the latter to his falling flat on his face when the angel discovered
himself to him. See Numbers 22:27-31.].
91

92. It shews us too, in a very awful and convincing light, how much knowledge we may
possess, while yet we are utterly destitute of converting grace. The most highly
favoured of God’s servants from the beginning of the world had not delivered a
clearer prophecy of Christ than that which was uttered by Balaam on this occasion.
Nor is it improbable that the expectation which obtained throughout the East, that a
prince should arise out of Judea and rule the whole world, was occasioned very
much by this prophecy. It is remarkable that the Eastern Magi no sooner saw the
supernatural star, than they concluded that this Prince was born, and came
immediately to Judea to inquire, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Yet
where shall we find a baser character than Balaam’s? Having considerable
knowledge of the true God, he still continued to use enchantments as a magician. He
was so covetous that he “ran greedily after a reward,” and preferred “the wages of
unrighteousness” to every consideration, either of duty to God or of love to man
[Note: Jude, ver. 11; 2 Peter 2:15-16.]. His hypocrisy was conspicuous from first to
last; for in the midst of all his high professions of regard to the will and word of
God, he laboured to the utmost to counteract the designs of God, and to reverse his
decrees. More murderous purposes never were entertained in the heart of man; for
it was his most earnest desire to curse all the people of God, and to consign them
over to destruction by the sword of their enemies. His last act especially was truly
diabolical: when he found he could not prevail to destroy their bodies, he taught
their enemies how to tempt them and to destroy their souls [Note: Revelation 2:14.].
After comparing his character with his professions and attainments in divine
knowledge, what shall we say? Shall we not tremble for ourselves, lest we should
rest in a speculative knowledge of Christ, and fail, after all, of obtaining any saving
interest in him? We are elsewhere informed that we may have the gifts of prophecy,
of tongues, and of a miraculous faith, and yet be only as sounding brass, or tinkling
cymbals [Note: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.]. And our Lord assures us that many will in
the last day plead the miraculous works that they have performed, but be dismissed
with this humiliating answer, Depart from me, I never knew you [Note: Matthew
7:22-23.]. Even Judas himself was not, in respect of gifts, behind the very chiefest
Apostles. Let us then never value ourselves on any discoveries of divine truth, unless
we have suitable affections and a correspondent practice.]
The prophecy itself is deserving of particular attention—
[In its primary sense it must be understood in reference to David. The immediate
intention of Balaam was, to inform Balak “what the Israelites should do unto his
people in the latter days.” Accordingly he declares that one, like a star for
brightness, should arise from among the Jews at a distant period, to sway the Jewish
sceptre, and to destroy the kingdoms of Edom and Moab. This was fulfilled in
David, who subjugated the Moabites, and slew every male in Edom [Note: 2 Samuel
8:2; 2 Samuel 8:14; Psalms 60:8; 1 Kings 11:15-16.].
But there can be no doubt of its ultimately referring to Christ himself. Christ is
called in Scripture “the Day-star,” “the bright and morning Star;” nor did ever any
92

93. one arise with splendour comparable to his. He too sat upon the throne of his father
David, and exercised unlimited dominion. The children of Edom and Moab may be
justly considered as representing the enemies of his Church and people. These he
subdues and will finally destroy; not one shall live before him: “he will reign till he
hath put all enemies under his feet.” Doubts have arisen whether by “Sheth” we are
to understand that son of Adam, whose posterity alone survived the flood; or some
person or place of eminence in Moab; (which on the whole is the more probable) but
in both senses the prediction was equally fulfilled in Christ, who “has the heathen
for his inheritance and the utmost ends of the earth for his possession.” Him then
did Balaam see, as Abraham also had seen four hundred years before, but not, alas!
with Abraham’s joyful hope. Of his victorious career he spake, saying, “I shall see
him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh.”]
Having ascertained the import of the prophecy, let us consider,
II. The improvement to be made of it—
1. Let us be thankful for its accomplishment—
[We have not to look forward at the distance of fifteen centuries; nor yet to travel,
like the Eastern Magi, through trackless deserts, to behold the Lord. We see him
“now;” we behold him “nigh.” We have not to go up to heaven, to bring him down,
or to go down into the deep, to bring him up. No: he is nigh unto us, even in the
word of faith which we have both in our hands and our hearts [Note: Romans
10:6-8.]. Truly he is not only arisen on our benighted world, but, if it be not our own
fault, “he is arisen in our very hearts [Note: 2 Peter 1:19.],” so that “we behold his
glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of his Father, full of grace and truth [Note:
John 1:14.].”
We see his “dominion” already established in the world [Note: ver. 19.]. From the
hour in which he sent down his Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost even to the
present moment, has his kingdom been extending over the face of the earth: and the
hour is fast approaching when “all kings shall fall down before him, and all nations
shall serve him [Note: Psalms 72:3-11.],” and “all the kingdoms of the world become
his undivided empire.” May I not say too that even in the hearts of many here
present he has set up his throne? Yes, and I hope that in due season “he will bruise
Satan himself under our feet,” and “bring every thought into captivity” to his holy
will. If we then be not thankful, methinks “the very stones will cry out againt us.”]
2. Let us receive the Lord under the very characters by which he is here revealed—
[Let us give up ourselves willingly to his guidance, and not regard any difficulties we
may encounter in our way. Truly we may see our way traced out with accuracy in
his blessed word, the way which he himself trod when he was upon earth. It is
impossible to miss our end, if only we follow his steps.
93

94. Let us also surrender up ourselves to him in a way of holy obedience, knowing no
will but his, and doing it without reserve. Under him we ourselves also are to fight:
and if we “do valiantly [Note: ver. 18.]” we have nothing to fear: for “through his
strength we can do all things [Note: Philippians 4:13.].” You have seen how Edom
and Moab fell before David, and how Christ’s “sceptre” has prevailed over the great
enemy of our salvation. And so shall “all enemies be put both under his feet,” and
under ours, till, having overcome like him, we be exalted to his throne for ever and
ever.
See Israel at the time of Balaam’s prophecy. They were altogether unused to war;
yet did they vanquish all the kingdoms of Canaan. And so shall we, though weak as
“worms, thresh the mountains” before us [Note: Isaiah 41:14-15.], and be “more
than conquerors through him that loved us.” In vain shall any attempt to “curse
us:” for “there is no enchantment against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel:”
and to all eternity shall we, as monuments of our Redeemer’s love, be occupied with
adoring gratitude, each exclaiming for himself, and all uniting in that overwhelming
sentiment, “What hath God wrought [Note: Numbers 23:23.]!”
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of
God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
BARNES, "And knew, the knowledge of the Most High - With the addition of
these words, which point to the greater importance and the more distinctly predictive
character of what follows, the introduction to this last parable is the same as the
introduction to the preceding parable.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew
the knowledge of the most High, [which] saw the vision of the Almighty, falling [into
a trance], but having his eyes open:
Ver. 16. And knew the knowledge of the Most High.] The eye may be clear while the
94

95. hand is palsied. Baalam’s great knowledge was but intuitiva, standing in
speculation; it was not directiva vitae: he knew but by hearsay, as a blind man
knows colours; his light served but to light him into utter darkness. Neronis
Quantus artifex pereo, quadrabit in te peritum, et periturum.
WHEDON, " 17. I shall see him — Rather, I see, the Hebrew future tense being
used for the present. The star and sceptre are designated by the pronoun him, which
is often written before its noun. Maimonides interprets this of the Messiah, whose
victory all the ancient victories foreshadow.
But not now — Not as a present object, but in spirit in the last days. Numbers 24:14,
note.
A star… a sceptre — This passage was understood by the ancient Jews to refer to
the Messiah either exclusively or with a secondary reference to David. Hence the
Chaldee and both the Targums — Onkelos and Jonathan-“When a king shall arise
out of Jacob, and Messiah shall be anointed out of Israel.” The pseudo-Messiahs of
the time of Adrian took from this prophecy the surname Bar Chochab, “son of the
star;” and on this account received the homage of the Jews. Most of the church
fathers and early interpreters referred it to Messiah, who came signalized by a star.
See Genesis 49:10; Matthew 2:2, notes.
The corners of Moab — Or, on every side — from end to end. It is said that this
cannot refer to the Messiah because Moab had disappeared when Christ came. But
this objection rests on a misconception of the spirit of the whole passage. Its object is
to announce what Israel shall do in the last days. The specific nations mentioned in
this prophecy are typical of all the enemies of God and of his people. As long as
there are foes to the Church of God there will be Moabites. But their power is
broken, and they are doomed to destruction.
All the children of Sheth — Sons of tumult, (Jeremiah 48:45,) a fitting designation
of all wicked men, of whom the wild and warlike Edomites, Moabites, and
Amalekites are types. Jewish authorities render this all the sons of Seth, that is, all
mankind. But the human race is always called after Adam, and not after Seth.
PULPIT, "Knew the knowledge of the Most High. Septuagint, ἐπιστάμενος
ἐπιστήμην παρὰ υψίστου. This expression alone distinguishes this introduction of
Balaam's mashal from the former one (Numbers 24:3, Numbers 24:4), but it is
difficult to say that it really adds anything to our understanding of his mental state.
If we ask when Balaam had received the revelation which he now proceeds to
communicate, it would seem most natural to reply that it was made known to him
when "the Spirit of God came upon him," and that Balak's anger had interrupted
him in the midst of his mashal, or possibly he had kept it back, as too distasteful to
his patron, until he saw that he had nothing more to expect from that quarter.
95

96. 17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls[b] of[c] all the people of Sheth.[d]
BARNES, "Render, I see him, though he be not now: I behold him, though he be not
near. Balaam here describes what is actually before him in inward vision.
Him - i. e., the prince, represented in the succeeding words by the Star and Scepter.
The star has among all nations served as a symbol of regal power and splendour: and the
birth and future glory of great monarchs were believed by the ancients to be heralded by
the appearance of stars or comets: compare also Isa_14:12; Dan_8:10; Rev_1:16, Rev_
1:20; Rev_2:1; Rev_9:1.
The corners of Moab - literally, “the two sides of Moab,” i. e., the length and
breadth of the land: compare Jer_48:45.
Destroy all the children of Sheth - Rather, “overthrow the sons of tumult,” i. e.,
the warriors of Moab, whose valour and fierceness is frequently referred to elsewhere
(compare Exo_15:15; Isa_15:4; Isa_16:6, etc.) Compare Jer_48:45.
CLARKE, "I shall see him, but not now - Or, I shall see him, but he is not now. I
shall behold him, but not nigh - I shall have a full view of him, but the time is yet distant.
That is, The person of whom I am now prophesying does not at present exist among
these Israelites, nor shall he appear in this generation. There shall come a Star out of
Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel - a person eminent for wisdom, and
formidable for strength and power, shall arise as king among this people. He shall smite
the corners of Moab - he shall bring the Moabites perfectly under subjection; (See 2Sa_
8:2); and destroy all the children of Sheth. The original word ‫קרקר‬ karkar, from ‫קרה‬
karah, to meet, associate, join, blend, and the like, is variously translated; vastabit, he
shall waste, Vulgate - προνομευσει, shall prey on, Sept - ‫ישלוט‬ yishlot, shall rule over,
Targum - Shall shake, Arabic - barbend, shall put a yoke on, Pers - Shall unwall,
96

97. Ainsworth, etc., etc.
The Targum of Onkelos translates the whole passage thus:
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but he is not near.
When a king shall arise from the house of Jacob, and the Messiah be
anointed from the house of Israel, he shall slay the princes of Moab, and
rule over all the children of men.”
The Jerusalem Targum is a little different:
“A king shall arise from the house of Jacob, a redeemer and governor
from the house of Israel, who shall slay the chiefs of the Moabites, and
empty out and destroy all the children of the East.”
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon has, in my opinion, perfectly hit the meaning of the
prophecy in the following paraphrase of the text:
“I shall see him, but not now. This is David - I shall behold him, but not
nigh. This is the king Messiah - A Star shall come out of Jacob. This is
David - And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. This is the king Messiah -
And shall smite the corners of Moab. This is David, (as it is written, 2Sa_
8:2 : And he smote Moab, casting them down to the ground) - And shall
destroy all the children of Sheth. This is the king Messiah, of whom it is
written, (Psa_72:8), He shall have dominion from sea to sea.”
GILL, "I shall see him, but not now,.... Meaning not Israel, for he now saw him
encamped, and at no great distance; but one that should descend from him, a famous
and excellent person, and who is no other than the Messiah, as appears by what follows;
him he should see, not spiritually with an eye of faith, nor corporeally with his bodily
eyes in his state of incarnation, but at the day of judgment; and now, indeed, he saw him
by a spirit of prophecy:
I shall behold him, but not nigh; signifying, that the coming of this illustrious
Person, who should smite the borders of Moab, was not near, and therefore Balak had no
reason to indulge any present fears; and that when he was come either into the world to
save men, or to judgment, Balaam would have no nearness to him, nor interest in him;
he would see him at the last day, but not for himself, as Job says he should, Job_19:25.
there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
which Aben Ezra interprets of David, though he says many interpret it of the Messiah;
and there are some writers, both Jewish and Christian, that understand it partly of
David, and partly of Christ, and chiefly of him, and of David as a type of him; the
fulfilment of which was only in part in David, but principally and completely in Christ.
Maimonides (c) parts the prophecy between them: the whole undoubtedly agrees with
Christ, and belongs unto him: the "star" and "sceptre" may be considered as names and
titles of the Messiah; he is called the "morning star", Rev_22:16 for his glory, brightness,
and splendour, and for the light that comes by him, and the influence of his grace, and
the blessings of it on the sons of men; and hence a false Messiah took the name of Bar
97

98. Cochab, the son of a star, to answer to this prophecy; and he may be called a "sceptre",
that is, a sceptre bearer, because of his royalty; he not only has the name of a king, but
has a kingdom, both of nature, providence, and grace, and rules with a sceptre of grace,
mercy, and righteousness; and as he was to spring from Jacob or Israel, so he did, being
a son of Abraham, a descendant of Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, and family of David,
Mat_1:1, but I rather think that the star is to be considered as a sign and circumstance of
his coming, and that the words may be rendered, "when a star steers its course from
Jacob", or "unto Jacob, then a sceptre", or "sceptre bearer":
shall rise out of Israel, or "rise up unto Israel"; for the particle ‫מ‬ sometimes signifies
"unto" (d); and that the appearance of a star in Israel was a sign of the Messiah's coming
is certain from Mat_2:1 of which the Magi were informed by Zoroastres (e) their
founder, who, being of Jewish extract, had got it from this prophecy of Balaam; and it is
as evident that the Jews expected the appearance of an extraordinary star at the time of
the Messiah's coming; for so they say more than once, in an ancient book of theirs (f),
that when the"Messiah shall be revealed, a bright and shining star shall arise in the
east;''which expectation must be founded on this prophecy:
and shall smite the corners of Moab; not only the corners of their houses and
cities, but the extreme parts and borders of the land, even all the sides, and the whole of
it; or the princes and great men of the land, sometimes called "corners", see Zec_10:4
and so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan:
and shall kill the princes of Moab or the mighty ones of Moab, as the Jerusalem
Targum; this was literally fulfilled in David, 2Sa_8:2 Psa_60:1 and figuratively and
mystically in Christ, by subduing his enemies, signified by Moabites, as being the
enemies of Israel; either by reducing them through the power of his grace to obedience
to him, or by smiting and breaking them in pieces with a rod of iron; and which will be
more plainly and fully accomplished when he shall destroy those Moabites, the
antichristian nations, Rev_19:15.
and destroy all the children of Sheth; some take Sheth to be the name of some
famous king among the Moabites, as Grotius; others, the name of some city of Moab,
which David utterly destroyed, as R. Nathan (g); others suppose some particular nations
are meant, as either the Edomites, so called because they put confidence in their
foundations, and fortified places, so Vitringa (h); or the Egyptians, from Seth or Sethos,
one of their kings, who was known by the name Egyptus, as a late learned writer (i) of
ours conjectures; but rather by the children of Seth are meant all nations, as Jarchi
observes, for all come from Seth, the son of the first man; and so the words may be
rendered, as they are by Onkelos,"he shall rule over all the children of men;''which will
be fulfilled in Christ, when he shall have put down all rule and authority, and all will be
subject to him, and his kingdom be from sea to sea, and his dominion from the river to
the ends of the earth; unless rather by the children of Seth are meant the special people
of God, in distinction from others, and in allusion to the distinction between the Sethites
and Cainites, the one being the people of God, the other not; and so it may be interpreted
of Christ's gathering them to him, by clucking as it were for them, as a hen gathers her
chickens; so the word is used in Jewish writings, and of God himself; for it is said (k) the
holy blessed God ‫,מקרקר‬ clucks over them, as hens do, which is the simile our Lord
himself uses, Mat_23:37 the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan interpret this prophecy
98

99. of the Messiah by name; and so do many other Jewish writers, both ancient (l) and
modern (m).
HENRY 17-19, "II. Here is his prophecy concerning him that should be the
crown and glory of his people Israel, who is, 1. David in the type, who not
now, not quickly, but in process of time, should smite the corners of Moab.
(Num_24:17), and take possession of Mount Seir, and under whom the
forces of Israel should do valiantly, Num_24:18. This was fulfilled when
David smote Moab, and measured them with a line, so that the Moabites
became David' servants, 2Sa_8:2. And at the same time the Edomites
likewise were brought into obedience to Israel, Num_24:14. But, 2. Our
Lord Jesus, the promised Messiah, is chiefly pointed at in the antitype, and
of him it is an illustrious prophecy; it was the will of God that notice should
thus be given of his coming, a great while before, not only to the people of
the Jews, but to other nations, because his gospel and kingdom were to
extend themselves so far beyond the borders of the land of Israel. It is here
foretold, (1.) That while: “I shall see him, but not now; I do see him in
vision, but at a very great distance, through the interposing space of 1500
years at least.” Or understand it thus: - Balaam, a wicked man, shall see
Christ, but shall not see him nigh, nor see him as Job, who saw him as his
Redeemer, and saw him for himself, Job_19:25, Job_19:27. When he comes
in the clouds every eye shall see him, but many will see him (as the rich
man in hell saw Abraham) afar off. (2.) That he shall come out of Jacob, and
Israel, as a star and a sceptre, the former denoting his glory and lustre, and
the bright and morning star, the latter his power and authority; it is he that
shall have dominion. Perhaps this prophecy of Balaam (one of the children
of the east) concerning a star that should arise out of Jacob, as the
indication of a sceptre arising in Israel, being preserved by a tradition of
that country, gave occasion to the wise men, who were of the east too, upon
the sight of an unusual star over the land of Judea, to enquire for him that
was born king of the Jews, Mat_2:2. (3.) That his kingdom shall be
universal, and victorious over all opposition, which was typified by David's
victories over Moab and Edom. But the Messiah shall destroy, or, as some
read it, shall rule over, all the children of Seth. (Num_24:17), that is, all the
children of men, who descend from Seth, the son of Adam, the descendants
of the rest of Adam's sons being cut off by the deluge. Christ shall be king,
not only of Jacob and Israel, but of all the world; so that all the children of
Seth shall be either governed by his golden sceptre or dashed in pieces by
his iron rod. He shall set up a universal rule, authority, and power, of his
own, and shall put down all opposing rule, 1Co_15:24. He shall unwall all
the children of Seth; so some read it. He shall take down all their defences
and carnal confidences, so that they shall either admit his government or lie
open to his judgments. (4.) That his Israel shall do valiantly; the subjects of
Christ, animated by his might, shall maintain a spiritual was with the
powers of darkness, and be more than conquerors. The people that do know
their God shall be strong, and do exploits, Dan_11:32.
JAMISON, "I shall see him — rather, “I do see” or “I have seen him” - a prophetic
sight, like that of Abraham (Joh_8:56).
99

100. him — that is, Israel.
there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
Israel — This imagery, in the hieroglyphic language of the East, denotes some eminent
ruler - primarily David; but secondarily and pre-eminently, the Messiah (see on Gen_
49:10).
corners — border, often used for a whole country (Exo_8:2; Psa_74:17).
children of Sheth — some prince of Moab; or, according to some, “the children of
the East.”
K&D, "The prophecy itself commences with a picture from the “end of the
days,” which rises up before the mental eye of the seer. “I see Him, yet not
now; I behold Him, but not nigh. A star appears out of Jacob, and a sceptre
rises out of Israel, and dashes Moab in pieces on both sides, and destroys
all the sons of confusion.” The suffixes to ‫נּוּ‬ ֶ‫א‬ ְ‫ר‬ ֶ‫א‬ and ‫נּוּ‬ ֶ‫ֲשׁוּר‬‫ע‬ refer to the star
which is mentioned afterwards, and which Balaam sees in spirit, but “not
now,” i.e., not as having already appeared, and “not nigh,” i.e., not to
appear immediately, but to come forth out of Israel in the far distant future.
“A star is so natural an image and symbol of imperial greatness and
splendour, that it has been employed in this sense in almost every nation.
And the fact that this figure and symbol are so natural, may serve to explain
the belief of the ancient world, that the birth and accession of great kings
was announced by the appearance of stars” (Hengstenberg, who cites
Justini hist. xxxvii. 2; Plinii h. n. ii. 23; Sueton. Jul. Caes. c. 78; and Dio
Cass. xlv. p. 273). If, however, there could be any doubt that the rising star
represented the appearance of a glorious ruler or king, it would be entirely
removed by the parallel, “a sceptre arises out of Israel.” The sceptre, which
was introduced as a symbol of dominion even in Jacob's blessing (Gen_
49:10), is employed here as the figurative representation and symbol of the
future ruler in Israel. This ruler would destroy all the enemies of Israel.
Moab and (Num_24:18) Edom are the first of these that are mentioned, viz.,
the two nations that were related to Israel by descent, but had risen up in
hostility against it at that time. Moab stands in the foremost rank, not
merely because Balaam was about to announce to the king of Moab what
Israel would do to his people in the future, but also because the hostility of
the heathen to the people of God had appeared most strongly in Balak's
desire to curse the Israelites. ‫ב‬ ָ‫א‬ ‫מ‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ֲת‬‫א‬ ַ‫,פּ‬ “the two corners or sides of Moab,”
equivalent to Moab on both sides, from one end to the other. For ‫ר‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ר‬ ַ‫,ק‬ the
inf. Pilp. of ‫קוּר‬ or ‫יר‬ ִ‫,ק‬ the meaning to destroy is fully established by the
parallel ‫ץ‬ ַ‫ח‬ ָ‫,מ‬ and by Isa_22:5, whatever may be thought of its etymology and
primary meaning. And neither the Samaritan text nor the passage in
Jeremiah (Jer_48:45), which is based upon this prophecy, at all warrants
an alteration of the reading ‫ר‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ר‬ ַ‫ק‬ into ‫ד‬ֹ‫ק‬ ְ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ (the crown of the head), since
Jeremiah almost invariably uses earlier writing in this free manner, viz., by
altering the expressions employed, and substituting in the place of unusual
words wither more common ones, or such as are similar in sound (cf.
100

101. Küper, Jerem. libror, ss. interpres atque vindex, pp. xii.ff. and p. 43). - ‫ל־‬ ָ‫כּ‬
‫ת‬ ֵ‫ֵי־שׁ‬‫נ‬ ְ‫בּ‬ does not mean “all the sons of Seth,” i.e., all mankind, as the human
race is never called by the name of Seth; and the idea that the ruler to arise
out of Israel would destroy all men, would be altogether unsuitable. It
signifies rather “all the sons of confusion,” by which, according to the
analogy of Jacob and Israel (Num_24:17), Edom and Seir (Num_24:18), the
Moabites are to be understood as being men of wild, warlike confusion. ‫ת‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬
is a contraction of ‫את‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ (Lam_3:47), and derived from ‫ה‬ ָ‫א‬ ָ‫;שׁ‬ and in Jer_48:45
it is correctly rendered ‫ן‬ ‫א‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫.בּ‬
(Note: On the other hand, the rendering, “all the sons of the drinker,
i.e., of Lot,” which Hiller proposed, and v. Hoffmann and Kurtz have
renewed, is evidently untenable. For, in the first place, the fact related in
Gen_19:32. does not warrant the assumption that Lot ever received the
name of the “drinker,” especially as the word used in Gen 19 is not ‫ה‬ ָ‫ת‬ ָ‫,שׁ‬
but ‫ה‬ ָ‫ק‬ ָ‫.שׁ‬ Moreover, the allusion to “all the sons of Lot,” i.e., the Moabites and
Ammonites, neither suits the thoroughly synonymous parallelism in the saying of
Balaam, nor corresponds to the general character of his prophecies, which
announced destruction primarily only to those nations that rose up in hostility
against Israel, viz., Moab, Edom, and Amalek, whereas hitherto the Ammonites
had not assumed either a hostile or friendly attitude towards them. And lastly, all
the nations doomed to destruction are mentioned by name. Now the Ammonites
were not a branch of the Moabites by descent, nor was their territory enclosed
within the Moabitish territory, so that it could be included, as Hoffmann
supposes, within the “four corners of Moab.”)
In the announcement of destruction which is to fall upon the enemies of
Israel through the star and sceptre out of the midst of it, Moab is followed
by “its southern neighbour Edom.”
CALVIN, "17.I shall see him, but not now. (175) Though the verbs are in the future
tense, they are used for the present; and again, the pronoun him designates some
one who has not yet been mentioned; and this is a tolerably common usage with the
Hebrew, especially when referring to Jerusalem, or God, or some very distinguished
man. The relative is, therefore, here put κατ ἐξοχὴν for the antecedent: and
although there can be no doubt but that he alluded to the people of Israel, it is still a
question whether he designates the head or the whole body; on which point I do not
make much contention, since it is substantially the same thing.
The reason why Balaam postpones his prophecies to a distant period, is in order to
afford consolation to Balak, for, as much as he possibly can, he seeks to avoid his ill-
will, and therefore assures him that, although he denounces evil, it was not to be
feared at an early period, since he treats of things which were as yet far off.
The second clause must be unquestionably restricted to the head of the people,
101

102. called metaphorically “a Star,” and then expressly referred to without a figure; for
this repetition is common with the Hebrews, by which they particularize the same
thing twice over. Assuredly he means nothing else by “the Sceptre,” except what he
had indicated by the “Star;” and thus he connects the prosperity of the people with
the kingdom. Hence we gather that its state was not perfect until it began to be
governed by the hand of a king. For, inasmuch as the adoption of the family of
Abraham was founded on Christ, only sparks of God’s blessing shone forth until its
completed brightness was manifested in Christ. It must be observed, therefore, that
when Balaam begins to prophesy of God’s grace towards the people of Israel, he
directs us at once to the scepter, as if it were the true and certain mirror of God’s
favor. And, in fact, God never manifested Himself as the Father of this people except
by Christ. I admit, indeed, that some beginnings existed in the person of David, but
they were very far from exhibiting the fullness of the reality: for the glory of his
kingdom was not lasting, nay, its chief dignity was speedily impaired by the
rebellion of the ten tribes, and was finally altogether extinguished; and when
David’s power was at its height, his dominion never extended beyond the
neighboring nations. The coming forth of the Star and the Sceptre, therefore, of
which Balaam speaks explicitly, refers to Christ; and what we read in the Psalm
corresponds with this prophecy;
“The Lord shall send the sceptre (176) of thy strength out of Sion.” (Psalms 110:2.)
Hence it follows that the blessing, of which Balaam speaks, descends even to us; for,
if the prosperity of the ancient people, their rest, their well-ordered government,
their dignity, safety, and glory, proceeded from the scepter as its unmixed source,
there is no doubt but that Christ by His coming accomplished all these things more
fully for us.
The destruction of the nation of Moab is added as an adjunct of the kingdom. And
first, indeed, Balaam declares that “its princes shall be transfixed.” If any prefer to
read its “corners,” (177) the expression is metaphorical, implying that the Sceptre
will break through its munitions, or destroy what may seem to be strongest. I do not
doubt but that the same thing is confirmed in what is said of the children of Sheth;”
for those who take it generally for the whole human race, (178) violently wrest the
text by their gloss. Balaam is speaking of the neighboring nations; and, when in the
next verse he goes on to specify Edom, he adds Mount Seir by way of explanation.
Since the form of the two sentences is identical, it is probable that none others than
the Moabites are meant by the children of Sheth. Still the question arises why
Balaam attributes to a single nation what was common to all, for all who were of the
descendants of Sheth equally derived their origin from Noah. Some think that they
boasted of this descent in order to conceal their shame, for we know that the
founder of this nation sprang from an incestuous connection. But another more
satisfactory reason occurs to me, viz., that they boasted, like the Amalekites, of the
extreme antiquity of their race; since, therefore, they desired to be reckoned
amongst the most ancient nations, it will not be improbable that by this ironical
appellation their vain-glory was reproved. It may, however, have been the case that
102

103. some one amongst the descendants of Moab was distinguished by this name. Still, as
I have lately said, the Moabites as well as the Edomites were subdued by David, for
David thus justly celebrates his triumphs over them,
“Moab is my wash-pot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe,”
(Psalms 60:8;)
but then was merely typified, what Christ at length fulfilled, in that He reduced
under His sway all adverse and hostile nations. Therefore it is said, he “shall destroy
him that remaineth of the cities,” i.e., all enemies whom He shall find to be
incorrigible.
COKE, "Numbers 24:17. I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not
nigh:— For the exposition of the following verses, we are indebted to the excellent
dissertations of the learned bishop of Bristol.
"I shall see, &c. rather, I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; the
future tense in the Hebrew being often used for the present. He saw with the eyes of
prophesy, and prophets are emphatically styled seers. There shall come a star out of
Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The star, and the sceptre, are probably
metaphors borrowed from the ancient hieroglyphics, which much influenced the
language of the East; and they evidently denote some eminent and illustrious king or
ruler, whom he particularizes in the following words: And shall smite the corners of
Moab, or princes of Moab, according to other versions. This was executed by David;
for he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the
ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to
keep alive; that is, he destroyed two thirds, and saved one third alive: and the
Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts. See 2 Samuel 8:2."
"And destroy all the children of Sheth— If by Sheth was meant the son of Adam,
then all the children of Sheth are all mankind; the posterity of Cain, and Adam's
other sons, having all perished in the deluge. But it is very harsh to say, that any
king of Israel would destroy all mankind; and therefore the Syriac and Chaldee
soften it, that he shall subdue all the sons of Sheth, and rule over all the sons of men.
The word occurs only in this place, and in Isaiah 22:5 where it is used in the sense of
breaking down, or destroying; and as particular places are mentioned, both before
and after, so it is reasonable to conclude, that not all mankind in general, but some
particular persons, were intended by the sons of Sheth. The Jerusalem Targum
translates it, the sons of the East, the Moabites lying east of Judea. Rabbi Nathan
says, that Sheth is the name of a city on the borders of Moab. Grotius imagines
Sheth to be the name of some famous king among the Moabites. Poole says, that
Sheth seems to be the name of some place or prince in Moab, eminent at that time,
though now unknown. Vitringa, in his commentary upon Isaiah, conceives that the
Idumeans were intended, the word Sheth signifying a foundation, or fortified place;
because they trusted greatly in their castles and fortifications. But the Idumeans are
103

104. mentioned afterwards, and it is probable, that as two hemistichs relate to them, two
also relate to the Moabites; and the reason of the appellation assigned by Vitringa is
as proper to the Moabites as to the Idumeans. It is common in the stile of the
Hebrews; and especially in the poetic parts of Scripture; and we may observe it
particularly in these prophesies of Balaam, that the same thing, in effect, is repeated
in other words, and the latter member of each period is exegetical of the former, as
in the passage before us: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh.—There
shall come a star out of Jacob; and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.—And again in
the next verse: and Edom shall be a possession; Seir also shall be a possession for his
enemies. There is great reason, therefore, to think, that the same manner of
speaking was continued here; and consequently that Sheth must be the name of
some eminent place or person among the Moabites."
BENSON, "Numbers 24:17. I shall see him, &c. — “Rather,” says Bishop Newton,
from whose exposition of the prophecies of Balaam many of the following
explanatory observations are extracted, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but
not nigh; the future tense in Hebrew being often used for the present. He saw with
the eyes of prophecy, and prophets are emphatically styled seers. There shall come a
star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel — The star and the sceptre
are probably metaphors borrowed from the ancient hieroglyphics, which much
influenced the language of the East; and they evidently denote some eminent and
illustrious king or ruler, whom he particularizes in the following words: And shall
smite the corners of Moab — Or the princes of Moab, according to other versions.
This was executed by David; for he smote Moab, and measured them with a line,
casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death,
and with one full line to keep alive; that is, he destroyed two- thirds, and saved one-
third alive. And the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.” See 2
Samuel 8:2.
And destroy all the children of Sheth — “If by Sheth was meant the son of Adam,
then all the children of Sheth are all mankind; the posterity of Cain and Adam’s
other sons having all perished in the deluge. But it is very harsh to say that any king
of Israel would destroy all mankind; and therefore the Syriac and Chaldee soften it,
that he shall subdue all the sons of Sheth, and rule over all the sons of men. But the
Jerusalem Targum translates it, the sons of the east, namely, the Moabites, lying
east of Judea. Rabbi Nathan says that Sheth is the name of a city in the border of
Moab. Grotius imagines Sheth to be the name of some famous king among the
Moabites. Our Poole says, Sheth seems to be the name of some then eminent, though
now unknown, place or prince in Moab, there being innumerable instances of such
places or persons, some time famous, but now utterly lost, as to all monuments and
remembrances of them.”
ELLICOTT, " (17) I shall see him . . . —Better, I see him (or, it), but not now; I
behold him (or, it), but not nigh. The reference cannot be to Israel, whose armies
were encamped before the eyes of Balaam. His words must be understood as having
104

105. reference to One whom he beheld with the eyes of his mind, not with his bodily
sight. This is obvious from the words which follow. Balaam beholds in vision a Star
and a Sceptre, not as having already appeared, but as about to appear in the future.
There shall come a Star out of Jacob . . . —Literally, There hath come forth a Star
out of Jacob, &c. The verb is in the prophetic past or historic tense of prophecy,
denoting the certainty of the event predicted. (Comp. Jude 1:14 : “Behold the Lord
cometh”—literally, came.) If there is any ambiguity in the first symbol it is removed
in the second. A star is a fitting image of an illustrious king or ruler, and the
mention of the sceptre in the words which follow (comp. Genesis 49:10) shows that it
is so employed in the present instance. The Targum of Onkelos is as follows:—
“When the King shall arise out of Jacob, and the Messiah shall be anointed from
Israel.” The Targum of Palestine reads thus:—“A King is to arise from the house of
Jacob, and a Redeemer and Ruler from the house of Israel.” Ibn Ezra interprets
these words of David, but he says that many interpret them of the Messiah. It seems
to have been with reference to this prophecy that the pretender to the title of the
Messiah in the days of the Emperor Adrian took the name of Bar-cochab, or Bar-
cochba (the son of a star). The words of the Magi, “We have seen his star in the
East” (Matthew 2:2), appear to have reference to this prophecy.
And shall smite the corners of Moab.—Or, the two sides of Moab. The prophecy
was partially, or typically, fulfilled in the time of David (2 Samuel 8:2). Moab and
Edom represented symbolically the enemies of Christ and of His Church, and as
such will eventually be subdued by the King of kings. (Comp. Psalms 60:8.)
And destroy all the children of Sheth.—Better, and destroy (or, break down; comp,
Isaiah 22:5) all the sons of tumult. Such appears to be the most probable rendering
of these words according to the present Hebrew text. It has been conjectured,
however, that the word which is rendered “destroy” (karkar) should be read
kodkod (crown of the head), as in the parallel passage of Jeremiah 48:45, in which
case the clause may be rendered, And the crown of the head of all the sons of
tumult.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not
nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and
shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Ver. 17. I shall see him.] So shall "every eye, and those also that pierced him,"
[Revelation 1:7] but not as "Abraham saw him, and rejoiced"; nor as Job. [Job
19:25; Job 19:27] "The pure in heart" only "shall see him" to their comfort, as pure
glass or crystal lets in the light of the sun. Some wicked men have greater common
gifts than the godly; as many metals are brighter and more orient than the heavens.
Yet as those metals are not so fit, either to receive or convey the light of the sun, so
neither are the wicked so fit, either to take or give to others, "the knowledge of
salvation by the remission of their sins."
105

106. A Star out of Jacob.] Jesus Christ the true Morning Star. [Revelation 22:16 John
1:9] That those wise men [Matthew 2:1] had heard of, probably, either from the
Chaldean sybils, or from the Jews in the Babylonish captivity, or from this prophecy
of Balaam; for he was an east countryman, and uttereth here a very clear and
comfortable prophecy of the Messiah, by whom himself received no benefit. Thus
the Church, Christ’s "garden enclosed," [Song of Solomon 4:12] may be watered
through a wooden gutter; the sun give comfortable light through a sluttish window;
the field may be well sowed with a dirty hand; the bell calls us to the church, though
it never enter itself but by the sound; the well may yield excellent water, though it
have much mud, &c.
And destroy all the children of Seth.] Heb., Unwall; that is, conquer and subdue.
Christ by those ram’s horns, by the foolishness of preaching, pulls down
strongholds. [2 Corinthians 10:4-5]
POOLE, " I shall see, or, I have seen, or do see, for the future is oft put for other
times or tenses: he speaks of a prophetical sight, like that of Abraham’s, who saw
Christ’s day, John 8:56.
Him, to wit, the Star and Sceptre, as it here follows, i.e. a great and eminent prince,
which was to come out of Israel’s loins; either,
1. David, who first did the things here spoken of, 2 Samuel 8:2 Psalms 60:8 108:9,
and some of the kings of Judah and Israel after him, for it is not necessarily
understood of one particular person; or,
2. The Messias, as both Jewish and Christian interpreters expound it, who most
eminently and fully performed what is here said, in destroying the enemies of Israel,
or of God’s church, who are here described under the names of the nearest and
fiercest enemies of Israel; which he doth partly by himself, by his word and Spirit,
and spiritual plagues; and partly by his ministers, those princes whom he makes
nursing fathers to his church, and scourges to his enemies. And to him alone agrees
the foregoing verb properly,
I shall see him, to wit, in my own person, or with the eyes of my own body, as every
eye shall see him, Revelation 1:7, when he comes to judgment. Nor can it seem
strange that Balaam should speak of such high and remote things, seeing he foresaw
and foretold these things by the revelation of the Spirit of God, by which also he
foresaw the great felicity of good men, and the miserable state of bad men, after
death and judgment, Numbers 23:10.
But not now; not yet, but after many ages.
A Star; a title oft given to princes and eminent and illustrious persons, and
106

107. particularly to the Messias, Revelation 2:28 22:16.
A Sceptre, i.e. a sceptre-bearer, a king or ruler, even that sceptre mentioned Genesis
49:10.
The corners; either,
1. Literally, the borders, which by a synecdoche are oft used in Scripture for the
whole country to which they belong, as Exodus 8:2 Psalms 74:7 147:14 Jeremiah
15:13 17:3. Or,
2. Metaphorically, to wit, princes and rulers, who are sometimes compared to
corners, as Zechariah 10:4, and Christ himself is called a corner-stone, because he
unites and supports the building. But I prefer the former sense. Sheth seems to be
the name of some then eminent, though now unknown, place or prince in Moab,
where there were many princes, as appears from Numbers 23:6 Amos 2:3; there
being innumerable instances of such places or persons sometimes famous, but now
utterly lost as to all monuments and remembrances of them.
PULPIT, "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh. Rather, "I
see him, but not now: I behold him, but not near" ( ‫נּוּ‬ ֶ‫שׁוּר‬ ַ‫א‬ … ‫נוּ‬ ֶ‫רא‬ ֶ‫א‬ exactly as in
Numbers 23:9). Balaam does not mean to say that he expected himself to see at any
future time the mysterious Being of whom he speaks, who is identical with the
"Star" and the "Scepter" of the following clauses; he speaks wholly as a prophet,
and means that his inner gaze is fixed upon such an one, with full assurance that he
exists in the counsels of God, but with clear recognition of the fact that his actual
coming is yet in the far future. There shall come a Star out of Jacob. Septuagint,
ἀνατελεῖ ἀστρον. It may quite as well be rendered by the present; Balaam simply
utters what passes before his inward vision. The star is a natural and common
poetic symbol of an illustrious, or, as we say, "brilliant," personage, and as such
recurs many times in Scripture (cf. Job 38:7; Isaiah 14:12; Daniel 8:10; Matthew
24:29; Philippians 2:15; Revelation 1:20; Revelation 2:28). The celebrated Jewish
fanatic called himself Barcochab, "son of the Star," in allusion to this prophecy. A
Scepter shall rise out of Israel. This further defines the "star ‘ as a ruler of men, for
the scepter is Used in that sense in the dying prophecy of Jacob (Genesis 49:10), with
which Balaam was evidently acquainted. Accordingly the Septuagint has here
ἀναστήσεται. Shall smite the corners of Moab. Rather, "the two corners" (dual), or
"the two sides of Moab," i.e; shall crush Moab on either side. And destroy all the
children of Sheth. In Jeremiah 48:45, where this prophecy is in a manner quoted,
the word ‫ר‬ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ר‬ַ‫ק‬ (qarqar, destroy) is altered into ‫ר‬ֹ‫דק‬ָ‫ק‬ (quadqod, crown of the head).
This raises a very curious and interesting question as to the use made by the
prophets of the earlier Scriptures, but it gives no authority for an alteration of the
text. The expression ‫ת‬ ֵ‫ֵי־שׁ‬‫נ‬ ְ‫בּ‬ has been variously rendered. The Jewish commentators,
followed by the Septuagint ( πάντας υἱοὺς σήθ) and the older versions, understand it
to mean the sons of Seth, the son of Adam, i.e; all mankind. Many modern
107

108. commentators, however, take ‫ת‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ as a contraction of ‫את‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ (Lamentations
3:47—"desolation''), and read "sons of confusion," as equivalent to the unruly
neighbours and relations of Israel. This, however, is extremely dubious in itself, for
‫ת‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ nowhere occurs in this sense, and derives no sup. port from Jeremiah 48:45. It is
true that ‫ת‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫בּ‬ is there replaced by ‫אוֹן‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫,בּ‬ "sons of tumult," but then this very
verse affords the clearest evidence that the prophet felt no hesitation in altering the
text of Scripture to suit his own inspired purpose. If it be true that ‫ר‬ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ר‬ַ‫ק‬ will not bear
the meaning given to it in the Targums of "reign over," still there is no insuperable
difficulty in the common rendering. Jewish prophecy, from beginning to end,
contemplated the Messiah as the Conqueror, the Subduer, and even the Destroyer of
all the heathen, i.e; of all who were not Jews. It is only in the New Testament that
the iron scepter with which he was to dash in pieces the heathen (Psalms 2:9)
becomes the pastoral staff wherewith he shepherds them. The prophecy was that
Messiah should destroy the heathen; the fulfillment that he destroyed not them, but
their heathenism (cf. e.g; Psalms 9-149:6 with James 5:20).
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
BARNES, "Seir - The older name of the mountain-land, south of Moab, and east of
the Arabah, which the Edomites inhabited Gen_32:3; Gen_36:8-9.
CLARKE, "And Edom shall be a possession - That is, to David: as it is said:
“And all they of Edom became David’s servants;” 2Sa_8:14.
Seir also shall be a possession - That is, unto the king Messiah; as it is said: “And
saviours shall come upon Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau; and the kingdom
shall be the Lord’s;” Oba_1:21. See Ainsworth.
GILL, "And Edom shall be a possession,.... Of the children of Israel, which was
fulfilled in part when the Edomites became the servants of David, 2Sa_8:14 and when
they were smitten and spoiled by Judas Maccabeus,them a great overthrow, and abated
108

109. their courage, and took their spoils.'' (1 Maccabees 5:3)and still more so when all the
Edomites or the Idumaeans were subdued by Hyrcanus, and they became one people
with the Jews, and conformed to their religious rites; which is not only related by
Josephus (n), but by Strabo (o), an Heathen historian, who says, that they joined
themselves to the Jews, and embraced their laws: but in a spiritual sense this has had a
greater accomplishment in the calling of the Gentiles, and introducing them into the
church of God; see Amo_9:12 compared with Act_15:14.
Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; which was a mount in the land of
Edom where Esau formerly dwelt, and so signifies the same as before: and also that the
most strong and fortified places of the land should fall into the hands of their enemies;
See Gill on Oba_1:17, Oba_1:18, Oba_1:19.
Israel shall do valiantly; in fighting with and conquering the Edomites, or shall get
much wealth and riches by the spoil of them, see Psa_60:9. This, and the following
verse, are in some ancient writings of the Jews (p) interpreted of the times of the
Messiah.
JAMISON, "Edom shall be a possession — This prophecy was accomplished by
David (2Sa_8:14).
Seir — seen in the south, and poetically used for Edom. The double conquest of Moab
and Edom is alluded to (Psa_60:8; Psa_108:9).
K&D, "“And Edom becomes a possession, and Seir becomes a possession,
its enemies; but Israel acquires power.” Whose possession Edom and Seir
are to become, is not expressly stated; but it is evident from the context, and
from ‫יו‬ ָ‫ב‬ְ‫י‬ֹ‫א‬ (its enemies), which is not a genitive dependent upon Seir, but is
in apposition to Edom and Seir, just as ‫יו‬ ָ‫ר‬ָ‫צ‬ in Num_24:8 is in apposition to
‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫.גּ‬ Edom and Seir were his, i.e., Israel's enemies; therefore they were to be
taken by the ruler who was to arise out of Israel. Edom is the name of the
people, Seir of the country, just as in Gen_32:4; so that Seir is not to be
understood as relating to the prae-Edomitish population of the land, which
had been subjugated by the descendants of Esau, and had lost all its
independence a long time before. In Moses' days the Israelites were not
allowed to fight with the Edomites, even when they refused to allow them to
pass peaceably through their territory (see Num_20:21), but were
commanded to leave them in their possessions as a brother nation (Deu_
2:4-5). In the future, however, their relation to one another was to be a very
different one; because the hostility of Edom, already in existence, grew
more and more into obstinate and daring enmity, which broke up all the ties
of affection that Israel was to regard as holy, and thus brought about the
destruction of the Edomites. - The fulfilment of this prophecy commenced
with the subjugation of the Edomites by David (2Sa_8:14; 1Ki_11:15-16;
1Ch_18:12-13), but it will not be completed till “the end of the days,” when
all the enemies of God and His Church will be made the footstool of Christ
109

110. (Psa_110:1.). That David did not complete the subjugation of Edom is
evident, on the one hand, from the fact that the Edomites revolted again
under Solomon, though without success (1Ki_11:14.); that they shook off the
yoke imposed upon them under Joram (2Ki_8:20); and notwithstanding
their defeat by Amaziah (2Ki_14:7; 2Ch_25:11) and Uzziah (2Ki_14:22;
2Ch_26:2), invaded Judah a second time under Ahaz (2Ch_28:17), and
afterwards availed themselves of every opportunity to manifest their
hostility to the kingdom of Judah and the Jews generally, - as for example at
the conquest of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (Eze_35:15; Eze_36:5; Oba_
1:10 and Oba_1:13), and in the wars between the Maccabees and the Syrians
(1 Macc. 5:3, 65; 2 Macc. 10:15; 12:38ff.), - until they were eventually
conquered by John Hyrcanus in the year b.c. 129, and compelled to submit
to circumcision, and incorporated in the Jewish state (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 9,
1, xv. 7, 9; Wars of the Jews, iv. 5, 5). But notwithstanding this, they got the
government over the Jews into their own hands through Antipater and
Herod (Josephus, Ant. xiv. 8, 5), and only disappeared from the stage of
history with the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans. On the other
hand, the declarations of the prophets (Amo_9:12; Oba_1:17.), which
foretell, with an unmistakeable allusion to this prophecy, the possession of
the remnant of Edom by the kingdom of Israel, and the announcements in
Isa 34 and Isa_63:1-6, Jer_49:7., Eze_25:12. and Eze_35:1-15, comp. with
Psa_137:7 and Lam_4:21-22, prove still more clearly that Edom, as the
leading foe of the kingdom of God, will only be utterly destroyed when the
victory of the latter over the hostile power of the world has been fully and
finally secured. - Whilst Edom falls, Israel will acquire power. ‫ל‬ִ‫י‬ ַ‫ח‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ָ‫,ע‬ to
acquire ability or power (Deu_8:17-18; Rth_4:11), not merely to show itself
brave or strong. It is rendered correctly by Onkelos, “prosperabitur in
opibus;” and Jonathan, “praevalebunt in opibus et possidebunt eos.”
COKE, ""Ver. 18. Edom shall be a possession, &c.— This was also fulfilled by
David; see 2 Samuel 8:14 who himself, in two of his Psalms 60:8; Psalms 108:9 has
mentioned together his conquest of Moab and Edom, as they are also joined
together in this prophecy. Seir is the name of the mountains of Edom; so that even
their mountains and fastnesses could not defend the Idumeans from David and his
captains."
"And Israel shall do valiantly— As they did particularly under the command of
David, several of whose victories are recorded; 2 Samuel 8 together with his
conquest of Moab and Edom."
BENSON, "Numbers 24:18. Edom shall be a possession — “This was also fulfilled
by David; for throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became
David’s servants, 2 Samuel 8:14. David himself, in two of his Psalms, (Psalms 60:8;
and Psalms 108:9;) hath mentioned together his conquest of Moab and Edom, as
they are also joined together in this prophecy.” Seir is the name of the mountains of
Edom, which were also possessed by David. Israel shall do valiantly — As they did,
110

111. particularly under the command of David.
ELLICOTT, " (18) And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also . . . —Better, And
Edom shall be a possession, and Seir shall be a possession, for his enemies (i.e., the
enemies of Israel, or, rather, of the Ruler who was to rise out of Israel). The Hebrew
word (oyebaiv) which is rendered “his enemies” appears to stand in apposition to
Edom and Seir, as the word zaraiv (his enemies, or adversaries) in Numbers 24:8 to
“the nations.” Edom was the name of the people, Seir of the country. (See Genesis
32:3.) The prophecy received its primary accomplishment in the time of David (2
Samuel 8:14), but the ultimate accomplishment is to be found in the person and
work of Christ (Isaiah 63:1-4).
And Israel shall do valiantly.—Or, shall acquire power or wealth. (Comp.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18; Ruth 4:11.)
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a
possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
Ver. 18. And Edom shall be a possession.] This was literally fulfilled in David, [1
Chronicles 18:13 Psalms 60:8] but spiritually, and especially in Christ, [Isaiah
63:1-2, &c.} who shall shortly subdue the Romish Edomite. {2 Thessalonians 2:8]
POOLE, " A possession; which was also foretold Genesis 25:23, and in part
fulfilled, 2 Samuel 8:14 1 Chronicles 18:13, but more fully by Christ, Amos 9:12
Obadiah 1:18; who shall subdue and possess all his enemies; here signified by the
name of Edom; as Jacob or Israel, his brother, signifies all his church and people.
Seir, a part and mountain of Edom, Genesis 36:8, which may be here mentioned as
the strongest part of Edom, to show that not only the rest of Edom, which is more
accessible, but even the rocks and best munitions of it, shall be taken.
His enemies, the Israelites.
Do valiantly, or, gain power, or riches, or victory, all which are comprehended in
this phrase.
WHEDON, " 18. Edom… a possession — As predicted in Genesis 25:23, and
fulfilled in 2 Samuel 8:14. As a kindred nation Edom might have had permanent
peace with Israel, who was forbidden to war with them (Deuteronomy 2:4-5;) but
their bitter hostility to God’s people caused their overthrow, which David began and
his greater Son will finish in the “end of the days.” Psalms 110. Edom, after various
insurrections, (1 Kings 11:14-22; 2 Kings 8:20; 2 Kings 14:7; 2 Kings 14:22, note; 2
Chronicles 28:17; Ezekiel 36:5; Obadiah 1:10; Obadiah 1:13; 1 Maccabees 5:3; 1
111

112. Maccabees 5:65; 2 Maccabees 10:15; 2 Maccabees 12:33,) was at last conquered by
John Hyrcanus 129 B.C., and forced to submit to circumcision and to be merged in
the Jewish state, there to rule in the persons of Antipater and the Herods till the
overthrow of the Romans.
Seir — The mountain home of Esau. Genesis 36:8-9.
Israel shall do valiantly — Quoted by David after the conquest of Edom, Psalms
60:12.
PULPIT, "Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies. Seir (Genesis 32:3), or
Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8), was the old name, still retained as an alternative, of
Edom. It is uncertain whether the rendering "for his (i.e; Edom's) enemies" is
correct. The Hebrew is simply ‫יו‬ָ‫ב‬ְ‫י‬ֹ‫,א‬ which may stand in apposition to Edom and
Seir, "his enemies," i.e; the enemies of Israel. So the Septuagint, ἡσαῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς
αὐτοῦ . Shall do valiantly, or, "shall be prosperous" (cf. Deuteronomy 8:17; Ruth
4:11).
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Fifth Message
BARNES, "Destroy him that remaineth of the city - i. e., shall destroy those of
every city that had previously escaped. The phrase tersely describes a conqueror who
first defeats his enemies in battle, and then hunts out the fugitives until he has cut off all
of every place (compare 1Ki_11:16).
The victories of David were a partial accomplishment of the predictions Num_24:14,
Num_24:18, but did not exhaust them.
It is apparent that Edom and Moab are named by Balaam, as they are also by the
prophets (compare e. g., Isa_11:14), as representatives of the pagan nations Num_24:8
who were hostile to the theocracy. As Jacob therefore figures as a constant type of the
kingdom of Messiah in the prophets, so do Edom and Joab of the enemies of that
kingdom; and in the threatened ruin of Edom and Moab is indicated the eventual
destruction of all that resist the kingdom of God in its power.
The “Star” and “Sceptre” of the prophecy, like the “Sceptre” and “Lawgiver” of Gen_
112

113. 49:10, point also naturally to a line of princes rather than to an individual; or rather are
emblems of the kingdom of Israel generally. Thus, the victories of David and his
successors, generation after generation, over Edom and Moab, are unquestionably
recurring and progressive accomplishments of what Balaam foretold; but in addition the
prophecy reaches forward to some further and culminating accomplishment; and that
too in “the latter days” Num_24:14, the ordinary prophetic designation for the time of
the Messiah (compare the marginal references).
To a Christian the connection between the Star and Seeptre of Balaam and the Star of
the king of the Jews, which the wise men saw Mat_2:2, is self-evident.
CLARKE, "Out of Jacob shall come, etc. - This is supposed to refer to Christ,
because of what is said Gen_49:10.
It is exceedingly difficult to fix the true sense of this prophecy in all its particulars.
Probably the star, Num_24:17, is only an emblem of kingly power. Among the Egyptians
a star is said to have been the symbol of the Divine Being. The scepter refers to the kingly
power in exercise. The corners or outskirts may mean the petty Moabitish governments,
as the Chaldee has understood the term. If karkar, which we translate utterly destroy, be
not the name of a place here, as it is in Jdg_8:10, (which is not very likely), it may be
taken in one of those senses assigned to it, (see on Num_24:17 (note)), and signify the
blending together the children of Sheth, that is, all the inhabitants of the earth; for so the
children of Sheth must necessarily be understood, unless we consider it here as meaning
some king of the Moabites, according to Grotius, or a city on the borders of Moab,
according to Rabbi Nathan. As neither Israel nor the Messiah ever destroyed all the
children of men, we must (in order to leave the children of Sheth what they are generally
understood to be, all the inhabitants of the world) understand the whole as a prophecy
of the final universal sway of the scepter of Christ, when the middle wall of partition
shall be broken down, and the Jews and Gentiles become one united, blended fold,
under one shepherd and bishop of their souls.
I cannot think that the meteoric star which guided the wise men of the east to
Bethlehem can be intended here; nor do I think that Peter refers to this prophecy when
he calls Christ the day star, 2Pe_1:19; nor that Rev_2:28, where Christ is called the
morning star, nor Rev_22:16, where he is called the bright and morning star, refers at all
to this prophecy of Balaam. Nor do I think that the false Christ who rose in the time of
Adrian, and who called himself Barcochab, which literally signifies the son of a star, did
refer to this prophecy. If he had, he must have defeated his own intention, because the
Son of the star is not The Star that should arise, but at the utmost a descendant; and
then, to vindicate his right to the Jewish throne, he must show that the person who was
called the star, and of whom he pretended to be the son or descendant, had actually
reigned before him. As the sun, moon, stars, planets, light, splendours, effulgence, day,
etc., were always considered among the Asiatics as emblems of royalty, government, etc.,
therefore many, both men and women, had these names given to them as titles,
surnames, etc. So the queen of Alexander the Great, called Roxana by the Greeks, was a
Persian princess, and in her native tongue her name was Roushen, splendor. Hadassah,
who became queen to Ahasuerus, in place of the repudiated Vashti, and is called Esther
by Europeans in general, was called in the language of Persia Sitareh; from whence by
corruption came both Esther, the Persian queen, and our word star. And to waive all
113

114. farther examples, a Mohammedan prince, at first named Eesouf or Joseph, was called
Roushen Akhter when he was raised to the throne, which signifies a splendid or luminous
star. This prince, by a joyful reverse of fortune, was brought from a gloomy prison and
exalted to the throne of Hindostan; on which account the following couplet was made, in
which there is a paronomasia or play on the name Roushen Akhter; and the last line
alludes to the history of the patriarch Joseph, who was brought out of prison and exalted
to the highest honors in Egypt.
Roushen Akhter bood, aknoon mah shud̀
Yousef az zendan ber amd shah shud.
“He was a bright star, but is now become a moon.
Joseph is brought out of prison, and is become a glorious king.”
GILL, "Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,.... Meaning either
David, or rather the Messiah; and so Jarchi interprets this of another ruler out of Jacob,
even of the Messiah, of whom it is said, he shall have dominion from sea to sea; Psa_
72:8,
and shall destroy him, that remaineth of the city; chief city of Edom, or of any of
the cities of it, signifying that there should be none left, see Oba_1:18, this is also applied
to the days of the Messiah, in the ancient writings of the Jews (q).
JAMISON, "Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion — David,
and particularly Christ.
that remaineth of the city — those who flee from the field to fortified places (Psa_
60:9).
K&D, "“And a ruler shall come out of Jacob, and destroy what is left out of
cities.” The subject to ְ‫דּ‬ ְ‫ֵר‬‫י‬ is indefinite, and to be supplied from the verb
itself. We have to think of the ruler foretold as star and sceptre. The
abbreviated form ְ‫דּ‬ ְ‫ֵר‬‫י‬ ְ‫ו‬ is not used for the future ‫ה‬ ֶ‫דּ‬ ְ‫ר‬ִ‫,י‬ but is jussive in its
force. One out of Jacob shall rule. ‫יר‬ ִ‫ע‬ ֵ‫מ‬ is employed in a collected and
general sense, as in Psa_72:16. Out of every city in which there is a remnant
of Edom, it shall be destroyed. ‫יד‬ ִ‫ר‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ is equivalent to ‫ם‬ ‫ֱד‬‫א‬ ‫ית‬ ִ‫ר‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ (Amo_9:12).
The explanation, “destroy the remnant out of the city, namely, out of the
holy city of Jerusalem” (Ewald and Baur), is forced, and cannot be
sustained from the parallelism.
COKE, ""Ver. 19. And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city— Not only
defeat them in the field, but destroy them even in their strongest cities; or, perhaps,
114

115. some particular city was intended, as we may infer from Psalms 60:8; Psalms
108:10. We read particularly, that Joab, David's general, smote every male in
Edom; 1 Kings 11:15-16."
"We see how exactly this prophesy has been fulfilled in the person and actions of
David; but most Jewish as well as Christian writers apply it primarily, perhaps, to
David, but ultimately to the Messiah, as the person chiefly intended, in whom it was
to receive its full and entire completion. Onkelos interprets it of the Messiah. 'When
a prince,' says he, 'shall arise f the house of Jacob, and Christ shall be anointed of
the house of Israel, he shall both slay the princes of Moab, and rule over the sons of
men;' and with him agree the other Targums. Maimonides understands it partly of
David, and partly of the Messiah; and with him agree other rabbis.—It appears to
have been generally understood by the Jews as a prophesy of the Messiah, because
the false Christ, who appeared in the reign of the Roman emperor Adrian, assumed
the title of Barchochebas, or Son of the Star; in allusion to this prophesy, and in
order to have it believed that he was the star whom Balaam had seen afar off. The
Christian fathers seem unanimous in applying this prophesy to our Saviour, and to
the star which appeared at his nativity. Origen, in particular, produces it as one of
the plainest and clearest prophesies of the Messiah; and both he and Eusebius
affirm, that it was in consequence of Balaam's prophesies, which were known and
believed in the East, that the magi, upon the appearance of a new star, came to
Jerusalem, to worship him who was born king of the Jews. Most divines and
commentators apply the prophesy principally to our Saviour; and by Moab and
Edom they understand the enemies and persecutors of the church. It must be
acknowledged, that many prophesies of Scripture have a double meaning, literal
and mystical, respect two events, and receive a twofold completion. David was, in
several things, a type and figure of the Messiah. If by destroying all the children of
Sheth be meant, ruling over all mankind, this was never fulfilled in David. A star
did really appear at our Saviour's nativity, and in Scripture he is stiled the Day
Star, 2 Peter 1:19 the Morning Star, Revelation 2:28; Revelation 22:16 the Bright
and Morning Star; perhaps in allusion to this very prophesy. Bishop Warburton
assigns a further reason: speaking of the two sorts of metaphor in the ancient use of
it, the popular and common, and the hidden and mysterious, he says, 'The prophetic
writings are full of this latter sort: to instance only in the famous prediction of
Balaam, There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.'
This prophesy may, possibly, in some sense, relate to David; but, without question, it
belongs principally to Christ. Here the metaphor of a sceptre was common and
popular to denote a ruler, like David, but the star, though, like the other, it signified
in the prophetic writings a temporal prince or ruler, yet had a secret and hidden
meaning likewise. A star, in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, denoted God; and how
much hieroglyphic writing influenced the Eastern languages we shall see presently.
Thus God, in the prophet Amos, ch. Numbers 5:25-26 reproving the Israelites for
their idolatry on their first coming out of Egypt, says, Ye have borne the tabernacle
of your Moloch and Chiun, your images, the star of your God, which ye made to
yourselves. The star of your God is a sublime figure, to signify, the image of your
God; for a star being employed in the hieroglyphics to signify God, it is used here,
115

116. with great elegance, to signify the material image of a God: the words, the star of
your God, being only a repetition, so usual in the Hebrew tongue, of the preceding
Chiun, your images; and not, as some critics suppose, the same with your God Star,
sidus Deum vestrum. Hence we conclude, that the metaphor here used by Balaam of
a star was of that abstruse mysterious kind, and so to be understood; and,
consequently, that it related only to Christ, the eternal Son of God. But though, for
these reasons, the Messiah might be remotely intended, yet we cannot allow that he
was intended solely; because David might be called a star by Balaam, as other rulers
and governors are by Daniel 8:10 and by St. John, Revelation 1:20 and we must
insist upon it, that the summary intention, the literal meaning of the prophesy,
respects the person and actions of David; and for this, particularly, because Balaam
is here advertising Balak what the Israelites should do to the Moabites hereafter."
BENSON, "Numbers 24:19. Out of Jacob — Out of his loins. He that shall have
dominion — David, and especially Christ. Shall destroy him that remaineth of the
city — Not only defeat them in the field, but destroy them even in their strongest
cities. “We see,” Bishop Newton further observes, “how exactly this prophecy hath
been fulfilled in the person and actions of David; but most Jewish as well as
Christian writers apply it, primarily, perhaps, to David, but ultimately to the
Messiah, as the person chiefly intended, in whom it was to receive its full and entire
completion. Onkelos interprets it of the Messiah. Maimonides understands it partly
of David, and partly of the Messiah, and with him agree other rabbis. It appears to
have been generally understood by the Jews as a prophecy of the Messiah, because
the false Christ, who appeared in the reign of the Roman emperor Adrian, assumed
the title of Barchochebas, or Son of the Star, in allusion to this prophecy, and in
order to have it believed that he was the star that Balaam had seen afar off. The
Christian fathers, I think, are unanimous in applying this prophecy to our Saviour,
and to the star which appeared at his nativity. Origen, in particular, produces it as
one of the plainest and clearest prophecies of the Messiah; and both he and
Eusebius affirm, that it was in consequence of Balaam’s prophecies, which were
known and believed in the East, that the magi, upon the appearance of a new star,
came to Jerusalem to worship him who was born king of the Jews. The stream of
modern divines and commentators apply the prophecy principally to our Saviour;
and by Moab and Edom they understand the enemies and persecutors of the
church.”
ELLICOTT, " (19) He that shall have dominion.—The reference is explained in
Psalms 72:8, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto
the ends of the earth,” where the same verb occurs which is in both places rendered
in the Authorised Version “shall have dominion.”
And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.—Or, and He shall destroy the
remnant from the cities. The city, which is in the singular number here as in Psalms
72:16, may be used collectively to denote cities generally, though some have
understood the reference to be to the city of Jerusalem. But the reference seems to
be rather to the chief city, or the cities generally, of Edom. (Comp. Obad., Numbers
116

117. 24:18, where the same word occurs which is here rendered “him that remaineth,”
and which is there rendered “any remaining.”)
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and
shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Ver. 19. And shall destroy him.] David in the history, [1 Kings 11:15-16] Christ in
the mystery, [Obadiah 1:18] even all the antichristian rout and rabble. [Revelation
19:21]
POOLE, " Out of Jacob; out of Jacob’s loins.
He that shall have dominion; David, and especially Christ.
Of the city, or, from or out of this city, i.e. the cities, the singular number for the
plural, which hath been oft noted before. The sense is, He shall not only subdue
those Moabites and Edomites which meet him in the field, but he shall pursue them
even to their strongest holds and cities, and shall pull them out thence. Possibly he
may note some eminent city in which they confided most, their metropolis or royal
city, as may be guessed from Psalms 60:9.
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his
message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”
BARNES, "When he looked - i. e., in spirit, as he saw the Star Num_24:17.
Amalek was the first of the nations - Rather, is pre-eminent among the
neighboring nations: compare the same expression in Amo_6:1. Hence, the force of the
words Num_24:7 “higher than Agag,” i. e., than the king of this powerful nation
(compare Num_14:45; Exo_17:8). This rank, due to the warlike prowess of the tribe,
117

118. Balaam contrasts with its approaching downfall and extinction.
CLARKE, "Amalek was the first of the nations - The most ancient and most
powerful of all the nations or states then within the view of Balaam; but his latter end
shall be that he perish for ever, or his posterity ‫אחריתו‬ acharitho, shall be destroyed, or
shall utterly fail. This oracle began to be fulfilled by Saul, 1Sa_15:7, 1Sa_15:8, who
overthrew the Amalekites, and took their king, Agag, prisoner. Afterwards they were
nearly destroyed by David, 1Sa_27:8, and they were finally exterminated by the sons of
Simeon in the days of Hezekiah, 1Ch_4:41-43; since that time they have ceased to exist
as a people, and now no vestige of them remains on the face of the earth; so completely
is their posterity cut off, according to this prophecy. The marginal reading does not
appear to give the proper sense.
GILL, "And when he looked on Amalek,.... The country of Amalek, which lay to the
south of the land of Canaan, Num_13:29 and which Balaam had a view of from the
mountain of Peor, where he now was:
and he took up his parable, and said; the parable of his prophecy, as the Targum of
Jonathan, and pronounced it aloud:
Amalek was the first of the nations; not the first nation in the world, nor the chief
and principal for numbers, riches, or strength, but the first that made war with Israel, as
all the three Targums paraphrase it, as they did, see Exo_17:8,
but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever; this was threatened to them by
the Lord upon that battle, and is confirmed by this prophecy of Balaam: and after this,
orders were given to Israel to blot out their remembrance, Deu_25:19, and which, in a
good measure, though not completely, was done in the times of Saul, 1Sa_15:8 and after
that they were distressed by David, 1Sa_27:9 and the rest of them were smitten by the
sons of Simeon, in the days of Hezekiah, 1Ch_4:41, after which we hear of them no
more: Amalek may be considered as a type of antichrist, the son of perdition, who shall
go into it, shall come to his end, and there shall be none to help him; which will be true
of all the antichristian party, the enemies of Christ, who will be destroyed by him, and
perish eternally; see Dan_11:45.
HENRY 20-25, "III. Here is his prophecy concerning the Amalekites and
Kenites, part of whose country, it is probable, he had now in view. 1. The
Amalekites were now the chief of the nations (Num_24:20), therefore Agag
was spoken of (Num_24:7) as an eminent prince, and they were the first
that engaged Israel when they came out of Egypt; but the time will come
when that nation, as great as it looks now, will be totally ruined and rooted
out: His latter end shall be that he perish for ever. Here Balaam confirms
that doom of Amalek which Moses had read (Exo_17:14, Exo_17:16), where
God had sworn that he would have perpetual war with Amalek. Note, Those
whom God is at war with will certainly perish for ever; for when God judges
he will overcome. 2. The Kenites were now the securest of the nations; their
situation was such as that nature was their engineer, and had strongly
118

119. fortified them: “Thou puttest thy nest (like the eagle) in a rock, Num_24:21.
Thou thinkest thyself safe, and yet the Kenites shall be wasted (Num_
24:22) and gradually brought to decay, till they be carried away captive by
the Assyrians,” which was done at the captivity of the ten tribes. Note,
Bodies politic, like natural bodies, though of the strongest constitutions,
will gradually decay, and come to ruin at last; even a nest in a rock will be no
perpetual security.
IV. Here is a prophecy that looks as far forward as the Greeks and
Romans, for theirs is supposed to be meant by the coast of Chittim, v. 24.
1. The introduction to this parable; this article of his prophecy is very
observable (v. 23): Alas! who shall live when God doeth this? Here he
acknowledges all the revolutions of states and kingdoms to be the Lord's
doing: God doeth this; whoever are the instruments, he is the supreme
director. But he speaks mournfully concerning them, and has a very
melancholy prospect of these events: Who shall live? Either, (1.) These
events are so distant, and so far off to come, that it is hard to say who shall
live till they come; but, whoever shall live to see them, there will be amazing
turns. Or, (2.) They will be so dismal, and make such desolations, that
scarcely any will escape or be left alive; who shall live when death rides in
triumph? Rev_6:8. Those that live then will be as brands plucked out of the
fire, and will have their lives given them as a prey. God fit us for the worst of
times!
2. The prophecy itself is observable. Both Greece and Italy lie much upon
the sea, and therefore their armies were sent forth mostly in ships. Now he
seems here to foretell, (2.) That the forces of the Grecians should humble
and bring down the Assyrians, who were united with the Persians, which
was fulfilled when the eastern country was overcome, or overrun rather, by
Alexander. (2.) That theirs and the Roman forces should afflict the
Hebrews, or Jews, who were called the children of Eber; this was fulfilled in
part when the Grecian empire was oppressive to the Jewish nation, but
chiefly when the Roman empire ruined it and put a period to it. But, (3.)
That Chittim, that is, the Roman empire, in which the Grecian was at length
swallowed up, should itself perish for ever, when the stone cut out of the
mountain without hands shall consume all these kingdoms, and particularly
the feet of iron and clay, Dan_2:34. Thus (says Dr. Lightfoot) Balaam,
instead of cursing the church, curses Amalek the first, and Rome the last,
enemy of the church. And so let all thy enemies perish, O Lord!
K&D, "The second saying in this prophecy relates to the Amalekites.
Balaam sees them, not with the eyes of his body, but in a state of ecstasy,
like the star out of Jacob. “Beginning of the heathen is Amalek, and its end
is destruction.” Amalek is called the beginning of the nations, not “as
belonging to the most distinguished and foremost of the nations in age,
power, and celebrity” (Knobel), - for in all these respects this Bedouin tribe,
which descended from a grandson of Esau, was surpassed by many other
nations, - but as the first heathen nation which opened the conflict of the
heathen nations against Israel as the people of God (see at Exo_17:8.). As its
119

120. beginning had been enmity against Israel, its end would be “even to the
perishing” (‫ד‬ ֵ‫ב‬ֹ‫א‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ֲד‬‫ע‬), i.e., reaching the position of one who was perishing,
falling into destruction, which commenced under Saul and was completed
under Hezekiah.
CALVIN, "20.And when he looked on Amalek. This people had already been
destined to destruction by a Divine decree; but what God had before declared, is
here again ratified by Moses. Although the vengeance, which God was about to take,
lay dormant for many ages, it was at length experimentally proved that God had not
threatened in vain. But, whilst it is true that they were destroyed by Saul, still we
learn from the history that some still survived, and again inhabited their land. In
order, therefore, to arrive at the entire accomplishment of this prophecy, we must
come to Christ, whose kingdom is the eternal destruction of all the wicked. Poor and
unsatisfactory is the view of some commentators (179) who think that Amalek is
called “the first of the nations,” because they first took up arms against Israel, and
encountered them in order to prevent their advance. Rather is the pride of Amalek
indirectly rebuked, because they claimed superiority for themselves over other
nations, and this on the score of their antiquity, as if they had been created together
with the sun and moon. There is then a pointed comparison between this noble
origin, and the slaughter which awaited them at their end.
COKE, ""Ver. 20. He looked on Amalek, &c.— From the Moabites he turned his
eyes more to the south and west, and looked on their neighbours the Amalekites;
Amalek, says he, was the first of the nations; the first and most powerful of the
neighbouring nations, or the first that warred against Israel, as it is in the margin of
our Bibles. 'The latter interpretation is proposed by Onkelos, and other Jews, I
suppose, because they would not allow the Amalekites to be a more ancient nation
than themselves; but most good critics prefer the former interpretation, as more
easy and natural; and for a very good reason, because the Amalekites appear to
have been a very ancient nation: they are reckoned among the most ancient nations
thereabouts. See 1 Samuel 22:8. They are mentioned so early as in the wars of
Chedorlaomer, Genesis 14:7 so that they must have been a nation before the times of
Abraham and Lot, and consequently much older than the Moabites, or Edomites, or
any of the nations descended from those patriarchs. And this is a demonstrative
argument, that the Amalekites did not descend from Amalek, the son of Eliphaz,
and grandson of Esau, as many have supposed only from the similitude of names,
(Genesis 36:12.) but sprung from some other stock; and probably, as the Arabian
writers affirm, from Amalek, or Amlak, the son of Ham, and grandson of Noah.
'Amlak et Amlik, fils de Cham, fils de Noe. C'est celui que les Hebreux appellent
Amalek, pere des Amalekites,' says Herbelot; but it is to be wished that this valuable
and useful author had cited his authorities. According to the Arabian historians,
they were a great and powerful nation that subdued Egypt, and held it in subjection
for several years. See Univ. Hist. b. 1. c. iii. p. 281.—They must certainly have been
120

121. more powerful, or at least more courageous, than the neighbouring nations, because
they ventured to attack the Israelites, of whom the other nations were afraid. But
though they were the first, the most ancient, and powerful of the neighbouring
nations, yet, says the prophet, their latter end shall be that they perish for ever. Here
Balaam unwittingly confirms what the Lord had before denounced by Moses.
Exodus 17:14. Balaam had before declared, that the king of Israel should prevail
over the king of Amalek; Numbers 24:7 but here the menace is carried further, and
Amalek is consigned to utter destruction. This sentence was, in a great measure,
executed by Saul, 1 Samuel 15:7-8. When they had recovered a little, David invaded
them again, 1 Samuel 27:8-9 and made a further slaughter and conquest of them at
Ziklag, 1 Samuel 30. At last the sons of Simeon, in the days of king Hezekiah, smote
the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt in their habitations, 1
Chronicles 4:41-43. And where is the name or the nation of Amalek subsisting at
this day? What history, what tradition concerning them, is remaining any where?
They are but just enough known and remembered to shew, that what God had
threatened he has punctually fulfilled."
BENSON, "Numbers 24:20. He looked upon Amalek — From the top of Pisgah,
which was exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of part of all these kingdoms,
he turned his eyes from the Moabites more to the south and west, and looked on
their neighbours the Amalekites. Amalek was the first of the nations — Hebrew, the
beginning, or first-fruits, so called, either because they were the first of all the
neighbouring nations which were imbodied together in one government, or because
they were the first who fought against Israel and were vanquished by them. That
victory was an earnest and first-fruit of the large harvest of victories which the
Israelites should, in due time, get over all their enemies. “The Amalekites appear to
have been a very ancient nation. They are mentioned as early as the wars of
Chedorlaomer, (Genesis 14:7,) and therefore must have been a nation before the
times of Abraham and Lot, and consequently much older than the Moabites or
Edomites, or any of the nations descended from those patriarchs. But though they
were the most ancient and powerful of the neighbouring nations, yet, says Balaam,
their latter end shall be that they perish for ever — Here he confirms what God had
before denounced by Moses: see Exodus 17:14. Balaam had before declared that the
king of Israel should prevail over the king of Amalek; but here the menace is
carried further, and Amalek is consigned to utter destruction. And this sentence was
in a great measure executed by Saul, 1 Samuel 15:7; afterward more fully by David,
1 Samuel 27:8-9; and 1 Samuel 30:1. And at last, in the days of Hezekiah, the sons of
Simeon smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt in their
habitations, 1 Chronicles 4:41-43. And where is the name or nation of Amalek
subsisting at this day? What history, what tradition of them is remaining anywhere?
They are but just enough known and remembered to show that what God hath
threatened he hath punctually fulfilled.” How incontrovertible is the argument
arising from hence in favour not only of the truth of Balaam’s prophecy, but of the
assurance which Moses had of its truth, and of the certainty of its accomplishment,
121

122. inasmuch as he recorded it while Amalek was yet a very powerful nation, and
thereby risked on its truth and fulfilment all his credit as an historian and his
authority as a lawgiver and messenger of God!
ELLICOTT, " (20) And when he looked on Amalek . . . —From the. mountain of
Peor, on which Balaam then stood, he had a view of the country of the Amalekites,
which lay to the south of the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:29; Genesis 36:12).
Amalek was the first of the nations.—The ancestor of the Amalekites was Eliphaz,
the son of Esau (Genesis 36:12). It has been supposed that the Amalekites separated
themselves at a very early period from the rest of the Edomites. The word reshith,
which is here rendered “first,” may denote priority in rank, but more frequently
denotes priority in time. The corresponding word in the second clause of the verse,
aharith (latter end), may be thought to denote that the reference is to time, not to
rank. On the other hand, the reference in Numbers 24:7 to the kings of the
Amalekites may be urged in favour of the reference to rank. Some understand the
allusion to be to the fact that the Amalekites were the first nation which attacked
Israel when they had come out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8). It is possible, however, that
there may be a reference both to time and to rank. (Comp. Amos 6:1.)
But his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.—Or, come to destruction. More
literally, But his latter end shall be even to one perishing—i.e., he shall come to the
position of one who is perishing. The destruction of the Amalekites began in the
reign of Saul (1 Samuel 14:48; 1 Samuel 15:7), was continued by David (1 Samuel
27:8; 1 Samuel 30:17; 2 Samuel 8:12), and was completed by Hezekiah (1 Chronicles
4:42-43).
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable,
and said, Amalek [was] the first of the nations; but his latter end [shall be] that he
perish for ever.
Ver. 20. First of the nations.] Or, Principal See Numbers 24:7.
POOLE, " He looked from the top of Pisgah, which was exceeding high, and gave
him the prospect of parts of all these kingdoms.
The first, Heb. the first-fruits; so called either,
1. Because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which were embodied
together in one government. Or,
2. Because they were the most powerful and eminent of them, as is implied above,
Numbers 24:7, the best things in each kind being oft signified by the name of first-
122

123. fruits. Or,
3. Because he was the first who fought against Israel, and was vanquished by them,
in that famous battle Exo 17, which victory was an earnest and first-fruits of that
large harvest of victories which the Israelites should in due time get over all their
enemies, and, among others, over Amalek himself, 1 Samuel 15:3.
That he perish for ever: he began with God and with Israel. but God will end with
him; and the firm purpose and will of God is, that he shall be utterly destroyed,
Exodus 17:14; so that Saul lost his kingdom for not executing this decree and God’s
command pursuant thereunto, 1Sa 15.
WHEDON, " 20. Amalek was the first of the nations — Not (as the Chaldee) in age,
power, and renown, but as the first of the Gentiles that came into conflict against
Israel as the people of God. Exodus 17:8-13. These first fruits of the wicked nations,
like Jericho, the first Canaanite city, were devoted to destruction. Exodus 17:14-16;
Deuteronomy 25:17-19; 1 Samuel 15:3-7.
PETT, " Balaam Looks On and Prophesies Concerning Wandering Amalek
(Numbers 24:20).
As we come to this final prophecy we should note that it is specifically stated that
Balaam ‘looked on’ Amalek and the Kenite. Exactly the same expression is used in
verse 2 of him ‘looking on Israel’ (translated ‘saw’). The verb is also used three
times in Numbers 23:13 where again ‘looking on’ Israel was preparatory to an
oracle concerning them. And in fact this ‘looking on’ Israel was clearly considered
an important part of the process. This would therefore seem to suggest that the
Amalekites and Kenites were near enough to be ‘looked on’ for the same purpose
(why else introduce the verb which is otherwise redundant). In view of the presence
of the Midianites who were often linked with the Amalekites (see Judges 6:3; Judges
6:33 in the light of the whole of Numbers 6 where ‘Midian’ regularly signifies the
threefold combination of Midian, Amalek and the children of the East) we may
probably see that they were present with the Midianites in their association with
Moab. The same is probably therefore also true of the Kenites.
Numbers 24:20 a
‘And he looked on Amalek, and took up his oracle, and said,’
This may signify elders of Amalek who were standing by, or an encampment of
them in Moab.
Numbers 24:20 b
123

124. “Amalek was the first of the nations;
And his latter end shall come to destruction.”
This probably refers to the fact that Amalek was the first of all the nations to attack
Israel when they had left Egypt seeking safety (Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy
25:17-18, compare also Numbers 14:43-45; Judges 6:3; Judges 6:33). It was seen by
God as a particularly heinous offence for as a result of it we are told, ‘Yahweh has
sworn, Yahweh will have war with Amalek from generation to generation’ (Exodus
17:16; compare Deuteronomy 25:19; 1 Samuel 15:2-3). Thus Amalek of all nations
would finally be destroyed.
Some, however, see it as signifying their ancient background. They are possibly the
Meluhha mentioned in 3rd millennium BC inscriptions. But the Biblical view was
that they were descended from Esau (Genesis 36:12). This latter fact would explain
why their offence was seen as so heinous. Like Edom they were a brother tribe to
Israel. (However, as with Edom and Moab and many nations their descent would be
a complicated affair, some being descended from Esau, and others being from sub-
tribes who had united with these descendants).
Balaam’s Sixth Message
21 Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his
message:
“Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
BARNES, "The Kenites - First mentioned Gen_15:19 as one of the tribes whose
territory was promised to Abraham. In Jdg_1:16, where we read of them as moving with
the children of Judah, to establish themselves in the pastures south of Arad, Moses’
father-in-law is spoken of as a Kenite (compare Jdg_4:11). It appears therefore, since
Moses’ father-in-law was a prince or priest of Midian (Exo_2:15 ff), that the Kenites
must have been of Midianite extraction, and so descended from Abraham through
Keturah Gen_25:2.
124

125. But it seems unlikely that the Kenites of Gen_15:19, who were to be dispossessed by
the descendants of Abraham, were identical with those of whom Balaam speaks, and
who were, because of good offices rendered at the time of the Exodus, always regarded
as kinsmen and friends by Israel (compare 1Sa_15:6; 1Sa_27:10). Rather, is it probable
that the Kenites of Gen_15:19 were a Canaanite people, who derived their name from the
city Kain, which fell eventually within the borders of the tribe of Judah Jos_15:22; and
that the descendants of Hobab, who appear in Jdg_1:16 as making war in this very
district, possessed themselves of this city, and with it of the name Kenite also. This they
would seem to have already done when Balsam uttered his prediction; and in the next
verse it is, as the margin correctly indicates, not of the Kenite, but of Kain the city, that
he speaks. Nor is it surprising to find them in possession of their new abode in the
promised land, while the Israelites were yet in their tents. It may well be that this roving
band of Midianites had already entered Canaan, perhaps along the shores of the Dead
Sea, and by routes impracticable for the huge host of Israel, and had, as a kind of
advanced guard, made a beginning of the conquest of the country.
From 1Ch_2:54-55, we learn that the Rechabites were a branch of the Kenites; and the
name Salmaites, always given to the Kenites in the Targums, connects them with Salma,
the son of Caleb, there mentioned. Jer. 35 shows how tenaciously, for many centuries,
they held fast the nomadic habits of their race.
Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock - Render,
Strong (or firm) be thy dwelling-place, and put thou thy nest in the rock (or cliff). In the
Hebrew there is a play on the words ken, “nest,” and Kain, the name of the Kenites’
abode. This nest in the cliff might be the city of Hazazon-tamar or Engedi, if that be (as
is likely) the “city of palm-trees,” from which they went up subsequently Jdg_1:16. But
there is another site, about 10 miles south of Engedi, to which Balaam’s words would be
more appropriate, on the summit of the cliff rising perpendicularly from the level of the
western shore of the Dead Sea, where was afterward built the city of Masada, the scene
of the closing tragedy of the Jewish-Roman war. It is not likely that such a natural
fortress would ever have been unoccupied, or even excluded from a place in the list of
the cities of Judah. Nor is there any site in the Holy land which a rude but warlike people
might more fittingly designate as either Ken, the Nest, or Kain, the Possession.
CLARKE, "He looked on the Kenites - Commentators are not well agreed who
the Kenites were. Dr. Dodd’s opinion is, I think, nearest to the truth. Jethro, the father-
in-law of Moses, is called a priest or prince of Midian, Exo_3:1, and in Jdg_1:16 he is
called a Kenite; we may infer, therefore, says he, that the Kenites and the Midianites
were the same, or at least that the Kenites and the Midianites were confederate tribes.
Some of these we learn from Judges 1, followed the Israelites, others abode still among
the Midianites and Amalekites. When Saul destroyed the latter, we find he had no
commission against the Kenites, 1Sa_15:6, for it appears that they were then a small and
inconsiderable people; they had doubtless been wasted, as the text says, though by what
means does not appear from history. On the other hand, it may be observed that the
Midianites mentioned here lived close to the Dead Sea, at a great distance from the
Midian where Jethro lived, which was near Horeb. Perhaps they were a colony or tribe
that had migrated from the vicinity of Mount Sinai. It seems that at this time the Kenites
occupied a very strong position: Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in
a rock; where there is a play on the original word ‫,קי‬ which signifies both a Kenite and a
125

126. nest. High rocks in these countries were generally used as their strong places.
GILL, "And he looked on the Kenites,.... Not the family and posterity of Jethro, as
Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Abendana; for they were not a people by themselves, but were
now encamped with Israel, and went with them into the land of Canaan, and were not
carried captive with the ten tribes, though some might that dwelt in Naphtali, Jdg_9:4,
for they after that remained with Judah under the name of Rechabites, Jer_35:2 and
returned with the two tribes, being carried captive with them, 1Ch_2:55 but they were a
people, though of the same original and family Jethro descended from, which dwelt
near, and afterwards among the Amalekites, and therefore were seen by Balaam, and
taken notice of at the same time they were; see 1Sa_15:6. Abarbinel takes them to be the
same with those in Gen_15:19.
and took up his parable; or prophecy concerning them, and delivered it:
and said, strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock,
they dwelling in craggy rocky places, where they thought themselves secure and out of
danger; and this their habitation he calls "Ken", a nest, in allusion to their name Kenites.
JAMISON, "Kenites ... nest in a rock — Though securely established among the
clefts in the high rocks of En-gedi towards the west, they should be gradually reduced by
a succession of enemies till the Assyrian invader carried them into captivity (Jdg_1:16;
Jdg_4:11, Jdg_4:16, Jdg_4:17; also 2Ki_15:29; 2Ki_17:6).
K&D 21-22, "The third saying relates to the Kenites, whose origin is
involved in obscurity (see at Gen_15:19), as there are no other Kenites
mentioned in the whole of the Old Testament, with the exception of Gen_
15:19, than the Kenites who went to Canaan with Hobab the brother-in-law
of Moses (Num_10:29.: see Jdg_1:16; Jdg_4:11; 1Sa_15:6; 1Sa_27:10; 1Sa_
30:29); so that there are not sufficient grounds for the distinction between
Canaanitish and Midianitish Kenites, as Michaelis, Hengstenberg, and
others suppose. The hypothesis that Balaam is speaking of Canaanitish
Kenites, or of the Kenites as representatives of the Canaanites, is as
unfounded as the hypothesis that by the Kenites we are to understand the
Midianites, or that the Kenites mentioned here and in Gen_15:19 are a
branch of the supposed aboriginal Amalekites (Ewald). The saying
concerning the Kenites runs thus: “Durable is thy dwelling-place, and thy
nest laid upon the rock; for should Kain be destroyed until Asshur shall
carry thee captive?” This saying “applies to friends and not to foes of Israel”
(v. Hoffmann), so that it is perfectly applicable to the Kenites, who were
friendly with Israel. The antithetical association of the Amalekites and
Kenites answers perfectly to the attitude assumed at Horeb towards Israel,
on the one hand by the Amalekites, and on the other hand by the Kenites, in
the person of Jethro the leader of their tribe (see Exo_17:8., Ex 18). The
dwelling-place of the Kenites was of lasting duration, because its nest was
laid upon a rock (‫ים‬ ִ‫שׂ‬ is a passive participle, as in 2Sa_13:32, and Oba_1:4).
126

127. This description of the dwelling-place of the Kenites cannot be taken
literally, because it cannot be shown that either the Kenites or the
Midianites dwelt in inaccessible mountains, as the Edomites are said to
have done in Oba_1:3-4; Jer_49:16. The words are to be interpreted
figuratively, and in all probability the figure is taken from the rocky
mountains of Horeb, in the neighbourhood of which the Kenites led a
nomade life before their association with Israel (see at Exo_3:1). As v.
Hoffmann correctly observes: “Kain, which had left its inaccessible
mountain home in Horeb, enclosed as it was by the desert, to join a people
who were only wandering in search of a home, by that very act really placed
its rest upon a still safer rock.” This is sustained in Num_24:22 by the
statement that Kain would not be given up to destruction till Asshur carried
it away into captivity. ‫ם‬ ִ‫א‬ ‫י‬ ִ‫כּ‬ does not mean “nevertheless.” It signifies
“unless” after a negative clause, whether the negation be expressed directly
by ‫ֹא‬‫,ל‬ or indirectly by a question; and “only” where it is not preceded by
either a direct or an indirect negation, as in Gen_40:14; Job_42:8. The
latter meaning, however, is not applicable here, because it is unsuitable to
the ‫ה‬ ָ‫ד־מ‬ַ‫ע‬ (until) which follows. Consequently ‫ם‬ ִ‫א‬ yl can only be understood
in the sense of “is it that,” as in 1Ki_1:27; Isa_29:16; Job_31:16, etc., and as
introducing an indirect query in a negative sense: “For is it (the case) that
Kain shall fall into destruction until...?” - equivalent to “Kain shall not be
exterminated until Asshur shall carry him away into captivity;” Kain will
only be overthrown by the Assyrian imperial power. Kain, the tribe-father,
is used poetically for the Kenite, the tribe of which he was the founder. ‫ר‬ֵ‫ע‬ ָ‫,בּ‬
to exterminate, the sense in which it frequently occurs, as in Deu_13:6;
Deu_17:7, etc. (cf. 2Sa_4:11; 1Ki_22:47). - For the fulfilment of this
prophecy we are not to look merely to the fact that one branch of the
Kenites, which separated itself, according to Jdg_4:11, from its comrades in
the south of Judah, and settled in Naphtali near Kadesh, was probably
carried away into captivity by Tiglath-Pileser along with the population of
Galilee (2Ki_15:29); but the name Asshur, as the name of the first great
kingdom of the world, which rose up from the east against the theocracy, is
employed, as we may clearly see from Num_24:24, to designate all the
powers of the world which took their rise in Asshur, and proceeded forth
from it (see also Ezr_6:22, where the Persian king is still called king of
Asshur or Assyria). Balaam did not foretell that this worldly power would
oppress Israel also, and lead it into captivity, because the oppression of the
Israelites was simply a transitory judgment, which served to refine the
nation of God and not to destroy it, and which was even appointed
according to the counsel of God to open and prepare the way for the
conquest of the kingdoms of the world by the kingdom of God. To the
Kenites only did the captivity become a judgment of destruction; because,
although on terms of friendship with the people of Israel, and outwardly
associated with them, yet, as is clearly shown by 1Sa_15:6, they never
entered inwardly into fellowship with Israel and Jehovah's covenant of
grace, but sought to maintain their own independence side by side with
Israel, and thus forfeited the blessing of God which rested upon Israel.
(Note: This simple but historically established interpretation
127

128. completely removes the objection, “that Balaam could no more foretell
destruction to the friends of Israel than to Israel itself,” by which Kurtz
would preclude the attempt to refer this prophecy to the Kenites, who
were in alliance with Israel. His further objections to v. Hoffmann's view
are either inconclusive, or at any rate do not affect the explanation that
we have given.)
CALVIN, "21.And he looked on the Kenites. I have not yet referred to the sense in
which Balaam is said to have seen the Kenites, as well as the other nations; and now,
also, I should refrain from doing so, if some did not attribute it to prophetical vision,
in which opinion I cannot agree: for Moses relates as a matter of history that
Balaam turned his face in the directions in which they respectively lived: and,
although he did not actually see the people themselves, the sight of the place in
which they dwelt was sufficient for the purpose of prophecy.
By the Kenites I understand the Midianites, who were contiguous to the Amalekites;
for it is altogether unreasonable to refer the name to the descendants of Jethro.
Forty years had not yet elapsed since Jethro had left his son with Moses; and his
was only one small family in the wilderness of Midian, whereas mention is here
made of a people already celebrated. Balaam, therefore, designates by synecdoche
the Midianites, and devotes them also to the punishment they well deserved. Of this
Gideon was in some measure the minister and executioner, when he routed their
immense army with three hundred men; and his victory is celebrated in Psalms
83:11, and Isaiah 9:4. It is probable that their power was broken at that time.
COKE, ""Ver. 21. He looked on the Kenites, &c.— Commentators are much at a
loss to say, with any certainty, who these Kenites were. There are Kenites
mentioned, Genesis 15:19 among the Canaanitish nations; and Le Clerc imagines,
that they were the people here intended: but the Canaanitish nations are not the
subject of Balaam's prophesies, and the Canaanitish nations were to be rooted out;
but these Kenites were to continue as long as the Israelites themselves, and to be
carried captive with them by the Assyrians. Bochart is of opinion, that those
Kenites, as well as the Kenizzites, not being mentioned by Joshua in the division of
the land, were extinct in the interval between Abraham and Moses. The most
probable account of these Kenites, I conceive, to be this. Jethro, the father-in-law of
Moses, is called in Exodus 3:1 the priest of Midian; and in Judges 1:16 the Kenite.
We may infer, therefore, that the Midianites and the Kenites were the same, or, at
least, that the Kenites were some of the tribes of Midian. Now of the Kenites, it
appears from Judges 1:16 that part followed Israel; but the greater part, we may
presume, remained among the Midianites and Amalekites. We read, 1 Samuel 15:6
that there were Kenites dwelling among the Amalekites, and so the Kenites are fitly
mentioned here next after the Amalekites. Their situation is said to be strong and
secure among the mountains. Strong is thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy nest
in a rock; wherein is an allusion to the name, the same word in Hebrew signifying a
128

129. nest and a Kenite, Nevertheless, the Kenite shall be wasted until Ashur carry thee
away captive. The Amalekites were to be utterly destroyed, but the Kenites were to
be carried captive. And, accordingly, when Saul was sent by divine commission to
destroy the Amalekites, he ordered the Kenites to depart from among them; for the
kindness which some of them shewed to Israel, their posterity was saved, 1 Samuel
15:6. This passage shews that they were wasted, and reduced to a low and weak
condition: and as the kings of Assyria carried captive not only the Jews, but also the
Syrians, and several other nations, 2 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 19:12-13 it is most highly
probable, that the Kenites shared the same fate with their neighbours, and were
carried away by the same torrent; and, especially, as we find some Kenites
mentioned among the Jews after their return from captivity, 1 Chronicles 2:55."
BENSON, "Verse 21-22
Numbers 24:21-22. He looked on the Kenites — Commentators are much at a loss to
say, with any certainty, who these Kenites were. The most probable account of them,
Bishop Newton thinks, is as follows: “Jethro, the father- in-law of Moses, is called
the priest of Midian, Exodus 3:1; and 1:16, the Kenite. We may infer, therefore, that
the Midianites and Kenites were the same, or at least that the Kenites were some of
the tribes of Midian. Now of the Kenites, part followed Israel, 1:6; but the greater
part, we may presume, remained among the Midianites and Amalekites, 1 Samuel
15:6. Their situation is said to be strong and secure among the mountains: Strong is
thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock — Wherein is an allusion to
the name, the same word in the Hebrew signifying a nest and a Kenite. Nevertheless
the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive — The
Amalekites were to be utterly destroyed, but the Kenites were to be carried captive.
Accordingly, when Saul was sent by divine commission to destroy the Amalekites, he
ordered the Kenites to depart from among them; for the kindness which some of
them showed to Israel, their posterity was saved, 1 Samuel 15:6. This passage shows
that they were wasted, and reduced to a low and weak condition; and as the kings of
Assyria carried captive not only the Jews, but also the Syrians and several other
nations, (2 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 19:12-13,) it is most highly probable that the Kenites
shared the same fate with their neighbours, and were carried away by the same
torrent; and especially as we find some Kenites mentioned among the Jews after
their return from captivity,” 1 Chronicles 2:55.
ELLICOTT, "Verse 21-22
(21-22) And he looked on the Kenites . . . —According to the ordinary interpretation
of these verses the continuous destruction of the Kenites is foretold until the
Israelites should be taken captive by the Assyrians. The Kenites are included
amongst the tribes whose country Abraham’s descendants were to possess (Genesis
15:19). A portion of this tribe, however (for there is no evidence that the
Canaanitish and the Midianitish Kenites had a different origin), joined the
Israelites, and settled on the southern border of Judah (Judges 1:16). If the
129

130. Authorised Version of these verses be adopted, it is reasonable to conclude that the
Kenites to whom Balaam’s prophecy referred must have been included amongst the
enemies of Israel, whose destruction, in common with their other foes, is here
predicted. It is obvious that this interpretation is open to two serious objections:—
(1) that the natural reference of the words “carry thee away captive” is to the
Kenites, not to the Israelites; and (2) that as the later history, as well as the Book of
Numbers, makes mention only of those Kenites who allied themselves with the
Israelites, we should naturally expect that in accordance with the promise which
was given to Hobab by Moses (Numbers 10:29), the Kenites should be distinguished
from the enemies of Israel, and be exempted from the destruction with which they
were threatened. Another rendering of Numbers 24:22, and one which appears to be
more agreeable to the context in which it stands, is the following:—“For surely the
Kenites shall not be destroyed until Asshur shall carry thee into captivity.” This
version has the support of the Targum of Palestine and other authorities. It is true
that there is no express record of the fulfilment of this prophecy, but it is not
probable that the Assyrians spared the Kenites who were settled amongst the
Israelites; and we know from Jeremiah 35:11 that after the invasion of
Nebuchadnezzar, the Rechabites, who were of the Kenite race (1 Chronicles 2:55),
came to Jerusalem for fear of the armies of the Chaldeans and Syrians. If Asshur
denotes in this place the Assyrians in the later acceptation of the term, it must be
remembered that one branch of the Kenites settled in Naphtali, near Kadesh
(Judges 4:11). Asshur, however, appears to be used in a wider sense, so as to include
all the nations which proceeded from it (see Numbers 24:24). Even the Persian king
is called, as Keil has observed, King of Asshur (Ezra 6:22). If this interpretation of
the text be received, the antithesis between the doom of the Amalekites and the
deliverance of the Kenites exactly corresponds to the attitude assumed by those
tribes respectively in regard to Israel.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:21 And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable,
and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.
Ver. 21. The Kenites,] i.e., The Midianites, [ 1:16; 4:11] mingled among the
Amalekites, [1 Samuel 15:6] for whom they are, and fare the worse, as Hamath did
for Damascus. [Zechariah 9:2]
POOLE, " The Kenite; the posterity or kindred of Jethro; not that part of them
which dwelt among the Israelites, to whom the following words do not agree, but
those of them who were mingled with the Amalekites and Midianites. See Exodus
3:1 Jude 1:16 4:11 1 Samuel 15:6.
Thy nest, i.e. thy dwelling-place, so called, either because it was in a high place, as
nests commonly are; or from their security and confidence of continuing long and
safe in it; see Job 29:18; or in allusion to their name, for ken in Hebrew signifies a
nest.
130

131. WHEDON, " 21. The Kenites — The marriage kindred of Moses. Genesis 15:19;
Exodus xviii; Judges 1:16, note.
Nest — The Hebrew ken, nest, is a play upon the word Kenite. Their abode was
lasting, because it was laid upon the rock of Jehovah’s promise, their original
dwelling-place being amid the mountains of Horeb, the scene of their nomad life.
Exodus 2:15; Exodus 3:1, note.
PETT, "Verse 21-22
Balaam Looks On and Prophesies Concerning the Wandering Kenites (Numbers
24:21-22).
Numbers 24:21 a
‘And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his oracle, and said,’
In the same way as with the Amalekites we may see that a group of Kenites were
present, connected with the Midianites to whom they were related (see Numbers
10:29 with Judges 1:16; Judges 4:11) and with Moab. The Kenites were metal
smiths and tended to move around in small groups. Compare the ones who
accompanied Israel (Judges 1:16; Judges 4:11), and those who had an agreement
with Sisera (Judges 4:11). By uniting with Moab against Israel they were bringing
judgment on themselves.
Numbers 24:21-22 (21b-22)
“Strong is your dwelling-place,
And your nest is set in the rock.
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,
Until Asshur shall carry you away captive.”
This may refer to the safe situation that the Kenites had found for themselves in
Moab. Or it may have in mind their wilderness dwelling-place in the Sinai area.
Either way it stresses that their seeming security will not avail them in the day of
trouble. They would find themselves beset by the tribe of Asshur, another brother
tribe (see Genesis 25:3; Genesis 25:18; 2 Samuel 2:9; Psalms 83:8), and be wasted
and finally taken as slaves.
So the combination of tribes related to Israel (of Moab, of the Midianites, of the
131

132. Amalekites and of the Kenites), were all included in his prophecies as fated because
of their behaviour towards Israel. The presence of a nucleus was sufficient to
condemn even those not present, on the basis of tribal solidarity.
PULPIT, "He looked on the Kenites. This mashal is excessively obscure, for both the
subject of it and the drift of it are disputed. On the one hand, the Kenites are
mentioned among the Canaanitish tribes that were to be dispossessed, in Gem
Numbers 15:19; on the other, they are identified with the Midianitish tribe to which
Hobab and Raguel belonged, in 1:16, and apparently in 1 Samuel 15:6 (see on
Numbers 10:29). It has been supposed that the friendly Kenites had by this time loft
the camp of Israel and established themselves by conquest in the south of Canaan,
and even that they had occupied the territory and taken the name of the original
Kenites of Genesis 15:19. This, however, is a mere conjecture, and a very
improbable one. That a weak tribe like that of Hobab should have done what Israel
had not dared to do, and settled themselves by force of arms in Southern Palestine,
and, further, that they should be already known by the name of those whom they
had destroyed, is extremely unlikely, and is inconsistent with the statement in 1:16.
And thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Rather, "and thy nest laid ( ‫ים‬ ִ‫שׂ‬ ) upon a rock."
We do not know where the Kenites dwelt, and therefore we cannot tell whether this
expression is to be understood literally or figuratively. If the Canaanitish tribe is
here spoken of, it is very likely they had their residence in some strong mountain
fastness, but if the Midianitish tribe, then there is no reason to suppose that they
had crossed the Jordan at all In that case the "nest" must be wholly figurative, and
must refer to that strong confidence which they placed in the protection of the God
of Israel.
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur takes you captive.”
Balaam’s Seventh Message
BARNES, "Render, For Kain shall surely not be destroyed (literally “be for
destruction”) until Asshur, etc. The words are not, as they appear in the King James
Version, a prediction of evil to the Kenites, but a promise, on the contrary, of safety to be
long continued to them (compare Num_10:32; Jer_35:19).
132

133. CLARKE, "Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive - The Assyrians and
Babylonians who carried away captive the ten tribes, 2Ki_17:6, and the Jews into
Babylon, 2 Kings 25, probably carried away the Kenites also. Indeed this seems pretty
evident, as we find some Kenites mentioned among the Jews after their return from the
Babylonish captivity, 1Ch_2:55.
GILL, "Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted,.... Though they were so strongly
fortified, and closely immured and surrounded with rocks and mountains, yet they
should gradually waste away, as they were but few in Saul's time, 1Sa_15:6.
until Ashur shall carry thee away captive; Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, when he
carried captive the people of Syria, took these with them, 2Ki_16:9, though Jarchi thinks
they were carried captives with the ten tribes, that is, by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria;
and the Targum of Jonathan, by Sennacherib, king of Assyria; and others think by
Nebuchadnezzar, who was sometimes reckoned a king of Assyria; taking them to be the
same with the Amalekites, who were carried captives and returned with the two tribes.
CALVIN, "22.Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. It is a harsh and
unnatural construction to apply this to the Kenites; and the majority, indeed,
consent that it should be referred to the Israelites; yet they differ as to the meaning
of it, for some take it affirmatively, that the Kenites should be wasted, until the
Assyrians should conquer the Israelites and carry them away captive; some,
however, take it interrogatlvely, (180) as if it were an abrupt exclamation, How long
shall Asshur hold thee captive? Thus they conceive the prolonged exile of the people
is indicated. Undoubtedly it was the purpose of the Spirit to shew, by way of
correction, that their prosperity, which had been previously mentioned, should be
mixed with heavy afflictions: for slavery is a bitter thing, and exile even worse.
Hence we gather that, though the Church is blessed by God, it is still in such a way
as that it shall not cease to be exposed to various calamities. The interrogation,
therefore, will be most appropriate.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall
carry thee away captive.
Ver. 22. Until Ashur.] Who, together with the Jews, carried captive all the
neighbouring nations. [Jeremiah 25:9]
POOLE, " Kenite, Heb. Kain, i.e. the Kenite; so called, either by a transposition of
letters, which is very usual in the Hebrew tongue; or from the name of some eminent
place where they lived, or person from whom they were descended, though now the
memory of them be utterly lost, as it hath fared with innumerable other places and
persons famous in their generations mentioned in ancient heathen writers.
133

134. Shall be wasted, i.e. shall be by degrees diminished and wasted by the incursions of
divers enemies, till at last the Assyrian comes to complete the work, and carries
them into captivity. For the Kenites lived partly among the ten tribes, Joshua 19:33,
compared with Jude 4:11, and partly with the two tribes, Jude 1:16 4:16,17, and
were carried captive with them, part by Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, 2 Kings
17:6, and part by Nebuchadnezzar, who also is called an Assyrian, Ezra 6:22 Isaiah
52:4. The words may be rendered thus, shall be wasted. How long? to wit, shall they
be thus wasted? (these particles being oft used abruptly and pathetically in the same
manner, Psalms 6:3 90:13 Isaiah 6:11) till Asshur comes,
Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
WHEDON, "22. Nevertheless the Kenite — Hebrew, Kain. The sentence should be
translated “for Kain shall not be exterminated until Asshur,” etc. It is here signified
that they will dwell by Israel undisturbed till Asshur, the Assyrians, shall desolate
the whole land, and lead Israel and their wards, the Kenites, into captivity. Not only
original Assyria is here intended but Babylonia and Persia, which spread over the
same territory. Ezra 6:22. Balaam did not foretell Israel’s captivity in Babylon,
because this was a transitory, disciplinary judgment, and not an extinction of
nationality, as in the case of the Kenites.
PULPIT, "Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted. ‫ן‬ִ‫י‬ָ‫ק‬ ‫ר‬ֵ‫ﬠ‬ָ‫ב‬ְ‫ל‬ ‫ֶה‬‫י‬ ְ‫ה‬ִ‫ם־י‬ ִ‫א‬ ‫י‬ ִ‫.כּ‬ Rather,
"Kain shall surely not be wasted." ‫ם‬ ִ‫י־א‬ ִ‫כּ‬ is of doubtful meaning, but it seems here to
have the force of a negative question equivalent to a negation. Kain is mentioned in
Joshua 15:57 as one of the towns of Judah, but there is little reason to suppose that
an insignificant village is here mentioned by name. Probably "Kain" stands for the
tribe-father, and is simply the poetical equivalent of Kenite. Until ‫ה‬ ָ‫ד־מ‬ַ‫ﬠ‬ . There is
some uncertainty about these two particles, which are sometimes rendered "how
long?" In the sense of "until" they are said to be an Aramaism, but this is doubtful.
23 Then he spoke his message:
“Alas! Who can live when God does this?[e]
134

135. BARNES, "When God doeth this - The eventual carrying away of the allies of
Israel by Assyria presented itself to Balaam as the ruin of all peace and safety upon earth.
One prediction was howerer, yet wanting, and is next given, namely, that the conquerors
of the Kenites should fare no better than the Kenites themselves.
CLARKE, "Who shall live when God doeth this! - There are two senses in
which these words may be taken: -
1. That the event is so distant that none then alive could possibly live to see it.
2. That the times would be so distressing and desolating that scarcely any should be
able to escape.
The words are very similar to those of our Lord, and probably are to be taken in the
same sense: “Wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days.”
GILL, "And he took up his parable, and said,.... Or delivered another prophecy,
having made some little pause:
alas, who shall live when God doeth this? referring not to what goes before, but to
what follows; though Jarchi and Aben Ezra think it refers to the Assyria conquering and
carrying captive, not only the Kenites, but all the nations of the world, so that there was
no living comfortably in it on his account; but this is said after Balaam had taken up his
parable again, and so respects what follows, as the destruction of the Persian empire by
Alexander, in which Ashur or the Assyrians were included; and the destruction of the
Jews by the Romans more especially; which was such as had not been the like from the
beginning of the world, Mat_24:21, and perhaps may have a further respect to the
affliction of the witnesses and church of Christ by antichrist; see Dan_12:1.
JAMISON, "who shall live when God doeth this! — Few shall escape the
desolation that shall send a Nebuchadnezzar to scourge all those regions.
K&D 23-24, "The fourth saying applies to Asshur, and is introduced by an
exclamation of woe: “Woe! who will live, when God sets this! and ships
(come) from the side of Chittim, and press Asshur, and press Eber, and he
also perishes.” The words “Woe, who will live,” point to the fearfulness of
the following judgment, which went deep to the heart of the seer, because it
would fall upon the sons of his own people (see at Num_22:5). The meaning
is, “Who will preserve his life in the universal catastrophe that is coming?”
(Hengstenberg). ‫מ‬ ֻ‫שּׂ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ either “since the setting of it,” equivalent to “from
the time when God sets (determines) this” (ὅταν θῇ ταῦτα ὁ Θεός, quando
faciet ista Deus; lxx, Vulg.), or “on account of the setting of it,” i.e., because
God determines this. ‫,שׂוּם‬ to set, applied to that which God establishes,
ordains, or brings to pass, as in Isa_44:7; Hab_1:12. The suffix in ‫שׂוּמ‬ is not
135

136. to be referred to Asshur, as Knobel supposes, because the prophecy relates
not to Asshur “as the mighty power by which everything was crushed and
overthrown,” but to a power that would come from the far west and crush
Asshur itself. The suffix refers rather to the substance of the prophecy that
follows, and is to be understood in a neuter sense. ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is “God,” and not an
abbreviation of ‫ה‬ ֶ‫לּ‬ ֵ‫,א‬ which is always written with the article in the
Pentateuch (‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ָ‫,ה‬ Gen_19:8, Gen_19:25; Gen_26:3-4; Lev_18:27; Deu_4:42;
Deu_7:22; Deu_19:11), and only occurs once without the article, viz., in
1Ch_20:8. ‫,צים‬ from ‫י‬ ִ‫צ‬ (Isa_33:21), signifies ships, like ‫ים‬ִ‫יּ‬ ִ‫צ‬ in the passage
in Dan_11:30, which is founded upon the prophecy before us. ‫ַד‬‫יּ‬ ִ‫,מ‬ from the
side, as in Exo_2:5; Deu_2:37, etc. ‫ים‬ ִ‫תּ‬ ִ‫כּ‬ is Cyprus with the capital Citium
(see at Gen_10:4), which is mentioned as intervening between Greece and
Phoenicia, and the principal station for the maritime commerce of
Phoenicia, so that all the fleets passing from the west to the east necessarily
took Cyprus in their way (Isa_23:1). The nations that would come across the
sea from the side of Cyprus to humble Asshur, are not mentioned by name,
because this lay beyond the range of Balaam's vision. He simply gives
utterance to the thought, “A power comes from Chittim over the sea, to
which Asshur and Eber, the eastern and the western Shem, will both
succumb” (v. Hoffmann). Eber neither refers to the Israelites merely as
Hebrews (lxx, Vulg.), nor to the races beyond the Euphrates, as Onkelos and
others suppose, but, like “all the sons of Eber” in Gen_10:21, to the posterity
of Abraham who descended from Eber through Peleg, and also to the
descendants of Eber through Joktan: so that Asshur, as the representative
of the Shemites who dwelt in the far east, included Elam within itself; whilst
Eber, on the other hand, represented the western Shemites, the peoples
that sprang from Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram (Gen_10:21). “And he also shall
perish for ever:” these words cannot relate to Asshur and Eber, for their
fate is already announced in the word ‫נּוּ‬ ִ‫ע‬ (afflict, press), but only to the new
western power that was to come over the sea, and to which the others were
to succumb. “Whatever powers might rise up in the world of peoples, the
heathen prophet of Jehovah sees them all fall, one through another, and
one after another; for at last he loses in the distance the power to discern
whence it is that the last which he sees rise up is to receive its fatal blow” (v.
Hoffmann, p. 520). The overthrow of this last power of the world,
concerning which the prophet Daniel was the fist to receive and proclaim
new revelations, belongs to “the end of the days,” in which the star out of
Jacob is to rise upon Israel as a “bright morning star” (Rev_22:16).
Now if according to this the fact is firmly established, that in this last
prophecy of Balaam, “the judgment of history even upon the imperial
powers of the West, and the final victory of the King of the kingdom of God
were proclaimed, though in fading outlines, more than a thousand years
before the events themselves,” as Tholuck has expressed it in his Propheten
und ihre Weissagung; the announcement of the star out of Jacob, and the
sceptre out of Israel, i.e., of the King and Ruler of the kingdom of God, who
was to dash Moab to pieces and take possession of Edom, cannot have
received its complete fulfilment in the victories of David over these enemies
136

137. of Israel; but will only be fully accomplished in the future overthrow of all
the enemies of the kingdom of God. By the “end of days,” both here and
everywhere else, we are to understand the Messianic era, and that not
merely at its commencement, but in its entire development, until the final
completion of the kingdom of God at the return of our Lord to judgment. In
the “star out of Jacob,” Balaam beholds not David as the one king of Israel,
but the Messiah, in whom the royalty of Israel promised to the patriarchs
(Gen_17:6, Gen_17:16; Gen_35:11) attains its fullest realization. The star
and sceptre are symbols not of “Israel's royalty personified”
(Hengstenberg), but of the real King in a concrete form, as He was to arise
out of Israel at a future day. It is true that Israel received the promised King
in David, who conquered and subjugated the Moabites, Edomites, and other
neighbouring nations that were hostile to Israel. But in the person of David
and his rule the kingly government of Israel was only realized in its first and
imperfect beginnings. Its completion was not attained till the coming of the
second David (Hos_3:5; Jer_30:9; Eze_34:24; Eze_37:24-25), the Messiah
Himself, who breaks in pieces all the enemies of Israel, and founds an
everlasting kingdom, to which all the kingdoms and powers of this world
are to be brought into subjection (2Sa_7:12-16; Psa_2:1; 72, and Psa_
110:1-7).
(Note: The application of the star out of Jacob to the Messiah is to be
found even in Onkelos; and this interpretation was so widely spread
among the Jews, that the pseudo-Messiah who arose under Hadrian, and
whom even R. Akiba acknowledged, took the name of Bar Cochba (son of
a star), on consequence of this prophecy, from which the nickname of
Bar Coziba (son of a lie) was afterward formed, when he had submitted
to the Romans, with all his followers. In the Christian Church also the
Messianic explanation was the prevalent one, from the time of Justin
and Irenaeus onwards (see the proofs in Calovii Bibl. ad h. l.), although,
according to a remark of Theodoret (qu. 44 ad Num.), there were some
who did not adopt it. The exclusive application of the passage to David
was so warmly defended, first of all by Grotius, and still more by
Verschuir, that even Hengstenberg and Tholuck gave up the Messianic
interpretation. But they both of them came back to it afterwards, the
former in his “Balaam” and the second edition of his Christology, and
the latter in his treatise on “the Prophets.” At the present time the
Messianic character of the prophecy is denied by none but the
supporters of the more vulgar rationalism, such as Knobel and others;
whereas G. Baur (in his History of Old Testament Prophecy) has no
doubt that the prediction of the star out of Jacob points to the exalted
and glorious King, filled with the Holy Spirit, whom Isaiah (Isa_9:5; Isa_
11:1.) and Micah (Mic_5:2) expected as the royal founder of the theocracy.
Reinke gives a complete history of the interpretation of this passage in his
Beitrδge, iv. 186ff.)
If, however, the star out of Jacob first rose upon the world in Christ, the
star which showed the wise men from the east the way to the new-born
“King of the Jews,” and went before them, till it stood above the manger at
Bethlehem (Mat_2:1-11), is intimately related to our prophecy. Only we
must not understand the allusion as being so direct, that Balaam beheld the
137

138. very star which appeared to the wise men, and made known to them the
birth of the Saviour of the world. The star of the wise men was rather an
embodiment of the star seen by Balaam, which announced to them the
fulfilment of Balaam's prophecy, - a visible sign by which God revealed to
them the fact, that the appearance of the star which Balaam beheld in the
far distant future had been realized at Bethlehem in the birth of Christ, the
King of the Jews. - The “wise men from the east,” who had been made
acquainted with the revelations of God to Israel by the Jews of the diaspora,
might feel themselves specially attracted in their search for the salvation of
the world by the predictions of Balaam, from the fact that this seer belonged
to their own country, and came “out of the mountains of the east” (Num_
23:7); so that they made his sayings the centre of their expectations of
salvation, and were also conducted through them to the Saviour of all
nations by means of supernatural illumination. “God unfolded to their
minds, which were already filled with a longing for the 'star out of Jacob'
foretold by Balaam, the meaning of the star which proclaimed the fulfilment
of Balaam's prophecy; He revealed to them, that is to say, the fact that it
announced the birth of the 'King of the Jews.' And just as Balaam had
joyously exclaimed, 'I see Him,' and 'I behold Him,' they also could say, 'We
have seen His star' “ (Hengstenberg).
If, in conclusion, we compare Balaam's prophecy of the star that would
come out of Jacob, and the sceptre that would rise out of Israel, with the
prediction of the patriarch Jacob, of the sceptre that should not depart from
Judah, till the Shiloh came whom the nations would obey (Gen_49:10), it is
easy to observe that Balaam not only foretold more clearly the attitude of
Israel to the nations of the world, and the victory of the kingdom of God
over every hostile kingdom of the world; but that he also proclaimed the
Bringer of Peace expected by Jacob at the end of the days to be a mighty
ruler, whose sceptre would break in pieces and destroy all the enemies of
the nation of God. The tribes of Israel stood before the mental eye of the
patriarch in their full development into the nation in which all the families
of the earth were to be blessed. From this point of view, the salvation that
was to blossom in the future for the children of Israel culminated in the
peaceful kingdom of the Shiloh, in whom the dominion of the victorious lion
out of Judah was to attain its fullest perfection. But the eye of Balaam, the
seer, which had been opened by the Spirit of God, beheld the nation of
Israel encamped, according to its tribes, in the face of its foes, the nations of
this world. They were endeavouring to destroy Israel; but according to the
counsel of the Almighty God and Lord of the whole world, in their warfare
against the nation that was blessed of Jehovah, they were to succumb one
after the other, and be destroyed by the king that was to arise out of Israel.
This determinate counsel of the living God was to be proclaimed by Balaam,
the heathen seer out of Mesopotamia the centre of the national
development of the ancient world: and, first of all, to the existing
representatives of the nations of the world that were hostile to Israel, that
they might see what would at all times tend to their peace - might see, that is
to say, that in their hostility to Israel they were rebelling against the
Almighty God of heaven and earth, and that they would assuredly perish in
the conflict, since life and salvation were only to be found with the people of
138

139. Israel, whom God had blessed. And even though Balaam had to make known
the purpose of the Lord concerning His people primarily, and in fact solely,
to the Moabites and their neighbours, who were like-minded with them, his
announcement was also intended for Israel itself, and was to be a pledge to
the congregation of Israel for all time of the certain fulfilment of the
promises of God; and so to fill them with strength and courage, that in all
their conflicts with the powers of this world, they should rely upon the Lord
their God with the firmest confidence of faith, should strive with
unswerving fidelity after the end of their divine calling, and should build up
the kingdom of God on earth, which is to outlast all the kingdoms of the
world. - In what manner the Israelites became acquainted with the
prophecies of Balaam, so that Moses could incorporate them into the
Thorah, we are nowhere told, but we can infer it with tolerable certainty
from the subsequent fate of Balaam himself.
COKE, ""Ver. 23. He took up his parable, and said, &c.— This verse is by several
commentators referred to what precedes, but it relates rather to what follows: He
took up his parable, is a preface used when he enters upon some new subject. The
exclamation, Alas, who shall live when God doth this! implies, that he is now
prophesying of very distant and very calamitous times."
BENSON, "Numbers 24:23. Alas, who shall live — How calamitous and miserable
will the state of the world be, when the Assyrian, and after him the Chaldean, shall
overrun and overturn all these parts of the world! Who will be able to keep his
heart from fainting under such grievous pressures? Nay, how few will escape the
destroying sword!
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:23 And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live
when God doeth this!
Ver. 23. Who shall live when, &c.] The Assyrian, that rod of God’s wrath, that
overflowing scourge, shall take all afore him, shall bereave millions of their lives, as
Caesar is said to have done; and of Mohammed, the first Emperor of the Turks, it is
storied that he had been in his time the death of eight hundred thousand men (a)
POOLE, " How calamitous and miserable will the state of the world be, when the
Assyrian, and after him the Chaldean, shall overrun and overturn all these parts of
the world! who will be able to live and keep his heart from fainting under such
grievous pressures? how few will then escape the destroying sword!
WHEDON, "Verse 23-24
23, 24. Alas, who shall live — The woe touches the heart of Balaam because his own
139

140. Mesopotamia is involved in the fearful judgment. See Numbers 22:5.
Chittim — Signifies (1) the island of Cyprus, (Isaiah 23:1;) (2) the Chittim islands,
denoting the islands and coasts of the West, (Jeremiah 2:10;) and (3) Macedonia and
Italy. Daniel 11:30. Keil seems to combine all these meanings, since all the Western
ships took Cyprus in their way. “The nations that would come across the sea from
the side of Cyprus to humble Asshur are not mentioned by name, because this lay
beyond the range of Baalam’s vision.”
Eber — The Seventy and Vulgate, Hebrews. Evidently all the posterity of Eber
through Abraham.
He also shall perish forever — The conquering power from the West. Daniel 7:26.
“The judgment of history even upon the imperial powers of the West, and the final
victory of the King of the kingdom of God were proclaimed, though in fading
outlines, more than a thousand years before the events themselves.” — Tholuck. “So
it came to pass when the ships of Cyprus, of Greece, of Europe, then just seen in the
horizon of human hopes and fears, did at last, under the Macedonian conqueror,
turn the tide of Eastern invasion backward; and Asshur and Babylon and Persia, no
less than the wild hordes of the desert, perished forever from the earth.” — Stanley.
PETT, "Verse 23-24
Balaam Prophesies Concerning Eber (Israel and their fellow Semites) (Numbers
24:23-24).
Numbers 24:23 a
‘And he took up his oracle, and said,’
We note immediately that he did not ‘look on’ those of whom he now spoke.
Numbers 24:23-24 (23b-24)
“Alas, who shall live when God does this?
But ships will come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,
And he also shall come to destruction.”
The Asshurim may waste the Kenites but they themselves would not escape
judgment. They in their turn would be afflicted by ships from Kittim (Cyprus and
the Aegean coastlands). It would seem that exploratory raids, if not worse, had
140

141. already been taking place by the ‘Sea People’, the relatives of the Philistines, and he
recognised that these would afflict the Asshurim, treating them as they had treated
the Kenites. When brother fights brother judgment awaits.
The same also applied to Eber. This referred to Semites in the area (Genesis 10:25)
and may well have been intended indirectly to signify Israel, who would be one of
those to suffer at Philistine hands, for Abraham was descended from Peleg, Eber’s
son, a descent which was emphasised by appearing on its own and not in the Table
of Nations (Genesis 10:25 with Genesis 11:16-18).
PULPIT, "When God doeth this. Literally, "from the settling of it by God." ‫מוֹ‬ֻ‫שּׂ‬ ִ‫מ‬
‫ל‬ ֵ‫,א‬ i.e; when God shall bring these terrible things to pass. Septuagint, ὅταν θῇ ταῦτα
ὁ θεός. This exclamation refers to the woe which he is about to pronounce, which
involved his own people also.
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
but they too will come to ruin.”
BARNES, "Chittim - i. e., Cyprus, the nearest of the western islands, the only one
visible from Palestine, and so the representative to Balsam and to Israel of all those
unknown western regions across the Mediterranean Sea, from which were at length to
come the conquerors of the mighty empires of the East. Compare Isa_23:1, Isa_23:12;
Jer_2:10.
Eber - i. e., the descendants of Shem. Of these Asshur was one (compare marginal
references), and is here specified by name, since the Assyrians attained, in the empires of
Babylon and Nineveh, to an extraordinary grandeur, and were destined to a most signal
and irretrievable fall.
He also - i. e., the conqueror of Asshur and Eber who should come across the sea. It
is not revealed from where the blow should come that should overthrow in its turn the
power that prevailed over the great monarchies of the East.
CLARKE, "Ships shall come from the coast of Chittim - Some think by
Chittim the Romans, others the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, are meant. It is
141

142. certain that the Romans did conquer the Assyrians, including all the people of Syria,
Mesopotamia, etc., but Calmet strongly contends that by Chittim Macedonia is meant,
and that the prophecy refers to the conquests of Alexander. Chittim was one of the sons
of Javan, the son of Japheth, the son of Noah, Gen_10:4; and his posterity, according to
Josephus, Antiq., 1. iii., c. 22, settled in Cilicia, Macedonia, Cyprus, and Italy also; and
therefore, says Mr. Ainsworth, the prophecy may imply both the troubles that befell the
Assyrians and Jews by the Greeks and Seleucidae, in the troublous days of Antiochus.
And shall afflict Eber - Probably not the Hebrews, as some think, but the people on
the other side the Euphrates, from ‫עבר‬ abar, to pass over, go beyond; all which people
were discomfited, and their empire destroyed by Alexander the Great.
GILL, "And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim,.... Kittim was the son of
Javan, Gen_10:4 and so designs some part of Greece: Josephus (r) says that Kittim
possessed the island now called Cyprus, in which was a city now called Citium, after his
name; Macedonia, a considerable part of Greece, is called the land of Cittim,"And it
happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land
of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his
stead, the first over Greece,'' (1 Maccabees 1:1)"Beside this, how they had discomfited in
battle Philip, and Perseus, king of the Citims, with others that lifted up themselves
against them, and had overcome them:'' (1 Maccabees 8:5)but the Targum of Jonathan
interprets it, of the country of Italy; the Jerusalem Targum, of the Roman legions; and
perhaps both Greeks and Romans are intended, and so ships from Cittim, in Dan_11:30,
design Romans in Grecian ships; for in such were the Roman ambassadors carried, who
distressed Antiochus, king of Syria; see Gill on Dan_11:30; and both may be intended
here: it is affirmed (s) that Noah with his son Japheth, came into the country now called
Italy, and built a city, and gave it the name of Cethim, since called Volterra, and was the
metropolis of Etruria, and gave name to all Italy; and that in the year two hundred and
twenty from the building of that city, Cethim the son of Javan, and grandson of Noah,
took two colonies with him, and sailed to an island which he called after his own name
Cethim, now Cyprus:
and shall afflict Ashur; which being a part of the Persian empire, was afflicted,
conquered, and subdued by Alexander the Macedonian, who is said to come out of the
land of Cittim,"And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian,
who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and
Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,'' (1 Maccabees 1:1)
and shall afflict Eber; or the Hebrews, as the Septuagint version; not that the
Grecians or Macedonians should do this, for they under Alexander did not afflict the
Jews; unless this is to be understood of the Seleucidae, the kings of Syria, the successors
of Alexander, who did distress the Jews; but rather this respects the Romans under
Pompey, and especially under Titus Vespasian, who destroyed their city, and carried
them captive, and who ever since have been dispersed among the nations:
and he also shall perish for ever: not Eber, but those that afflicted him, even the
Romans; and indeed both monarchies, Grecian and Roman, are prophesied of as what
should be destroyed, and that by a son of Eber, the Messiah; the stone cut out of the
142

143. mountain without hands, said to break in pieces all these kingdoms, Dan_2:44 and not
Rome Pagan only, but Rome Papal also, antichrist and all the antichristian powers, 2Th_
2:8. and so the Targum of Jonathan says, that the end both of the one and the other, that
is, that shall afflict Eber, shall be, to fall by the hand of the King Messiah, and they shall
perish for ever.
JAMISON, "Chittim — the countries lying on the Mediterranean, particularly
Greece and Italy (Dan_11:29, Dan_11:30). The Assyrians were themselves to be
overthrown - first, by the Greeks under Alexander the Great and his successors;
secondly, by the Romans.
Eber — the posterity of the Hebrews (Gen_10:24).
he also shall perish — that is, the conqueror of Asher and Eber, namely, the Greek
and Roman empires.
K&D, "
CALVIN, "24.And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim. It is unquestionable
that the word Chittim is sometimes used for the Greeks. Some, indeed, imagine that
the Macedonians alone are strictly called by this name; it is, however, plain that it is
applied generally to the whole of Greece. But since the countries beyond the sea
were not so well known to the Jews as to allow of their distinguishing them,
Scripture sometimes transfers this same name to Italy. Without doubt in Daniel,
(Daniel 11:30,) “the ships of Chittim” must be taken for those of Italy or Rome;
(181) because the angel there predicts that the ships of Chittim would come, which
should overcome, and render frustrate the efforts of Antiochus; which was plainly
brought to pass by the mission of Popilius. With regard to the present passage, first
of all the Greeks under Alexander afflicted both Judea and Assyria; and then
another affliction followed at the hands of the Romans. Since, however, Balaam has
begun to prophesy of the kingdom of Christ, it is probable that the Romans are
included together with the Greeks. But from hence we more clearly perceive, what I
have lately adverted to, that the children of God are not so exempted from common
evils as not to be often involved in them promiscuously with unelievers, as if their
conditions were precisely identical. Although the Hebrews are placed on a par with
the Assyrians as their companions in misfortune, still a consolation is added, i.e.,
that the Assyrians also shall perish like Chittim, when they have persecuted the
Church.
What Moses adds in conclusion, viz., that Balaam returned to his people, and Balak
also went to his place, tends to the commendation of God’s grace, since He dissipates
the evil counsels of the wicked like clouds, and overthrows their machinations; even
as Moses commemorates elsewhere this peculiar blessing of God. (182) Micah, too,
celebrates this amongst other Divine mercies:
“O my people, (he says,) remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and
what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,” etc. (Micah 6:5.)
143

144. The sum is, that the enemies of the chosen people departed in dishonor without
accomplishing their purpose, since God put them to confusion.
COKE, ""Ver. 24. And ships— Or rather, for ships, as the particle vau often
signifies for. Chittim was one of the sons of Javan, who was one of the sons of
Japheth, by whose posterity the isles of the Gentiles, i.e. Europe, were divided and
peopled; together with the countries to which the Asiatics passed by sea; for such
the Hebrews call islands, Genesis 10:5. Chittim is used for the descendants of
Chittim, as Asshur is put for the descendants of Asshur, i.e. the Assyrians; but what
people were the descendants of Chittim, or what country was meant by the coasts of
Chittim, is not easy to determine. The critics and commentators are generally
divided into two opinions: the one asserting that Macedonia, and the other that Italy
was the country here intended; and each opinion is recommended and authorised by
some of the first and greatest names in learning. But there is no reason why we may
not adopt both opinions, and especially as it is very well known that colonies came
from Greece to Italy; and as Josephus observes, Antiq. lib. 1: cap. 6 p. 17 that all
islands, and most maritime places, are called Chethim by the Hebrews, and as
manifest traces of the name are to be found in both countries, the ancient name of
Macedonia having been Macettia, and the Latins having before been called Cetii.
What appears most probable is, that the sons of Chittim settled first in Asia Minor,
where were a people called Cetei, and a river called Cerium, according to Homer
and Strabo. From Asia they might pass over into the island of Cyprus, which,
Josephus says, was possessed by Chethim, and called Chethima; and where was also
the city Citium, famous for its being the birth-place of Zeno, the founder of the sect
of the Stoics, who was therefore called Cittiean; and from thence they might send
forth colonies into Greece and Italy. It plainly appears, that wherever the land of
Chittim, or the isles of Chittim, are mentioned in Scripture, there are evidently
meant some countries or islands in the Mediterranean. See Isaiah 1:12. Jeremiah
2:10. Ezekiel 27:6. Daniel 11:29-30. See also 1 Maccabees 1:1; 1 Maccabees 8:5.
When Balaam, therefore, said that ships should come from the coast of Chittim, he
might mean either Greece or Italy, or both: the particular names of those countries
being at that time perhaps unknown in the East; and the passage may be better
understood of both, because it was equally true of both; and Greece and Italy were
alike the scourges of Asia."
"And shall afflict Asshur— Asshur, as we noted before, signifies properly the
descendants of Asshur, the Assyrians; but their name was of as large extent as their
empire; and the Syrians and Assyrians are often confounded together, and
mentioned as one and the same people. Now it is so well known, as to require no
particular proof, that the Grecians under Alexander subdued all those countries.
The Romans afterwards extended their empire into the same regions; and as Dio
informs us, Assyria, properly so called, was conquered by Trajan. See Dion. Hist.
Rom. lib. 68: p. 783."
144

145. "And shall afflict Eber— Two interpretations are proposed of the word Eber, either
the posterity of a man so called, or the people who dwelt on the other side of the
river Euphrates. If by Eber we understand the posterity of Eber, then Balaam, who
was commissioned to bless Israel at first, prophesied evil of them at last, though
under another name. We may however avoid this seeming inconsistency, if we follow
the other interpretation, and by Eber understand the people who dwelt on the other
side of the Euphrates, which sense is given by Onkelos, and approved by several of
the most able commentators, both ancient and modern. The two members of the
sentence would then better connect together, and the sense of the latter would be
somewhat exegetical of the former; and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,
i.e. shall afflict the Assyrians, and other neighbouring nations bordering upon the
river Euphrates. Beyond the river, is indeed a phrase, which sometimes occurs in
Scripture: but where does beyond alone ever bear that signification? I know Genesis
10:21 is usually cited to establish this meaning; but that text is as much controverted
as this; and the question is the same there as here, whether Eber be the proper name
of a man, or only a preposition signifying beyond, and beyond signifying the people
beyond the Euphrates: Isaiah's manner of speaking of the same people is, by them
beyond the river, by the king of Assyria; see Isaiah 7:20 and one would expect the
like here; shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict them beyond the river. But which-
soever of these interpretations we prefer, the prophecy was alike fulfilled. If we
understand it of the people bordering on the Euphrates, they as well as the
Assyrians were subdued both by the Greeks and Romans. If of the posterity of Eber,
the Hebrews were afflicted, though not so much by Alexander himself, yet by his
successors the Seleucidae, and particularly by Antiochus Epiphanes, see 1
Maccabees 1 : They were worse afflicted by the Romans, who not only subdued and
oppressed them, but at last took away their place and nation, and sold and dispersed
them over the face of the earth."
"He also shall perish for ever— That is, Asshur and Eber, mentioned as one and the
same people, or rather Chittim. He also shall be punished even to perdition; shall be
destroyed, as well as Amalek; for, in the original, the words are the same concerning
both. If Asshur be meant, the Assyrian empire was destroyed, and perished long
ago. If Chittim be meant, the Grecian empire was entirely subverted by the Roman,
and the Roman in its turn was broke to pieces, some fragments of which are now
remaining. See Hyde, Rel. Pers. p. 57."
The Bishop concludes from the foregoing observations, that Balaam was a prophet
divinely inspired; or he could never have foretold so many distant events, some of
which are fulfilling in the world at this time. "And what a singular honour," says
he, "was it to the people of Israel, that a prophet called from another country, and
at the same time a wicked man, should be obliged to bear testimony to their
righteousness and holiness! The commendations of an enemy, among enemies, are
commendations indeed; and Moses did justice to himself, as well as to his country, in
recording these transactions. They are not only a material part of his history, but
are likewise a strong confirmation of the truth of this religion. Balaam's bearing
witness to Moses, is somewhat like Judas attesting the innocence of Jesus." See
145

146. Dissert. on Prophecies, vol. 1: p. 130, & seq.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:24. From the coast of Chittim — A place or people, so
called from Chittim, the son of Javan, (Genesis 10:4,) whose posterity were very
numerous, and were first seated in the lesser Asia, and from thence sent forth
colonies into the islands of the Ægean sea, and into Cyprus; afterward into
Macedonia and other parts of Greece, and then into Italy. Whence it comes to pass
that by this name is understood sometimes Macedonia, as 1 Maccabees 1:1, and 1
Maccabees 8:5; sometimes Italy, as Daniel 11:29-30; and sometimes both, as in this
place: for he speaks here of the scourge that God had appointed for the Assyrian
after he had done God’s work in punishing of his people and the bordering nations.
Shall afflict Asshur — “Asshur signifies the descendants of Asshur, the Assyrians;
but their name was of as large extent as their empire, and the Syrians and Assyrians
are often confounded together, and mentioned as one people.” Now although the
Assyrian and Chaldean empire was subdued by the Medes and Persians, yet the
chief afflictions of that people came from two hands, both beyond the sea, and
brought to them by ships; first from the Greeks, and then from the Romans. “It is so
well known as to require no particular proof that the Grecians, under Alexander,
subdued all these countries. The Romans afterward” (who subdued the whole
Grecian empire) “extended their conquests into the same regions; and, as Dion
informs us, Assyria, properly so called, was conquered by Trajan.” And shall afflict
Eber — That is, the posterity of Eber, the Hebrews, who were the flower and chief
of Eber’s children. “The Hebrews were afflicted, though not much, by Alexander
himself, yet by his successors the Seleucidæ, and particularly by Antiochus
Epiphanes, 1 Maccabees 1. They were worse afflicted by the Romans, who not only
subdued and oppressed them, but at last took away their place and nation, and sold
and dispersed them over the face of the earth.” So that, although Balaam was
commissioned chiefly to bless and prophesy good concerning Israel, yet he here at
last foretels that they should be scourged for their sins. He also shall perish for
ever — Not the Hebrews; they shall have a better end: all Israel shall be saved; but
the afflicter or scourge of Asshur and Eber; namely, the Grecian and Roman
empire. Thus Balaam, instead of cursing the church, curses Amalek, the first, and
Rome, the last enemy of it. “It appears, then,” adds the bishop, “that Balaam was a
prophet divinely inspired, or he could never have foretold so many distant events,
some of which are fulfilling in the world at this time. And what a singular honour
was it to the people of Israel, that a prophet, called from another country, and at the
same time a wicked man, should bear testimony to their righteousness and holiness!
The commendations of an enemy, among enemies, are commendations indeed. And
Moses did justice to himself as well as to his nation in recording these transactions.
They are not only a material part of his history, but likewise a strong confirmation
of the truth of his religion. Balaam’s bearing witness to Moses, is somewhat like
Judas’s attesting the innocence of Christ.” See Dissert. on Prophecies, vol.1. p. 130,
and seq.
146

147. ELLICOTT, " (24) And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim.—The Chittim
(or, Kittim) are said to have migrated from Phœnicia to Cyprus, and there founded
the city of Citium, the modern Chitti. (See Josephus, “Antiq.” i.6, 1.) The name
probably applies to the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean generally. The
rendering of the Vulgate is Venient in trieribus de Italiâ; and in Daniel 11:30, which
is obviously founded upon this verse, the Vulgate identifies the Kittim with the
Romans.
And shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber.—Some understand by Eber the
Hebrews only. The word, however, appears to be used in a wider signification, as
comprising “all the children of Eber” (Genesis 10:21). Perhaps the word Asshur
may here be used to denote the Eastern Shemites, and Eber the Western Shemites.
And he also shall perish for ever—i.e., the victorious power which was to afflict
Asshur and Eber. “The overthrow of this last power of the world,” says Keil, in loc.,
“concerning which the prophet Daniel was the first to receive and proclaim new
revelations, belongs ‘to the end of the days,’ in which the star out of Jacob is to rise
upon Israel as ‘a bright morning-star’” (Revelation 22:16). There is no evidence as
to the manner in which Balaam’s prophecies came into the hands of the Israelites. It
is possible that he may have communicated them to Moses, in the expectation of
receiving from him the reward which he had failed to obtain from Balak, or, if
captured, in the hope of thereby saving his life.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:24 And ships [shall come] from the coast of Chittim, and
shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.
Ver. 24. From the coast of Chittim.] Greece and Italy. These four great monarchs
had their times and their turns, their ruins as well as their rise.
POOLE, "Chittim; a place or people so called from Chittim the son of Javan,
Genesis 10:4, whose posterity were very numerous, and were first seated in the
Lesser Asia, and from thence sent forth colonies into the islands of the Ægean Sea,
and into Cyprus, and afterwards into Macedonia, and other parts of Greece, and
then into Italy. Whence it comes to pass that by this name is understood sometimes
Macedonia, as appears from /APC 1Ma 1:1 8:5; and sometimes Italy, as is manifest
from Daniel 11:29,30; and sometimes both, as in this place; for he speaks here of the
scourge that God hath appointed for the Assyrian after he had done God’s work in
punishing of his people and the bordering nations. Now although the Assyrian and
Chaldean empire was subdued by the Medes and Persians, yet the chief afflictions
and calamities of that people came from two hands, both beyond the sea, and
brought to them by ships, as is here expressed; first from the Grecians under
Alexander and his successors, by whom that people were grievously oppressed and
wasted; then from the Romans, who subdued all the Grecian empire, one great part
whereof were the Assyrians largely so called, and after many bloody wars made
147

148. them a colony. Eber, i.e. the posterity of Eber, Genesis 10:24, the Hebrews, who
were the chief and flower of Eber’s children, and therefore are here designed by
that general name, such general expressions being oft used concerning one
particular and the most eminent of its kind. And it pleased God to express it thus
darkly here, because though he would foretell this for the comfort and instruction of
his people in after-ages, yet he would not have Balak, nor Balaam neither,
understand or utter any thing which might seem to thwart that happy estate of
Israel, which Balaam clearly saw and openly applauded. He also; not the Hebrews,
as some understand, for his affliction was now mentioned before, and other
scriptures tell us they shall have a better end, and that all Israel shall be saved, and
therefore not perish for ever; but the afflicter or scourge of Asshur and Eber, to wit,
the Grecian and Roman empire.
PULPIT, "He looked on Amalek. This looking must have been an inward vision,
because the haunts of the Amalekites were far away (see on Genesis 36:12; Exodus
17:8; Numbers 14:25, Numbers 14:45). The first of the nations. Amalek was in no
sense a leading nation, nor was it a very ancient nation. It was indeed the very first
of the nations to attack Israel, but it is a most arbitrary treatment of the words to
understand them in that sense. The prophet Amos (Amos 6:1) uses the same
expression of the Jewish aristocracy of his day. As it was in no better position than
Amalek to claim it in any true sense, we can but suppose that in either case there is a
reference to the vainglorious vauntings of the people threatened; it would be quite in
keeping with the Bedawin character if Amalek gave himself out be "the first of
nations."
PULPIT, "Chittim. Cyprus (see on Genesis 10:4). The "isles of Chittim are
mentioned by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 2:10) and by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 27:6) in the sense
apparently of the western islands generally while in Daniel 11:30 "the ships of
Chittim, may have an even wider reference. Indeed the Targum of Palestine makes
mention of Italy here, and the Vulgate actually translates "venient in trieribus de
Italia." There is, however, no reason to suppose that Balaam knew or spoke of
anything further than Cyprus. It was "from the side of" ( ‫ַד‬‫יּ‬ ִ‫מ‬ ) Cyprus that the
ships of his vision came down upon the Phoenician coasts, wherever their original
starting-point may have been. Shall afflict, or, "shall bring low." The same word is
used of the oppression of Israel in Egypt (Genesis 15:13). Eber. The Septuagint has
here ‘ εβραίους, and is followed by the Peschito and the Vulgate. It is not likely,
however, that Balaam would have substituted "Eber" for the "Jacob" and "Israel"
which he had previously used. The Targum of Onkelos paraphrases "Eber" by
"beyond the Euphrates," and that of Palestine has "all the sons of Eber." From
Gem Daniel 10:21 it would appear that "the children of Eber" were the same as the
Shemites; Asshur, therefore, was himself included in Eber, but is separately
mentioned on account of his fame and power. And he also shall perish forever. The
subject of this prophecy is left in obscurity. It is difficult on grammatical grounds to
refer it to Asshur, and it does not seem appropriate to "Eber." It may mean that the
148

149. unnamed conquering race which should overthrow the Asian monarchies should
itself come to an end for evermore; or it may be that Balaam added these words
while he beheld with dismay the coming destruction of his own Shemitic race, and
their final subjugation by more warlike powers. It must be remembered that the
Greek empire, although overthrown, did not by any means "perish for ever" in the
same sense as the previous empires of the East.
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and
Balak went his own way.
BARNES, "
CLARKE, "
GILL, "
HENRY, "
JAMISON, "
K&D, "At the close of this announcement Balaam and Balak departed
from one another. “Balaam rose up, and went and turned towards his
place” (i.e., set out on the way to his house); “and king Balak also went his
way.” ‫מ‬ֹ‫ק‬ ְ‫מ‬ ִ‫ל‬ ‫ב‬ ָ‫ָשׁ‬‫י‬ does not mean, “he returned to his place,” into his home
beyond the Euphrates (equivalent to ‫מ‬ֹ‫ק‬ ְ‫ל־מ‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ב‬ ָ‫ָשׁ‬‫י‬), but merely “he turned
towards his place” (both here and in Gen_18:33). That he really returned
home, is not implied in the words themselves; and the question, whether he
did so, must be determined from other circumstances. In the further course
of the history, we learn that Balaam went to the Midianites, and advised
them to seduce the Israelites to unfaithfulness to Jehovah, by tempting
them to join in the worship of Peor (Num_31:16). He was still with them at
the time when the Israelites engaged in the war of vengeance against that
people, and was slain by the Israelites along with the five princes of Midian
(Num_31:8; Jos_13:22). At the time when he fell into the hands of the
Israelites, he no doubt made a full communication to the Israelitish general,
or to Phinehas, who accompanied the army as priest, concerning his
blessings and prophecies, probably in the hope of saving his life; though he
failed to accomplish his end.
(Note: It is possible, however, as Hengstenberg imagines, that after
Balaam's departure from Balak, he took his way into the camp of the
Israelites, and there made known his prophecies to Moses or to the
elders of Israel, in the hope of obtaining from them the reward which
Balak had withheld, and that it was not till after his failure to obtain full
satisfaction to his ambition and covetousness here, that he went to the
149

150. Midianites, to avenge himself upon the Israelites, by the proposals that
he made to them. The objections made by Kurtz to this conjecture are
not strong enough to prove that it is inadmissible, though the possibility
of the thing does not involve either its probability or its certainty.)
COKE, "Numbers 24:25. And Balaam—returned to his place— i.e. say some, he set
forward for Mesopotamia, after having given the prince that detestable counsel, the
issue of which we shall see in the next chapter; but being detained in the country of
Midian, he perished, as we read in the 31st chapter. Others think that he returned
again from Mesopotamia to Midian; but nothing is more uncertain than this
inquiry. It will be of more importance to consider, before we leave the subject, first
how Moses obtained this remarkable piece of history; and, secondly, why God chose
to employ so wicked a Prayer of Manasseh 1:1. How came Moses to the knowledge
of these transactions? "I answer," says Dr. Jortin, "that as there is no such
intimation given, so there is no reason to imagine, that he had his knowledge by
revelation: he had it then by information, which he might easily obtain concerning
an event, in his own time, and in the neighbourhood. Balaam himself must have
related to the Moabites, what befel them on his journey; and when the spirit of the
Lord was upon him, and he delivered his prophesies concerning the people of Israel
and other nations, the Moabites who stood by took down his discourses; or he
himself might afterwards commit them to writing, and so they came into the hands
of Moses." Jortin's Dissert. 5: But, though this will very well account for the matter;
why may we not also conceive, that the same power, which inspired Balaam
involuntarily to deliver these prophesies, revealed them also to Moses, whom we
must allow to have been inspired for the writing of these sacred books?—But, 2.
Why did God employ a man of so infamous a character?—Most probably, because
one of a better would not have answered the end proposed; and such a one's
blessing Israel, instead of cursing them, might have been looked upon as the effect of
his zeal for that favourite nation of providence, and his hatred for those idolatrous
notions and rites of the Moabites and Midianites. Whereas a person of Balaam's
unbounded ambition and avarice, and addicted also to the reigning sorceries and
inchantments of those times, being forced, against his own inclination and interest,
to bless those whom Balak would have bribed him at any rate to curse, could not but
convince them, as well as all the rest of his behaviour on this occasion did, that he
was driven to it by a superior, or rather an irresistible power; as, on the other hand,
had he been less than a real prophet, or had he been, as many learned men have
supposed him, only a mere conjurer or enchanter, all that he uttered in favour of the
Israelitish people might have been imputed either to his want of skill, to a sudden
inward fear of bringing some heavy resentment from them upon his head, or to any
other cause, rather than to such a divine and irresistible impulse. See Psalmanazar's
Essays. It seems less strange, that God should employ such a man as Balaam, than
that Balak should trust so little to his own gods at home, as to send so far as
Mesopotamia for a prophet. Certainly Balaam's reputation must have run very
high, or there must have been some very peculiar reason for that uncommon method
150

151. of proceeding. Perhaps they imagined, that the gods of their own country were not
able to defend them against the God of Israel, having so lately seen what the
Israelites had done to the Amorites their neighbours; or they might fancy that
Balaam had an interest with all kinds of gods, and might engage them all to come in
to their assistance. Or rather, I incline to think, says Dr. Waterland, that they knew
Balaam to be a prophet of the same God whom the Israelites worshipped, and that,
therefore, by his means, they hoped to draw off the God of Israel, whom they were
so much afraid of, from assisting the Israelites, and to incline him to favour the
Moabites and those who were joined with them.
Our notes on these chapters have been extended to so great a length, that we cannot
subjoin, as we proposed, any practical reflections, The reader will find many such
either in Bp. Butler's or Dr. Waterland's Sermons on the subject, or in Dr. Jortin's
Diss. 5: to which we refer; concluding with Mr. Saurin,—"Happy is the man whose
mind is enlightened by God! but more happy the man whose heart God purifies, and
whom he inspires with sentiments of piety; without which the most sublime
knowledge will only aggravate the miseries of those who have been so enlightened."
Incline my heart, O Lord! unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
BENSON, "Numbers 24:25. Balaam went to his place — To Mesopotamia; though
afterward he returned to the Midianites, and gave them that wicked counsel which
was put in practice, chap. 25. And it appears, from Numbers 31:8, that he was slain
among the Midianites.
TRAPP, "Numbers 24:25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place:
and Balak also went his way.
Ver. 25. Returned to his place.] Homewards he went, but stayed amongst the
Midianites, and soon after came back to them, to receive money of them, saith
Chazkuni, when he heard say of the plague which had been in Israel by his counsel:
but as Shimei sought his servants, and lost his life, so Balaam.
POOLE, " To his place, i.e. to Mesopotamia.
Object: He went only to Midian, where he was slain, Numbers 31:8.
Answ. 1. He is said to return home, because he intended and began to do so, though
he was diverted by the Midianites; for men in Scripture are oft said to do what they
design or attempt to do, as Exodus 8:18 Numbers 14:40.
Answ. 2. He did go home first, though afterwards he returned to the Midianites,
either because they sent for him, or to recover his lost credit, and to do that by
policy which he could not do by charms, to which purpose he gave them that
151

152. devilish counsel which was put in practice, Num 25, and that by his advice, Numbers
31:16 Revelation 2:14.
WHEDON, "25. Balaam… returned to his place — Not to Mesopotamia. Literally,
he turned toward his own place. This he never reached. Having privately advised
Balak to ensnare Israel into idolatry and its vices by the blandishments of the
women of Moab and Amalek, (Numbers 31:16,) he lingered in the vicinity to see the
result of his wicked counsel, and was slain in battle when Jehovah, avenging the
Israelites, ordered them to war against Midian. Numbers 31:8. Hengstenberg
suggests that Balaam, smarting under the indignity of his summary dismissal by
Balak, went into the camp of Israel, rehearsed to Moses his prophecies in hope of a
reward, was coolly treated, and, goaded on by disappointed ambition and
covetousness, went to the Midianites, and counselled the seduction of Israel to
whoredom and idolatry.
PETT, "Verse 25
‘And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his
way.’
The affair of Balaam was now concluded. Israel remained blessed and Balak went
one way and Balaam another, with the latter ‘returning to his place’. However to his
cost he would return to give assistance to the Midianites and would die for his pains
(Numbers 31:8).
As we have sought to draw out in the narrative this Balaam cycle contains many
lessons. It reveals that God is above the occult and that such cannot hurt His people.
It reveals Him as uniquely unlike the so-called ‘gods’ of the nations. Through the
mouth of Balaam it provides us with prophetic announcements about God’s
purposes. It reveals that there is no limit to what God can do. And to the Israelites it
would be a spur, giving a new incentive to enter the land knowing that they need
fear neither god nor man. To us it is another reminder of the coming of the Messiah
prophesied long before.
PULPIT, "And returned to his place. ‫וֹ‬ ֹ‫ק‬ ְ‫מ‬ִ‫ל‬ ‫ב‬ֹ‫ָשׁ‬‫י‬. It is doubtful whether this
expression, which is used in Genesis 18:33 and in other places, implies that Balaam
returned to his home on the Euphrates. If he did he must have retraced his steps
almost immediately, because he was slain among the Midianites shortly after
(Genesis 31:8). The phrase, however, may merely mean that he set off homewards,
and is not inconsistent with the supposition that he went no further on his way than
the headquarters of the Midianites. It is not difficult to understand the infatuation
which would keep him within reach of a people so strange and terrible.
152

153. NOTE ON THE PROPHECIES OF BALAAM
That the prophecies of Balaam have a Messianic character, and are only to be fully
understood in a Christian sense, seems to lie upon the face of them. The Targums of
Onkelos and Palestine make mention of King Meshiba here, and the great mass of
Christian interpretation has uniformly followed in the track of Jewish tradition. It
is of course possible to get rid of the prophetic element altogether by assuming that
the utterances of Balaam were either composed or largely interpolated after the
events to which they seem to refer. It would be necessary in this case to bring their
real date down to the period of the Macedonian conquests, and much later still if the
Greek empire also was to "perish for ever." The difficulty and arbitrary character
of such an assumption becomes the more evident the more it is considered; nor does
it seem consistent with the form into which the predictions are cast. A patriotic Jew
looking back from the days of Alexander or his successors would not call the great
Eastern power by the name of Asshur, because two subsequent empires had arisen
in the place of Assyria proper. But that Balaam, looking forward down the dim vista
of the future, should see Asshur, and only Asshur, is in perfect keeping with what
we know of prophetic perspective,—the further off the events descried by inward
vision, the more extreme the foreshortening,—according to which law it is well
known that the first and second advents of Christ are inextricably blended in almost
every case.
If we accept the prophecies as genuine, it is, again, only possible to reject the
Messianic element by assuming that no Jewish prophecy overleaps the narrow limits
of Jewish history. The mysterious Being whom Balaam descries in the undated
future, who is the King of Israel, and whom he identifies with the Shiloh of Jacob's
dying prophecy, and who is to bring to nought all nations of the world, cannot be
David, although David may anticipate him in many ways; still less, as the reference
to Agag, Amalek, and the Kenites might for a moment incline us to believe, can it be
Saul. At the same time, while the Messianic element in the prophecy cannot
reasonably be ignored, it is obvious that it does not by any means exist by itself; it is
so mixed up with what is purely local and temporal in the relations between Israel
and the petty tribes which surrounded and envied him, that it is impossible to isolate
it or to exhibit it in any clear and definite form. The Messiah indeed appears, as it
were, upon the stage in a mysterious and remote grandeur; but he appears with a
slaughter weapon in his hand, crushing such enemies of Israel as were then and
there formidable, and exterminating the very fugitives from the overthrow. Even
where the vision loses for once its local colouring in one way, so that the King of
Israel deals with all the sons of men, yet it retains it in another, for he deals with
them in wrath and destruction, not in love and blessing. There is here so little akin
to the true ideal, that we are readily tempted to say that Christ is not here at all, but
only Saul or David, or the Jewish monarchy personified in the ruthlessness of its
consolidated power. But if we know anything of the genius of prophecy, it is exactly
this, that the future and the grand and the heavenly is seen through a medium of the
present and the paltry and the earthly. The Messianic element almost always occurs
in connection with some crisis in the outward history of the chosen people; it is
153

154. inextricably mixed up with what is purely local in interest, and often with what is
distinctly imperfect in morality. To the Jew—and to Balaam also, however
unwillingly, as the servant of Jehovah—the cause of Israel was the cause of God; he
could not discern between them. "Our country, right or wrong," was an impossible
sentiment to him, because he could not conceive of his country being wrong; he
knew nothing of moral victories, or the triumphs of defeat or of suffering; he could
not think of God's kingdom as asserting itself in any other way than in the
overthrow, or (better still) the annihilation, of Moab, Edom, Assyria, Babylon,
Rome, the whole world which was not Israel. The sufferings of the vanquished, the
horrors of sacked cities, the agonies of desolated homes, were nothing to him;
nothing, unless it were joy—joy that the kingdom of God should be exalted in the
earth, joy that the reign of wickedness should be broken.
All these feelings belonged to a most imperfect morality and we rightly look upon
them with horror, because we have (albeit as yet very imperfectly) conformed our
sentiments to a higher standard. But it was the very condition of the old
dispensation that God adopted the then moral code, such as it was, and hallowed it
with religious sanctions, and gave it a strong direction God-ward, and so educated
his own for something higher. Hence it is wholly natural and consistent to find this
early vision of the Messiah, the heaven-sent King of Israel, introduced in connection
with the fall of the petty pastoral state of Moab. To Balaam, standing where he did
in time and place, and all the more because his personal desires went with Moab as
against Israel, Moab stood forth as the representative kingdom of darkness, Israel
as the kingdom of light, Through that strong, definite, narrow, and essentially
imperfect, but not untrue, conviction of his he saw the Messiah, and he saw him
crushing Moab first, and then trampling down all the rest of a hostile world. That
no one would have been more utterly astonished if he had beheld the Messiah as he
was, is certain; but that is not at all inconsistent with the belief that he really
prophesied concerning him. That he should put all enemies under his feet was what
Balaam truly saw; but he saw it and gave utterance to it according to the ideas and
imagery of which his mind was full. God ever reveals the supernatural through the
natural, the heavenly through the earthly, the future through the present.
It remains to consider briefly the temporal fulfillments of Balaam's prophecies.
Moab was not apparently seriously attacked until the time of David, when it was
vanquished, and a great part of the inhabitants slaughtered (2 Samuel 8:2). In the
division of the kingdom it fell to the share of Israel, with the other lands beyond
Jordan, but the vicissitudes of the northern monarchy gave it opportunities to rebel,
of which it successfully availed itself after the death of Ahab (2 Kings 1:1). Only in
the time of John Hyrcanus was it finally subdued, and ceased to have an
independent existence.
Edom was also conquered for the first time by David, and the people as far as
possible exterminated (1 Kings 11:15, 1 Kings 11:16). Nevertheless, it was able to
shake off the yoke under Joram (2 Kings 8:20), and, although defeated, was never
again subdued (see on Genesis 27:40). The prophecies against Edom were indeed
154

155. taken up again and again by the prophets (e.g; Obadiah), but we must hold that
they were never adequately fulfilled, unless we look for a spiritual realization not in
wrath, but in mercy. The later Jews themselves came to regard "Edom" as a
Scriptural synonym for all who hated and oppressed them.
Amalek was very thoroughly overthrown by Saul, acting under the directions of
Samuel (1 Samuel 15:7, 1 Samuel 15:8), and never appears to have regained any
national existence. Certain bands of Amalekites were smitten by David, and others
at a later period in the reign of Hezekiah by the men of Simeon (1 Chronicles
4:39-43).
The prophecy concerning the Kenites presents, as noted above, great difficulty,
because it is impossible to know certainly whether the older Kenites of Genesis or
the later Kenites of 1 Samuel are intended. In either case, however, it must be
acknowledged that sacred history throws no light whatever on the fulfillment of the
prophecy; we know nothing at all as to the fate of this small clan. No doubt it
ultimately shared the lot of all the inhabitants of Palestine, with the exception of
Judah and Jerusalem, and was transplanted by one of the Assyrian generals to some
far-off spot, where its very existence as a separate people was lost.
The "ships from the side of Cyprus" clearly enough represent in the vision of
Balaam invaders from over the western seas, as opposed to previous conquerors
from over the eastern deserts and mountains. That the invasion of Alexander the
Great was not actually made by the way of Cyprus is nothing to the point. It was
never any part of spiritual illumination to extend geographical knowledge. To
Balaam's mind the only open way from the remote and unknown western lands was
the waterway by the sides of Cyprus, and accordingly he saw the hostile fleets
gliding down beneath the lee of those sheltering coasts towards the harbours of
Phoenicia. Doubtless the ships which Balaam saw were rigged as ships were rigged
in Balaam's time, and not as in the time of Alexander. But the rigging, like the route,
belonged to the local and personal medium through which the prophecy came, not
to the prophecy itself. As a fact it remains true that a maritime power from the
West, whose home was beyond Cyprus, did overwhelm the older power which stood
in the place and inherited the empire of Assyria. Whether the subsequent ruin of
this maritime power also is part of the prophecy must remain doubtful.
155