Numbers 24:2

And 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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Abiding in his tents . . . —i.e., encamped according to the order prescribed for the respective tribes. The cognate noun is rendered tabernacles in Numbers 24:5.

And the spirit of God came upon him.—In regard to the two former utterances, it is said that Jehovah put a word in the mouth of Balaam (Numbers 23:5; Numbers 23:15). In the present case the Spirit of God came upon (or, over) him. The same expression is used of the messengers of Saul (1Samuel 19:20), and of Saul himself (Ibid, Numbers 24:23). The prophecy of Caiaphas (John 11:15) affords another instance of the sovereign power of the Spirit as displayed through the medium of wicked men.

Benson Commentary

Numbers 24:2-3. The Spirit of God came upon him — And is it likely that the Spirit of God would have come upon a sorcerer or enchanter? A prophetic influence from God came upon him, whereby he was enabled to foresee future events, and inspired to utter the following words: The man whose eyes are open — Some, confounding שׁתםshetum, with סתם, or שׂתםsetum, would translate the words, Whose eyes are or were shut, for which there does not seem to be sufficient authority. The Seventy render them, ο αληθινως ορων, seeing truly. His eyes indeed had been shut, and he had been blind and stupid, having eyes but not seeing, nor understanding; but God had opened them in a peculiar and prophetical manner. Hence the prophets were called seers, from God’s having opened their eyes.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

24:1-9 Now Balaam spake not his own sense, but the language of the Spirit that came upon him. Many have their eyes open who have not their hearts open; are enlightened, but not sanctified. That knowledge which puffs men up with pride, will but serve to light them to hell, whither many go with their eyes open. The blessing is nearly the same as those given before. He admires in Israel, their beauty. The righteous, doubtless, is more excellent than his neighbour. Their fruitfulness and increase. Their honour and advancement. Their power and victory. He looks back upon what had been done for them. Their power and victory. He looks back upon what had been done for them. Their courage and security. The righteous are bold as a lion, not when assaulting others, but when at rest, because God maketh them to dwell in safety. Their influence upon their neighbours. God takes what is done to them, whether good or evil, as done to himself.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Balaam gazed over the camp of Israel that stretched before him, and allowed the spectacle to work its own influence upon him.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes—that is, in the orderly distribution of the camp (Nu 2:1-34).

the spirit of God came upon him—Before the regular ministry of the prophets was instituted, God made use of various persons as the instruments through whom He revealed His will, and Balaam was one of these (De 23:5).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

According to their tribes; in the order appointed, Num 2.

Came upon him, i.e. inspired him to speak the following words, and so constrained him again to bless those whom he desired to curse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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.

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.

Geneva Study Bible

And 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.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - The spirit of God came upon him. This seems to intimate a higher state of inspiration than the expression, "God put a word into his mouth" (Numbers 23:5, 16). Numbers 24:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The third saying. - Numbers 24:1 and Numbers 24:2. From the two revelations which he had received before, Balaam, saw, i.e., perceived, that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel. This induced him not to go out for auguries, as on the previous occasions. כּפעם־בּפעם, "as time after time," i.e., as at former times (Numbers 23:3 and Numbers 23:15). He therefore turned his face to the desert, i.e., to the steppes of Moab, where Israel was encamped (Numbers 22:1). And when he lifted up his eyes, "he saw Israel encamping according to its tribes; and the Spirit of God came over him." The impression made upon him by the sight of the tribes of Israel, served as the subjective preparation for the reception of the Spirit of God to inspire him. Of both the earlier utterances it is stated that "Jehovah put a word into his mouth" (Numbers 23:5 and Numbers 23:16); but of this third it is affirmed that "the Spirit of God came over him." The former were communicated to him, when he went out for a divine revelation, without his being thrown into an ecstatic state; he heard the voice of God within him telling him what he was to say. But this time, like the prophets in their prophesyings, he was placed by the Spirit of God in a state of ecstatic sight; so that, with his eyes closed as in clairvoyance, he saw the substance of the revelation from God with his inward mental eye, which had been opened by the Spirit of God. Thus not only does he himself describe his own condition in Numbers 24:3 and Numbers 24:4, but his description is in harmony with the announcement itself, which is manifestly the result both in form and substance of the intuition effected within him by the Spirit of God.