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Numbers 24

KJV · Chapter 24/36

1And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

2And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

3And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

4He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

5How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!

6As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.

7He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

8God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

9He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

10And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.

11Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.

12And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,

13If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak?

14And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

15And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

17I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

18And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

19Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

20And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

21And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.

22Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

23And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!

24And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

25And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Balaam pronounces a third and fourth oracle, this time without even seeking omens, being taken directly by the Spirit of God. He prophesies Israel's future greatness and even mentions a 'star out of Jacob' who will come to rule, besides predicting the defeat of Moab, Edom, and other peoples.

Explanation

The change in Balaam — who no longer resorts to divination rituals but simply receives God's message directly — suggests a growth (even if perhaps only circumstantial) in his recognition that he cannot manipulate the process. The prophecy of the 'star that shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter that shall rise out of Israel' (v. 17) is one of the most debated messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, traditionally associated with King David in its near fulfillment, but seen by many Christians as also pointing, in a broader sense, to Christ. Despite repeatedly blessing Israel, Balaam is later revealed (Numbers 31:16) as the counselor behind the plan to seduce Israel through Moabite women — showing that recognizing spiritual truths is not the same as having a truly transformed heart.

Fun facts

  • The 'star out of Jacob' (v. 17) was invoked by Simon Bar Kokhba ('son of the star'), leader of the Jewish revolt against Rome in AD 132, who claimed to be the messiah promised in this prophecy — one of the most dramatic and tragic historical uses of this biblical passage.
  • Despite blessing Israel four times in a row in this episode, Balaam is remembered negatively throughout the rest of the Bible (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14) as a symbol of religious greed and corrupting counsel, showing that true prophetic words do not automatically redeem the character of the one who speaks them.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Numbers 24:1Realizing that God wanted to bless Israel no matter what, Balaam gives up repeating the rituals of divination and simply looks out toward the wilderness.
  2. Numbers 24:2Seeing Israel’s camp arranged tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God comes upon Balaam.
  3. Numbers 24:3He begins his third poem, presenting himself as the man with open eyes, someone who sees beyond the ordinary.
  4. Numbers 24:4Balaam describes himself as one who hears the words of God and sees visions of the Almighty, falling into a trance with his eyes open.
  5. Numbers 24:5He directly praises the beauty of Israel’s tents and dwellings, in a tone very different from the curse Balak had hoped for.
  6. Numbers 24:6He compares the people to spreading valleys, gardens beside rivers, trees planted by the LORD Himself along the waters.
  7. Numbers 24:7Balaam predicts abundance and prosperity for Israel, with a king who would be exalted above other kings known at the time.
  8. Numbers 24:8He repeats the reminder that it was God who brought the people out of Egypt, with the strength of a wild ox, able to defeat their enemies.
  9. Numbers 24:9Balaam repeats, now in the form of a poem, the same promise made to Abraham: whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses it will be cursed. Even though he was paid to do the opposite, he confirms the blessing on the people for the third time.
  10. Numbers 24:10Balak finally loses all patience, claps his hands in anger, and complains that this is the third time Balaam has only blessed instead of cursing.
  11. Numbers 24:11Balak tells Balaam to leave, saying the promised honor will no longer happen, since it was the LORD Himself who prevented it.
  12. Numbers 24:12Balaam recalls that he had already warned Balak’s messengers about this limitation from the very beginning.
  13. Numbers 24:13He repeats that not even a house full of silver and gold would make him disobey the LORD, speaking only what he was told, whether good or bad.
  14. Numbers 24:14Before leaving, Balaam still offers Balak one extra warning: what that people would do to his people in the distant future.
  15. Numbers 24:15He recites his fourth and final poem, presenting himself again as the man with open eyes.
  16. Numbers 24:16He repeats that he hears the words of God and knows the knowledge of the Most High, having visions of the Almighty in a trance.
  17. Numbers 24:17In this poetic prophecy, Balaam speaks of a “Star” and a “Sceptre” that will arise from Israel, linked to victory and dominion over neighboring peoples such as Moab. The original text probably referred to a future king of Israel, but the verse became famous for being read later, in other traditions, in different ways.
  18. Numbers 24:18Balaam prophesies that Edom would be conquered, along with Seir, while Israel acts with strength and success.
  19. Numbers 24:19He announces that someone from Jacob will dominate and destroy the survivors of the enemy cities.
  20. Numbers 24:20Turning his attention to the Amalekites, Balaam prophesies that, despite being first among the nations, their final destiny is destruction.
  21. Numbers 24:21Looking at the Kenites, he describes their dwelling as secure, like a nest built high up among the rocks.
  22. Numbers 24:22Even so, he predicts that the Kenites would be carried away captive by Asshur in the future.
  23. Numbers 24:23Balaam recites yet another poem, lamenting who would survive when God carried all of this out.
  24. Numbers 24:24He predicts ships coming from Chittim that would afflict Asshur and other peoples, but that would also end up destroyed in the end.
  25. Numbers 24:25With all of this finished, Balaam gets up and returns to his own land, and Balak also goes his own way, without having obtained the curse he was seeking.

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