Numbers 24:4

4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty,^[a]who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

Numbers 24:4 in Other Translations

4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

4 the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

4 Decree of a man who hears God speak, who sees what The Strong God shows him, Who falls on his face in worship, who sees what's really going on.

4 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls [into a trance] with [his] eyes uncovered:

Numbers 24:4 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 24:4

He hath said, which heard the words of God
God speaking to him, which he did several times, and with which he was greatly elated, see ( Numbers 22:9 Numbers 22:20 ) ( Numbers 23:4 Numbers 23:5 Numbers 23:16 ) :

which saw the vision of the Almighty;
not that he had a sight of any similitude of God, though the angel that appeared to him, which was Christ the uncreated angel, might appear in an human form, for some visible form was seen both by the ass and him; but rather this respects the visions of God to him in the night; it may be in a dream, as has been already observed, and which the following words seem to confirm:

falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
or falling into a deep sleep, and yet the eyes of his body open, which sometimes is the case with persons asleep; or the eyes of his mind open, to receive the instructions given him in a dream or vision of the night; unless this is to be understood of his falling on his face, when he had his vision, as sometimes the prophets did, see ( Ezekiel 1:28 ) ( Deuteronomy 8:17 ) ( Revelation 1:17 ) , so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it; and the latter says, he prophesied of himself, that he should fall by the sword; which is better than to interpret it of his falling when his ass lay down with him, as some do: so men may have a great deal of light and knowledge in their heads, and yet not have true grace in their hearts; great gifts, which puff up with pride and vanity, but not sanctifying grace, which is of an humbling nature, ( 1 Corinthians 8:1 1 Corinthians 8:2 ) ( 1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 13:2 1 Corinthians 13:3 ) , what he said under a spirit of prophecy follows.

Numbers 24:4 In-Context

2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him

3 and he spoke his message: “The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,

4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty,who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!

6 “Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.

Cross References

• 1. S Numbers 22:9; Numbers 22:20
• 2. S Genesis 15:1

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew "Shaddai" ; also in verse 16