And when Balaam saw that it pleased Hashem to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
verse value 4545 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·on·previous·occasions" (כְּפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 142: Balaam, in·the·eyes·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·bless" (לְבָרֵ֣ךְ), "and·he·did·not·go" (וְלֹא־הָלַ֥ךְ), "as·on·previous·occasions" (כְּפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "his·face" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'omens', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Onkelos
Balaam saw that it was fitting before Hashem to bless Israel, and he did not go as he had done time after time toward the omens; and he turned his face toward the calf that Israel had made in the wilderness.
Rashi
וירא בלעם כי טוב וגו׳ AND BALAAM SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD, etc. He said: I do not need to put the Holy One, blessed be He, to a further test for it is evident that He does not wish to curse them. ולא הלך כפעם בפעם HE WENT NOT, AS AT OTHER TIMES — as he had already done twice. לקראת נחשים TO SEEK SEEK FOR ENCHANTMENTS — to practise enchantments whereby the Lord might perhaps come to meet him according to his (Balaam’s) wish. He said: Whether He wishes or does not wish to curse them, I will make mention of their sins, and the curse will fall upon them at the mention of their sins, therefore — וישת אל המדבר פניו HE SET HIS FACE TOWARDS THE WILDERNESS — Understand this as the Targum has it (Rashi’s Targum read, as in some editions: He directed his face towards the calf that the children of Israel had made in the wilderness).
Ramban
AND HE WENT NOT, AS AT OTHER TIMES, TO SEEK FOR ENCHANTMENTS. [This means] that on the previous [two] occasions Balaam acted as an enchanter, and wanted to curse them by means of enchantment, and G-d came to him as if by chance, and not because he [Balaam] had concentrated on [attaining] prophecy, nor because of any superior status that he had achieved [because he was in fact not worthy of prophecy]. But now when he was told, For there is no enchantment in Jacob, neither is there any divination in Israel, whether to do them evil or good, Balaam abandoned his enchantments, and he went not [any more] as at [the] other times to seek them. Instead, he set his face toward the wilderness where Israel was [encamped], so that he would see them and prepare his soul towards them, so that the Divine communication would come unto him, as had happened to him twice [previous], and so indeed it happened to him now. Therefore Scripture states, and ‘the spirit of G-d’ came upon him, for now the hand of the Eternal was upon him as it was upon the prophets, and just as Moses said, would that all the Eternal’s people were prophets, that the Eternal would put ‘His spirit’ upon them! — and it is further said: ‘The spirit of the Eternal G-d’ is upon me. Therefore Balaam now referred to himself as him who heareth the words of G-d, for he was [for that particular moment] a prophet. Now Rashi commented: “And he set his face toward the wilderness. This is to be understood as the Targum [Onkelos] rendered it.” For the Rabbi’s [Rashi’s] Targum contained [the following text]: “He directed his face toward the wilderness in which the children of Israel had made the [golden] calf.” But this is not found in accurate editions of Onkelos’ Targum, and is [only] written in some of the texts [of Onkelos], which were emended on the basis of the Targum Yerushalmi, but the correct interpretation is as we have explained [above, that Balaam turned to the wilderness in order to receive Divine communication as he had previously, and not because that was the place where they had made the golden calf].Scripture says [in describing Balaam]: Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, meaning that he now saw through a lucid spectrum, as did the early prophets of whom it is said, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the Name ‘E-il Sha-dai’ (G-d Almighty). Or it may be that Balaam [only] received [the Divine communication] through a degree [of vision] less than theirs, since ‘the vision of’ the Almighty is not the same as the Almighty. Thus the patriarchs saw by ‘E-il Sha-dai’ (G-d Almighty), [a double expression], whereas Balaam saw only by ‘the vision of’ the Almighty — two degrees lower than them [because only one Name of G-d is used, and he only saw a vision of it]. Therefore Balaam described himself as [one who saw the vision of the Almighty] with opened eyes, which is the degree of prophecy attained by the sons [i.e., the disciples] of the prophets, as it is said, Eternal,...
Ibn Ezra
"And he set his face toward the wilderness" — for that is where Israel was encamped, in the plains of Moab.
Sforno
לקראת נחשים, he stopped trying to divine the precise hour when a curse could stick to the Israelites, seeing that by no he had realised that it pleased G’d to bless the Jewish people. There was no hope that any curse could become effective. וישא אל המדבר פניו, to bestow limited blessings on them, blessings which contained potential harm for the nation if it did not live up to the premise underlying the blessings. Our sages (Taanit 20) have illustrated this point when they said “the curse of the prophet Achiyah from Shiloh was easier to live with than having to live with Bileam’s blessings.”
Or HaChaim
וירא בלעם כי טוב, Bileam realised that it was good in the eyes of G'd, etc. In view of the Midrash we quoted on 22,12 that G'd had told Bileam that he should neither curse the Israelites nor bless them seeing they were blessed already and had no need for his blessing, how could Bileam assume that it pleased G'd if he continued blessing this people? We must therefore understand Bileam differently. Up until now he had been forced to bless this people although initially G'd had told him not to bless them seeing they were blessed already. In view of his experience so far Bileam had found out that G'd had turned his intended curses into blessings. Seeing this was possible, Bileam now reasoned that G'd could also do the reverse, i.e. turn his voluntary blessings into curses. On the other hand, if we add what we explained on 23,5 that it had not really been Bileam who had pronounced the blessings but an angel using his mouth as the vehicle, Bileam now concluded that there was really no point in consulting all kinds of charms, etc. but that he might as well bow to the inevitable. ולא הלן כפעם, and he did not go as on previous occasions, etc. He concluded a) that there was no point in it, b) that the charms had proved ineffective anyway. He therefore decided to change his strategy and turned his face towards the desert, i.e. to examine how the Israelites had angered their G'd while they had travelled through the desert. He hoped to find something which would enable G'd to let him curse these people. We may also understand the word המדבר as related to דבור, speech; in Numbers 27,3 אבינו מת במדבר the Zohar volume 3 page 205 understands the word in that sense. If we follow this path Bileam referred to the fact that on each of the ten occasions on which the Israelites had angered G'd in the desert their sin consisted of what they said, i.e. דבור. Bileam was confident that amongst all the Israelites he was looking at there must have been a number who had been guilty of one or several of the rebellious comments which had angered G'd so often. We can also take our cue from another comment of the Zohar volume 2 page 157 in which the מדבר, desert, is described as the "home" of Satan, i.e. the angel of death and the forces at his command. Bileam looked towards this region in order to awaken the forces of Satan, etc. Satan's armies are all hostile to Israel. Bileam was careful to say פניו, "his face," using a word describing his anger. One of the means to draw G'd near is שמחה ולב טוב, joy and being of good cheer. On the other hand, one attracts the forces of Satan when one is in a vile mood, angry, etc. Bileam displayed his bad mood, פניו, in the direction of Satan to secure his help. An example of the use of פני "My (angry) face," is found in Exodus 33,14 where G'd describes His presence as dangerous to the Jewish people when He is in the frame of mind described as פני. There is still another way of explaining our verse. Bileam realised that only someone who is...
Chizkuni
ולא הלך כפעם בפעם, “and he did not go aspreviously time after time;” seeing that there was no point in continuing to manipulate the G-d of the Israelites, Bileam knew that he had G-d’s approval as the Torah wrote in Numbers verse 2 that the spirit of the Lord had settled upon him. (B’chor shor) וישת אל המדבר פניו, “and he raised his eyes in the direction of the desert.” This was the region where the fields of Moav were located, the area where the Israelites were located at the time.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקראת נחשים, “and he did not go as every other time towards divinations. The reason was that he had been told: “divinations are useless in connection with Yaakov” (23,23). As a result of abandoning this venue Bileam was granted a measure of Holy Spirit (verse 2). וישת אל המדבר פניו, “he set his face toward the desert.” Israel was encamped there in the wilderness of Moav. Bileam faced them to that he could see them, concentrate on what he was going to say, and make sure that his blessings would take full effect. Rashi explains the words in accordance with Onkelos, who says ושוי לקבל עגלא דעבדו למדברא אפוהי, “to the calf which they had made in the desert.” According to Rashi, Bileam hoped to be able to curse the people. The author queries if Rashi had an accurate text of the Targum, seeing he only quotes two words from the Targum, i.e. ושוי למדברא, These words need not mean that Bileam addressed the spirit of impurity which resides in the desert and which caused the Israelites to fall victim to the sin of the golden calf. Whenever Bileam wanted to receive inspiration from Hashem, the Torah first mentions that he offered an ox and a ram as burnt-offering (23,2). The reason Bileam requested Balak’s assistance in these sacrificial procedures was because he, Bileam, addressed the attribute of Mercy, whereas Balak was to address the attribute of Justice. This is the meaning of “he set his face toward the desert,” and on this occasion we do not read about Balak assisting in the procedures at all. [Our author considers Bileam alone the subject of the word ויעל פר ואיל במזבח, he did not want the attribute of Justice to be addressed at all as this would interfere with his train of thought. It is difficult to read this into the text. Ed.].
Tur HaArokh
ולא הלך כפעם כפעם לקראת נחשים, “he no longer went as every other time, toward divinations.” Nachmanides writes that on the previous occasions Bileam employed his sorcerer’s tools, wanting to curse the people, but Hashem happened upon him, i.e. as if by accident, not to endow him with real prophetic insights. Now that Bileam had been told by G’d, i.e. had been made to declare publicly that Israel is superior because it does not resort to divinations, etc., he absorbed the lesson and no longer resorted to the tools of his trade before viewing the people and awaiting inspiration. This is also why the Torah now explains that the source of Bileam’s inspiration had changed and
Rashbam
ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקרת נחשים, to try different locations in order to find one from which he could curse the people. The Torah reports that as of now Bileam had his heart in blessing the Israelites. As a result, ותהי עליו רוח אלוקים, the spirit of G’d now remained with him. G’d now inspired him out of a feeling of genuine liking for him.
Daat Zkenim
'ולא הלך וגו, “he did not continue to attempt using divinations;” he knew that such attempts would be futile. From this point on he blessed the Israelites with a full heart. G–d Himself assisted him in doing so. This is why the Torah immediately testifies at that point the spirit of Hashem came to rest upon him. Alternately, Bileam’s mindset actually was not deterred, but G–d forced him to utter blessings because he had been so inspired from above.
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe; and the spirit of God came upon him.
verse value 3729 — אֱלֹהִֽים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "dwelling" (שֹׁכֵ֖ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "his·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו), "by·its·tribes" (לִשְׁבָטָ֑יו). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·came" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "upon·him" (root על, 128x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·its·tribes', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֨א [and·he·lifted·up] (317) + בִלְעָ֜ם [Balaam] (142) + אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו [his·eyes] (547) + וַיַּרְא֙ [and·he·saw] (217) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (942) + שֹׁכֵ֖ן [dwelling] (370) + לִשְׁבָטָ֑יו [by·its·tribes] (357) + וַתְּהִ֥י [and·came] (421) + עָלָ֖יו [upon·him] (116) + ר֥וּחַ [the·spirit·of] (214) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 3729.
Onkelos
Balaam lifted his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, and a spirit of prophecy from before Hashem rested upon him.
Rashi
וישא בלעם את עיניו AND BALAAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES — he wished to cast the evil eye upon them. Thus you have his three characteristics — an evil eye mentioned here, and pride and greed which have been mentioned above (see Rashi on Numbers 22:13 and 18). שכן לשבטיו DWELLING ACCORDING TO HIS TRIBES — He saw each tribe dwelling by itself not intermingled one with another; he saw that the entrances of their tents were not exactly facing each other so that one could not peer into the other's tent (Bava Batra 60a). ותהי עליו רוח אלהים AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD WAS UPON HIM — Then he made up his mind not to curse them (i.e. he decided to comply with the will of God, רוח אלהים).
Ibn Ezra
"Dwelling by its tribes" — he saw all the banner-formations. Some say that Balaam had an evil eye, called by the name of evil, and through his evil eye he would do harm. But I have already made my own view known to you.
Or HaChaim
וישא בלעם את עיניו, Bileam raised his eyes, etc." The Torah had to write Bileam's name once more as well as the word וישא, "he raised." Seeing that we have explained earlier that the Israelites were surrounded and enveloped by G'd's protective cloud so that no evil eye could harm them, the Torah had to tell us that Bileam "raised" his eyes, i.e. that he invoked the prophetic powers with which he had been equipped, in order to see what ordinary people could not see (compare verse 4: "who sees the vision of G'd…with open eyes"). The Torah describes things Bileam saw with his mental eye. His name was mentioned here once more in order to make clear that what Bileam did here he did in his capacity as a prophet designated by G'd to the Gentile nations. He succeeded in seeing the Israelites as a result of invoking these powers G'd had equipped him with. וירא את ישראל שכן לשבטיו, "He observed the Israelites encamped according to their tribes. He was overcome by the Holy Spirit." Bileam discovered two things of importance. 1) The Israelites were disciplined, each tribe occupying the area assigned to it, their leader at their head. The reason for this separation of the tribes was that each tribe represented a spiritual level all its own. 2) The Holy Spirit rested on the people. It is also possible that Bileam realised the truth of the statement in Baba Batra 60 that the reason the people qualified to have the Holy Spirit rest on them and to have become the מרכבה, G'd's chariot, as it were, was that each tribe had arranged to be a closed unit.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וירא את ישראל שוכן לשבטיו, “He saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes.” He saw the flags arranged in proper order. He noted that the entrances of the tents did not face each other so as to preserve a maximum of privacy for each family at all times. This would prevent an evil eye damaging the air-space of one’s neighbour. As soon as he realised the purpose of this arrangement, he exclaimed: “how goodly are your tents O Yaakov” (Baba Batra 60). נאם הגבר, “the words of the man, etc.” Bileam referred to himself as גבר, “man,” in the masculine sense of the word, seeing that the masculine rooster has intuitive knowledge of the moment dawn breaks. Bileam claimed similar knowledge of the “moods” of the Lord, as we pointed out earlier (compare Berachot 7 which states that he was the only human being able to do this). The rooster is the only one of the birds which possesses this talent. The rooster is credited with calling out seven times during the night. We also find that Bileam raised his voice i.e. וישא משלו, on seven different occasions during his visit to Balak. Just as the rooster is the sexually most promiscuous animal amongst the birds, mating with innumerable hens, so Bileam was stooped in sexual licentiousness, sleeping with any female he could get hold of. The reason that the rooster is not acceptable as an offering on the altar is precisely because of its sexual mores. Bileam is reputed to have slept even with his ass, and it is not surprising therefore that he tried to seduce the Israelites into becoming similarly indiscriminate in their sex life (compare Sanhedrin 105).
Tur HaArokh
ותהי עליו רוח אלוקים, “the spirit of G’d remained upon him.” Now the hand of Hashem rested upon Bileam similar to the phenomena experienced by true prophets. This is similar to what Moses had had in mind when he told Joshua that he wished every member of the Jewish people would be endowed with the kind of prophetic visions granted to Eldod and Meydod. (Numbers 11,29) As a result of this experience Bileam was now able to refer to himself as
And he took up his parable, and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, And the saying of the man whose eye is opened;
verse value 2695
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "word·of" (נְאֻ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·said" (וַיֹּאמַ֑ר, 5 letters). The root נאם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Balaam" (root בלעם, 53x in Numbers). First appearance of the root נאם ("word·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֥א [and·he·took·up] (317) + מְשָׁל֖וֹ [his·parable] (376) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + נְאֻ֤ם [word·of] (91) + בִּלְעָם֙ [Balaam] (142) + בְּנ֣וֹ [son·of] (58) + בְעֹ֔ר [Beor] (272) + וּנְאֻ֥ם [and·word·of] (97) + הַגֶּ֖בֶר [the·man] (210) + שְׁתֻ֥ם [open] (740) + הָעָֽיִן [the·eye] (135) = 2695.
Onkelos
He took up his parable and said: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor — the utterance of the man who sees clearly.
Rashi
בנו בער — The grammatical form בנו is exactly like that in (Psalms 114:8) “To a spring of (מעינו) water” (see Rashi on Numbers 23:18). But a Midrashic statement is: Both of them (Balak and Balaam) were superior to their fathers, for it states (Numbers 23:18): “Balak — his son was Zippor”, i.e. that his father (Zippor) was his son (his inferior) in respect to royalty, and Balaam was greater than his father in prophecy (because it states here, בלעם בנו בעור i.e. Balaam — his son was Beor): he was, so to speak, a Maneh, son of a Half-Maneh (Sanhedrin 105a, Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 13, cf. Taanit 28b). שתום העין WITH THE PENETRATING EYE — his eye was bored out and had been extracted and its eye socket could be seen to be open. The word שתום used in the sense of “boring a hole” is a Mishnaic usage: sufficient time that we can bore a hole (ישתום) in the cask and stop it up, and it (the clay of which the stopper is made) can dry (Avodah Zarah 69a). And our Rabbis said, Because he had said, (Numbers 23:10) ומספר את רבע ישראל, meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, occupies Himself with counting the issue of the marital life of the Israelites, awaiting the time when a righteous man will be born, he therefore said to himself, “Does He who is holy and whose ministers are holy direct his mind to matters such as these?” On this account Balaam’s eye was blinded (Niddah 31a). But some explain that שתום העין means “open-eyed”, just as Onkelos translated (“who can see well”). And since it says, שתום העין "with an open eye” and it does not say, “with open eyes”, we may learn that in one of his eyes he was blind (Sanhedrin 105a).
Ramban
SHETHUM HA’AYIN.’ The commentators have not found the root of this word [shethum] anywhere else in Scripture. Onkelos translated it: “who sees well,” as [if to say] “open-eyed,” and in the language of the Sages we find: “sufficient time sheyishtom and to close it up” — meaning to say: [enough time to open a hole in the barrel of wine] — and to stop it up again. Perhaps the word [shethum] is a composite one [consisting of the two words shethui mah — “whatever is put” before the eye], from the root ‘shithi’ (My setting) these My signs, [and here it means] that Balaam is a person [of whom one can use the phrase] “whatever is put” [before him] — because he understands everything that he puts his eye upon.
Ibn Ezra
"And he took up his parable" — the meaning is that he raised his voice in his parable, and the parable is like streams that flow gently. "Utterance" (neum) — it means speech, as in "vayine'amu" (they spoke). Some say that the meaning of "who hears" and also "who sees" is of divination, and the interpretation close to reason is that this is the way of prophecy through a dream, as in the words of Eliphaz: "A form was before my eyes; silence, and then I heard a voice" (Job 4:16). "Whose eye is clear" (shetum ha-ayin) — it has no cognate, but its meaning in context is the opposite of "stopped up" (satum). Some say that Balaam had only one eye, but this is a homiletical interpretation.
Or HaChaim
וישא משלו, "He began his parable, etc." Why were these two words necessary? We also need to know why he had to say: "says Bileam, etc." Who did not know that Bileam was speaking? Furthermore, why did Bileam have to tel us once more who his father was? Besides, why did he have to give details about identifying marks on his body? What did he mean when he said: "who hears the words of G'd?" If he meant to boast that he was privy to communications from G'd, why had he waited so long to do this? We must remember that up until this moment Bileam had uttered only words which the angel had put in his mouth; all the words he had spoken were the complete opposite of what he wished to say. Now he was anxious that G'd should agree with what he would utter, i.e. that the words he would say would be considered as if he had spoken them willingly. He was quite prepared that G'd would turn any curse he would try into a blessing. However, he wanted to make sure that if he were to pronounce a blessing G'd would not invoke His power to bless but would accept Bileam's words of blessing as they were. This was especially so if you accept our second interpretation on the words "he turned his face to the desert," where we explained that he pretended to have become a בעל תשובה, a penitent, and to thereby become fit to bless the Jewish people. The verse then may be understood as follows: וישא משלו, Bileam referred to a parable which originated with him personally, not with the angel. Once we accept this approach we can easily understand the quote from Sanhedrin 105 that his blessings were couched in such a language that they were actually curses as in כנחלים נטיו. These נחלים, rivulets which flow through the valley, are brooks which dry up in the summer so that they do not irrigate orchards adjoining them. The Holy Spirit corrected Bileam, adding the word נטיו, i.e. that not as Bileam meant that they would run dry, but they would continue to flow in every season. The Torah continued כאהלים נטע השם, "as aloes planted by the Lord;" actually, Bileam had not wanted to say the additional words "which G'd has planted;" he had only wanted to single out a category of plant which has a short life; G'd altered the meaning by adding the words: "planted by the Lord," i.e. enduring. In this fashion G'd added whatever was necessary to Bileam's "blessings" in order to make real blessings out of them, not hidden curses. If Bileam's words had been spoken by the angel just as previously, why would the angel phrase them so that they could be perceived as curses in disguise? It is dear therefore, that what we have here are words which Bileam spoke of his own accord although G'd added something in each case in order to blunt his evil intention. This then is why the Torah wrote three distinct statements to make it unmistakably clear that here we speak about Bileam initiating these blessings. 1) נאם בלעם (3 ,ויאמר (2 ,וישא משלו. It should be recorded forever who it was who thought up these wo...
Rabbeinu Bahya
שתם העין, “with the open eye.” The word שתם is the opposite of סתום, i.e. “closed, shut.” A similar expression appears in Avodah Zarah 69 "כדי שישתום ויסתום", and the expression denotes the time it takes for a Gentile to open and reseal a casket of wine, i.e. if the wine was unsupervised for this length of time it is no longer fit for consumption by a Jew. It is a well known fact that there are three types of knowledge and the way it can be acquired: 1) by means of seeing things and comprehending their nature. 2) by means of hearing things and understanding their nature. 3) perceptions other than by means of these two organs. The latter are called simply ידיעה, “knowledge.” In our verse Bileam refers to these three ways of acquiring knowledge as 1) שתום העין, 2) שומע אמרי א-ל; 3) יודע דעת עליון. We find all these three ways of acquiring knowledge also applied to G’d Himself in a single verse in Exodus 3,7 where G’d describes His knowledge of the pitiful state the Jewish people are in with these words: ראה ראיתי את עני עמי....את צעקתם שמעתי...כי ידעתי את מכאוביו, “I have certainly seen the troubles of My people...and I have heard their outcries...for I know their pain.” Seeing that the terms “seeing” and “hearing” do not really apply to G’d who has no eyes or ears, it is clear that the word ידעתי, “I know,” applies to all three ways of acquiring knowledge.
Kli Yakar
And Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of the Lord to bless Israel. Because they were good in the eyes of the Lord, and he did not go, as at other times, to seek divinations, that is, to search after their transgressions and all their sins which were done through the instigation of the primordial serpent. And he set his face toward the wilderness, as he concludes (in Shemot Rabbah 2:4), Who is this coming up from the wilderness? All the merits of Israel come from the wilderness, etc. The intent of the midrash is that in the merit of the humility found among Israel, who make themselves like this wilderness which all tread upon, Israel merited all the virtues, as our Sages interpreted (in Eruvin 54a) on the verse and from the wilderness, Matanah [which can also mean a gift] (Numbers 21:18). And immediately, when he set his eyes to recount all the virtues which they merited from the wilderness, in order to cast an evil eye upon them, his eye was immediately blinded. Therefore, he called himself whose eye is closed specifically on this occasion. But according to Rashi, who explained that he was blinded because he said and count the fourth part of Israel, it is difficult to understand why he did not call himself thus in the second prophecy.
Rashbam
שתום העין, someone whose eyes were open, someone granted divine visions, as we have been told in Avodah Zarah 69. [ what we have been told there is that the expression שתום refers to the brief moment which elapses between opening one’s eye and blinking before closing it again. Ed.]
The saying of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Fallen down, yet with opened eyes:
verse value 2083
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "word·of" (נְאֻ֕ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "words·of·God" (אִמְרֵי־אֵ֑ל, 6 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "words·of·God" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "who" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "eyes" (root עין, 39x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'words·of·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: נְאֻ֕ם [word·of] (91) + שֹׁמֵ֖עַ [one·who·hears] (410) + אִמְרֵי־אֵ֑ל [words·of·God] (282) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [who] (501) + מַחֲזֵ֤ה [visions·of] (60) + שַׁדַּי֙ [the·Almighty] (314) + יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה [he·beholds] (30) + נֹפֵ֖ל [prostrate] (160) + וּגְל֥וּי [but·unveiled] (55) + עֵינָֽיִם [eyes] (180) = 2083.
Onkelos
The utterance of one who hears the Word from before God, who beholds a vision from before the Almighty — lying prostrate, yet revealed to him.
Rashi
נפל וגלוי עינים FALLING BUT HAVING HIS EYES OPEN — Its plain sense is as the Targum has it (“lying down when it was revealed to him”), meaning, that God revealed Himself to him only at night when he was lying on his bed. — And a Midrashic explanation of it is: When He revealed Himself to him he had no strength to stand on his feet, and he, therefore, fell on his face — because he was uncircumcised and it was therefore a loathsome thing that He should reveal Himself to him whilst he stood in an erect posture before Him (cf. Tar. Jon. and Rashi on Genesis 17:3).
Ibn Ezra
"Fallen" — as in "a deep sleep fell upon Abram" (Gen. 15:12). "With eyes unveiled" — even though he is in a sleep-like state, he sees with his eyes, as in the sense of "but my heart is awake" (Song 5:2).
Chizkuni
אשר מחזה שדי יחזה, “who sees the vision of the Almighty;” an expression announcing that what follows is of prophetic dimension. It is similar to Numbers 23,3 where Bileam looked forward to being shown parts of the future so that he could reveal it at this time.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אשר מחזה שדי יחזה, “who sees the vision of Shaddai.” This verse clearly shows that Bileam did not achieve the level of prophetic insight achieved by our patriarchs. It most certainly did not even approximate the level of prophetic insight achieved by Moses. It was at least two levels below that of Moses. Whereas the level of the patriarchs was of the level described as א-ל שדי, that of Bileam was only that of the level of מחזה של שדי. According to Nachmanides, this is why Bileam described himself as גלוי עינים, a level of prophetic insights characteristic of the בני הנביאים, “the disciples of the prophets” that we read about frequently in the Book of Prophets. In Kings II 6,17 for instance, we read of Elisha praying for G’d to open the eyes of his disciple. In our portion, chapter 22,31 we have a similar statement applied to Bileam when the Torah reports that G’d opened his eyes and he saw the angel. When the sages in Sifri Vezot Habrachah comment on Deut. 34,10 where the Torah reports that “there never again arose a prophet of the level of Moses among the Jewish people who knew G’d face to face,” that there did arise a prophet among the Gentiles who was of similar stature, i.e. Bileam, the meaning is not that Bileam equalled Moses as a prophet. Rather, the author of Sifri compares the aspect of ידיעה, which Moses had of G’d’s ways to the clarity with which Bileam perceived that which he did perceive. He did not see fragmentary visions, unclear visions like other prophets, but had a perfectly clear understanding of what G’d conveyed to him — in honor of the people of Israel — (not because of his personal merit). This is the way Nachmanides understands the Sifri we quoted. There is another way of understanding the words of the Sifri who writes: ‘but among the nations of the world there did arise such a prophet;” Sifri means when Bileam bestowed blessings, i.e. addressed exclusively the attribute of Mercy, his stature as a prophet equaled that of Moses, his blessings were just as powerful. Had it not been for the blessings of Bileam which he addressed to the attribute of Mercy exclusively, the Jewish people’s future would have been questionable at best. But seeing that Bileam reverted to the use of magic after bestowing his blessings, his power as a prophet evaporated completely. נופל, the word is to be understood as analogous to Genesis 15,12: ותרדמה נפלה על אברם, “and a deep sleep overcame Avram.” וגלוי עינים, “with his eyes open.” The meaning is: “he sees even while being asleep.” We have a similar verse by Solomon in Song of Songs 5,2: “I am asleep but my heart is awake.”
Kli Yakar
The utterance of one who hears the words of God and beholds a vision of the Almighty. Since every blind person is called in the language of our Sages “sagi nahor” [full of light], because the vision of the heart and ordinary eyesight diminish each other, and when one strengthens, the other weakens. Therefore, inner intellectual vision is greater among the blind because they are not distracted by physical sight. Similarly, some have the custom to close their eyes while reciting “Hear O Israel,” etc., in order to strengthen their heartfelt intention, so that their eyes are on a lower level while their heart is elevated to a higher level. Therefore, after his eye was blinded, he called himself one who beholds a vision of the Almighty, and said falling down because he is blind — with his eyes uncovered — which causes him to fall, yet his intellectual eyes are uncovered. And he called himself one who hears the words of God because the sense of sight also diminishes the sense of hearing, as a person cannot use these two senses as one, as we explained on the verse Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud (Exodus 19:9), meaning that you will not be able to see the Divine Presence, and He gave the reason: so that the people may hear — because through this the sense of hearing is strengthened, as explained in my work Ollelot Ephraim, discourse 215, see there. And he said “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob.” He saw that their openings were not aligned facing each other, so that no one would look into their fellow’s tent and they would not be harmed by the evil eye. He said, “How is it possible that they would be harmed by the evil eye, since it is something they themselves are careful about?” Rather, like streams stretched out — he is saying that the tents of Jacob and his dwellings are compared to streams that cover the fish so that the evil eye has no power over them. Similarly, the tents in which they sit and engage in Torah study protect from the [evil] eye, for the evil eye has no power over those who dwell in tents who are not seen at the head of all streets. Nevertheless, their Torah proclaims them in the streets, giving its voice, and their wellsprings spread outward in the streets [like] streams of water. Therefore it says, like streams stretched out, like gardens planted by the Lord, for the tents and the streams have the same property.
Tur HaArokh
שומע אמרי א-ל, “the one who has first-hand experience in hearing G’d’s words.” This was another way of declaring himself as a prophet. אשר מחזה שדי יחזה, “who sees the vision of Shaddai.” He had now received the kind of vision which men such as the patriarchs enjoyed when at the beginning of Avraham’s career the Torah reports in Exodus 6,3וארא אל אברהם, אל יצחק, ואל יעקב בא-ל שדי, “I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov in My capacity as the G’d Shadday.” It is also possible that here we speak about one rung lower for מחזה שדי is not equivalent to א-ל שדי.
Rashbam
אשר מחזה שדי יחזה, sometimes, when he was asleep in bed, and sometimes with his eyes open, i.e. גלוי עיניפ in daytime. At the time he was speaking these lines he was granted prophetic vision in full daylight. The word נופל means that the subject had no control over his body, compare Samuel I 31,8.
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!
verse value 1691
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "Jacob" (יַעֲקֹ֑ב, 4 letters) and the longest is "your·dwellings" (מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "how·fair·are" (מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ), "your·tents" (אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ), "your·dwellings" (מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "your·tents" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers); "your·dwellings" (root משכן, 42x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ [how·fair·are] (62) + אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ [your·tents] (66) + יַעֲקֹ֑ב [Jacob] (182) + מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ [your·dwellings] (840) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1691.
Onkelos
How goodly are your dwelling-places, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel.
Rashi
מה טבו אהליך HOW GOODLY ARE THY TENTS — He said this because he saw that the entrances of their tents were not exactly facing each other (Bava Batra 60a; cf. v. 2). משכנתיך means thy encampments, as the Targum has it. — Another explanation — מה טבו אהליך HOW GOODLY ARE THY TENTS — How goodly are the tent of Shiloh and the Temple when these flourished, in that sacrifices were offered therein to atone for you; משכנתיך How goodly are they even when they are in ruins, because then they are a pledge (משכון) for you, and the fact that they are in ruins is an atonement for your souls, as it is said. (Lamentations 4:11) “The Lord hath brought His fury to an end”. And by what means hath He brought it to an end? “He hath kindled a fire in Zion! (i.e. hath destroyed the Temple) (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Mishpatim 11).
Ibn Ezra
"How goodly" (mah tovu) — it is a past-tense verb, as in "for my eyes have lit up" (1 Sam. 14:29).
Sforno
!מה טובו אהליך יעקב; a reference to the Torah academies. [the word אהל in that sense dates back to Genesis 25,27 where Yaakov is described as יושב אהלים a dweller in tents.” It was also used in this sense by Noach when he blessed his son Shem (Genesis 9,27) We find it even more prominently as possessing this meaning in Exodus 33,7 “anyone desirous of finding the presence of G’d would go out to the Tent of Testimony.” משכנותיך, a reference to the synagogues of the Jews all over, as well as to their Temples when these existed. The reason that Bileam said מה טובו, an unusual formulation, is that he wanted to make plain that the Torah academies are not only of benefit to the people who study in them, but that they also are good in a transitive sense, i.e. their very existence is of benefit to the entire nation. The very name יעקב also contains such a dual meaning. On the one hand it appears to have a negative connotation, but it also symbolises עקב a heel, something at the tail end of matters, meaning after everything else has already disappeared the עקב still remains, endures. The name “Israel” that was added to Yaakov’s name was justified by this thought, that its bearer had come out of a confrontation with celestial forces and had survived, had endured. If Israel could contend with celestial forces successfully, it would certainly be able to do so with terrestrial forces, i.e. עם אנשים, (Genesis 32,29).
Or HaChaim
מה טובו אהליך יעקב, "How goodly are your tents O Jacob," etc. Bileam addresses both categories of Israelites in this verse. Concerning the average Israelite who studies Torah only occasionally, relatively briefly, Bileam spoke of the "tents of Jacob," i.e. temporary dwellings. Concerning the elite of the Israelites, the ones who make Torah the mainstay of their daily lives, Bileam spoke of the משכנות, the permanent residences. In the homes of the צדיקים Torah finds a permanent home. Bileam may also have alluded to two different time frames when distinguishing between "tents" and "residences," respectively. In Exodus 26,7 the Torah speaks of the coverings of the Tabernacle making a tent of it. When Bileam spoke of the "tents of Jacob," he referred to this element the Tabernacle represented. In Kings I 8,1 where Solomon dedicates the Holy Temple, he describes G'd as taking up residence in a permanent home, using the word לשכון for residing somewhere permanently. When Bileam spoke of the משכנות ישראל, he referred to the time when the permanent Temple would be built. The reason Bileam spoke of either dwelling in the plural i.e. אהליך and משכנותיך is that both the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple consisted of different levels of holiness in that the Holy of Holies was more sacred than the Sanctuary in front of the dividing curtain.
Chizkuni
מה טובו אוהליך יעקב, “how goodly are your tents o Yaakov.” The reason that Bileam complimented the Jewish people in these terms is that Yaakov had been described by the Torah as: איש תם יושב אהלים, “a quiet man, a dweller in tents.” (Genesis 25,27)
Rabbeinu Bahya
מה טובו אוהליך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל, “how goodly are your tents O Yaakov, your dwellings O Israel.” According to the plain meaning of the text Bileam now prophesies about the future of the Israelites in the land of Canaan. According to Midrash (Talmud Baba Batra 60a) Bileam speaks of the tents in the desert, seeing that there the Israelites dwelled in tents. When he saw how the entrances of these tents were so arranged that they did not face each other, Bileam was inspired to compliment the people on this. A kabbalistic approach: the words אהליך are a reference to the tents of the Jewish people in the celestial regions, whereas the word משכנותיך refers to their terrestrial dwellings. The former is a reference to the name of Yaakov being engraved on G’d’s throne (Bereshit Rabbah 68,18 ). The word טובו is understood as meaning the same as בהטיבו את הנרות, “purifying, cleaning” the lamps of the Menorah (Exodus 30,7). The word אהליך is a composite of בהלו נרו, “when His lamp shone” (Job 29,3), the latter א having been added. It symbolises the word אור, light. Bileam perceives the משכנות, “terrestrial dwellings of the Israelites,” as deriving their input from the purity of the celestial light this nation commands in those regions. Note how the verse is constructed in such a way that the word טוב we referred to covers both the term אהליך and משכנותיך. Immediately following is כנחלים נטיו; “stretching like brooks;” the word נטיה is always applied to manifestations in our terrestrial world; in this instance it refers to the משכנות mentioned in the previous verse.
Daat Zkenim
מה טובו אהליך יעקב, ”how goodly are your tents, Yaakov;” In the Talmud tractate Sanhedrin folio 105 treatment of this verse, Rabbi Yochanan is quoted as saying that the wording, i.e. the metaphors of Bileam’s blessings reveal that these blessings had been involuntary. He had intended to point to the paucity of synagogues and houses of Torah study, but what came out of his mouth were words of admiration for same. He referred to these houses of studies now as if they were equivalent to Tabernacles devoted to G–d as His residence, i.e. משכנותיך ישראל. Instead of saying that its dynasties would be short lived, he said that they would flow like rivers. Instead of saying that they would not enjoy orchards and vineyards, he said: כגנות על נהר, “like gardens situate near a river;” (for easy irrigation) Rabbi Yochanan there continues in this vein. An alternate interpretation by Rabbi Abba bar kahane: all of Bileam’s blessings eventually turned into curses when the Jewish people did not live up to the idealistic version of them he had painted, except the blessings concerning the synagogues and houses of Torah study. A different scholar understands the word נטיו, derived from נטיה, meaning: “propensity,” rivers having a propensity, inclination, to wend their way through the landscape in a certain fashion sometimes becoming wider or narrower depending on the contours of the landscape surrounding them. Bileam suggests that the fortunes of the Jewish people in the future will parallel what we observe with rivers. Isaiah uses the same simile in Isaiah 66,12, when he said: נוטה אליה כנהר שלום, “like a river at peace.” (as opposed to flood in the next simile of the prophet) Bileam’s similes reflect the changing experiences of rivers and streams as reflecting Jewish history in the future. The more active the rivers, the more they symbolise powerful blessings for the Jewish people. Isaiah 54,2 is also a metaphor describing this concept where it is applied to the earth’s solid surface. 'כאהלים נטע ה, “like aloes planted by Hashem.” This is a metaphor recalling the excellence of the plants in the garden (Eden) which G–d Himself had planted. (Compare Genesis 2,8)
As valleys stretched out, As gardens by the river-side; As aloes planted of Hashem, As cedars beside the waters;
verse value 1810 — יְהֹוָ֔ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "beside" (עֲלֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·wadis" (כִּנְחָלִ֣ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "like·wadis" (כִּנְחָלִ֣ים), "that·stretch·out" (נִטָּ֔יוּ), "like·gardens" (כְּגַנֹּ֖ת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "beside" (root על, 128x in Numbers); "like·aloes" (root אהל, 70x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·river', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּנְחָלִ֣ים [like·wadis] (158) + נִטָּ֔יוּ [that·stretch·out] (75) + כְּגַנֹּ֖ת [like·gardens] (473) + עֲלֵ֣י [beside] (110) + נָהָ֑ר [a·river] (255) + כַּאֲהָלִים֙ [like·aloes] (106) + נָטַ֣ע [planted] (129) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כַּאֲרָזִ֖ים [like·cedars] (278) + עֲלֵי־מָֽיִם [beside·the·water] (200) = 1810.
Onkelos
Like streams that flow forth, like a watered garden by the Euphrates, like spices that Hashem has planted, like cedars planted alongside water.
Rashi
כנחלים נטיו AS THE BROOKS THAT WIND — which lengthen and draw themselves out so that they extend (נטיו) into the distance. — Our Rabbis said: From the blessings uttered by that wicked man we may learn what was in his heart as regards cursing them, when he thought to set his face towards the wilderness (cf. v. 1). When the Omnipresent turned the words of his mouth he uttered blessings corresponding to the contents of those curses which he had wished to pronounce as it is related in the chapter beginning with the word חלק Sanhedrin 105b. כאהלים — Understand this as the Targum does (“as aromatic plants”), — taking it in the same meaning as in (Psalms 45:9) “Myrrh and aloes (אהלים). נטע ה' (LIKE THE ALOES] WHICH THE LORD HATH PLANTED in the Garden of Eden. - Another explanation: כאהלים נטע ה׳ LIKE TENTS WHICH THE LORD HATH PLANTED — i.e., like the heavens which are stretched forth as a tent (cf. Isaiah 40:22: וימתחם כאהל לשבת). נטע ה׳ [LIKE TENTS] WHICH THE LORD HAS PLANTED — We can speak of planting a tent for we find the expression “planting” in connection with tents, as it is said, (Daniel 11:45) “And he shall plant (ויטע) the tents of his palace”.
Ibn Ezra
"That flow" (netyu) — the dagesh in the tet absorbs the nun of the root natah, for there are streams that wind this way and that, and along them grow trees. "Like aloes" (ahalim) — as in "myrrh and aloes" (Ps. 45:9); and he is comparing the tents (ahalim) to flowing streams. "Like cedars" — this repeats the same idea; he mentions cedars because of "like a cedar in Lebanon it shall grow" (Ps. 92:13).
Sforno
כנחלים נטיו, for indeed Torah academies and synagogues are for the multitude what the brooks carrying water to irrigate their fields are as a material blessing. People spend their times in Torah academies and synagogues will receive for their souls what their fields receive from the waters of the brooks Bileam describes. This is why he used the simile כגנות עלי נהר, “as the gardens alongside a river.” These gardens never fail to deliver the fruit expected of them. Our sages paraphrase this when they said that the covenant of the 13 attributes of G’d He made with Moses means that he who invokes them in his prayer will be assured that he will have at least part of his prayer granted. (Rosh Hashanah 17)
Or HaChaim
כנחלים נטיו, "As valleys stretched out, etc." Our sages in Sanhedrin 105 offer many interpretations on this verse. I believe we may do well to explain the verse in the following manner. Bileam speaks of four different groups of righteous people amongst the Jewish nation. One category is similar to the prophet Samuel who used to tour the whole land of Israel year after year in order to spread Torah knowledge (Shabbat 56). The second group of righteous men are the ones who made their headquarters on the Temple Mount near the Sanctuary teaching and judging. Actually, this group is not basically different from people such as the prophet Samuel except that people wishing to hear the word of G'd had to come there instead of the word of G'd coming to them. The group of people who emulate the prophet Samuel are superior to this group as they bring the word of G'd to all parts of the country. The third category of righteous people is the group who study Torah for its own sake, i.e. without ulterior motives. The group mentioned previously is superior in that it not only studies but also teaches. The fourth category of the righteous are the ones who provide the financial backing for those who study by going out to earn the money necessary to support both themselves and the people studying Torah. Bileam had something to say with regard to each of these four groups of righteous Jews. He compared the members of the category who model themselves after the prophet Samuel by describing them as "brooks which stretch out," to describe the way they reach out spreading their Torah knowledge. He complimented these people for being like drawers of water enabling others to drink. He described the second category of the righteous, the ones who study and dispense knowledge and justice on the Temple Mount as "gardens along the river;" a garden has been planted as a fixture and anyone who wishes can come and avail himself of what it has to offer. The fruits of this garden eventually reach all corners of the country when the people who had come there take the fruit with them. This is what the prophet Isaiah had in mind when he said (Isaiah 2,3) that "Torah emanates from Zion and the word of G'd from Jerusalem." The third category of the righteous, the ones who isolate themselves in study for study's sake but who do not interact much with the community they live in, Bileam compared to aloes "planted by G'd;" they are similar to Jacob whom the Torah described as a loner, "a man living in his tent" i.e. devoting his life to study. [The author uses the letters of the word aholim in the text as if they had been vocalised oholim "tents." Ed.] The reason Bileam used the word נטיעה, "planted" in this context is that the older these plants (aloes) become the more roots they develop i.e. their souls become ever more deeply rooted in Torah values. Finally, concerning the fourth category of the righteous the ones who provide the material wherewithal for those who study and/or dissemi...
Rabbeinu Bahya
כנחלים נטיו, “stretching like brooks;” Our verse uses four separate expressions describing the dwellings of the Jewish people. The four expressions correspond to the four flags of each of the four camps of the people in the desert. Each expression symbolizes another type of enjoyment, delight. Our sages in Taanit 20 consider the curse with which the prophet Achiah Hashiloni cursed Israel as better than the blessing bestowed on the Jewish people by Bileam [Compare Kings I 14,15: “The Lord will strike Israel (the ten tribes) until it sways like a reed in water.”] You will note that reeds have a habit of bending with the wind without breaking, not being uprooted by the most powerful winds, whereas the cedars which Bileam used as similes for Israel in his blessings are prone to being uprooted by the wind. When that happens the trunk will not rehabilitate itself.
Kli Yakar
Like cedars beside the waters. In Sanhedrin (105b), they said that the curse of Ahijah the Shilonite was better than the blessings of Balaam. Ahijah cursed them with a reed, as it is said (1 Kings 14:15), The Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. Just as the reed only stands in a place of water, and its trunk renews and its roots are numerous, etc., but Balaam blessed them with a cedar which does not stand in a place of water, etc. Rashi explained that what is written here, like cedars beside the waters, was what the Divine Presence made him say, but this explanation is difficult. It seems that the correct interpretation is that from Balaam’s blessings we can learn what was in His heart to curse them. Certainly, he intended to compare them to an ordinary cedar that does not stand in water, in order to make them vulnerable to the evil eye, just as an ordinary cedar, because it is tall, everyone looks at it. Similarly, Israel, because they are raised and lifted up and very high (Isaiah 52:13), the nations would cast their eyes upon them. But God transformed the curse and put a hook in his mouth to say, “Say, like cedars beside the waters” — the remedy included with the affliction — because the waters protect it, as most of its lower part is covered by water and it doesn’t appear so tall, and the waters save it from the evil eye, like fish. Nevertheless, the metaphor of the reed is better than that of the cedar because it represents humility, as it bends before the wind, and this is its remedy. That is why our Sages said (Taanit 20a) that the reed merited to have a quill taken from it to write Torah scrolls, to teach that the Torah only endures in those who are humble in spirit like the reed, and not in one who is hard like a cedar. Still, a cedar that stands beside the waters somewhat resembles a reed in that it is partially covered, which also somewhat indicates humility. Therefore, he immediately says, Water shall flow from his branches, meaning that from the poor [dalim] who are naturally humble, the water of Torah will flow. And when Balaam saw that he could not harm them in any way, he conceded and said that he could not do good or bad, etc. For the bad means to curse, and the good to bless them in a loud voice so that it would be considered a curse for them, and this good is worse than simple bad since his mouth and heart are not aligned. Therefore, he put the good before the bad in a manner of “not only this but also that.” And after all the prophecies, he said, Behold, I am going to my people. This does not mean that his prophecy was ceasing, for he was still prophesying as he went, but rather he said, Behold, I am going to prophesy what this people will do to my people. Therefore, come, I will advise you, etc., for this advice is how you will be saved from them. And it is reasonable to interpret that he said to him “I will advise you” to be passive and not act, since there will be peace in your days, why worry about the future? For what this people will do to your people will be in the end of days, but peace will be in your days. Therefore, be careful and quiet. And the main advice is hinted in the word “lekha” [go], meaning now “lekha” — go away from this path. And what is hinted in “lekha” is “I will advise you” that for now you should go your way and set aside the matter, for the vision is yet for an appointed time.
Rashbam
כנחלים נטיו, brooks which run in a straight course. כאהלים, similar to the same word in Song of Songs 4,14 מר ואהלות, “myrrh and aloes.” The vowels patch under the letters כ in the words כאהלים and כארזים are justified as they substitute for the semi vowel sheva which could not be used twice in a row. Seeing the next letter had a chataf patach. We find similar construction in Isaiah 44,4 כערבים על יבלי מים.
Water shall flow from his pails, And his seed shall be in many waters; And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
verse value 2512
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "in·water" (בְּמַ֣יִם, 4 letters) and the longest is "shall·flow·water" (יִֽזַּל־מַ֙יִם֙, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "shall·flow·water" (יִֽזַּל־מַ֙יִם֙), "from·his·pails" (מִדָּ֣לְיָ֔ו), "above·Agag" (מֵֽאֲגַג֙). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be·exalted" (root נשא, 48x in Numbers); "in·water" (root מים, 35x in Numbers); "his·king" (root מלך, 21x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundant', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: יִֽזַּל־מַ֙יִם֙ [shall·flow·water] (137) + מִדָּ֣לְיָ֔ו [from·his·pails] (90) + וְזַרְע֖וֹ [and·his·seed] (289) + בְּמַ֣יִם [in·water] (92) + רַבִּ֑ים [abundant] (252) + וְיָרֹ֤ם [shall·rise·above] (256) + מֵֽאֲגַג֙ [above·Agag] (47) + מַלְכּ֔וֹ [his·king] (96) + וְתִנַּשֵּׂ֖א [shall·be·exalted] (757) + מַלְכֻתֽוֹ [his·kingdom] (496) = 2512.
Onkelos
A king shall increase who shall be great among his sons, and he shall rule over many nations; his king shall be mightier than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
Rashi
מדליו means OUT OF HIS SPRINGS, and its explanation is as given in the Targum (“The king appointed from amongst his sons shall be great”). וזרעו במים רבים AND HIS SEED SHALL BE IN MANY WATERS — This is an expression denoting prosperity — he shall be as seed which is sown upon well-watered soil. וירם מאגג מלכו AND HIS KING SHALL BE HIGHER THAN AGAG — Their first king will conquer Agag king of the Amalakites. ותנשא מלכתו AND HIS KINGDOM SHALL BE EXALTED — i.e. the kingdom of Jacob (the Israelitish people) shall be exalted more and more, because the powerful monarchs David and Solomon will succeed him (their first king).
Ramban
AND HIS KING SHALL BE HIGHER THAN AGAG. “Their first king [Saul] will conquer Agag king of the Amalekites. Agag is here called by his name before he was born. Similar cases are [the expressions]: to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden; Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name. So also were the names of Isaac, Ishmael, and Solomon [given before they were born]. AND HIS KINGDOM — that is, Jacob’s — SHALL BE EXALTED more and more, because David and his son Solomon will come after him [Saul].” This is Rashi’s language, and he has explained it well. It is possible that every king of the Amalekite people was called Agag, because the first king whom they set up over them was so called [Agag], and thus all his descendants who occupied his throne were called by his name, as are most kings even nowadays, who are called by the name of those who [originally] seized the kingdom. So also Haman the Agagite [was so called] because he was a descendant of that royal family. For it is unlikely that the prophet [Balaam] would cite the name of a wicked man [Agag] even before he was formed in the womb. So also [the name] Gog was one by which all the princes of Magog were called. Thus Balaam added with this third prophecy of his [to his previous two prophecies] by telling Balak that Jacob’s tents are goodly, referring to the period from the time that they were dwellers in tents until they would inherit the land [of Canaan], and the dwellings of Israel after the conquest and division of the Land will also be good, meaning that they will dwell therein in safe habitations. And [Balaam further informed Balak that] Israel’s land will be full of all goodly things, like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not, and that Israel will conquer Amalek because he attacked him, and will destroy his memory; and that the kingdom of Israel will be even more exalted, because they will have afterwards mighty kings, who will be exceedingly elevated. And he further told him that Israel would eat up his adversaries and break their bones in pieces, referring to their wealth and all their belongings. And [finally, in Verse 9] he told him that Israel would dwell in the Land safely, fearing no people, as a lion, and as a lioness that does not fear any ravenous beast. And so now Balak despaired of [ever fighting] Israel, for [he realized that] if he would fight against him, he would be truly destroyed, for Israel would eat up all his adversaries in the same way that he would destroy Amalek because he attacked him. Therefore Balak now told Balaam to flee to his place, for he has no more desire for him [and his counsel].
Ibn Ezra
"Water shall flow from his buckets" — here "water" is a singular noun, as in "the water of lustration was not sprinkled on him" (Num. 19:20). "His buckets" (midalav) — meaning his two buckets (midalyotav). "And his seed shall be by many waters" — like seed that is well-watered; the meaning is that each day it grows and increases. "His king shall be higher than Agag" — this is a prophecy about Saul, who was the first king, for before Saul there were judges and not kings.
Or HaChaim
יזל מים מדליו, "Water will flow from his buckets, etc." We have a tradition expressed in Shemot Rabbah 28,6 that every Israelite received his personal share in the Torah [some insight not revealed to someone else at the revelation at Mount Sinai; this was why all the souls who had not yet been assigned bodies were present at that time. Rabbi Moshe Alshich elaborates on this. Ed.] This is the reason Moses called the Torah מורשה in Deut. 33,4 (compare Pessachim 49). The Talmud suggests that the word Morashah could be read as Me-orassah, "betrothed." The "bucket" Bileam speaks about is the common source from which all the Torah insights are derived. Moses is considered as the one who filled this "bucket" with water originally, i.e. that all these insights have been alluded to in the written Torah. Bileam used the word bucket as hyperbole although a bucket is hardly a highly valued tool, because he envisages a time when the Messiah comes and the 50th level of בינה, "insight" will be revealed to mankind. At that time all the preceding 49 levels of insight which have been attained by various people throughout the preceding years will be considered as having been raised from that "bucket." In retrospect then, this insignificant bucket will be perceived as having been an extremely valuable and prestigious tool. Bileam refers to that period in the future as the time when the descendants of Israel will enjoy many waters, i.e. many insights. וירום מאגג מלכו, "and its king will be greater than Agag." Bileam here revealed that Israel would become a formal kingdom at the time when king Agag the first king of the Amalekites ruled that nation. Saul lost his kingdom having failed to kill Agag and he was replaced by a more worthy colleague, i.e. David. The reason that Bileam described the commencement of the Jewish monarchy in terms of Agag the king of the Amalekites was only because this first Jewish king wasted his chance to kill Agag before the latter had progeny. Megillah 13 reveals that during the night that Saul kept Agag prisoner he succeeded in impregnating a woman who perpetuated his seed throughout the ages. The correct meter of our verse then is: "the reason that David became a greater king than Saul is the latter's failure to deal with Agag as G'd had commanded." The subject of מלכו is David. Bileam continued ותנשא מלכותו, that the kingdom of the Messiah who is a reincarnation of David will be more exalted even than that of David after Saul (Compare Ezekiel 37,24: "and My servant David will be king over them." Compare also Isaiah 52,13: ירום ונשא וגבה מאד מאד, where you have both these expressions in one and the same verse applied to one and the same person). Another thought Bileam may have had in mind when he spoke about the kingdom of the Israelites surpassing in grandeur that of Agag maybe a reference to the war against Amalek preceding the arrival of the Messiah. Inasmuch as all Amalekites nowadays are descended from Agag, G'd will have to defea...
Chizkuni
יזל מים מדליו, “water shall flow from his branches.” This is not the only time when the Bible uses the singular mode when speaking of מים, water, which is mostly used in the plural mode. A relatively well known example of “water” being used in the singular mode is found in Numbers 19,20 מי נדה לא זורק עליו, “the water used to cleanse menstruants has not been sprinkled upon him.” מדליו, “ from its branches.” We find this word in this sense also in Jeremiah 11,16: ורעו דליתיו, “it breaks its branches.” The meaning there seems to be that the water dripping from the branches drips to its roots (harming them). וזרעו במים רבים, “and his seed shall be in many waters.” This is why it never has to worry about failing to produce fruit. This is the parable, followed by the declaration that David’s kingdom will outrank that of Agag, King of the Amalekites.
Rabbeinu Bahya
יזל מים מדליו, “water shall drip from its boughs.” According to the plain meaning of the text the word דליות means “boughs, branches.” A Midrashic approach: The verse contains a warning to be careful in one’s treatment of the poor as they are the ones from which Torah emanates in great concentrations. We know this from Isaiah 55,1 who urges the thirsty to come for “water,” the word “water” being a simile for Torah. Accordingly the word מדליו is understood by the Midrash as מדלים שבהם, as “from the poor among them.” וזרעו במים רבים, “their roots have abundant water.” They get irrigated by abundant water supplies and continue to grow and develop day after day. It is similar to Isaiah 17,11: “on the day that you plant, you see it grow; on the morning you sow you see it bud.” וירום מאגג מלכו, “and may its kingdom be exalted over Agag.” A reference to King Shaul who captured Agag, the King of Amalek.
Tur HaArokh
וירם מאגג מלכו, “his king shall be exalted over Agog.” According to Rashi this is a reference to the king of Amalek, who had been named by Bileam before he was even born. Nachmanides writes that it is quite possible that every Amalekite King was known as Agag, much as every King of Egypt was known as Pharaoh seeing that the original Amalekite King was in fact called Agag. Any descendants of that king, if they ascended the throne, adopted the name of the original King.
Rashbam
וירום מאגג מלכו, a reference to King Sha-ul. Every ruler of the people of Amalek was always called Agag, just as Egyptian rulers were called Pharaoh, and just as the rulers of the Philistines were always known as Avimelech. Kings of Jerusalem in those days always had a title incorporating the word צדק, such as Malki Tzedek, and Adoni Tzedek.
Daat Zkenim
יזל מים מדליו, “water shall drip in a stream from its boughs;” the root נזל is used by Bileam in the same sense as by Devorah in her victory hymn to the Lord, Judges 5,5: הרים נזלו, “mountains quaked;” just as at the revelation on Mount Sinai. The power of rushing waters we call tzunami nowadays, are described by the prophet in Isaiah 8,7 as the turbulent flood waters of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris in Assyria. וירום מאגג מלכו, “and its king will rise above that of Agag. Bileam foresees the first king of the Israelites, King Sha-ul, as defeating the Kingdom of Amalek headed by Agag at the time (Samuel I chapter 15). All the Kings of the Amalekites bore the title “Agag,” just as all the Kings of Egypt bore the title “Pharaoh.” All the kings of the Philistines bore the title “Avimelech.” ותנשא מלכותו, “their Kingdom shall be exalted;” the kingdom of the Israelites.
God who brought him forth out of Egypt Is for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox; He shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And pierce them through with his arrows.
verse value 3465 — ל֑וֹ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·bones" (וְעַצְמֹתֵיהֶ֛ם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "who·freed·him" (מוֹצִיא֣וֹ), "his·enemies" (צָרָ֗יו), "and·their·bones" (וְעַצְמֹתֵיהֶ֛ם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root איל, 111x in Numbers); "for·him" (root לכם, 88x in Numbers); "who·freed·him" (root יצא, 68x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֵ֚ל [God] (31) + מוֹצִיא֣וֹ [who·freed·him] (153) + מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם [from·Egypt] (420) + כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת [like·the·horns·of] (976) + רְאֵ֖ם [the·wild·ox] (241) + ל֑וֹ [for·him] (36) + יֹאכַ֞ל [he·shall·devour] (61) + גּוֹיִ֣ם [nations] (59) + צָרָ֗יו [his·enemies] (306) + וְעַצְמֹתֵיהֶ֛ם [and·their·bones] (661) + יְגָרֵ֖ם [he·shall·crush] (253) + וְחִצָּ֥יו [and·his·arrows] (120) + יִמְחָֽץ [he·shall·pierce·through] (148) = 3465.
Onkelos
God who brought them out of Egypt — the strength and the majesty are His. The children of Israel shall consume the wealth of the nations their enemies; and by the plunder of their kings they shall be enriched, and their lands they shall inherit.
Rashi
אל מוציאו ממצרים GOD WHO BROUGHT THEM OUT OF EGYPT — Who was the cause of all this greatness? God who brought them out from Egypt; by his strength and his sublimity HE EATS UP (יאכל) THE NATIONS (גוים) who are (צריו) HIS ADVERSARIES. ועצמתיהם AND THEIR BONES — those of the adversaries. יגרם — Menachem ben Seruk explained it in the sense of “breaking to pieces”, similar to, (Zephaniah 3:3) “who have not broken to pieces (גרמו) in the morning”, and similar to, (Ezekiel 23:34) “and thou shalt crunch (תגרמי) the sherds thereof”. I, however, say that it has the meaning of “bone” (גרם in Aramaic corresponds to Hebrew עצם) — it means that one pulls away the flesh with his teeth from around the bone, and the marrow from inside, and brings the bone into its original bare condition (i.e., as it was before flesh grew upon it). וחציו ימחץ AND PIERCE THEM THROUGH WITH HIS ARROWS — Onkelos translated this as meaning, the חצים of the adversaries, taking it in the sense of “their postion of land”, similar to (Genesis 44:23) בעלי חצים, which he translated by מרי פלנותא “those who part (differ) from him”. So, too, according to the Targum ימחץ denotes “dividing” having the same meaning as in (Judges 5:26): “She divided (מחצה) and struck through his temples”. The meaning therefore is, that they will divide amongst themselves their (the adversaries’) land (Hence the translation of Onkelos: “they shall take possession of their land”). — But it can also be explained as meaning חצים literally (i.e., arrows): the arrows of the Holy One, blessed be He, He will ימחץ in the blood of the adversaries — i.e., he will dip and thus dye the arrows in their blood. Similar is, (Psalms 68:24) “In order that thou mayest colour thy foot (תמחץ) by the blood”. However, even in this sense it does not lose the usual meaning of “wounding”, as in (Deuteronomy 32:39): “I wound (מחצתי)”, for what is dyed by blood, looks as though it were wounded and stricken.
Ibn Ezra
"God who brought him out" — the meaning is that the God who brought him out of Egypt gave him strength like the horns of a wild ox. And let no one raise an objection on account of the mem in "who brought them out" (moci'am), thinking that the word lo ("to him") refers to the divine name, for such is the way of the language — as in "they fell at your feet, they bore your utterances" (Deut. 33:3), and "how long shall this people provoke me" (Num. 14:11), and many similar cases. "He consumes the nations, his foes" — the kings of Canaan. "And their bones he crushes" — he shatters the garem, which is the bone; similarly the word atzmo; and likewise "lopping off boughs" (mase'ef, Isa. 10:33). "And his arrows he shatters" — every arrow from his quiver he shatters; similarly "the righteous are as confident as a young lion" (Prov. 28:1), and "daughters stepped forth" (Gen. 49:22), and likewise "those who bless you are blessed" — each one of those who bless you shall be blessed; and similarly "those who curse you."
Sforno
יאכל גויים צריו, a promise that will be fulfilled in the distant future. Moses repeats this in Deuteronomy 32,43 ונקם ישיב לצריו, “G’d will take vengeance on their oppressors.” וחציו ימחץ, again words paraphrased by Moses in Deuteronomy 32,42. אשכיר חצי מדם “I will make My arrows drunk with blood.”
Or HaChaim
א־ל מוציאו ממצרים, "The G'd who has taken them out from Egypt, etc." We approach this on the basis of the tradition that when the Israelites left Egypt they had isolated all the sparks of sanctity which had been trapped inside Egypt by the forces of the קליפה, spiritually negative forces. We have explained already that holiness possesses the power to seek out and identify its branches (which had been lost temporarily). When Bileam speaks about מוציאו…כתועפות ראם לו, the subject is the Jewish people. [The word א־ל then is not to be translated as plain "G'd," but as "the divine power possessed by Israel." Ed.] These Israeliteshad taken out the sparks of sanctity previously trapped inside of Egypt by dint of their own holiness. The words: "he consumes nations which are its enemies" refer to the process which liberates the sparks of sanctity trapped inside the bodies of the pagans. These "sparks" will be absorbed by the collective "Soul" of the community of Israel. This is the mystical dimension of Proverbs 13,25: צדיק אכל לשבע נפשו, "The righteous eats in order to satisfy his soul" [as opposed to his body. Ed.]. ועצמותיהם יגרם, "and he crushes their bones." Bileam means that Israel crushes even the strongest parts of its opponents. וחציו ימחע, "and smashes their arrows." We may best understand this by referring to Tanchuma Beshalach 15 where Isaiah 24,21 is explained. The author of the Midrash understands the words יפקד ה׳ על צבא המרום במרום that G'd does not annihilate the army of a nation in the terrestrial world until after He has vanquished that nation's "protector" in the celestial spheres. If the nation is only "weakened" and not destroyed in battle on earth, this is a sign that its שר, "protector or representative" at the celestial court has not been vanquished. G'd only humbled such a representative prior to this representative's "client" on earth suffering a defeat. When a nation experiences what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, this meant that the celestial representatives of these kingdoms had been liquidated by G'd. Bileam refers to these celestial representatives of the various nations as "their arrows", the ones who carry on the fight on behalf of their clients in the celestial spheres. The word ימחץ may be understood as similar to Psalms 110,6: מחץ ראשו על ארץ רבה, "He crushed its head in the land which is "great" i.e. in the celestial spheres." It is a reference to the "protectors" of these various nations being vanquished. If we were to understand the word מחץ as meaning immersion or washing, then Bileam alludes to all these arrows as having been soaked in the blood of the enemies of the Jewish people.
Chizkuni
וחציו ימחץ, “piercing them with his arrows.” He (Israel) will use its arrows to pierce its opponents. There are numerous words in the Torah where the letter ב that we would have expected has been omitted. The word וחציו instead of ובחציו, is one of such examples.
Rashbam
תועפות, strength, as in Psalms 95,4 ותועפות הרים לו, “He possesses the strength of mountains.”
Daat Zkenim
יאכל גוים צריו, “they shall devour its oppressors.” ועצמותיהם יגרם, “and it will cause their bones to be crushed.”
He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesses you, And cursed be every one that curses you.
verse value 2542
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·like·a·lioness" (וּכְלָבִ֖יא, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "he·crouches" (כָּרַ֨ע), "like·a·lion" (כַּאֲרִ֛י), "and·like·a·lioness" (וּכְלָבִ֖יא). The root ארר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·rouse·him" (root קום, 32x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·rouse·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כָּרַ֨ע [he·crouches] (290) + שָׁכַ֧ב [he·lies·down] (322) + כַּאֲרִ֛י [like·a·lion] (231) + וּכְלָבִ֖יא [and·like·a·lioness] (69) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ [shall·rouse·him] (216) + מְבָרְכֶ֣יךָ [they·who·bless·you] (292) + בָר֔וּךְ [blessed] (228) + וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָ [and·they·who·curse·you] (437) + אָרֽוּר [accursed] (407) = 2542.
Onkelos
He rests and dwells in strength like a lion and like a lioness — there is no kingdom that can stir him. Those who bless you shall be blessed, and those who curse you shall be cursed.
Rashi
כרע שכב כארי HE CROUCHED, HE LAY DOWN AS A LION — Understand this as the Targum does (“He will have rest, he will dwell in strength like a lion”), meaning, they will be settled in their land in strength and might.
Ibn Ezra
"He crouches, he lies down" — the meaning is that Israel shall inherit the land of Canaan, and thereafter the land shall be at rest. "Who shall rouse him" — I have already explained this.
Sforno
מברכיך ברוך. We know that this was the case already in Avraham’s time. Even in exile, Avraham;s descendants will be of benefit to the nations who host these exiles. (compare Deuteronomy 30,9)
Or HaChaim
כרע שכב כארי, "He couched, he lay down like a lion, etc." Bileam extols the prowess of the Jewish people as being evident even when the nation is in repose, unarmed, etc. The nation relies on its reputation and does not fear attack even when lying down. The reason Bileam uses two different names for lions in this verse is once again in accordance with the way he divided the Jewish people into Jacob and Israel, i.e. into the average Israelite and the elite, respectively. מברכיך ברוך וארריך ארור, "the ones who bless you is blessed, those who curse you is cursed." Why are the respective subjects in this verse described in the plural whereas their respective victims or beneficiaries are described in the singular? The reason is simple. Bileam did not want to bless more than a single Jew. He used himself as a model; his well known avarice would not allow him to proliferate blessings. When he appears to have used the same approach in describing the people who curse the Israelites, he limited the negative fallout for people who curse the Israelites to a single one. In other words, although many may attempt to curse Israel only one of them will wind up cursed himself. Bileam used this stratagem so that he himself would not necessarily be included if he succeeded to curse the Israelites. Possibly, he had another evil intent here. When he said "those who bless you is blessed," he meant that the blessing should be fulfilled on the person doing the blessing who would remain blessed as a result of pronouncing it. He mentioned the second alternative, i.e. that those who curse Israel will be cursed only afterwards so as to ensure that he had already secured an enduring blessing for himself by having blessed Israel first. G'd made certain that Bileam's curse, i.e. his evil intent, boomeranged, so that he himself wound up accursed both in this world and in the hereafter (compare Sanhedrin 90 where we are told that Bileam forfeited his share in the hereafter).
Chizkuni
מברכיך ברוך ואורריך ארור, “those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed.” Bileam ridicules people who wish to curse the Jewish people, as in so doing they only bring a curse upon themselves. The Torah had made this point already in Genesis 12,3, when G-d said so to Avraham when he set out to migrate to the land of Canaan. In addition, Yitzchok had passed on this blessing to his son Yaakov, when he said to him in Genesis 27,29: “those who curse you will themselves be cursed, whereas those who bless you will be blessed.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
מברכיך ברוך “the ones who bless you, may they be blessed.” Although Bileam combines plural and singular in this verse, we encounter something similar in both Genesis 49,22 and Proverbs 28,1.
And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam: "I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
verse value 4623
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·flared·anger·of" (וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֤ף, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 173: at·Balaam, to·Balaam. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·he·clapped" (וַיִּסְפֹּ֖ק), "his·hands" (אֶת־כַּפָּ֑יו), "I·called·you" (קְרָאתִ֔יךָ). The root בלק appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "three" (root שלוש, 74x in Numbers); "this" (root זה, 61x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·hands', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Onkelos
Then the anger of Balak blazed against Balaam, and he clapped his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam: I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have surely blessed them these three times!
Rashi
ויספק means he clapped one hand upon the other.
Ibn Ezra
"And he clapped his hands" — as in "they clap their hands over you" (Lam. 2:15).
Sforno
ויספק את כפיו, as a sign that he had abandoned hope of achieving his objective, seeing that Bileam was cursing those whom he wanted to be the cursers.
Or HaChaim
ויתר אף בלק..ויספק את כפיו, "Balak became angry… and clapped his hands, etc." He expressed his anger by clapping his hands together. ברכת ברך, "you have surely blessed." Balak meant that the blessing he heard Bileam pronounce was not the kind that was a curse in disguise. He proved this because Bileam had said that anyone who blesses Israel (in this fashion) was to be blessed himself, etc. Clearly, Balak had not understood the nuances of Bileams's words we have explained as reflecting his evil intent even here.
Therefore now flee to your place; I thought to promote you to great honor; but, lo, Hashem has kept you back from honor."
verse value 2046 — כַּבֵּ֣ד = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "greatly·honor" (כַּבֵּ֣ד) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "greatly·honor" (כַּבֵּ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·your·place" (אֶל־מְקוֹמֶ֑ךָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: greatly·honor, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "flee!·yourself" (בְּרַח־לְךָ֣), "to·your·place" (אֶל־מְקוֹמֶ֑ךָ), "has·denied·you" (מְנָעֲךָ֥). The root כבד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֖ה [now] (481) + בְּרַח־לְךָ֣ [flee!·yourself] (260) + אֶל־מְקוֹמֶ֑ךָ [to·your·place] (237) + אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ [I·said] (651) + כַּבֵּ֣ד [greatly·honor] (26) + אֲכַבֶּדְךָ֔ [I·would·honor·you] (47) + וְהִנֵּ֛ה [behold] (66) + מְנָעֲךָ֥ [has·denied·you] (180) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מִכָּבֽוֹד [from·honor] (72) = 2046.
Onkelos
So now, go back to your place. I said I would honor you greatly, but Hashem has withheld honor from you.
Sforno
ברח לך, the use of the word ברח does not refer to escape from a pursuer, but refers to abandoning a certain place because of fear of what might happen there in the future.
Or HaChaim
ועתה ברח לך, "And now, you better flee for yourself, etc." Balak decreed four penalties against Bileam. 1) He was not allowed to remain in Moav but was forced to return home (in disgrace). 2) He should make haste, i.e. ברח, "flee." 3) He should go by himself without attendants, i.e. לך "by yourself." 4) He was not to go from this city of Moav to another city or even to Midian but straight to his home, מקומך, "your place." Balak explained to Bileam that if he was forced to belittle him in this fashion though he had previously boasted about his ability to confer a lot of honour on him (22,17), this was only because G'd did not want Bileam to receive this honour, i.e. הנה מנעך השם מכבוד. Balak appears to have interpreted G'd's refusal for Bileam to curse the Jewish people as only a stratagem to prevent Bileam from being honoured. Bileam immediately denied this argument when he reminded Balak that he had already told the delegates that he would only be able to say what G'd would tell him, and that Balak had insisted that he should come all the same. Bileam reminded Balak that he had repeated the word כבד אכבדך, i.e. he had insisted that Bileam should come because he wanted to honour him regardless of what he would say. He also repeated the words: "your delegates whom you sent," although the words "whom you have sent" were quite redundant, because he also referred to the first set of emissaries. The word מלאכיך refers to the second set of delegates, the words אשר שלחת refer to the first set of emissaries. He added the word לאמור to remind Balak that he had not only told the emissaries what was on his mind, but had asked them at the time to make sure that they would convey this to Balak.
Chizkuni
ועתה ברח לך אל מקומך, “and now flee to your place!” Balak urges Bileam to disappear with all possible speed before he will express his anger in stronger terms. The expression: ברח, “flee!” is used in this context in Song of Songs 8,14, ברח דודי, “flee my beloved;”An alternate interpretation: the words “ועתה ברח לך,” are not so much a dismissal of Bileam, as a reversal of what Bileam had been saying to him repeatedly when exploring if there was a place from which cursing the Israelites might be effective. He would no longer accompany Bileam to any place suggested, as he knew that he would not curse the Jewish people when he would come to such a place. The best thing for Bileam to do therefore would be to return home at once.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ועתה ברח לך אל מקומך, “and now, flee to your place!” According to the father of R. David Kimchi this is not a flight in the conventional sense of the word but means the same as “go quickly!” The word is used in a similar meaning in Isaiah 48,20: ברחו מכשדים, “flee from Chaldea! Declare with loud shouting, Announce this, bring out the word to the end of the earth!” It may describe that Israel departed from Egypt with great fanfare. When the prophet Jonah is described as לברוח תרשישה, “hiring a ship to escape to Tarshish” (Jonah 1,3) this must not be taken to mean that he imagined he could escape from the Lord; it means that he meant to travel to Tarshish quickly. This is also the meaning of the words מלפני ה' that we find there which means “away from the presence of the Lord” and not מפני ה', “on account of the Lord,” as we find in Psalms 139,7 where David makes plain that it is impossible to flee from G’d using the words: “Where can I escape from Your spirit (presence)?” The reason that Bileam was anxious to leave was to forestall G’d giving him a sign such as He did to the people of Nineveh (in later years) which would prompt them to do repentance, resulting eventually and indirectly in the destruction of the Northern kingdom of the Ten Tribes. Jonah himself told G’d that the reason that he was in such a rush to embark for Tarshish was to forestall that demise of the Jewish kingdom, not to escape from the Lord (Jonah 4,2). The “sign” to the people of Nineveh which prompted them to take Jonah’s prediction of their doom seriously and to repent their evil ways was undoubtedly that they had heard what had happened on the boat to Tarshish, how Jonah despite being thrown overboard had miraculously remained alive, etc., etc. This is a beautiful explanation although it clashes with that of our sages at the beginning of Mechilta 21 who do understand Jonah’s flight to Tarshish as an attempt to escape G’d in order not to be burdened with Holy Spirit, something he thought is not imposed when away from the Holy Land. אמרתי כבד אכבדך, “I had said that I would honor you greatly;” the reason Balak used the word כבד, “honor,” twice in succession is that it refers to the two locations to which Balak had taken Bileam, hoping each time that he would curse the Jewish people. Now that he had taken him to a third location he no longer even planned to honor Bileam since he had acquired a reputation of blessing the Israelites instead. As soon as Bileam had declared that those who curse the Israelites will themselves be cursed whereas those who bless them will be blessed, Balak had lost all hope of a successful confrontation with that people and he told him “to get lost.” He blamed his inability to reward Bileam on G’d, saying that “G’d has prevented me from honoring you.”
Tur HaArokh
ועתה ברח לך אל מקומך, “and now, flee to your place, etc.” He did no longer ask him to curse the Israelites seeing that Bileam had told him that G’d had told Avraham that anyone cursing him or his descendants would himself be cursed by Him. (Genesis 12,3) Another reason was that Bileam had told Balak that the Israelites would consume all those who would oppress them. (24,8) He had included oppressors from all nations. Originally, Bileam had limited his remarks to what would happen to the Kings of the Canaanites, but now that he had widened the scope by including oppressors of the Israelites from any quarter, Balak had decided to refrain from antagonizing their G’d. He was convinced that he could not prevail.
And Balaam said to Balak: "Did I not speak also to your messengers that you sent to me, saying:
verse value 2960 — הֲלֹ֗א = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "did·not?" (הֲלֹ֗א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "even" (גַּ֧ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·your·messengers" (אֶל־מַלְאָכֶ֛יךָ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·your·messengers" (אֶל־מַלְאָכֶ֛יךָ), "whom·you·sent" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥חְתָּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "I·spoke" (root דבר, 149x in Numbers); "did·not?" (root לא, 129x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Balak', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + בִּלְעָ֖ם [Balaam] (142) + אֶל־בָּלָ֑ק [to·Balak] (163) + הֲלֹ֗א [did·not?] (36) + גַּ֧ם [even] (43) + אֶל־מַלְאָכֶ֛יךָ [to·your·messengers] (152) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥חְתָּ [whom·you·sent] (1239) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי [I·spoke] (616) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2960.
Onkelos
Balaam said to Balak: Did I not speak even to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying:
Ramban
[AND BALAAM SAID UNTO BALAK]: ‘SPOKE I NOT ALSO TO THY MESSENGERS ETC.?’ Balaam was now defending himself on the basis of what he had told Balak’s messengers when they came back to him, before he knew what the Eternal would speak unto him more; but afterwards [i.e., after G-d had told him that he may only go with them, but must not curse the people] he still made out that he was ready to come and curse [the people], until the angel warned him on the road, as I have explained.
Sforno
הלא גם אל מלאכיך, you have no cause to be surprised as I told your emissaries already that the reason I had not complied with your request was not that I did not think that you paid me sufficient honour. I had told them that the matter was not within my power.
If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Hashem, to do either good or bad of my own mind; what Hashem speaks, that will I speak.
verse value 4798 — יְהֹוָ֔ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·he·gives·to·me" (אִם־יִתֶּן־לִ֨י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "what·says" (root דבר, 149x in Numbers); "not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·my·own·accord', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Onkelos
If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I have no authority to transgress the decree of the Word of Hashem, to do good or evil of my own will — whatever Hashem speaks, that I shall speak.
Rashi
לעבר את פי ה׳ [I AM UNABLE] TO GO BEYOND THE WORD OF THE LORD — Here it does not say “[the Lord] my God”, as it is said at first (Numbers 22:18), because he had now become conscious that he was regarded by the Holy One, blessed be He, as something vile and banished from His presence.
And now, behold, I go to my people; come, and I will announce to you what this people shall do to your people in the end of days."
verse value 2957
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "come" (לְכָה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·end·of" (בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: behold·I, the·people. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "going" (הוֹלֵ֖ךְ), "to·my·people" (לְעַמִּ֑י), "I·will·counsel·you" (אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "what" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "will·do" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "the·days" (root יום, 122x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·my·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֕ה [and·now] (481) + הִנְנִ֥י [behold·I] (115) + הוֹלֵ֖ךְ [going] (61) + לְעַמִּ֑י [to·my·people] (150) + לְכָה֙ [come] (55) + אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ [I·will·counsel·you] (191) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [what] (501) + יַעֲשֶׂ֜ה [will·do] (385) + הָעָ֥ם [the·people] (115) + הַזֶּ֛ה [this] (17) + לְעַמְּךָ֖ [to·your·people] (160) + בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית [in·end·of] (621) + הַיָּמִֽים [the·days] (105) = 2957.
Onkelos
And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people at the end of days.
Rashi
הולך לעמי [AND NOW, BEHOLD, I] GO TO MY PEOPLE — “From now on, behold, I am like the rest of my people”. He said this because he knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had departed from him. לך איעצך COME AND I WILL COUNSEL THEE what you have to do. And what is the counsel? The God of these people hates unchastity, therefore tempt them to sin by means of thy women-folk, as is related in the chapter חלק (Sanhedrin 106a) — You can know that it was Balaam who gave this counsel, to make them fall by the sin of unchastity, for it is stated, of the women of Midian (Numbers 31:16), “Behold, these were an enticement to the children of Israel through the word of Balaam”. אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך WHAT THIS PEOPLE SHALL DO TO THY PEOPLE — This is an elliptical verse, the meaning being: I will give thee counsel how to make them fall into sin, and I also will tell thee what evil they will once do to thy people Moab in later days: viz., (v. 17) “they will pierce the corners of Moab”. — The Targum explains at length what is implied by the terseness of the Hebrew text (“Come I will give thee counsel what thou shouldst do and I will show thee what this people etc.")
Ramban
COME AND I WILL COUNSEL THEE. Since Balaam wanted to tell [Balak] about the punishment [that would befall] his people, as it is written, and he shall smite through the corners of Moab, therefore he told him, I will counsel thee, that is to say: “I will tell you ‘on the side’ an advice, so that others should not hear it.” “Come and I will counsel thee what you have to do [to revenge yourself upon Israel]. And what was the advice [that he gave him]? [He told him]: ‘The G-d of these [Israelites] hates immorality, etc., [therefore I advise you to seduce Israel into sin by means of the lure of the Moabite women],’ as is narrated in the Chapter Cheilek. You may know that it was Balaam who gave them this counsel [to lead Israel astray] through immorality, for it is said, Behold, these [women] caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, [to revolt so as to break faith with the Eternal]. WHAT THIS PEOPLE SHALL DO TO THY PEOPLE. This is an elliptical verse [which means as follows]: ‘I will counsel thee how to corrupt them, and I will [also] tell you what evil they are destined to do to Moab in the end of days.’” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation [of the word i’atzcha, normally translated: I will counsel thee] seems to me to be that Balaam told Balak: “I will tell you the purpose that G-d has planned that this people shall do to thy people in the end of days,” this being similar to the expressions: This is the ‘eitzah’ (purpose) that is ‘y’utzah’ (purposed) upon the whole earth; Hear ye the ‘atzath’ (design) of the Eternal, that He hath ‘ya’atz’ (purposed) against Edom. Balaam said i’atzcha [which literally means “I will give you counsel”], because one who hears counsel, [as Balaam heard G-d’s counsel], is called a no’atz [he with whom counsel is taken].And this prophecy [in the following verses], refers to Messianic times, for all of Balaam’s prophecies added [to the previous ones] in [speaking of more] distant events. Thus at first he said that Israel is [now] the portion of the Eternal and His inheritance; in the second prophecy he added that they would [later on] conquer the Land and kill its kings. In the third [prophecy] he saw them dwelling in the Land and increasing and multiplying therein, and that they would appoint a king [Saul] who would defeat Agag, and that the kingdom [of Israel] would be further exalted; for he saw David [whose kingdom] was exalted exceedingly, as it is said, And David perceived that the Eternal had established him king over Israel, and that He hath exalted his kingdom for His people Israel’s sake, that is to say, because He had promised them that their kingdom would be exalted. And now in this fourth prophecy Balaam continued [on the future] and saw the Messianic era; therefore he spoke of it as a very distant event, saying, I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh, [a phrase] which he did not use in his first [three] prophecies. He stated that this is the purpose of G-d whi...
Ibn Ezra
"Come, I will advise you" — some say the meaning refers to the daughters of Moab, but this is far-fetched, because he said "in the latter days." In my view the correct interpretation is that it is to be taken literally: I will give you counsel so that you may know what to do, for this people will do the same to your people.
Sforno
לכה איעצך, the advice was to use the women as seducers. This is made crystal clear in Numbers 31,16. אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך באחרית הימים, for indeed the evil this people will cause to your nation will not occur during your lifetime so that you, personally, have nothing to fear. It will only happen at the end of time. He repeats this later on in verse 17, and we find reference to this in Isaiah 11,14.
Or HaChaim
ועתה הנני הולך…איעצך, "And now, I am ready to go..and I will advise you, etc." On the one hand Bileam says that he will comply with the king's orders at that time. He speaks in the singular corresponding to Balak's orders that he was to leave לך, i.e. unaccompanied even by his lads. He adds the word לעמי, "to my people," to indicate compliance with Balak's orders that he was to return directly אל מקומך, "to your home." However, concerning Balak's instruction that he was to leave in a manner which reflected flight Bileam demurred. He was not scared of Balak, being a powerful enough sorcerer. It is interesting to read in the Midrash Hagadol on 31,8 how much effort even the Israelites had to make in order to succeed in killing him. If the Israelites encountered such resistance, we can imagine how much more difficult it must have been for pagans to overcome Bileam. אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך באחרית הימים, "what this people will do to your people at the end of days." On the one hand Bileam wanted to reveal to Balak what Israel would to do Moav, that they would uproot the people completely. On the other hand he realised that Balak the sorcerer with the aid of צפור might already be aware of this. He therefore meant to calm Balak by telling him that what was in store for Moav would be a long time hence, nothing to worry about at this time. The reason he had to tell Balak this was that otherwise Balak might be afraid to implement his advice to seduce the Israelite males with the Moabite women. The Moabite women would be afraid even to approach the Israelites fearing they would be stabbed to death. [after all Israel had only been forbidden to invade Moav. Ed.] Bileam therefore had to reassure Balak that it would not be dangerous for his women to try and "chat up" and fraternise with the Israelites. Bileam emphasised the word לעמך, "to your people," i.e. the people over whom you are king, the Moabites. Other nations had reason to fear the Israelites already. Balak personally was not included in the words לעמך, as he was really a Midianite. Balak was killed as one of the "kings" of Midian mentioned in Numbers 31,8 (compare Bamidbar Rabbah 20,20).
Chizkuni
לכה איעצך, “come and I will advise you, etc.” Moses does not spell out precisely what advice Bileam gave Balak at that point seeing that it was something Bileam had not done publicly. However, when the Torah describes the portion dealing with the Midianites, it becomes clear to the reader what Bileam must have suggested to Balak, i.e. to find a way to seduce the Israelites into promiscuous conduct with the females of Moav and Midian and thus pull down their G-d’s wrath on themselves. (Compare what Moses said in Numbers 31,15 to the soldiers bringing female Midianite prisoners of war home with them) אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך, “what this nation will do to your nation.” Seeing that this prophecy concerned events far in the future, Bileam consoled Balak that he had nothing to fear from the Israelites in the immediate future. The details will be spelled out shortly, Bileam again emphasizing that he does not speak about the immediate future. (verse 17)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ועתה הנני הולך לעמי לכה איעצך, “and now that I am about to go to my people, let me give you some advice.” He meant that he was going to give Balak advice how to trip up the Jewish people, to deflect them from their pious ways. He should encourage the Moabite women to make themselves sexually available to the Israelites. He, Bileam, knew that the G’d of the Jews hated sexual promiscuity. Although in our verse Bileam did not spell out precisely what he advised, it becomes clear in Numbers 31,16 where Moses tells the returning warriors that the Midianite women whom they failed to kill were the seductresses who, at the instigation of Bileam, were responsible for the thousands of Jewish lives lost in the pestilence. אשר יעשה, “what is going to do.” The complete sentence is: “I will hereby advise you of what this nation is going to do to your people in the distant future.” Later on in verse 17 he goes into detail saying: “it will pierce the nobles of Moav.” Bileam implied that at this point in history Balak had no cause for worry. Nachmanides understands the word איעצך as revealing to Balak a message Bileam had received from G’d telling him that the people of Moav would not fall into the hands of the Jewish people until the end of the pre-messianic period. We find that Bileam announced four separate prophecies. 1) The first prophecy described the Jewish people as part of G’d and His heritage; they would dwell in splendid isolation and not be considered as part of the community of nations. 2) He foretold that the Israelites would conquer the land of Canaan and kill the mighty kings of that country. This was the meaning of verse 24 that they are a people who arise like a lion and do not rest until they have devoured their prey. 3) In the third of his prophecies Bileam saw a vision of the Jewish people firmly established in their homeland dwelling in security and having a king who would vanquish their first adversary after the Exodus, the Amalekites under the kingship of Agag. He foresaw King David rising to a still more powerful position than Sha-ul, and he knew that G’d had already planned for David to become king. David himself testifies to this in Samuel II 5,12. 4) In his fourth vision Bileam concentrated on the messianic future of the Jewish people, a period which he introduced with the words: “I see it but it will not happen now, I can foresee it but it will not come to pass in the near future” (verse 17). During all his previous prophecies Bileam had not tempered them by relegating them to the distant future. The true knowledge that G’d had given him concerned the messianic period. He himself referred to himself as “the one who knows the mind of the Supreme One.” Anyone making such a statement about himself infers that he is familiar with G’d’s long-term planning of the history of mankind. It is something similar to Isaiah 63,4 saying: “For I had planned a day of vengeance.” Our sages in Kohelet Rabbah 12,10 comment that if someone were to claim to know when the messiah would come we are not to believe him. G’d did not reveal to anyone by word of mouth when the final redemption would occur. They derive this from the verse in Isaiah we quoted that G’d keeps the date of when He will take vengeance as a secret in His heart. Seeing the matter is secret, G’d did not reveal it to His angels who in turn serve as His mouth(piece) revealing to the prophets what they are to say, in effect making the prophets their mouth(piece). The words of the Midrash לבא לפומא לא גלי, “He did not even reveal it to those who serve as mouthpiece,” mean that G’d did not reveal the timing of the arrival of the messiah even to the angels. He most certainly did not reveal it to the prophets and Daniel was told specifically (Daniel 12,9) that “these words are secret and sealed to the time of the end.” A “hidden” (secret) name for G’d is לב, heart, as the heart is where secrets are kept; this is the meaning of Psalms 73,26: “but G’d is the stay of my heart, my portion forever.”
Tur HaArokh
לכה איעצך, “I shall advise you;” Nachmanides writes that seeing that Bileam wanted to predict the disaster that would befall Moav as we read in 24,17 ומחץ פאתי מואב, “it will smash the nobles of Moav, this is why he now introduces his comments as “well-meaning advice.” This was said to Balak in private, not within the hearing of any of his servants. Rashi interprets the words לכה איעצך, as Bileam adding further details to what he had already said concerning what the Israelites would achieve in the future. Nachmanides adds that in his own opinion Bileam is telling Balak that he is about to reveal to Balak the advice G’d will give to His people how to deal with Moav when the time comes, just as He gives this kind of advice to Israel concerning any of the other nations at that time. The word עצה appears in that sense in Isaiah A person receiving and accepting advice is called נועץ. The prophecy announced here by Bileam applies to the end of time, i.e. to the period immediately preceding the final redemption and the coming of the Messiah. All of Bileam’s prophecies refer to the future, but follow a chronological pattern once the period to which they apply has commenced. They begin with describing the Jewish people as an integral part of G’d Himself and His heritage, followed by the description of their conquest of the land of Canaan, how they will kill many kings, etc. In his third prophecy he envisions Israel on its own land being fruitful and multiplying. A later stage, that of the defeat of Agag, at the hands of a Jewish king, but not yet a king of the Davidic dynasty whose descendant in due course will usher in the Messianic age, is envisioned by Bileam, but he qualifies it by saying that though he foresees it, it is not relevant at this time. At this point, Bileam describes himself as knowing what is in G’d’s mind even in the distant future. In other words, he presumes to foretell events that he has not been specifically told about in a vision, but which he knows by intuition, his being on a wavelength with G’d. When the Torah commences with the words:וישא משלו ויאמר, in verse 16, and he does not mention that what follows is a prophecy as he had done on the previous three occasions, it is clear that what follows is not something that he had heard from the mouth of the divine vision he had experienced. Nonetheless, the fact that he speaks of himself also here as the שומע אמרי א-ל, “the one who has heard words of G’d,” it is clear that the origin of what follows is divine, no less so than the previous prophecy.
Rashbam
איעצך, a counsel of how to entrap the Israelites in sin. Although I know what these people are going to do to yours in the distant future, at this time, during your life, you have no call to fear them. This was the advice that is described later on in Numbers 31,16. Here Moses does not spell out the details of this advice as Bileam himself did not have the courage to say this aloud, and he only whispered it to Balak. It was revealed in detail by Moses only when there was a need to do so.
Daat Zkenim
לכה איעצך, “now I will give you some advice.” According to Rabbi Yochanan, there were three people involved in this “advice.” They were Bileam, Job, and Yitro. Job who kept silent was punished for not objecting with the afflictions described in the Book of Job. Yitro who left this discussion in disgust, was rewarded by his descendants becoming seated in the offices near the Temple of Solomon. Bileam was killed by the sword in the campaign against Midian. This has been documented in Chronicles I 2,55. The families of scribes mentioned in that verse were the descendants of Yitro. They are also mentioned in Judges 1,16: as “the sons of Keyni, the father-in-law of Moses, who had settled in the cities of Date Palms, (formerly Jericho) (based on Sanhedrin folio 106. An alternate explanation of the word: איעצך. “I will give you an advice concerning your concern that the Israelites in your proximity will completely ruin any grassland with its roots.” As long as you will not provoke them you have nothing at all to fear from them.” אשר יעשה העם הזה, “what this people will do in the future.” This will be explained presently.
And he took up his parable, and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, And the saying of the man whose eye is opened;
verse value 2695
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "word·of" (נְאֻ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·said" (וַיֹּאמַ֑ר, 5 letters). The root נאם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Balaam" (root בלעם, 53x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֥א [and·he·took·up] (317) + מְשָׁל֖וֹ [his·parable] (376) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + נְאֻ֤ם [word·of] (91) + בִּלְעָם֙ [Balaam] (142) + בְּנ֣וֹ [son·of] (58) + בְעֹ֔ר [Beor] (272) + וּנְאֻ֥ם [and·word·of] (97) + הַגֶּ֖בֶר [the·man] (210) + שְׁתֻ֥ם [open] (740) + הָעָֽיִן [the·eye] (135) = 2695.
Onkelos
He took up his parable and said: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor — the utterance of the man who sees clearly.
Ramban
He referred to himself now as one who heareth the words of G-d, and as one who seeth the vision of the Almighty, as he had done in the third prophecy, but he added now [the phrase] and knoweth the knowledge of the Most High. Now one who speaks in this manner, saying “I know the knowledge of a certain person” means to say that he understands him, and what is in his heart, [even] those matters which he does not utter verbally, and similarly this [man Balaam] intended to say that he knows and will now say what is in the “mind” [i.e., intention] of G-d the Most High to do in His world at the end of all days. This is similar to that which it says, for the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the Rabbis have said [with reference to that day, that its precise timing is a matter which “His] heart has not divulged to the mouth.” Now Scripture states here, And ‘he took up his parable,’ and said and it does not mention that this was [said] by prophecy, as it says about the [previous] three occasions, for since he said, The saying of him who heareth the words of G-d … who seeth the vision of the A lmighty it is self-understood that the hand of G-d was upon him, just as at the third time, where it says: and the spirit of G-d came upon him; and he himself said so.
Or HaChaim
וישא משלו, He began his parable, etc. I have already explained that everything Bileam said has to be understood allegorically.
The saying of him who hears the words of God, And knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Fallen down, yet with opened eyes:
verse value 2312
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "word·of" (נְאֻ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "speech·of·God" (אִמְרֵי־אֵ֔ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "knowledge" (דַּ֣עַת), "the·Most·High" (עֶלְי֑וֹן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "speech·of·God" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "eyes" (root עין, 39x in Numbers); "one·who·hears" (root שמע, 34x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Most·High', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: נְאֻ֗ם [word·of] (91) + שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ [one·who·hears] (410) + אִמְרֵי־אֵ֔ל [speech·of·God] (282) + וְיֹדֵ֖עַ [and·who·knows] (90) + דַּ֣עַת [knowledge] (474) + עֶלְי֑וֹן [the·Most·High] (166) + מַחֲזֵ֤ה [vision·of] (60) + שַׁדַּי֙ [the·Almighty] (314) + יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה [he·beholds] (30) + נֹפֵ֖ל [prostrate] (160) + וּגְל֥וּי [and·unveiled·of] (55) + עֵינָֽיִם [eyes] (180) = 2312.
Onkelos
The utterance of one who hears the Word from before God, who has knowledge of that which is from before the Most High, who beholds a vision from before the Almighty — lying prostrate, yet revealed to him.
Rashi
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).
Ibn Ezra
"And who knows the knowledge of the Most High" — through the way of prophecy, not through divination.
Chizkuni
ויודע דעת עליון, “and who knows the knowledge of the Most High;” he knows that it is not “G-d’s intention to have the Israelites cursed as long as they are not guilty of trespasses. מחזה שדי יחזה, “and who sees the Vision of the Almighty.” He sees Him both when he is reposing and when he is fully awake with both eyes. In other words, Bileam boasts of having prophetic insights both at night and by day.
Targum Yonatan
he speaketh who heard the Word from before the Lord, and who knoweth the hour when the Most High God will be wroth with him; (he speaketh) who saw the vision before the Almighty, seeking, prostrate on his face, that it should be revealed to him; the secret, concealed from the prophets, was disclosed unto him.
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; There shall step forth a star out of Jacob, And a scepter shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of Seth.
verse value 5312
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "but·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·children·of·Seth" (כׇּל־בְּנֵי־שֵֽׁת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: but·not, but·not. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "soon" (קָר֑וֹב), "a·star" (כּוֹכָ֜ב), "and·comes·forth" (וְקָ֥ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "but·not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "all·children·of·Seth" (root כל, 98x in Numbers). First appearance of the root פאה ("corners·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'soon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Onkelos
I have seen him, but not now; I have beheld him, but he is not near. When a king shall arise from Jacob and the Anointed One shall be exalted from Israel, he shall slay the princes of Moab and shall rule over all the children of men.
Rashi
אראנו I SEE HIM — I see the preeminence of Jacob and his greatness, but it is not now (ולא עתה), but will be after some time. דרך כוכב A STAR COMETH OUT [OF JACOB] — Understand this as the Targum does (“a king will arise from Jacob”). The word דרך has the same meaning as in (Lamentations 2:4): “He has bent (דרך lit., trodden) his bow; this expression is used because the star shoots across [the heavens] as an arrow does when the bow is trodden. In O. F. destent. It is as much as to say, “Prosperity (a good fortune) will rise”. וקם שבט AND A שבט RISES [OUT OF ISRAEL] — a king, who chastises with the rod (שבט) and has sovereign power. ומחץ פאתי מואב AND PIERCETH THE CORNERS OF MOAB — This is a reference to David of whom it is stated, (II Samuel 8:2) “[And he smote Moab] … making them to lie down on the ground and he measured two lines to put to death etc.”. וקרקר AND UNDERMINETH — This is an expression denoting “digging”, as in (2 Kings 19:24): “I have dug (קרתי)”; (Isaiah 51:1): “The hole of the pit from which you were dug out (נקרתם); (Proverbs 30:17) “The ravens of the valley shall dig it out (יקרהו)". In O. F. forer. כל בני שת ALL THE CHILDREN OF SETH — i.e., all nations, because all of them issued from Seth, the son of Adam, the first man (cf. Onkelos).
Ramban
THERE SHALL STEP FORTH A STAR OUT OF JACOB. Because the Messiah will gather together the dispersed of Israel from all the corners of the earth, Balaam compares him [metaphorically] to a star that passes through the firmament from the ends of heaven, just as it is said about [the Messiah]: and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto a son of man etc. Balaam thus said that he saw that at a distant time a star would pass from the ends of heaven, and there would rise out of it the sceptre of a ruler, and he shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth, the son of Adam, who was the father of all the nations. He mentioned the corners of Moab in order to inform Balak that his people would not fall into the hand of Israel now, but in the end of days Moab will not be saved from the hand of the ruling king [in Israel]. And the meaning of ‘the corners’ of Moab is that this ruler [in Israel] will break down all the sons of Seth, and they [Moab] will not be saved, even though they are cut off on ‘the corner,’ and have no name among the nations, and will not fight against Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"I see him, but not now" — what is closest to me is that this prophecy was spoken about David; he said "not now" because it was to be four hundred years later. "I behold him, but not near" — the meaning is a repetition, and the parable is the star and the staff. "A star has stepped forth" — there are likenesses of stars that tread across the sky, which were not there at creation and had not previously been known. "And a staff arises" — a kingdom. In my view the correct interpretation is that darakh means the star appears in its course, as in "the stars from their paths" (Judg. 5:20). Many have interpreted this of the Messiah, and the ancients said that Sennacherib confused the nations — but then why does the parable conclude with "Eber being afflicted" (v. 24)? It would have been more fitting for "a star steps forth" to come at the end of his parable. Those who lack understanding think that one who interprets "a star steps forth" as referring to David thereby denies the coming of the Messiah — heaven forbid, heaven forbid! For the Messiah is clearly attested in the prophecy of Daniel, as I have explained, which mentions the rise of the Greek kings, the uprising of the Hasmoneans, the establishment of the Second Temple, the two sieges, the exiles, and the redemption, one after another; and there is no need for any other prophet given the words of Moses, who is the ultimate source: "Even if your exiles are at the ends of the heavens, Hashem your God will restore your captivity" (Deut. 30:3). "And he shall smite the corners of Moab" — so David did. "And he shall breach" (vekarkar) — as in "breaching the wall" (mekarker kir, Isa. 22:5); the meaning is he demolishes the wall, like cutting off boughs. "The sons of Sheth" — like "the sons of man," for Adam is the root, since Noah was among his descendants. The Yitzchaki says that some interpret this as referring to the children of Ammon and Moab, and that the meaning is a repetition; he also says it derives from "uncover the leg" (Jer. 13:26), alluding to the daughters of Lot. But this seems far-fetched to me, for sheth means the posterior, which is like a foundation, as in "for the foundations are destroyed" (Ps. 11:3). Many have interpreted "all the sons of Sheth" as derived from "the foundations" (ha-shatot), meaning he shall demolish the nations — and this is not far-fetched.
Sforno
אראנו, I can clearly see it but it is not due now. דרך כוכב, both physical and enduring. We find the word כוכב used in this sense in Daniel 12,3 as ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבם לעולם, “and those who lead many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.” ומחץ פאתי מואב, even though all the nations will be wiped out by G’d the nations Edom and Moav will be decisively defeated by the Jewish people themselves as an act of vengeance for their longstanding enmity to the Jewish people.
Or HaChaim
אראנו ולא עתה, "I can see it, but it will not occur now, etc." Bileam again repeats the same message using different words each time. He also repeats the message about the Messiah but describes him differently each time, i.e. "star" and "sceptre." Bileam also varies the expressions with which he describes the exploits of this Messiah, i.e. מחץ, "smites," and קרקר, "destroys." The entire prophecy concerns the Messiah and is best understood in light of Sanhedrin 98 where the Talmud discusses the meaning of the apparently contradictory prophecy בעתה אחישנה, "at its appointed time I will hasten it" (Isaiah 60,22). The Talmud explains that the timing of the arrival of the Messiah depends on the conduct of the Jewish people. If they merit it, G'd will accelerate His timetable; if not, the Messiah will arrive at the time appointed for this event originally, a time far into the future. The fact that we are already into the sixth millenium shows you that up until now G'd did not accelerate His timetable. Bileam speaks of two possible messianic scenarios. When Bileam speaks of אראנו, "I can see it," he refers to the scenario of אחישנה, "I will hasten it." While it does not occur now, it may occur relatively soon. After all, our sages said in Devarim Rabbah 2,23 that if the Israelites were to become truly penitent they will be redeemed immediately even if they had spent only a single day in exile. They base this on the verse: "G'd will answer you on the DAY you are in trouble" (Psalms 20,2). Concerning the possibility that the redemption will only occur at the predetermined time, Bileam said אשורנו ולא קרוב, "I behold it though it is not soon." He commences the substance of his prophecy with the words דרך כוכב, "a star will step forth." The fact that Bileam repeats both the description of the substance of the prophecy and the message itself in different words can also be understood by Sanhedrin 98. The sages draw a picture of the process of redemption due to Israel's merits as being quite different from what it would be like if it had to occur only in order to honour G'd's timetable. In the former event the whole process would be orchestrated by Heaven, one miracle would follow another. The Zohar volume 1 page 119 as well as volume 3 page 212 describes these miracles in detail. If the redemption occurs only as a result of G'd's timetable decreeing that it cannot be delayed any further, it will be quite different, such as the prophet Zachariah 9,9 describes in a vision of the redeemer as being a poor man, riding on the lowly donkey. When Bileam spoke of the arrival of the Messiah as a result of Israel's merits, he described his arrival as similar to that of a star, i.e. a celestial figure making a prominent appearance in the sky. When Bileam spoke of "there arises a sceptre in Jacob," he referred to the other alternative, i.e. the Messiah arriving at the end of time. The redemption will then appear as almost a natural event, devoid of the kind of miracles...
Chizkuni
אראנו ולא עתה, “I see him but not now;” this is a reference to King David, who would not rule over Israel for another 400 years. (Ibn Ezra) אשורנו ולא קרוב, “I behold him but not in the near future;” this is part of a poetic formula, the poet repeating himself with different words meaning the same. דרך כוכב מיעקב, “a star shall step forth emanating from Yaakov;” the word is used describing walking, just as Deuteronomy 1,36: אשר דרך בה, “who walked on it.” Bileam describes the Israelites as having reached a level that includes walking among the stars, whom they enlisted in their support. וקם, “and there will arise, etc.;” both scepter and royalty, ומחץ פאתי מואב, “and shall smite even the corners of Moav.” Bileam prophesies that in the future Israel will also capture the territories of Edom, Moav and Ammon. A practical example of this is found in Judges 5,20 during the war between the armies of Barak and Sisera, the Field Marshal of Ammon. During that period even the stars were perceived by the Canaanites and Ammonites as engaging in war against them on behalf of Israel (song of victory by the prophetess Deborah) G-d, in His initial promise to Avraham had included these lands in the ones promised to Avraham’’s descendants. (Genesis chapter 15,1921). וקרקר כל בני שת, “and break down all the sons of Sheth.” Some commentators understand this prophecy as referring to the Moabites as the latter were the descendants of an incestuous relationship between the daughters of Lot with their father. (Genesis Compare Isaiah 20,5, for use of the word שת in this sense.)
Rabbeinu Bahya
אראנו ולא עתה, “I can see it — but not now.” The prophecy being introduced refers to David who four hundred years from this date would smash the nobles of Moav. The words וקרקר כל בני שת, “and undermine the children of Sheth,“ is a reference to mankind as such which is descended in the main from the descendants of Sheth, Adam’s third son Noach being one of them. (Compare Samuel II 8,2 where David’s victory over Moav is documented.) Another way of understanding the reference by Bileam to the “descendants of Sheth.” The word שת may not refer to a human being but to “foundation.” We find the word שתין meaning “the foundations of the earth” in Talmudic language, a reference to the “navel” of the earth under the Holy Temple. Bileam foresaw that David’s victories would create havoc among the existing world order in the countries surrounding the land of Israel. The words “and Edom will become a conquest” also apply to that period as we know from Kings I 11,16 that Edom”s males were wiped out by David’s general Yoav. The words (verse 19) וירד מיעקב mean that someone descended from Yaakov will arise and destroy the remnants of all the cities of Edom. This may be a veiled reference to Rome. Finally, the words וירד מיעקב also mean that the messiah will be descended from Israel. The words ולא יהיה שריד לבית עשו, “no remnant will remain of Esau,” in Ovadiah 18 are the logical conclusion of Bileam’s prophecy here. A Midrashic approach: the words “I will see but not now,” refer to David, whereas the subsequent words: “I can see it but not in the near future,” refer to the messiah. The words: a star comes forth from Yaakov” refer to David, whereas the words וקם שבט מישראל, “a scepter-bearer emerges from Israel,” is a reference to King Messiah. The words ומחץ פעמי מואב again refer to David, of whom it is written in Samuel II 8,2 that “he defeated the Moabites and made them lie down on the ground and measured them with a rope.” The words וקרקר כל בני שת again refer to the King Messiah of whom it is written (Psalms 72,8) that וירד מים עד ים, “he will rule from sea to sea.” The words: והיה אדם ירשה again refer to David seeing the Edomites all became slaves to David (Samuel II 8,14) whereas the words וישראל עושה חיל, “and Israel will perform deeds of valour” refer to King Messiah of whom we have read (Ovadiah 1,21) “For the liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau, and Dominion shall be the Lord’s.”
Tur HaArokh
דרך כוכב מיעקב, “A star has come forth from Yaakov;” The reason why the Messiah is compared to a star is that he will gather in the Israelites who at that time are dispersed all over the globe, and a star shines in the sky and is visible all over the world. He envisions a man who will come forth from the edges of the horizon and wield a staff of authority. ומחץ פאתי מואב וקרקר כל בני שת, “he shall smash the nobles of Moav and the foundations of all of mankind.” The Messiah will not just be a King of the Jews but will be accepted as head of all the nations. The reason that Bileam singles out the nobles of Moav in that context, is to set Balak’s mind at rest that the ultimate destiny of the Moabites is not to fall victim to an Israelite King in his guise as an Israelite, but in his capacity as mankind’s saviour. The Moabites will not escape this man’s grasp although they are insignificant among the nations, and had not fought against the Israelites in the war preceding the coming of the Messiah..
Rashbam
אראנו, I can see it now but it will not happen until some time in the future. ולא עתה; none of these prophecies are meant to become reality in the immediate future. כל בני שת, according to the plain meaning a reference to the Messiah, i.e. the words דרך כוכב מיעקב. (compare Ibn Ezra and Nachmanides in order to understand this. Ed.]
Daat Zkenim
אראנו ולא עתה, אשורנו ולא קרוב, “what I see for them will not be yet, what I behold will not occur soon.” This is in contrast to prophecies by Moses in Deuteronomy 32,35: כי קרוב יום אידם וחש עתידות למו, “for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.” The subject can be better understood by a parable. A king took a stroll accompanied by both one of his friends and by someone whom he knew to be hostile to him. When the king mentioned that he had become thirsty, the hostile man said that they were a long distance from the nearest source of water, in order to make the king feel even more uncomfortable. His friend, on the other hand, encouraged him to ride on, assuring him that there was a source of water nearby. (He wanted to encourage the king even though he was not certain that what he said was true) Bileam, the enemy of the Israelites portrayed the salvation of that people as being a long way off, whereas Moses, the people’s friend, encouraged the people to observe the law of the Torah as a result of which their salvation would prove to be quite near (chronologically). דרך כוכב מיעקב, “there shall step forth a star from Yaakov, etc.” The verb דרך here is used as similar to the prophetess Devorah using it in Judges 5,21: תדרכי נפשי עוז, “march on my soul with courage!” [In both instances it is used poetically as walking in a reinforced manner, with determination and purpose. Ed.] (Compare Isaiah 56,1,כי קרובה ישועתי לבא וצדקתי להגלות, “for soon My salvation shall come and My deliverance will be revealed.”) וקם שבט מישראל, “and a scepter shall arise out of Israel;” our author understands the word שבט here as meaning a rod used to discipline someone. This rod will be applied to Moav in the distant future. The word פאתי in our verse, commonly translated as “corners of,” is understood by our author as meaning the same or almost the same as in Psalms 118,22: היתה לראש פנה, “had become the chief cornerstone.” This prophecy was fulfilled in the time of David (Samuel II 8,2) ויך את מואב וימדדם בחבל וגו', “He smote Moav and made them lie down on the ground, and measured them with a cord.” וקרקר כל בני שת, “and break down all the sons of Sheth.” According to Rashi, the reference to Sheth, the third son of Adam of whom all mankind is descended after the deluge, the word is a metaphor for the gentile nations. It does not include the people of Israel here, seeing that at the beginning of the verse Bileam had made the Jewish people the subject in his prophecy.
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also, even his enemies, shall be a possession; While Israel does valiantly.
verse value 2712 — וְהָיָ֨ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "and·becomes" (וְהָיָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "does" (עֹ֥שֶׂה, 3 letters) and the longest is "but·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 515: a·possession, a·possession. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "of·its·enemies" (אֹיְבָ֑יו), "but·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל), "valor" (חָֽיִל). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "but·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·becomes" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "does" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers). First appearance of the root חיל ("valor") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·its·enemies', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֨ה [and·becomes] (26) + אֱד֜וֹם [Edom] (51) + יְרֵשָׁ֗ה [a·possession] (515) + וְהָיָ֧ה [and·becomes] (26) + יְרֵשָׁ֛ה [a·possession] (515) + שֵׂעִ֖יר [Seir] (580) + אֹיְבָ֑יו [of·its·enemies] (29) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [but·Israel] (547) + עֹ֥שֶׂה [does] (375) + חָֽיִל [valor] (48) = 2712.
Onkelos
Edom shall become an inheritance, and Seir shall become an inheritance for his enemies; and Israel shall prosper with possessions.
Rashi
והיה ירשה שעיר איביו SEIR ALSO SHALL BE A POSSESSION [FOR HIS ENEMIES] — for his enemy, Israel.
Ramban
AND EDOM SHALL BE A POSSESSION, SEIR ALSO, EVEN HIS ENEMIES SHALL BE A POSSESSION. The downfall of Edom will be by the hand of the Messiah, because our present exile under the hand of Rome is considered Edom’s [exile], just as it is said: The punishment of thine iniquity is absolved, O daughter of Zion, He will no more carry thee away into captivity; He will punish thine iniquity, O ‘daughter of Edom,’ He will uncover thy sins — for G-d will not punish Edom until the sins of Zion are absolved, at the time when He will no more keep them in captivity. Therefore Balaam mentioned Edom, for it is he who disputes our [right to] kingdom, and about him it has been said, and the one people shall be stronger than the other. Balaam was thus prophesying that Edom will not completely fall until the time of the end [of the exile] by the hand of ‘the star’ [i.e., the Messiah] who will step forth out of Jacob [as stated in the previous verse].Seir also, even his enemies shall be a possession. This means that Seir will become a possession of his enemies [i.e., of Israel]. Or [the term] his enemies may refer to [Jacob’s enemies, i.e.,] Edom and Seir mentioned [previously in the verse], who are the enemies of Jacob, [and the meaning of the verse would thus be: “Edom, and Seir also, who are the enemies of Israel] will become a possession [of Israel].”
Ibn Ezra
"And Edom shall be a conquest" — from the same root as "if you do not dispossess" (Num. 33:55); it is a noun of the pattern of kach lekha levenah ("take yourself a brick," Ezek. 4:1), serving in place of a descriptive adjective, as in "the land shall become desolate" (Lev. 26:34). And it is known that David's hand prevailed over Edom and Mount Seir.
Or HaChaim
שעיר איביו, "even Se-ir his enemies." Bileam lumps Edom and Se-ir together as being one. The word ירשה implies that that which has been destroyed will not be rebuilt. Edom will not rise again from its ruins as will other nations. The reason is that these people were enemies of Israel, איביו. Compare Psalms 137,7 where the Jewish people are quoted as asking G'd to pay back the people of Edom for what they have done to them. The Psalmist pleads with G'd to destroy Edom to its very foundations. This is why Bileam predicts that Edom's defeat will be much more severe than that of the other descendants of Sheth. וישראל עשה חיל, "and Israel will do valiantly." Bileam means that the destruction of Edom and the descendants of Sheth will enable the Israelites to perform deeds of valor. Destruction of the Gentile nations and Samael liberates the sparks of sanctity trapped inside many of them. This in turn enables Israel to perform deeds of valor in "repatriating" these sparks of sanctity who had been stained while inside the bodies of the Gentiles. The expression עשה חיל suggests that one repairs something, rehabilitates it.
Tur HaArokh
והיה אדום ירשה, ”Edom will become a conquest;” Bileam prophesied concerning the defeat of Edom at the hands of the Messiah. Nowadays, (at the time of the author) our exile is that imposed upon us by Edom, seeing that the Romans are descendants of the original Edom. The reason Bileam singled out Edom from all the other nations is that Edom had been the first to contest Israel’s right to exist as a separate nation. That dichotomy had already started in the womb of Rivkah, as she had been told by G’d in Genesis
Rashbam
ירשה, a construction similar to שמנה, shemeynah, or seveyah in Proverbs 27,7 נפש שבעה
Daat Zkenim
והיה אדום ירשה, “and Edom shall become a possession;” the Edomites became servants to David, paying annual tributes to him. והיה ירשה שעיר אויביו, “Seir, also Israel’s enemies, became a possession of those who had previously been its enemies.
And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
verse value 1304
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "and·one·shall·rule" (וְיֵ֖רְדְּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·shall·wipe·out" (וְהֶֽאֱבִ֥יד, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·he·shall·wipe·out" (וְהֶֽאֱבִ֥יד), "from·Ir" (מֵעִֽיר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Ir" (root עיר, 46x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיֵ֖רְדְּ [and·one·shall·rule] (220) + מִֽיַּעֲקֹ֑ב [from·Jacob] (222) + וְהֶֽאֱבִ֥יד [and·he·shall·wipe·out] (28) + שָׂרִ֖יד [what·is·left] (514) + מֵעִֽיר [from·Ir] (320) = 1304.
Onkelos
One from the house of Jacob shall descend and destroy the survivor from the cities of the nations.
Rashi
וירד מיעקב AND OUT OF JACOB ONE SHALL RULE — and there will be yet another ruler from Jacob, והאביד שריד מעיר AND HE WILL DESTROY THE REMNANT OF THE CITY — the most important city of Edom, and that is Rome. It is of King Messiah that he is thus speaking, of whom it is said, (Psalms 72:8) “And he shall have dominion (וירד) from sea to sea”; (Obadiah v. 18) “And there shall be no remnant (שריד) of the house of Esau".
Ramban
And the meaning of the verse, and he shall destroy the remnant from ‘the’ city, is “from ‘every’ city,” for there will not be left a remnant of any city in the world [i.e. of those belonging to the Roman Empire, here referred to by the names Edom and Seir]. Thus at first [in Verse 17] Balaam said that [the Messiah] will break down all the sons of Seth, and now he is saying that he will not leave any remnant or survivor [of them]. Thus was completed Balaam’s counsel to Balak.
Ibn Ezra
"And one from Jacob shall rule" — a ruler shall arise from Jacob. "And shall destroy the survivor of the city" — from every city; the meaning is from Edom, and this was Joab, as it is written: "until he had cut off every male in Edom" (1 Kings 11:16).
Or HaChaim
וירד מיעקב, "and someone from Jacob will exercise dominion, etc." According to Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra Bileam referred to Yoav, David's commander-in-chief. Rashi understands the verse as a reference to King Messiah. I believe that Rashi is correct. If Ibn Ezra had been correct this verse should have preceded the verse predicting the downfall of Edom, as the wars under the leadership of David and Yoav against Moav certainly preceded the downfall of Edom. Edom's downfall is always equated with ushering in the age of the Messiah. Rashi's explanation means that although Bileam had already described the defeat of all the descendants of Sheth, i.e. of all mankind, he wants to tell us that Bileam here gives notice that there will be numerous survivors of the war against Edom and the descendants of Sheth. However, none of these survivors will ever again establish an independent state as previously but they will be ruled over by Jacob. והאביד שריד מעיר, "and shall destroy the remnants of the city." Bileam means that not only will these nations not again attain the degree of independent statehood presided over by a king, but they will not even attain enough independence that would warrant their appointing a שריד, a governor of sorts.
Chizkuni
וירד מיעקב, “and out of Yaakov one shall have dominion.” A dictator will arise from Yaakov and destroy the last vestige of the Edomites. Bileam refers to David’s general Yoav, of whom it has been reported in Kings I 11,16: “for Yoav and all Israel stayed there for six months until they had killed off every male member of the Edomites.” וירד מיעקב, “of this man it is said: “he will not leave a remnant of the house of Esau.” (Ovadiah, 18)
Tur HaArokh
והאביד שריד מעיר, “he will destroy even the remnant of the city.” In other words, there will not remain any survivors of the Amalekites in any city on the globe. At the beginning Bileam had spoken of וקרקר כל בני שת, that the Messiah would uproot all the various nations of the world; now he amplifies that there would not remain any survivors from the people of Amalek anywhere According to Ibn Ezra this whole prophecy describes David’s rule. Some commentators understand the words כל בני שת as the descendants of Lot, and that seeing that Bileam mentioned the פאתי מואב, the nobles of Moav [Moav was a son of Lot and his daughter. Ed.], Bileam expands further on the theme of what would happen to the various descendants of Lot. Some commentators understand the שריד מעיר as referring to people whose descent from the original Sheth can be verified. Yet other commentators derive the word שת here not from the third son of Chavah, but from השחית, destroying, so that Bileam would describe the Messiah as destroying even all those who try to hide from him, i.e. he would destroy all organized states.
Rashbam
וירד מיעקב, a ruler emanating from Yaakov will wield authority over all kingdoms. We may add the word איש in front of the word מיעקב. והאביד שריד מעיר, from Edom; in accordance with Ovadiah 1,18 that “there will not be a single person who belongs to the descendants of Esau escaping, seeing G’d had so decreed.”
And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said: Amalek was the first of the nations; But his end shall come to destruction.
verse value 3740
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "forever" (עֲדֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·fate" (וְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Amalek" (אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֔ק), "and·its·fate" (וְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ). The root עמלק appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "and·he·took·up" (root נשא, 48x in Numbers); "and·he·saw" (root ראה, 47x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּרְא֙ [and·he·saw] (217) + אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֔ק [Amalek] (641) + וַיִּשָּׂ֥א [and·he·took·up] (317) + מְשָׁל֖וֹ [his·parable] (376) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + רֵאשִׁ֤ית [first·of] (911) + גּוֹיִם֙ [nations] (59) + עֲמָלֵ֔ק [Amalek] (240) + וְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ [and·its·fate] (631) + עֲדֵ֥י [forever] (84) + אֹבֵֽד [perishing] (7) = 3740.
Onkelos
He saw the Amalekite and took up his parable and said: The first of the wars against Israel was Amalek, yet his end shall be to perish forever.
Rashi
וירא את עמלק AND HE SAW AMALEK — i.e. He perceived the retribution destined to befall Amalek. ראשית גוים עמלק AMALEK WAS THE BEGINNING OF NATIONS — he was the first of them all to war against Israel; thus, too, does Onkelos translate it. ואחריתו BUT HIS LATTER END will be to be destroyed by their hands, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 25:19) “Thou shalt blot out the memory of Amalek”.
Ramban
VAYAR’ (AND HE SAW) AMALEK. “He contemplated the punishment of Amalek and he said, Amalek was the first of the nations — he was the first of them all to wage war against Israel. And so did Onkelos translate it. But his end will be to be destroyed by their hands, [as it is said], thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek.” This is Rashi’s language. It is possible that the word vayar is to be understood in its literal meaning [“and he saw,” and not, as Rashi explained it, “and he contemplated”], since Balaam was on the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert and so he looked towards the land of Amalek who dwelt in that hill-country. Thus he said that Amalek is now ‘the first’ of the nations, meaning that he is considered a leader of the nations, because they were mighty men, and valiant men for the war; for were it not so, it would not have occurred to them to come and attack Israel, and Moses would not have had to choose a select number of men [to fight them], or to pray and lift up his hands [towards heaven] until he was weakened. He [Moses] also built an altar and called its name ‘Ado-nai nissi’ (the Eternal is my banner), because he considered [the defeat of Amalek] a great miracle. Therefore this [man Balaam] said that Amalek is the first of the nations, but his end shall come to destruction more than all the others, as He said, For I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Similarly, ‘the first’ oils means “the best” of them, which are counted first [in quality]. The same [usage is also found in these expressions]: ‘the first’ [i.e., “the best”] of the devoted things; ‘head’ and chief over them; ‘the chief’ spices.
Ibn Ezra
"And he saw Amalek" — through prophecy. The parable is: "the first of the nations" — its meaning is that it was the nation that fought against Israel first, and its end shall be that it will perish. And so it was in the days of Saul, who slew from man to woman, from infant to suckling and old man. Many interpret "first of the nations" to mean that they considered themselves chief among the nations — but that was not so.
Or HaChaim
ראשית גוים עמלק ואחריתו עדי אבד, "Amalek was the first of the nations, but its end will be utter destruction." The word "the first" refers to the first nation Israel has been commanded to destroy (compare Exodus 17,14) where G'd orders the Israelites to record this commandment in a book (before the Torah had been revealed at Mount Sinai) and where G'd promises to wipe out the memory of Amalek. This occurred shortly after the Exodus when Amalek attacked the Israelites in no-man's land without provocation. At that time, the Amalekites left the battlefield and went home. Later on, in the days of Saul, the Israelites almost wiped out Amalek completely except for their king. In the days of Mordechai the Jews killed over 75.000 of their enemies, presumably mostly people descended from Amalek. When Bileam refers to אחריתו, "the end of Amalek," he refers to the messianic era when the Messiah will wipe them out completely. Another way of explaining this verse may be as follows. The word ראשית does not describe something chronological, but is derived from ראש, head, i.e. "first in importance." There was a time when the people of Amalek ranked very high amongst the nations. Nonetheless, the time would come when it would be utterly destroyed. It is part of the everlasting glory of Israel that it will be the nation which destroys Amalek. Bileam continues in verse 24 by describing other nations which will experience destruction at the hands of third nations, such as Tzim at the hands of the Kittim, etc. It will be to Israel's advantage that these various nations will be destroyed.
Chizkuni
וירא את עמלק, “He saw (with his mental eye) Amalek, i.e. the descendants of Amalek; seeing that this was the first nation to engage the recently liberated Israelites in battle, Bileam details its eventual demise as separate from all the other nations who will share a similar fate.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וירא את עמלק, “he saw Amalek;” (in a prophetic vision, seeing that nation was hundreds of miles distant). The reason this prophecy commences with Amalek is that this nation is both a descendant of Esau and was the first to engage Israel in military combat after the Exodus. It will also be the last nation to do so prior to its utter destruction. In our days Amalek is represented by the Roman Empire. This is the reason Bileam concluded his prophecy with predicting the destruction of the Kingdom of the Kittim, another name for the Roman Empire. Bileam predicts utter destruction for these kingdoms, using the word עדי אובד as something parallel to G’d’s prediction in Exodus 17,14 where the words are מחה אמחה.
Tur HaArokh
וירא את עמלק, “He saw Amalek;” According to Rashi the word וירא, “he saw,” refers to Bileam’s mind’s eye; he observed the retribution that would befall Amalek. Nachmanides writes that it is possible that we can understand the word וירא at face value, i.e. as what Bileam saw with his physical eye, seeing that from his vantage point on the top of Peor, it was quite possible to look down on the cities of Amalek who dwelled in the mountains across the valley. He went on to say that although Amalek was (among) the first organized nation-states at his time, so that it bore the title ראש העמים, “first among the nations,” nonetheless, in the end it would be utterly destroyed. Bileam paraphrased what G’d had already foretold Moses in Exodus 17,14 that He, personally, would utterly destroy that nation.
Rashbam
וירא את עמלק, from a location where these people were visible he beheld them. ראשית גויים, as per Onkelos, i.e. the first organised nation militarily opposing the Jewish nation.
Daat Zkenim
וירא את עמלק, “he saw Amalek” (in a prophetic vision). Bileam is also described as seeing the Kenite, the descendants of Yitro in our verse, also a prophetic vision. These two nations are lumped together here because the Amalekites were the first anti Jewish nation, whereas the descendants of Yitro, the Kenites were the first pro Jewish nation. This is why Bileam predicts total destruction for Amalek, and lofty dwellings for the Kenites. The word שים here is not an imperative mode of the root שום, “to place, to set,” but is a noun meaning: “the place of, the seat of.” They will dwell on rocks, i.e. secure from attack from below
And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said: Though firm be your dwelling-place, And though your nest be set in the rock;
verse value 3260
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "your·nest" (קִנֶּֽךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Kenite" (אֶת־הַקֵּינִ֔י, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Kenite" (אֶת־הַקֵּינִ֔י), "secure" (אֵיתָן֙), "your·abode" (מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "and·he·took·up" (root נשא, 48x in Numbers); "and·he·saw" (root ראה, 47x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּרְא֙ [and·he·saw] (217) + אֶת־הַקֵּינִ֔י [the·Kenite] (576) + וַיִּשָּׂ֥א [and·he·took·up] (317) + מְשָׁל֖וֹ [his·parable] (376) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + אֵיתָן֙ [secure] (461) + מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ [your·abode] (368) + וְשִׂ֥ים [and·set] (356) + בַּסֶּ֖לַע [in·the·rock] (162) + קִנֶּֽךָ [your·nest] (170) = 3260.
Onkelos
He saw the Salmean and took up his parable and said: Though your dwelling-place is strong, and you have set your habitation in a fortified city —
Rashi
וירא את הקיני AND HE SAW THE KENITES — Because the Kenites were settled near the Amalekites — just as it is stated, (I Samuel 15:6) “And Saul said unto the Kenites, [Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites]’’ — he mentioned them immediately after the Amalekites. He beheld the greatness of the descendants of Jethro, of whom it is said, (I Chronicles 2:55) “The תרעתים, שמעתים, שוכתים" — [These are the Kenites] (see Sifrei Bamidbar 78:1 on Numbers 10:29; Sanhedrin 104a, 106a, Sotah 11a). איתן מושבך FIRM IS THY DWELLING PLACE — “I wonder whence you merited this; for were you not with me in the advice we gave Pharaoh (Exodus 1:10): ‘Come, let us deal wisely with them’, and now you have a seat in the strength and power of Israel, (in the Sanhedrin)’’! (Sanhedrin 106a).
Ramban
And the meaning of the verse, And ‘he saw’ the Kenite is also that Balaam [actually] saw their land, for he [the Kenite] dwelt with Amalek. And he took up his parable, and said to them by way of counsel, Firm is thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock, meaning: “Make thy dwelling in a firm place, and [set] thy nest in a rock, that is, depart and go away from the Amalekites, lest thou be swept away with them, and put in a firm rock thy dwelling, with Israel,” just as it is said, And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah etc. And Balaam continued: For if the Kenite will be wasted, meaning to say: “Do not be afraid of coming [to settle] in Israel, because even if you will be wasted together with them, because when the enemy will exile Israel they will destroy all inhabitants from the Land, — ‘ad mah’ (for how long) will Ashur [Assyria] carry thee away captive? He will not hold you captive forever, because you shall be redeemed from his hand together with Israel, but if you will remain with the Amalekites, your end will be to perish with them forever.” Similarly we find [this usage of ad mah in the following verses]: ‘ad mah’ O Eternal, wilt Thou be angry forever?; ‘ad meh’ shall my glory be put to shame? — which [in both cases] means “for how long.” Or [it may be that the phrase ad mah] comes to emphasize the magnitude of something, such as: ‘mah’(how) weak is thy heart!; ‘mah’(how)was thy mother a lioness! and [here it means] to say: “To what extent can the captivity which Assyria will take captive of you reach, and how great [can it be]? It should be of no significance at all to you, because you will not [ultimately] be destroyed, as you would be if you were together with Amalek.” Therefore Balaam continued and took up his parable about Assyria, [saying] that the time of his own land will come for him too, and nobody will be saved from the great and terrible day of the Eternal [which will come] upon all the nations; for ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, which refers to the Romans, and they shall afflict [the] Ashur [who is] mentioned [later on in that verse], and shall afflict Eber, which means Israel. He is thus stating that [the Romans] will oppress both the captors [i.e., the Assyrians] and their captives [the Hebrews]; but he also — the people of Kittim [namely the Romans, as explained above] — shall come to destruction in the end. Thus Balaam completed his words [by foretelling] the destruction of the Kittim, who are the fourth beast which will be destroyed by the hand of the Messiah, as it is said, I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire, [and the phrase here] shall come to destruction [is used] because their memory will be completely extirpated. Now it is well-known in the sayings of our Rabbis that the fourth beast which Daniel saw represents Rome who exiled us, and it is t...
Ibn Ezra
"And he saw the Kenite" — the family of Jethro, as it is written, "they were the Kenites," and "Heber the Kenite" (Judg. 4:11). The parable is: "Set your nest in the rock." The meaning is a repetition: even if your dwelling were as high as a bird's nest, it would not save you.
Or HaChaim
וירא את הקיני, "He saw the Kenite, etc." This is a reference to Yitro. In order to understand Bileam we must first refer to Baba Batra 15 where we are told that the איתן of whom Bileam speaks here is Abraham. Abraham was the first proselyte; all subsequent proselytes are not only known as his spiritual descendants but are even named after him. According to Shemot Rabbah 27,6 Yitro converted to Judaism. This is why Bileam said of Yitro (Keyni) "your dwelling is with Abraham (Eytan)." He meant that Yitro's future would be parallel to that of Abraham's future. ושים בסלע קנך, "and although you have set your nest in a rock," Bileam reminds the Kenite that he has another point in his favour, namely that Yitro gave his "nest" i.e. his daughter Tzipporah to Moses as a wife. Bileam compared Moses to a rock because he was strong in Torah knowledge and had the authority of a king at the same time. Moreover, the word סלע does occur as hyperbole for Torah according to Tikkuney Ha-Zohar 21.
Chizkuni
וירא את הקיני, “He envisioned the Kenite;” Here the reference is to the people known as Ammon, the Kenite mentioned in Genesis chapter 15 not the descendants of Yitro. This tribe is mentioned there as a part of a group comprising the Kenite, K’nisite, and the Kadmoni. (Genesis 15,19) Bileam had already prophesied about Moav, and Edom of the future; now he adds a prophecy about the future of the Ammonites. איתן מושביך, “you considered your dwelling place as secure. You boasted that when G-d had told the Israelites no to harass them that they were invincible. ושים, “and for additional safety you positioned your home on top of a rock.” The word ושים should really have been ושימת, “you have positioned,” in the past tense.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וירא את הקיני, “when he saw the Kenite, etc.” This is the family of Yitro. They are described as Kenites in Chronicles I 20,25 (according to Ibn Ezra there). In Judges 4,11 they also appear under that name when Yael slew Siserah. Bileam uses a play on words when describing that these people have set their “nest” in a lofty rock. The word קן, meaning “nest” in Hebrew is employed by Bileam to contrast the advantages gained by that family which converted to Judaism and will share the glorious future of that nation with that of the enemies of the Jewish people. Bileam exclaims “sarcastically?” that even if the Amalekites had made their home in lofty rocks this would not help them against the wrath of G’d and Israel in the future he describes. They would be brought down even from such lofty heights.
Tur HaArokh
וירא את הקיני, “He saw the Kenite, etc.” The land of the Kenite was also visible from the elevation on which Bileam was standing, seeing that he dwelled among the Amalekites, as we know from when King Sha’ul asked the Kenites to leave that land before he made war against Amalek (compare Samuel I 15,6) Bileam’s words to them, i.e. וישא משלו ויאמר, were in the nature of advice, such as when he describes the place where that tribe resides. At the time, the Kenite i.e. descendants of Yitro, were still dwelling in Midian, and only after they were allocated land by the Israelites did they become a separate tribe. Their settling on a rock is meant to show that they had something in common with the Jewish nation when they (the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law) ascended from the city of Palms in the valley to higher ground with the tribe of Yehudah. (Judges 1,16) He continued:
Rashbam
איתן מושבך, you imagined that your seat of power was inviolate, unconquerable as the rock of Gibraltar. It will turn out to be different from what you thought, but יהיה לבער קין, Kayin will be consumed, by the time the Kingdom of Assyria will emerge you will be taken prisoner, and will go into exile.
Cross-references: Exodus 1:10; Judges 1:16; I Samuel 15:6; I Chronicles 2:55
Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted; How long? Asshur shall carry you away captive.
verse value 1911
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1911 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "yet" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·it·be" (אִם־יִהְיֶ֖ה, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·be·consumed" (לְבָ֣עֵֽר), "Kain" (קָ֑יִן), "how·long" (עַד־מָ֖ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·it·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "yet" (root כי, 79x in Numbers); "how·long" (root מה, 20x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kain', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֥י [yet] (30) + אִם־יִהְיֶ֖ה [if·it·be] (71) + לְבָ֣עֵֽר [to·be·consumed] (302) + קָ֑יִן [Kain] (160) + עַד־מָ֖ה [how·long] (119) + אַשּׁ֥וּר [Asshur] (507) + תִּשְׁבֶּֽךָּ [shall·take·you·captive] (722) = 1911.
Onkelos
For if the Salmean is destined for destruction, how long then shall Assyria take you captive?
Rashi
כי אם יהיה לבער קין וגו׳ FOR IF THE KENITES WILL BE REMOVED etc. — Happy are you that you have firmly settled yourself in such strength, to which I have referred, so that thou will therefore never be driven from the world. For even if you will in the future go into exile with the Ten Tribes and be removed from the place where you had settled, what does it matter? עד מה אשור תשבך HOW FAR WILL ASSYRIA CARRY YOU AWAY CAPTIVE? Possibly as far as Chaloch and Chabor — this is not being driven from the world, but only being moved from place to place, and in the end you will return with the other exiles!
Ibn Ezra
"For destruction of Kain" — as in "and it shall become a burning" (le-va'er), and similarly "as dung is burned up," and "you shall purge the evil" (Deut. 13:6); and Kain is the Kenite. The meaning of "how long shall Assyria take you captive" — it is as if to say: how long will Assyria hold you captive? It will never release you, for you are destined to be destroyed. And Assyria is a feminine noun, meaning an encampment; similarly: "and the Sabeans fell and took them," and "Israel arrayed itself."
Or HaChaim
כי אם יהיה לבער, "how long before it will burn?" Bileam trains his mind's eye on what will befall the Kenite saying: "how long will it be until even the Kenite will burn?" אשור תשבך, "Ashur will take you into captivity." This is a reference to Sancheriv king of the Assyrians taking the Kenite into captivity.
Chizkuni
כי אם יהיה לבער קין, “nonetheless Kayin shall be wasted;” his descendants will be wiped off the earth. עד מה אשור תשבך, “How long? Until Ashur shall carry you away captive;” He will not give you rest unless you will make common cause with him until you will burn up. The expression כי אם, occurs frequently as meaning: אלא, but. קין, this word here is a reference to the name of a place. This is why Ammon here is identified with the place known as Kenite. (According to most interpretations the descendants of Yitro, if they distance themselves from Amalek, will not share in Amalek’s destruction, but will survive together with Israel)
Rabbeinu Bahya
כי אם יהיה לבער קין עד מה אשור תשבך, “yet shall Kayin be consumed when Ashur takes you captive.” According to Ibn Ezra, Bileam uses the word Kayin to describe the Kenite, saying: “how long can Ashur keep you captive, i.e. the exile of the Ten Tribes of the Jewish people by the Assyrians is of limited duration, whereas the other captives of Assyria would never regain their freedom. The reason the word Assyria is used in the feminine gender is that Bileam relates to the camp of Assyria, similar to Job 1,15 referring to Sheba in the feminine gender. The same feminine form is used to describe Israel in verse Samuel I 17,21.
Tur HaArokh
כי אם יהיה לבער קין, “for if the Kenite should be laid waste, etc.” They would have no reason to worry, as their exile would end at the time the Assyrians would take the ten tribes captive. There would be no residents left in the land formerly occupied by the ten tribes, so that the Kenites would have no one to restrict their tenure. עד מה אשר תשבך, “where to can Assyria take you captive?” This is a rhetorical question, designed to reassure; “how long could your exile under the Assyrians possibly continue?” You would, at the least, be redeemed at the same time as will Israel, whereas if you were to throw in your lot with Amalek you would face utter annihilation just as Amalek.
Rashbam
ASSYRIA WILL TAKE YOU CAPTIVE. The kingdom of Assyria will take you captive and will exile you in captivity.
Daat Zkenim
כי אם יהיה לבער קין, “nonetheless Kayin will be laid to waste;” this will occur when the are exiled. [Seeing that there had not been male descendants of Kayin since the deluge, the meaning of this line is somewhat obscure. Ed.] עד מה אשור תשבך, “for how long or when will this occur?” When the Israelites themselves will go into exile and will be sent to Assyria. [According to this, the word Kayin here is a derivative of Kenites. Ed.] The descendants of Yitro will never be subject to total oblivion as will the Amalekites. Therefore it is foolish to be hostile to them, and it is wise to befriend them.
And he took up his parable, and said: Alas, who shall live after God has appointed him?
verse value 1467
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·said" (וַיֹּאמַ֑ר, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "alas!" (א֕וֹי), "can·survive" (יִחְיֶ֖ה), "from·his·placing" (מִשֻּׂמ֥וֹ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "God" (root איל, 111x in Numbers); "and·he·took·up" (root נשא, 48x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֥א [and·he·took·up] (317) + מְשָׁל֖וֹ [his·parable] (376) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + א֕וֹי [alas!] (17) + מִ֥י [who?] (50) + יִחְיֶ֖ה [can·survive] (33) + מִשֻּׂמ֥וֹ [from·his·placing] (386) + אֵֽל [God] (31) = 1467.
Onkelos
He took up his parable and said: Woe to the wicked who shall come when God does these things!
Rashi
וישא משלו וגו׳ AND HE TOOK UP HIS PARABLE etc. — Because he mentioned the captivity into Assyria he exclaimed, אוי מי יחיה משמו אל, who is able to save himself alive, so that He who decrees (God) should not place upon him (משמו) these things (אל, the equivalent of אלה) — for Sannacherib, king of Assyria, shall rise up and bring all the nations into confusion. And further, there will come —
Ibn Ezra
"And he took up his parable and said" — it refers to ציים (tziim) from [the direction of Kittim]: as soon as he mentioned that Assyria would hold the Kenite captive, he also said that a time will come when Assyria itself will be afflicted, and with it Ever (עבר) — meaning the Hebrews whom Assyria had held captive, since the Kenites dwelt among Israel. The Aramaic Targum's interpretation is well known, but it is not the scripture's practice to mention Ever without the river. Some interpret ציים as a plural from the root of "a majestic ship" (tzi adir, Isa. 33:21). Some say its meaning is like "and the desert creatures shall meet the island creatures" (Isa. 34:14), for they resemble ציים (phantoms), which strike terror into a person at the sight of them. The meaning of "alas, who shall survive from the hand of God" — the meaning refers to the king of Assyria who set himself up as a god, as it is written in the book of Isaiah; or else the meaning is: who shall survive from the decrees which God placed upon the world through the agency of Assyria, for the king of Assyria conquered all the nations, as is written.
Or HaChaim
מי יהיה משמו א־ל "Who shall live after G'd has appointed him?" Our sages in Sanhedrin 106 offer two interpretations on this verse. I recommend that you look at them. Personally, I prefer to understand this verse with the help of an introductory comment by the Zohar which I have referred to frequently. The purpose of exile is to enable the Israelites to isolate and rescue "sparks" of sanctity which are trapped in the land in which the Jews are exiled. This concept is alluded to in Kohelet 8,9 את אשר שלט האדם באדם לרע לו, "a time when man rules over man to his detriment." Solomon means that such rule will boomerang to the detriment of the pagan ruler himself. This will occur when the spiritually valuable element trapped within the ruler will be taken from him so that he will be exposed exclusively to the spiritually negative forces within him. We have explained repeatedly that the only factor which keeps a wicked person alive is the presence of a spiritually positive force trapped within him. Having said all this, we may now turn to our verse. Having previously referred to the fact that the Kenite would be exiled, the Torah (Bileam) continues the theme of exile, referring to the Israelites themselves experiencing exile. Bileam bewails the future of the nations who host Israel during its exile, predicting that all of these nations will be laid waste by G'd. The word אוי refers to the nations with whom G'd will deal by means of retribution seeing that most of them have hosted Jews as exiles. The Jews in these various countries will extract all the spiritually positive forces which alone have been reponsible for such people remaining alive.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אוי מי יחיה משומו אל, “who will survive unless G’d has willed it!” According to the plain meaning of the text the meaning of the verse is that no one can escape the decree of G’d in the world to be executed by the King of Ashur, seeing that that kingdom defeated every nation that stood in its way (Rashi as well as Ibn Ezra). A Midrashic approach based on Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer chapter 30: the word קין refers to the descendants of Yitro who are, however, referred to as descendants of Kayin, Adam’s oldest son as in Judges 4,11 they are described as residing in the area to which Kayin moved after having been forgiven by G’d for killing his brother. At the time Bileam pronounced the blessing the Kenites were descendants of Ishmael, i.e. the word מי שומו אל should be read as מישמעאל, “from Ishmael.” This immediately raises the problem that all the descendants of the original Kayin had perished during the deluge, so how could there be any identifiable offspring of his be left alive? The answer clearly must be that people who resided in the part of the world where the descendants of Kayin lived prior to the deluge are called בני קין, “descendants of Kayin.” They too would be taken captive by the Assyrians. Seeing that G’d had made the name of Avraham’s oldest son Ishmael sound so similar to the name Israel, Bileam exclaims: “woe to those who survive bearing the name Ishmael in the days when these events will occur.” Thus far the comment in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer. If you will analyze this you will find that the accuser of Israel on earth, i.e. Bileam, alludes with these words to the great accuser of Israel in the celestial regions.” We refer to the celestial force Satan, the master of the desert. He is like a Seraph which flies all over, representing the planet Mars. Bileam, the terrestrial Satanic force who had been thwarted in all his efforts to attack the Jewish people on a spiritual level, not succeeding to make an impact on the attribute of Justice or the attribute of Mercy, now addresses himself to the desert in order to obtain some relief of his frustration from a spiritually negative celestial force. The comparison between the names of ישראל and ישמעאל, both G’d-given names that we referred to in the commentary of Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer, refers to the ending with the letters א-ל, i.e. that both these names contain the name of G’d. None of the seventy nations enumerated after the confusion by G’d of the languages and the nations (Genesis 10,5-29) contains the name of G’d. The word משומו אל is understood by the author as if it had been written with two letters ו, a common theory for whenever the dot on the letter ש is moved from right to left. The word really should have been משמו אל, i.e. “who bears the name of G’d.” By changing the dot it is as if an additional letter ו had been added. The anti-G’d, Satanic forces, are perceived to have at their disposal 12 “princes” just as the people of Yeshurun (Israel as a pro-G’d force) have at their disposal 12 princes. [The latest commentary, I believe, can best be understood by seeing even in the reformed Bileam someone containing a residue of his former self, much as Rashi viewed the words ויחד יתרו in Exodus 18,9 where Yitro is described as rejoicing over the salvation of the Jewish people, as containing an element of his former self, i.e. he was upset at what happened to the Egyptians. Ed].
Rashbam
אוי מי יחי, who will be able to survive on account of the King Messiah when G’d will orchestrate all these events which will disintegrate all the descendants of mankind.
Daat Zkenim
?ויאמר אוי מי יחיה משמו א-ל, He said: “alas who shall live (unless) G–d has planted him firmly?” According to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish in the Talmud tractate Sanhedrin, the meaning of this line is: “woe to any person who when assuming authority compares himself to G–d!” According to Rabbi Yochanan, the former’s brother-in-law, the meaning is: “woe to any nation that is around at the time when G–d will redeem His people!” Anyone at that time daring to declare himself as ruler anywhere will pay dearly for such arrogance. He is compared to placing his throne between a male lion and that lion’s mate, when that pair is in its mating season. (Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin, folio 106.) Another interpretation: Bileam refers to any fool who still has aspirations at ruling after the Messiah has taken his rightful place on earth.
But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, And he also shall come to destruction.
verse value 1865
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "from·quarter·of" (מִיַּ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·afflict·Eber" (וְעִנּוּ־עֵ֑בֶר, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·ships" (וְצִים֙), "Kittim" (כִּתִּ֔ים), "and·they·afflict" (וְעִנּ֥וּ). The root ענה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·too" (root הוא, 70x in Numbers); "from·quarter·of" (root יד, 34x in Numbers); "forever" (root עד, 21x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·afflict·Eber', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְצִים֙ [and·ships] (146) + מִיַּ֣ד [from·quarter·of] (54) + כִּתִּ֔ים [Kittim] (470) + וְעִנּ֥וּ [and·they·afflict] (132) + אַשּׁ֖וּר [Asshur] (507) + וְעִנּוּ־עֵ֑בֶר [and·afflict·Eber] (404) + וְגַם־ה֖וּא [and·he·too] (61) + עֲדֵ֥י [forever] (84) + אֹבֵֽד [perishing] (7) = 1865.
Onkelos
And fleets shall set out from the Romans and shall afflict Assyria, and they shall subjugate those beyond the Euphrates — but they too shall perish forever.
Rashi
צים מיד כתים SHIPS FROM THE LAND OF CHITTIM and the people of Chittim — these are the Romans — will pass over in big ships against Assyria. וענו עבר AND WILL AFFLICT THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE (עבר) of the river Euphrates. וגם הוא עדי אבד BUT HE ALSO SHALL PERISH EVERLASTINGLY — (“He” means the Romans). And so, too, did Daniel expressly state, (Daniel 7:11) “until the beast (Rome) was slain and its body destroyed". וצים means [AND] BIG SHIPS, as it is written (Isaiah 33:21) “A gallant ship (צי)", the Targum translation of which is “a big ship” (Yoma 77b).
Ibn Ezra
"And Kittim" — from the sons of Javan (Greece), as is written; and it may be an allusion to the Greek kingdom, as I have already explained in the book of Daniel, that the Greek kingdom and Kittim are one and the same — it is the third beast, as demonstrated there by proofs. "From the direction of Kittim" (miyad kittim) — miyad here means a place, as in "by the Jordan" (al yad ha-yarden, Num. 13:29) and "you shall have a place" (Deut. 23:13). "And also it" — Kittim, which is a singular noun, though it follows the pattern of a plural; the proof is: "and the sons of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim" (Gen. 10:4).
Rabbeinu Bahya
וצים מיד כתים, “and great ships from the coast of Kittim.” After Bileam had predicted that Ashur had taken the Kenites captive, Bileam continues prophesying that Ashur itself will suffer affliction by the Kittim who will oppress both Ashur and Ever. It is possible that the word צים is a plural of צי which appears in Isaiah as צי אדיר, “a large ship.” The reason that Bileam describes the עברים i.e. בני עבר as being captives also is that they had oppressed the Kenites. According to some opinions the Kittim were the Greeks. According to Nachmanides it is a reference to the Romans, the fourth kingdom, Edom, or, in terms of Daniel’s vision the fourth of the chayot. It is fitting that Bileam concluded his prophecies with the prediction of Rome’s downfall (see Daniel 7,11).
Tur HaArokh
וצים מיד כתים, “and Tzim from Kittim;” a reference to the Romans.” וענו אשור, “they will afflict Ashur.”(Assyria) וענו עבר, “they will afflict those on the other bank of the great river.” וגם הוא עדי אובד, “but it too will be destroyed forever.” It will face destruction in the end just as will the Kittim (the Romans). Bileam concluded his words with a reference to the Romans and their perishing ultimately, as they were symbolized by the fourth of the four beasts in Daniel’s famous vision (Daniel chapter 8) According to the unanimous opinion of our sages the Roman Empire, or its successors, will be vanquished by the Messiah. May we soon live to see this prophecy come true! Even though in Genesis 10,4 כתים is listed as one of the four sons of Yavan, (commonly regarded as the forerunner of the Macedonians and Greeks) and they are the third (not fourth) of the four beasts in Daniel’s vision, the true state of affairs is as follows: seeing that the descendants of Elisha Dodanim and Tarshish, the other sons of Yavan, were not numerous, they were lumped together under the heading of their father Yavan, who between them formed the third empire discussed in that chapter of Daniel. The Kittim, however, developed into a numerous and powerful nation so that they are considered the fourth of the empires in Daniel’s vision. This power will be predominant until the Messiah will destroy it when he comes. Ibn Ezra explains the expression ראשית גוים, not as “the first of the nations (ever),” but as the first of the nations warring against Israel. Its end will be utter destruction in the days of the first Jewish King, Sha’ul who killed every man woman and child, the prophet Samuel killing the King, Agag, whom Sha’ul had failed to kill, a sin of omission which cost him his dynasty. He explains the words ושים בסלע קנך, (verse 21) not as an advice but as a warning that even if you were to build your nest in a solitary inaccessible rock this will not save you. The words לבער קין refer to the time when the Kenite will be laid waste by the all-consuming army of the Assyrians. “Ashur” is in the feminine mode, a reference to the camp of Ashur [the word מחנה in Hebrew may be used both in the masculine and in the feminine mode. Ed.] When Bileam refers to Ashur taking the Kenite captive, however, in verse 25, Bileam foresees the time when the Assyrians who had thus far taken others captive, will themselves become victims and will perish completely. The meaning of the word עבר, is a reference to the Kenites who had “crossed over” to the Israelites, had thrown in their lot with theirs, and as a result had suffered exile when the Israelites did, but they would not be wiped out as did the other pagan nations Bileam speaks of. Some commentators say that the meaning of צים is similar to that of ציים in Isaiah 34,14 where it refers to wildcats or hyenas. Bileam compares Ashur to these animals, animals that men sometimes dress up as, i.e. they are impostors. This explains the previous line אוי מי יחיה משמו א-ל, “who can survive when he comes up against human (such as the King of Ashur) beings that try to play G’d?” [An appropriate comment in view of the boastful messenger of Pul, the King of the Assyrians. [Ravshakeh in Kings II 18,9-19-8. Ed.]
Rashbam
וצים, as in Isaiah 33,21 וצי אדיר, where not even a mighty vessel can keep afloat.
Daat Zkenim
וצים מיד כתים, “and the fleet of large ships sailing from the harbours of the Assyrians.” [Many commentators understand the word כתים, as a reference to the Romans. Ed.] We find what appears like a similar reference in a prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 33,21: וציר אדיר לא יעברנו, “where no floating vessels can travel.” וענו אשור, “and they shall afflict the Assyrians.” This will occur despite the might of the Assyrian Empire. וענו עבר, “and they shall afflict Ever, (Ivri) i.e. the Hebrews.” וגם הוא עדי אובד, “and it too will perish totally.” (The Roman Empire) The successors of the Roman Empire too will perish when the era of the messiah will commence.
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
verse value 1394
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "went" (הָלַ֥ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·Balak" (וְגַם־בָּלָ֖ק, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·his·place" (לִמְקֹמ֑וֹ), "and·also·Balak" (וְגַם־בָּלָ֖ק), "his·way" (לְדַרְכּֽוֹ). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Balaam" (root בלעם, 53x in Numbers); "and·he·went" (root הלך, 45x in Numbers); "and·also·Balak" (root בלק, 40x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֣קׇם [and·he·arose] (156) + בִּלְעָ֔ם [Balaam] (142) + וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ [and·he·went] (66) + וַיָּ֣שׇׁב [and·he·returned] (318) + לִמְקֹמ֑וֹ [to·his·place] (216) + וְגַם־בָּלָ֖ק [and·also·Balak] (181) + הָלַ֥ךְ [went] (55) + לְדַרְכּֽוֹ [his·way] (260) = 1394.
Onkelos
Balaam arose and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went on his way.
Ibn Ezra
"And Balaam arose" — for he had been lying down, as a deep sleep had fallen upon him; and so he said "fallen, with eyes unveiled."
Or HaChaim
ויקם בלעם וילך Bileam rose and went on his way, etc. The only reason the Torah tells us this detail is to inform us that he did not even go to his inn before setting out homeward bound. Nonetheless the Torah had to add the extra words: "he returned to his place" instead of merely saying: "he went to his place," to tell us that he went with his head held high, not like a fugitive. Had the Torah only written: "he arose and went," I would not have known if he went maintaining his usual posture. The Torah also informed us that Bileam went back to his home as he had been told to do by Balak. When the Torah adds that Balak went on his way (at the same time), this is to tell us that he did not see Bileam off. It is also possible that the words: "and also Balak went on his way," may indicate that he already lost his position as king at that time as the Moabites no doubt had heard of the failure of Bileam's mission. Under the circumstances, there was no further need for them to have an alien as king over them. This would also account for the fact that he was killed in Midian during the Israelites' punitive campaign against that country.
Chizkuni
ויקם בלעם, “Bileam arose;” he had been lying down while his eyes had been wide awake. וישב למקומו, he returned to his place, i.e. to Aram Naharayim.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויקם בלעם, “Bileam rose up.” As soon as Bileam concluded his prophecies he rose on his feet as he had not been standing when making all these predictions. He had described himself as נופל וגלוי עינים, “fallen and with uncovered eyes (24,5).” וישב אל מקומו, “he returned to his place.” This means he reverted to relying on charms, etc., instead of on Divine inspiration. He found that he had become privy to Holy Spirit only temporarily for the benefit of the Jewish people as I mentioned earlier.
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Ibn Ezra
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Chizkuni
Rabbeinu Bahya
Tur HaArokh
Rashbam
Daat Zkenim