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Numbers 24:3

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 24:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith;
Numbers 24:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 24

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
3And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith;
4He saith, who heareth the words of God, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
5How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
6As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river-side, As lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters.
← Numbers 24:2Numbers 24:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he took up his parable, etc.] His parable of prophecy, as the Targums, his prophetic speech, which, with a loud voice, he expressed in the hearing of Balak and his nobles: and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said; the preface to his prophecy is pompous, and seems to be full of pride and vanity, and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem represent him; “the man who is more excellent than his father hath said, to whom hidden secrets, even what was hidden from the prophets is revealed to him;” and the Jews have a saying f375 that he that has an evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a large soul, or is covetous, is one of the disciples of Balaam the wicked: and the man whose eyes are open hath…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the man whose eyes are open--that is, a seer (Sa1 9:9), a prophet, to whom the visioned future was disclosed--sometimes when falling into a sleep (Gen 15:12-15), frequently into "a trance."”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Whose eyes are open - i. e., opened in inward vision, to discern things that were hidden from ordinary beholders. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Whose eyes are open - Heb. Who had his eyes shut, but now open. The eyes of his mind, which God had opened in a peculiar and prophetical manner, whence prophets are called Seers, Sa1 9:9. It implies that before he was blind and stupid, having eyes, but not seeing nor understanding. Numbers 24:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“24:3-9 The third oracle contains another description of God’s plan to bless Israel.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“he took up: Num 23:7, Num 23:18 whose eyes are open hath said: Heb. who had his eyes shut, but now opened, Num 24:4, Num 24:16, Num 22:31 Numbers 24:4”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“Num 24:3 and Num 24:4 contain the preface to the prophecy: "The divine saying of Balaam the son of Beor, the divine saying of the man with closed eye, the divine saying of the hearer of divine words, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down and with opened eyes." For the participial noun נאם the meaning divine saying (effatum, not inspiratum, Domini) is undoubtedly established by the expression יהוה נאם, which recurs in Num 14:28 and Gen 22:16, and is of constant use in the predictions of the prophets; and this applies even to the few passages where a human author is mentioned instead of Jehovah, such as Num 24:3, Num 24:4, and Num 24:15, Num 24:16; also Sa2 23:1; Pro 30:1; and Psa…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification