20:27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight 4 of the whole community.
“The oracle 6 of Balaam son of Beor;
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; 7
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 8 with eyes open: 9
24:15 Then he uttered this oracle: 10
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor;
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;
1 tn Heb “our souls.”
2 sn The Hebrews were complaining both about the bland taste of the manna and dehydration – they were parched in the wilderness.
3 tn Heb “before our eyes,” meaning that “we see nothing except this manna.”
4 tn Heb “eyes.”
7 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
8 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) 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.
9 tn The Greek version reads “the one who sees truly.” The word has been interpreted in both ways, “shut” or “open.”
10 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.
11 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.
13 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
16 tn This could be translated “position him,” or “have him stand,” since it is the causative stem of the verb “to stand.”
17 tn The verb is the Piel perfect of צִוָּה (tsivvah, literally “to command”). The verb has a wide range of meanings, and so here in this context the idea of instructing gives way to a more general sense of commissioning for duty. The verb in sequence is equal to the imperfect of instruction.
18 tn Heb “in their eyes.”