Numbers 24
New English Translation
Balaam Prophesies Yet Again
24 [a] When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,[b] he did not go as at the other times[c] to seek for omens,[d] but he set his face[e] toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe;[f] and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he uttered this oracle:[g]
“The oracle[h] of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open,[i]
4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground[j] with eyes open:[k]
5 ‘How[l] beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel!
6 They are like[m] valleys[n] stretched forth,
like gardens by the river’s side,
like aloes[o] that the Lord has planted,
and like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He will pour the water out of his buckets,[p]
and their descendants will be like abundant[q] water;[r]
their king will be greater than Agag,[s]
and their kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought them out of Egypt.
They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull;
they will devour hostile people,[t]
and will break their bones,
and will pierce them through with arrows.
9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,
and as a lioness,[u] who can stir him?
Blessed is the one who blesses you,
and cursed is the one who curses you!’”
10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together.[v] Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless[w] them these three times! 11 So now, go back where you came from![x] I said that I would greatly honor you, but now the Lord has stood in the way of your honor.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond[y] the commandment[z] of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will,[aa] but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’? 14 And now, I am about to go[ab] back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in future days.”[ac]
Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time
15 Then he uttered this oracle:[ad]
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open,
16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
17 ‘I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not close at hand.[ae]
A star[af] will march forth[ag] out of Jacob,
and a scepter[ah] will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the skulls[ai] of Moab,
and the heads[aj] of all the sons of Sheth.[ak]
18 Edom will be a possession,
Seir,[al] his enemy, will also be a possession;
but Israel will act valiantly.
19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;
he will destroy the remains of the city.’”[am]
Balaam’s Final Prophecies
20 Then Balaam[an] looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle:[ao]
“Amalek was the first[ap] of the nations,
but his end will be that he will perish.”
21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:
“Your dwelling place seems strong,
and your nest[aq] is set on a rocky cliff.
22 Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed.[ar]
How long will Asshur take you away captive?”
23 Then he uttered this oracle:
“O, who will survive when God does this![as]
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim,[at]
and will afflict Asshur,[au] and will afflict Eber,
and he will also perish forever.”[av]
25 Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home,[aw] and Balak also went his way.
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:1 sn For a thorough study of the arrangement of this passage, see E. B. Smick, “A Study of the Structure of the Third Balaam Oracle,” The Law and the Prophets, 242-52. He sees the oracle as having an introductory strophe (vv. 3, 4), followed by two stanzas (vv. 5, 6) that introduce the body (vv. 7b-9b) before the final benediction (v. 9b).
- Numbers 24:1 tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of the Lord.”
- Numbers 24:1 tn Heb “as time after time.”
- Numbers 24:1 tn The word נְחָשִׁים (nekhashim) means “omens,” or possibly “auguries.” Balaam is not even making a pretense now of looking for such things, because they are not going to work. God has overruled them.
- Numbers 24:1 tn The idiom signifies that he had a determination and resolution to look out over where the Israelites were, so that he could appreciate more their presence and use that as the basis for his expressing of the oracle.
- Numbers 24:2 tn Heb “living according to their tribes.”
- Numbers 24:3 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
- Numbers 24:3 tn The word נְאֻם (neʾum) is an “oracle.” It is usually followed by a subjective genitive, indicating the doer of the action. The word could be rendered “says,” but this translations is more specific.
- Numbers 24:3 tn The Greek version reads “the one who sees truly.” The word has been interpreted in both ways, “shut” or “open.”
- Numbers 24:4 tn The phrase “flat on the ground” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The Greek version interprets the line to mean “falling asleep.” It may mean falling into a trance.
- Numbers 24:4 tn The last colon simply has “falling, but opened eyes.” The falling may simply refer to lying prone; and the opened eyes may refer to his receiving a vision. See H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, 37-41.
- Numbers 24:5 tn Here מָה (mah) has an exclamatory sense: “How!” (see Gen 28:17).
- Numbers 24:6 tn Heb “as valleys they spread forth.”
- Numbers 24:6 tn Or “rows of palms.”
- Numbers 24:6 sn The language seems to be more poetic than precise. N. H. Snaith notes that cedars do not grow beside water; he also connects “aloes” to the eaglewood that is more exotic, and capable of giving off an aroma (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 298).
- Numbers 24:7 tc For this colon the LXX has “a man shall come out of his seed.” Cf. the Syriac Peshitta and Targum.
- Numbers 24:7 tn Heb “many.”
- Numbers 24:7 sn These two lines are difficult, but the general sense is that of irrigation buckets and a well-watered land. The point is that Israel will be prosperous and fruitful.
- Numbers 24:7 sn Many commentators see this as a reference to Agag of 1 Sam 15:32-33, the Amalekite king slain by Samuel, for that is the one we know. But that is by no means clear, for this text does not identify this Agag. If it is that king, then this poem, or this line in this poem, would have to be later, unless one were to try to argue for a specific prophecy. Whoever this Agag is, he is a symbol of power.
- Numbers 24:8 tn Heb “they will devour nations,” their adversaries.
- Numbers 24:9 tn On the usage of this word see HALOT 517 s.v. לָבִיא.
- Numbers 24:10 sn This is apparently a sign of contempt or derision (see Job 27:23; and Lam 2:15).
- Numbers 24:10 tn The construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the perfect tense for “bless.”
- Numbers 24:11 tn Heb “flee to your place.”
- Numbers 24:13 tn Heb “I am not able to go beyond.”
- Numbers 24:13 tn Heb “mouth.”
- Numbers 24:13 tn Heb “from my heart.”
- Numbers 24:14 tn The construction is the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) suffixed followed by the active participle. This is the futur instans use of the participle, to express something that is about to happen: “I am about to go.”
- Numbers 24:14 tn For “in future days,” see the note at Gen 49:1. For more on this expression, see E. Lipiński, “באחרית הימים dans les textes préexiliques,” VT 20 (1970): 445-50.
- Numbers 24:15 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
- Numbers 24:17 tn Heb “near.”
- Numbers 24:17 sn This is a figure for a king (see also Isa 14:12) not only in the Bible but in the ancient Near Eastern literature as a whole. The immediate reference of the prophecy seems to be to David, but the eschatological theme goes beyond him. There is to be a connection made between this passage and the sighting of a star in its ascendancy by the magi, who then traveled to Bethlehem to see the one born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2). The expression “son of a star” (Aram Bar Kochba) became a title for a later claimant to kingship, but he was doomed by the Romans in a.d. 135.
- Numbers 24:17 tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is equal to the imperfect expressing the future. The verb דָּרַךְ (darakh), related to the noun “way, road,” seems to mean something like “tread on, walk, march.”
- Numbers 24:17 sn The “scepter” is metonymical for a king who will rise to power. NEB strangely rendered this as “comet” to make a parallel with “star.”
- Numbers 24:17 tn The word is literally “corners,” but may refer to the corners of the head, and so “skull.”
- Numbers 24:17 tc The MT reads “shatter, devastate.” Smr reads קֹדְקֹד (qodqod, “head; crown; pate”). Smr follows Jer 48:45 which appears to reflect Num 24:17.
- Numbers 24:17 sn The prophecy begins to be fulfilled when David defeated Moab and Edom and established an empire including them. But the Messianic promise extends far beyond that to the end of the age and the inclusion of these defeated people in the program of the coming King.
- Numbers 24:18 sn Seir is the chief mountain range of Edom (Deut 33:2), and so the reference here is to the general area of Edom.
- Numbers 24:19 tn Or, understanding the Hebrew word for “city” as a place name, “of Ir” (cf. NRSV, NLT).
- Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his oracle and said.” So also in vv. 21, 23.
- Numbers 24:20 sn This probably means that it held first place, or it thought that it was “the first of the nations.” It was not the first, either in order or greatness.
- Numbers 24:21 sn A pun is made on the name Kenite by using the word “your nest” (קִנֶּךָ, qinnekha); the location may be the rocky cliffs overlooking Petra.
- Numbers 24:22 tc Heb “Nevertheless Cain will be wasted; how long will Asshur take you captive?” Cain was believed to be the ancestor of the Kenites. The NAB has “yet destined for burning, even as I watch, are your inhabitants.” Asshur may refer to a north Arabian group of people of Abrahamic stock (Gen 25:3), and not the Assyrian empire.
- Numbers 24:23 tc Because there is no parallel line, some have thought that it dropped out (see de Vaulx, Les Nombres, 296).
- Numbers 24:24 tc The MT is difficult. The Kittim refers normally to Cyprus, or any maritime people to the west. W. F. Albright proposed emending the line to “islands will gather in the north, ships from the distant sea” (“The Oracles of Balaam,” JBL 63 [1944]: 222-23). Some commentators accept that reading as the original state of the text, since the present MT makes little sense.
- Numbers 24:24 tn Or perhaps “Assyria” (so NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
- Numbers 24:24 tn Or “it will end in utter destruction.”
- Numbers 24:25 tn Heb “place.”
Numbers 24
Expanded Bible
24 Balaam saw that ·the Lord wanted [L it was good in the eyes/sight of the Lord] to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any ·magic [divination] but looked toward the ·desert [wilderness]. 2 When Balaam ·saw [L lifted his eyes and saw] the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God ·took control of [L was on] him, 3 and he gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“This is the ·message [utterance] of Balaam son of Beor,
the ·message [utterance] of a man ·who sees clearly [L whose eye is open];
4 this is the ·message [utterance] of a man who hears the words of God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 ·Your tents are beautiful [L How beautiful/fair are your tents], people of Jacob!
·So are your homes [L Your dwellings], Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like ·valleys [wadis],
like gardens beside a river.
They are like ·spices [L aloes] planted by the Lord,
like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always ·be full [or flow],
and their ·crops [L seed] will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag [C perhaps a dynastic name of the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8–13); 1 Sam. 15:7–9, 32–33];
their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are ·as strong as [L like the horns of] a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies
and break their enemies’ bones;
they will ·shoot [L strike] them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack;
like a lioness, ·no one would be brave enough to wake [L who will rouse…?] them.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed,
and anyone who curses you will be cursed [Gen. 12:3].”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he ·pounded his fist [or struck his hands together]. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. 11 Now go home! I said I would ·pay you well [make you wealthy], but the Lord has ·made you lose [denied you] your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, ·I told [L did I not tell…?] them, 13 ‘Balak could give me his ·palace [L house] filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot ·go against [transgress] the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people, but I will ·tell [L advise] you what these people will do to your people in the ·future [L later days].”
Balaam’s Final Message
15 Then Balaam gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“This is the ·message [utterance] of Balaam son of Beor,
the ·message [utterance] of a man ·who sees clearly [L whose eye is open];
16 this is the ·message [utterance] of a man who hears the words of God.
I know well the Most High God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone ·who will come someday [L but not now],
·someone who will come, but not soon [L I see him, but not near].
A star will come from Jacob;
a ·ruler [L scepter] will rise from Israel [C Saul, then David and his descendants, including the Messiah].
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth [C identity uncertain].
18 Edom will be conquered;
his enemy Edom will be conquered,
but Israel will grow ·wealthy [or valiant].
19 A ruler will come from the descendants of Jacob
and will destroy those left in the city.”
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:
“Amalek was the most important nation,
but Amalek will be destroyed at last [C the book of Esther tells the story of the final destruction of Amalek; Haman is a descendant of Agag; 24:7].”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“Your home is ·safe [enduring],
like a nest on a ·cliff [rock].
22 But you Kenites will be burned up;
·Assyria will [L How long will Assyria…?] keep you captive.”
23 Then Balaam gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“·No one [L Who…?] can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of ·Cyprus [Kittim]
and ·defeat [afflict] Assyria and Eber,
but they will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
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