🔢WEB · Numbers 24:15
What does Numbers 24:15 mean?
"He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;"
— Numbers 24:15 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond Yahweh’s word, to do either good or bad from my own mind. I will say what Yahweh says’?
Now, behold, I go to my people. Come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.”
He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemies, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
Explanation
Numbers 24:15 opens the fourth and final oracle that Balaam speaks concerning Israel. In plain language, the verse is simply an introduction: Balaam is about to speak, and he identifies himself by name and by a striking phrase — "the man whose eyes are open." This is not a boast about physical eyesight but a claim that he has received special insight, that something has been revealed to him beyond ordinary human perception. The verse sets the stage for the weighty prophecy that follows, much like a herald announcing a message before delivering it.
The context is the story found in Numbers 22-24. Balak, king of Moab, was terrified of the Israelites as they journey
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