Numbers 24:2

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the 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 And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3 And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,

4 he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:

5 How goodly thy habitations, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!