“The oracle 2 of Balaam son of Beor;
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; 3
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 4 with eyes open: 5
24:5 ‘How 6 beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel!
1 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
2 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.
3 tn The Greek version reads “the one who sees truly.” The word has been interpreted in both ways, “shut” or “open.”
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.
5 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.
7 tn Here מָה (mah) has an exclamatory sense: “How!” (see Gen 28:17).