Bible Commentaries
Numbers 24

Verse 1

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

At other times — In former times.

Toward the wilderness — Where Israel lay encamped, expecting what God of his own accord would suggest to him concerning this matter.

Verse 2

And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

Came upon him — Inspired him to speak the following words.

Verse 3

And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

Whose eyes are open — Heb. Who had his eyes shut, but now open. The eyes of his mind, which God had opened in a peculiar and prophetical manner, whence prophets are called Seers, 1 Samuel 9:9. It implies that before he was blind and stupid, having eyes, but not seeing nor understanding.

Verse 4

He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

The vision — So called properly, because he was awake when this was revealed to him: A trance - Or, extasy, fainting and falling upon the ground, as the prophets used to do.

Verse 6

As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.

As the valleys — Which often from a small beginning are spread forth far and wide.

As gardens — Pleasant and fruitful and secured by a fence.

As lign-aloes — An Arabian and Indian tree of a sweet smell, yielding shade and shelter both to man and beast; such is Israel, not only safe themselves, but yielding shelter to all that join themselves to them.

Which the Lord hath planted — Nature, not art.

Verse 7

He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

He shall pour the water — That is. God will abundantly water the valleys, gardens, and trees, which represent the Israelites; he will wonderfully bless his people, not only with outward blessings, of which a chief one in those parts was plenty of water, but also with higher gifts and graces, with his word and spirit, which are often signified by water, and at last with eternal life, the contemplation whereof made Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous.

His seed shall be in many waters — This also may be literally understood of their seed, which shall be sown in waterish ground, and therefore bring forth a better increase.

His King — That is, the King of Israel, or their chief governor.

Than Agag — Than the King of the Amalekites, which King and people were famous and potent in that age, as may be guessed by their bold attempt upon so numerous a people as Israel. And it is probable, that Agag was the common name of the Amalekitish Kings, as Abimelech was of the Philistines, and Pharaoh of the Egyptians, and Caesar of the Romans.

Verse 9

He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

He lay down — Having conquered his enemies the Canaanites, and their land, he shall quietly rest and settle himself there.

Verse 11

Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

The Lord — Whose commands thou hast preferred before my desires and interest; and therefore seek thy recompence from him, and not from me.

Verse 17

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

I shall see him — Or, I have seen, or do see the star, and sceptre as it here follows, that is, a great and eminent prince, which was to come out of Israel’s loins, the Messiah, as both Jewish and Christian interpreters expound it, who most eminently and fully performed what is here said, in destroying the enemies of Israel or of God’s church, here described under the names of the nearest and fiercest enemies of Israel: And to him alone agrees the foregoing verb properly, I shall see him, in my own person, as every eye shall see him, when he comes to judgment.

Not now — Not yet, but after many ages.

A star — A title often given to, princes and eminent persons, and particularly to the Messiah, Revelation 2:28; Revelation 22:16.

A sceptre — That is, a sceptre-bearer, a king or ruler, even that sceptre mentioned Genesis 49:10.

The corners — The borders, which are often used in scripture for the whole country to which they belong.

Of Sheth — This seems to be the name of some then eminent, though now unknown place or prince in Moab; there being innumerable instances of such places or persons sometime famous, but now utterly lost as to all monuments and remembrances of them.

Verse 18

And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

A possession — Which was also foretold, Genesis 25:23, and in part fulfilled, 2 Samuel 8:14; 1 Chronicles 18:13, but more fully by Christ, Amos 9:12; Obadiah 1:18, who shall subdue and possess all his enemies; here signified by the name of Edom, as Jacob or Israel, his brother, signifies all his church and people.

Seir — A part and, mountain of Edom.

Verse 19

Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

Out of Jacob — Out of Jacob’s loins.

He that shall have dominion — David, and especially Christ.

Of the city — Or from or out of this city, that is, the cities, the singular number for the plural. He shall not subdue those Moabites and Edomites which meet him in the field, but he shall pursue them even to their strongest holds and cities.

Verse 20

And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

He looked on Amalek — From the top of Pisgah, which was exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of part of all these kingdoms.

The first — Heb. the firstfruits; so called either, because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which were embodied together in one government: or, because he was the first who fought against Israel and was vanquished by them. That victory was an earnest and first-fruit of the large harvest of victories which the Israelites should in due time get over all their enemies.

He shall perish for ever — He began with God and with Israel, but God will end with him, and the firm purpose of God is, that he shall be utterly destroyed; so that Saul lost his kingdom for not executing this decree, and God’s command pursuant thereunto.

Verse 21

And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.

The Kenites — The posterity or kindred of Jethro; not that part of them which dwelt among the Israelites, to whom the following words do not agree, but those of them who were mingled with the Amalekites and Midianites.

Thy nest — Thy dwelling-place, so called, either because it was in an high place, as nests commonly are: or in allusion to their name, for ken in Hebrew signifies a nest.

Verse 22

Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

The Kenite — Heb. Kain, that is, the Kenite, so called, either by a transposition of letters, which is very usual in the Hebrew tongue; or from the name of some eminent place where they lived, or person from whom they were descended, though now the memory of them be utterly lost, as it hath fared with innumerable other places and persons, famous in their generations, mentioned in ancient Heathen writers.

Shall be wasted — Shall be by degrees diminished by the incursions of divers enemies, till at last the Assyrian comes to compleat the work and carries them into captivity. For the Kenites who lived partly among the ten tribes, and partly with the two tribes, were carried captive with them, part by Salmaneser, the King of Assyria, and part by Nebuchadnezzar, who also is called an Assyrian, Ezra 6:22; Isaiah 52:4.

Verse 23

And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!

Who shall live — How calamitous and miserable will the state of the world be, when the Assyrian, and after him the Chaldean, shall over-turn all these parts of the world? Who will be able to keep his heart from fainting under such grievous pressures? Nay, how few will escape the destroying sword?

Verse 24

And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

Chittim — A place or people so called from Chittim the son of Javan, Genesis 10:4, whose posterity were very numerous, and were first seated in the lesser Asia, and from thence sent forth colonies into the islands of the Aegean sea, and into Cyprus, afterwards into Macedonia and other parts of Greece, and then into Italy. Whence it comes to pass that by this name is understood sometimes Macedonia, as1Mac. i1, and1Mac. viii5, sometimes Italy, as Daniel 11:29-30, and sometimes both, as in this place: for he speaks here of the scourge that God hath appointed for the Assyrian after he had done God’s work in punishing of his people and the bordering nations. Now although the Assyrian and Chaldean empire was subdued by the Medes and Persians, yet the chief afflictions of that people came from two hands, both beyond the sea and brought to them by ships; first from the Grecians under Alexander and his successors, by whom that people were grievously oppressed and wasted; then from the Romans, who subdued all the Grecian empire, one great part whereof were the Assyrians largely so called.

Eber — The posterity of Eber, the Hebrews, who were the chief and flower of Eber’s children.

He also — Not the Hebrews: they shall have a better end; all Israel shall be saved; but the afflicter or scourge of Ashur and Eber, namely, the Grecian and Roman empire. Thus Balaam, instead of cursing the church, curses Amalek, the first, and Rome, the last enemy of it!

Verse 25

And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

To his place — To Mesopotamia; tho’ afterwards he returned to the Midianites, and gave them that devilish counsel which was put in practice, Numbers 25:16-18.