Números 24:3

3 entonces pronunció su oráculo:«Palabras de Balán hijo de Beor;palabras del varón clarividente.

Números 24:3 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 24:3

And he took up his parable
His parable of prophecy, as the Targums, his prophetic speech, which, with a loud voice, he expressed in the hearing of Balak and his nobles:

and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said;
the preface to his prophecy is pompous, and seems to be full of pride and vanity, and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem represent him;

``the man who is more excellent than his father hath said, to whom hidden secrets, even what was hidden from the prophets is revealed to him;''

and the Jews have a saying ^F20 that he that has an evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a large soul, or is covetous, is one of the disciples of Balaam the wicked:

and the man whose eyes are open hath said;
or, as some ^F21 render it, whose eyes were shut, but now open; either the eyes of his body, which were shut when the angel met him, and the ass saw him and not he, but afterwards were open, and he saw him also; or the eyes of his understanding blinded with ambition and covetousness, but were open to see his mistake, at least so far as to be sensible that he could never prevail upon God to allow him to curse Israel; or rather open, by the spirit of prophecy coming on him, whereby he saw and foretold things to come.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 19.
F21 So V. L. Montanus, Tigurine version

Números 24:3 In-Context

1 Pero cuando Balán se dio cuenta de que al SEÑOR le complacía que se bendijera a Israel, no recurrió a la hechicería, como otras veces, sino que volvió su rostro hacia el desierto.

2 Cuando Balán alzó la vista y vio a Israel acampando por tribus, el Espíritu del SEÑOR vino sobre él;

3 entonces pronunció su oráculo:«Palabras de Balán hijo de Beor;palabras del varón clarividente.

4 Palabras del que oye las palabras de Dios,del que contempla la visión del Todopoderoso,del que cae en trance y tiene visiones.

5 »¡Cuán hermosas son tus tiendas, Jacob!¡Qué bello es tu campamento, Israel!