Numbers 24:2

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel ¹camping tribe by tribe. And ²the Spirit of God came upon him,

Numbers 24:2 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 24:2

And Balaam lifted up his eyes
Being on Mount Peor:

and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes;
in that exact order in which they were directed to encamp under four standards, and so many tribes under each standard, ( Numbers 2:1-34 )

and the Spirit of God came upon him;
not in his grace but in his gifts; not as a spirit of sanctification, but as a spirit of prophecy, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it; and so sometimes the Spirit of God in this sense has come upon wicked men, as on Caiaphas and others, ( John 11:51 ) ( Matthew 7:22 Matthew 7:23 ) .

Numbers 24:2 In-Context

1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,

3 and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!

Cross References

• 1. 24:2 See ch. 2:22-31
• 2. 24:2 Judg. 3:10; 1 Sam. 19:20, 23; 2 Chr. 15:1; 20:14