Numbers 24:4

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. ²When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him, ³and he lifted up an oracle, saying: "This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open, ⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:⁵How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel! ⁶They spread out like palm groves, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the waters. ⁷Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will have abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted. ⁸God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows. ⁹He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

saw: Numbers 12:6, Genesis 15:12, Psalms 89:19, Daniel 8:26, Daniel 8:27, Acts 10:10, Acts 10:19, Acts 22:17, 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

falling: Numbers 22:31, 1 Samuel 19:24, Ezekiel 1:28, Daniel 8:17, Daniel 8:18, Daniel 10:15, Daniel 10:16, Revelation 1:10, Revelation 1:17

Reciprocal: Genesis 46:2 - in the visions Numbers 10:28 - according Numbers 24:3 - whose eyes are open hath said Numbers 24:15 - General Numbers 24:16 - General 1 Samuel 9:19 - the seer 1 Kings 13:20 - the word of the Lord Isaiah 1:1 - vision Matthew 7:22 - have we 1 Corinthians 14:37 - any Revelation 1:8 - the Almighty

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your offspring." So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 24:20
And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.

Genesis 24:23
"Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

Genesis 28:2
"Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He hath said, which heard the words of God,.... God speaking to him, which he did several times, and with which he was greatly elated, see Numbers 22:9:

which saw the vision of the Almighty; not that he had a sight of any similitude of God, though the angel that appeared to him, which was Christ the uncreated angel, might appear in an human form, for some visible form was seen both by the ass and him; but rather this respects the visions of God to him in the night; it may be in a dream, as has been already observed, and which the following words seem to confirm:

falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: or falling into a deep sleep, and yet the eyes of his body open, which sometimes is the case with persons asleep; or the eyes of his mind open, to receive the instructions given him in a dream or vision of the night; unless this is to be understood of his falling on his face, when he had his vision, as sometimes the prophets did, see Ezekiel 1:28, so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it; and the latter says, he prophesied of himself, that he should fall by the sword; which is better than to interpret it of his falling when his ass lay down with him, as some do: so men may have a great deal of light and knowledge in their heads, and yet not have true grace in their hearts; great gifts, which puff up with pride and vanity, but not sanctifying grace, which is of an humbling nature, 1 Corinthians 8:1, what he said under a spirit of prophecy follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “falling” of which Balaam speaks was the condition under which the inward opening of his eyes took place. It indicates the force of the divine inspiration overpowering the seer. The faithful prophets of the Lord do not appear to have been subject to these violent illapses Daniel 8:17; Revelation 1:17.

In Balaam and in Saul 1 Samuel 19:24 the word of God could only prevail by first subduing the alien will, and overpowering the bodily energies which the will ordinarily directs.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 24:4. Falling into a trance — There is no indication in the Hebrew that he fell into a trance; these words are added by our translators, but they are not in the original. נפל nophel is the only word used, and simply signifies falling, or falling down, perhaps in this instance by way of religious prostration.