Numbers 24:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Numbers 24:16
He 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:
an oracle · noun, common masculine singular construct
heard
שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙sho.Me.a'
H8085
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular construct
words
אִמְרֵי'im.rei-
H561
something said · noun, common masculine plural construct
God
אֵ֔ל'El
H410
strength · noun, common masculine singular absolute
knew
וְיֹדֵ֖עַve.yo.De.a'
H3045
to know (properly · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular construct
knowledge
דַּ֣עַתDa.'at
H1847
knowledge · noun, common feminine singular construct
High
עֶלְי֑וֹןel.Yon
H5945
an elevation · adjective, masculine singular absolute
saw
יֶֽחֱזֶ֔הye.che.Zeh
H2372
to gaze at · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
vision
מַחֲזֵ֤הma.cha.Zeh
H4236
a vision · noun, common masculine singular construct
Almighty
שַׁדַּי֙sha.Dai
H7706
the Almighty · proper noun, a title
falling
נֹפֵ֖לno.Fel
H5307
to fall · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
eyes
עֵינָֽיִם'ei.Na.yim
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · noun, common feminine dual absolute
open
וּגְל֥וּיu.ge.Lui
H1540
to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense) · conjunction + verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Numbers 24:4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
2 Samuel 23:1-2 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob,…
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Numbers 24:15–end
The office of prophets was both to bless and to prophesy in the name of the Lord. Balaam, as a prophet, per force had blessed Israel; here he foretels future events.
I. His preface is much the same as that, Num 24:3, Num 24:4. He personates a true prophet admirably well, God permitting and directing him to do so, because, whatever he was, the prophecy itself was a true prophecy. He boasts, 1. That his eyes are open (Num 24:15), for prophets were in old time called seers (Sa1 9:9), because they must speak what they had seen, and therefore, before they opened their lips, it was necessary that they should have their eyes open. 2. That he has heard the words of God, which many do that do not hee…
he took his parable--or prophecy, uttered in a poetical style.
John Gill on Numbers 24:15
And he took up his parable, and said,.... In this and the following verse; the same preface, in the same words, is made to his prophecy as before; see Gill on Numbers 24:3, Numbers 24:4; only one clause is added, "and knew the knowledge of the Most High"; that Balaam had some knowledge of God is certain from the names by which he calls him, being such that he made himself known by to the patriarchs, and by which he is frequently called in the sacred writings; but then this knowledge of his was merely notional and speculative, and not spiritual and supernatural, and was such as men may have who are destitute of the grace of God: he was one that professed to know him in words, but in works den…
Balaam the son of Beor hath said. Inasmuch as he was preparing to treat of most important matters, it is not without reason that he renews his preface, in order to obtain more authority for his prophecy: and although it was not without ambition that he proclaimed these magnificent titles, still we cannot doubt but that God would ratify by them what he had determined to deliver through the mouth of the prophet. It was requisite that this worthless man, whose doctrine would otherwise have been contemptible: should be marked out by Divine indications; and thus it was that he assumed a character that he did not possess, and attributed to himself what only belongs to true prophets. I have before…
The Church Fathers
Whence also I greatly marvel how this was written of Balaam, to whom it was not even granted to say what is customary among the prophets: "Thus says the Lord," but he says: "Balaam said, the man who truly sees said." Then further, how will it be worthy that so much be understood of Balaam, that he knows the knowledge of the Most High—he who even taught King Balak how to send a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, that they might eat things sacrificed to idols and commit fornication? For scarcely will anyone find it said of the holy prophets or Apostles that they know the knowledge of the Most High. Although Paul said that he heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for men to utter, yet he did not profess to have the knowledge of the Most High. On which account let us attend more diligently, in case perhaps God may deign to reveal something worthy to us upon this expression. In the book which among us is usually held among the volumes of Solomon and is called Ecclesiasticus, but among the Greeks is named the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, it is written: "All wisdom is from God." Which perhaps we might so understand, as though from God were also that wisdom of this world, which is said to be destroyed, and of the princes of this world, and if there is any other by which false knowledge is commended; were it not that in the same little book it says in what follows: "For the discipline of wickedness is not wisdom." By which surely he teaches that every discipline which asserts anything false, even if it seem forceful and plausible and such as can hardly be overthrown, yet by no means ought knowledge of this kind to be applied to the title of wisdom. What then is it that he says: "All wisdom is from God"? He seems to me to have meant this: that every skill which is held necessary for human use in regard to any art, or the knowledge of any matter whatever, is said to be wisdom given by the Lord. In short, in Job it is written: "Who gave to women the wisdom of weaving and the discipline of embroidery?" But also in Exodus: "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the divine spirit of wisdom and understanding and discipline, that he may have understanding in every work, and be an architect to work silver and gold and bronze and stones…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Trance — (Gr. ekstasis, from which the word “ecstasy” is derived) denotes the state of one who is “out of himself.” Such were the trances of Peter and Paul, Acts 10:10; 11:5; 22:17, ecstasies, “a…
Trance · Of Balaam — Of Balaam
Visions · Often communicated: In a trance — Often communicated: In a trance
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Balaam's fourth and last prophecy is distinguished from the previous ones by the fact that, according to the announcement in Num 24:14, it is occupied exclusively with the future, and foretells the victorious supremacy of Israel over all its foes, and the destruction of all the powers of the world. This prophecy is divided into four different prophecies by the fourfold repetition of the words, "he took up his parable" (Num 24:15, Num 24:20, Num 24:21, and Num 24:23). The first of these refers to the two nations that were related to Israel, viz., Edom and Moab (Num 24:17-19); the second to Amalek, the arch-enemy of Israel (Num 24:20); the third to the Kenites, who were allied to Israel (Num 2…
This prophecy provides more specific details than the first three. Based on another vision from the Almighty (24:16), it lists some of the enemies that Israel would defeat in the future and predicts the emergence of an outstanding leader who would play a major role in these military victories (24:17).
Rashi on Numbers 24:16
וידע דעת עליון WHO KNOWETH THE MIND OF THE MOST HIGH — i.e., who knoweth to determine the precise moment when He is angry. (The meaning of the text is: “who knoweth His state of mind”, not, ”who knoweth his thoughts”) (Sanhedrin 105b).
