🔢WEB · Numbers 24:7
What does Numbers 24:7 mean?
"Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted."
— Numbers 24:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!
As valleys they are spread out, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which Yahweh has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”
Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
Explanation
Numbers 24:7 comes from the third of four oracles spoken by Balaam, a foreign seer who had been hired to curse Israel but instead found himself blessing them under God's compulsion. In plain language, the verse pictures Israel as a nation overflowing with abundance—water pouring from buckets, a common image of fertility and plenty in an arid climate—and a people whose descendants will spread out and multiply "in many waters," meaning widespread and thriving settlement. It then shifts to speak of a king who will arise from Israel, one whose reign will surpass that of Agag, and whose kingdom will be lifted up in honor and strength.
The context is essential to understanding the verse. Balak, king of Moab, was terrified of the Israelites camped on his border after their exodus from Egypt and their victories over other nations. He hired Balaam, a diviner known for his ability to bless or curse effectively, to curse Israel so Moab could defeat them. But the God of Israel repeatedly turned Balaam's intended curses into bl
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