Numbers 22:25

25 And the female ass saw the angel, and she went herself nigh to the wall, and she hurtled the foot of the sitter upon her; and he beat again her. (And the female donkey saw the angel again, and she brought herself near to the wall, and hurtled the foot of her rider against it; and so he beat her again.)

Numbers 22:25 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 22:25

And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord
In the same position as before, with a drown sword in his hand, and being frightened again, and in a narrow path, and no way to turn aside:

she thrust herself unto the wall;
to one of the walls, as close as she could, in order to get by the angel:

and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall;
running up so very closely to it:

and he smote her again;
having done it once before, ( Numbers 22:23 ) the times of smiting are observed, for the sake of what the ass after said, and for the confirmation of it.

Numbers 22:25 In-Context

23 The (she) ass saw the angel standing in the way, with sword drawn, and the (she) ass turned herself from the way, and went by the field (And the donkey saw the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn, and she turned herself from the way, and went into a field). And when Balaam beat her, and would lead her again to the path,
24 the angel stood in the straitness of two walls with which the vineries were (en)compassed. (the angel stood in the narrowness between two walls which went all around, or enclosed, the vineyards on either side.)
25 And the female ass saw the angel, and she went herself nigh to the wall, and she hurtled the foot of the sitter upon her; and he beat again her. (And the female donkey saw the angel again, and she brought herself near to the wall, and hurtled the foot of her rider against it; and so he beat her again.)
26 And nevertheless the angel went to a strait place, where was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood against Balaam (Nevertheless the angel went to a narrow place, where there was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood before Balaam.)
27 And when the (she) ass saw the angel standing (there), she felled down under the feet of the sitter upon her, the which was wroth full greatly (who then was greatly angered), and (once more) he beat her sides with a staff.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.