and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,
Parallel translations
- WEB He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
- KJV And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
- BSB and he lifted up an oracle, saying: “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
- NKJV Then he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,
- NASB Then he took up his discourse and said, “The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor, And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Balaam begins his oracle, describing himself as a man whose eyes are opened to divine revelation. He speaks now as one given true sight by God.
Overview
The formal poetic introduction signals an inspired oracle rather than ordinary speech. Balaam claims clarity of spiritual perception, presenting himself as a seer who genuinely beholds what God reveals. The irony is that this outsider sees Israel's blessedness more clearly than the king who hired him to curse them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Num 24:16he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
- Num 23:7He took up his parable, and said, “From Aram has Balak brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, defy Israel.
- Num 24:4he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
- Num 22:31Then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw Yahweh’s angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
- Num 23:18He took up his parable, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 24:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.