Numbers 24:15-16

Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time

24:15 Then he uttered this oracle: ¹ 

“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:

Numbers 24:1

Balaam Prophesies Yet Again

24:1 ² When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, ³  he did not go as at the other times ⁴  to seek for omens, ⁵  but he set his face ⁶  toward the wilderness.

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁷  in the saints’ ⁸  inheritance in the light.

Philippians 1:15

1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

Philippians 1:2

1:2 Grace and peace to you ⁹  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 2:15-19

2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world ¹⁰  2:16 by holding on to ¹¹  the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain. 2:17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you. 2:18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.

Models for Ministry

2:19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.

¹ tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”

² 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).

³ tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of the Lord.”

⁴ tn Heb “as time after time.”

⁵ tn The word נְחָשִׁים (nÿkhashim) 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.

⁶ 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.

⁷ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

⁸ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

⁹ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

¹⁰ tn Or “as stars in the universe.”

¹¹ tn Or “holding out, holding forth.”