Numbers 24:2

2 and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of 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 By now Balaam knew that the Lord wanted him to bless the people of Israel, so he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned toward the desert

2 and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him,

3 and he uttered this prophecy: "The message of Balaam son of Beor, The words of the man who can see clearly,

4 Who can hear what God is saying. With staring eyes I see in a trance A vision from Almighty God.

5 The tents of Israel are beautiful,