Numbers 6:25

6:25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you; ¹ 

Numbers 16:4

16:4 When Moses heard it he fell down with his face to the ground. ² 

Numbers 6:26

6:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you ³ 

and give you peace.”’

Numbers 24:1

Balaam Prophesies Yet Again

24:1 ⁴ When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, ⁵  he did not go as at the other times ⁶  to seek for omens, ⁷  but he set his face ⁸  toward the wilderness.

[6:25]  ¹ tn Whereas the first line of the blessing had three Hebrew words, the second has five, and the third has seven. In this second line and the following third, the blessing takes the form of an emblem followed by the truth. For the Lord to make his face shine on them would mean to be gracious to them. M. Noth rightly calls this image of the shining face “a figure of speech for benevolence and favour” (Numbers [OTL], 59); see, for example, Pss 4:7; 31:17; 44:4; 67:2; 80:4, 8, 20; 119:135; Dan 9:17). The image may have its inspiration in the theophanies. The picture is of divine favor – the beaming face of a parent for his beloved.

[16:4]  ² tn Heb “fell on his face.”

[6:26]  ³ tn The last line of the blessing also has first the image and then the parallel interpretation – for God to lift up his face is for God to give peace. The idea of the fallen face is one of anger (see Gen 4:6,7); and the idea of the hidden face is that of withholding support, favor, or peace (see Deut 31:18; Ps 30:8; Ps 44:25). If God lifts his face toward his people, it means he has given them peace – peace, prosperity, completeness, health, safety, general well-being, and the like.

[24:1]  ⁴ 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).

[24:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of the Lord.”

[24:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “as time after time.”

[24:1]  ⁷ 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.

[24:1]  ⁸ 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.