Numbers 24:2

2 where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then 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 By now Balaam realized that the LORD was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness,

2 where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

3 and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

4 the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

5 How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel!