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Text -- Numbers 24:1-16 (NET)
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Context
Balaam Prophesies Yet Again
24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel , he did not go as at the other times to seek for omens , but he set his face toward the wilderness .
24:2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes , he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe ; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
24:3 Then he uttered this oracle : “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor ; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open ;
24:4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God , who sees a vision from the Almighty , although falling flat on the ground with eyes open :
24:5 ‘How beautiful are your tents , O Jacob , and your dwelling places , O Israel !
24:6 They are like valleys stretched forth , like gardens by the river’s side , like aloes that the Lord has planted , and like cedar trees beside the waters .
24:7 He will pour the water out of his buckets , and their descendants will be like abundant water ; their king will be greater than Agag , and their kingdom will be exalted .
24:8 God brought them out of Egypt . They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull ; they will devour hostile people and will break their bones and will pierce them through with arrows .
24:9 They crouch and lie down like a lion , and as a lioness , who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!’”
24:10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam , and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam , “I called you to curse my enemies , and look , you have done nothing but bless them these three times !
24:11 So now , go back where you came from ! I said that I would greatly honor you; but now the Lord has stood in the way of your honor .”
24:12 Balaam said to Balak , “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me,
24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold , I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will , but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak ’?
24:14 And now , I am about to go back to my own people . Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in the future .”
Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time
24:15 Then he uttered this oracle : “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor ; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open ;
24:16 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 :
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Num 24:1; Num 24:1; Num 24:1; Num 24:1; Num 24:1; Num 24:2; Num 24:3; Num 24:3; Num 24:3; Num 24:4; Num 24:4; Num 24:5; Num 24:6; Num 24:6; Num 24:6; Num 24:7; Num 24:7; Num 24:7; Num 24:7; Num 24:8; Num 24:9; Num 24:10; Num 24:10; Num 24:11; Num 24:13; Num 24:13; Num 24:13; Num 24:14; Num 24:14; Num 24:15
NET Notes: Num 24:1 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 pres...
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NET Notes: Num 24:3 The Greek version reads “the one who sees truly.” The word has been interpreted in both ways, “shut” or “open.”
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NET Notes: Num 24:4 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 re...
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NET Notes: Num 24:6 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 th...
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NET Notes: Num 24:7 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 n...
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NET Notes: Num 24:10 The construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the perfect tense for “bless.”
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NET Notes: Num 24:14 Heb “in the latter days.” For more on this expression, see E. Lipinski, “באחרית הי...
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