Números 24:3

3 Y comenzando su profecía, dijo: Oráculo de Balaam, hijo de Beor, y oráculo del hombre de ojos abiertos;

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 Cuando Balaam vio que agradaba al SEÑOR bendecir a Israel, no fue como otras veces a buscar agueros, sino que puso su rostro hacia el desierto.

2 Y levantó Balaam sus ojos y vio a Israel acampado por tribus; y vino sobre él el Espíritu de Dios.

3 Y comenzando su profecía, dijo: Oráculo de Balaam, hijo de Beor, y oráculo del hombre de ojos abiertos;

4 oráculo del que escucha las palabras de Dios, del que ve la visión del Todopoderoso ; caído, pero con los ojos descubiertos.

5 ¡Cuán hermosas son tus tiendas, oh Jacob; tus moradas, oh Israel!