He couched
Which may respect the posture of the armies of Israel in the plains of Moab:
he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion;
as he would do, and did in the land of Canaan, when conquered by Israel; they took up their residence on it quietly, and dwelt in it securely, and in no more fear of their enemies than a lion, which lays itself down and sleeps without concern anywhere:
who shall stir him up?
who dare do it? as it would be a very rash, bold, daring, and dangerous thing to rouse up a lion lying down; so it is suggested it would be alike to provoke Israel to war at some certain times, in the days of David more especially:
blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee;
which are the very words in which Isaac blessed Jacob, the ancestor of these people, ( Genesis 27:29 ) and which blessing is confirmed by Balaam against his will, and whereby he cursed himself instead of Israel; for though he could not curse him with words, he had cursed him in his heart, and would have done it verbally if he could F1.