he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
Parallel Translations
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he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
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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:
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The saying of him who heareth the words of God, who seeth the vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with opened eyes:
Cross-references (17)
Passages linked to Numbers 24:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,
- Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet
- Numbers 12:6 He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.
- Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of Yahweh’s glory. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
- 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven. I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows), how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
- Genesis 15:1 After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
- Genesis 15:12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
- Numbers 22:20 God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do.”
- Numbers 22:31 Then 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.
- 1 Samuel 19:24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
- Psalms 89:19 Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
- Daniel 8:17-18 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened, and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end.” Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
- Daniel 8:26-27 “The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but seal up the vision, for it belongs to many days to come.” I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick for some days. Then I rose up, and did the king’s business. I wondered at the vision, but no one understood it.
- Daniel 10:15-16 When he had spoken these words to me, I set my face toward the ground, and was mute. Behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said to him who stood before me, “My lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows have overtaken me, and I retain no strength.
- Acts 10:10 He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.
- Acts 10:19 While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men seek you.
- Acts 22:17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Though he lay as in a sleep, yet the…
Though he lay as in a sleep, yet the eyes of his mind were open.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Num 24:4 He hath said, which heard the words…
Num 24:4 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:
Ver. 4. Falling into a trance.] As was usual with the prophets; {Gen 15:12 Dan 8:17-19 2Pe 1:21} {See Trapp on "1Pe 1:21"} They were carried out of and beyond themselves. And still -
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“ Amor Dei est ecstaticus, neque iuris
Se sinit esse sui - ”
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The vision; so called either strictly and properly, because…
The vision; so called either strictly and properly, because he was awake when this was revealed to him; or largely and improperly, for any extraordinary discovery of God’s mind to him, whether sleeping or waking. A trance, or ecstasy, fainting and falling upon the ground, as the prophets used to do. See 1Sa 19:24; Eze 1:28; 3:23; 43:3; Dan 8:17,18; 10:15; Rev 1:17. Others, falling suddenly into a sleep, as the prophets sometimes did, as Gen 15:12; Dan 8:18.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He hath said, which heard the words of God,....…
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 Num 22:9,
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:
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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 Eze 1:28, 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, Co1 8:1, what he said under a spirit of prophecy follows.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The vision - So called properly, because he was…
The vision - So called properly, because he was awake when this was revealed to him: A trance - Or, extasy, fainting and falling upon the ground, as the prophets used to do.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 4. Falling into a trance] There is no…
Verse 4. Falling into a trance] There is no indication in the Hebrew that he fell into a trance; these words are added by our translators, but they are not in the original. נפל nophel is the only word used, and simply signifies falling, or falling down, perhaps in this instance by way of religious prostration.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Num 24:4. The vision of the Almighty — So…
Num 24:4. The vision of the Almighty — So called properly, because he was awake when the following things were revealed to him. Falling into a trance — In the Hebrew it is only falling, namely, fainting and falling to the ground, as the prophets sometimes used to do. Our translators supply the words, into a trance, supposing him to have been in an ecstasy or rapture when he had the vision, as it is probable he was; because it follows, having his eyes open — Which implies, that when all his outward senses were locked up, his mind had a clear apprehension of the things which God revealed to him.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The “falling” of which Balaam speaks was the condition…
The “falling” of which Balaam speaks was the condition under which the inward opening of his eyes took place. It indicates the force of the divine inspiration overpowering the seer. The faithful prophets of the Lord do not appear to have been subject to these violent illapses Dan 8:17; Rev 1:17.
In Balaam and in Saul 1Sa 19:24 the word of God could only prevail by first subduing the alien will, and overpowering the bodily energies which the will ordinarily directs.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Falleth. Out of respect to God, or in a…
Falleth. Out of respect to God, or in a trance. Septuagint, "in sleep, his eyes are uncovered." He was accustomed to commune with the spirits in the night, chap. xxii. 8. (Haydock) --- He who is clear-sighted enough in teaching others, neglecteth his own salvation; or, being naturally incapable of diving into futurity, he derives this power solely from the operation of the spirit. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 4. Falling — He was thrown to the ground…
4. Falling — He was thrown to the ground by the Spirit of God descending mightily upon him. This whole introduction tends to prove that during the time of this inspiration “he was a true prophet of God, and had received the blessing which he uttered from a celestial oracle.” — Calvin.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 4. The parallelism of these opening words with those…
4. The parallelism of these opening words with those in Num_24:15-16 suggests that the line ‘And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High’ has fallen out of the present passage.
the Almighty] Heb. Shaddai. Num_24:16 and Gen_49:25 are probably the only pre-exilic occurrences of the word. In the latter passage the divine title should probably be read ’El Shaddai, which occurs in Exo_6:3, Eze_10:5 and five times in Genesis. Shaddai alone occurs, besides here and Num_24:16, thirty-eight times, of which thirty-one are in Job, and it also forms a part of two or three proper names.
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Its original meaning is much disputed; ‘the Almighty’ has become a conventional equivalent, but is in no sense a rendering of the word. It is possible that its true spelling is Shadai. See the writer’s note in Exodus, pp. 40 f.
Falling down, and having his eyes uncovered] This is generally understood to mean ‘falling asleep, or into a prophetic trance (A.V. [Note: .V. The Authorised Version.] ), but having the eyes of the mind open to receive God’s revelation.’ Balaam, however, is not represented as receiving his messages in a state of unconsciousness. But there is nothing in the narrative which actually forbids this explanation.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (4) Falling into a trance, but having his eyes…
(4) Falling into a trance, but having his eyes open.—Better, falling (upon his face), and having his eyes opened. The physical effect produced upon Balaam appears to have been the same as that which was produced upon Saul (1Sa_19:24), upon Ezekiel (Num. i 28), upon Daniel (Num. viii, 17. 18). and upon St. John (Rev_1:17). The word which is here rendered “open” (gelui) is a different word from that which is so rendered in Num_24:2, and is frequently used in reference to Divine communications and spiritual intuition. There may be a reference to the events which befel Balaam on his journey (Num_22:31).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Falling into a trance. Rather, "falling down." Qui cadit,…
Falling into a trance. Rather, "falling down." Qui cadit, Vulgate. The case of Saul, who "fell down naked all that day", (1Sa_19:24) overcome by the illapse of the Spirit, affords the best comparison. Physically, it would seem to have been a kind of catalepsy, in which the senses were closed to outward things, and the eyes open but unseeing. The word for "open" in this verse is the ordinary one, not that used in verse 3.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain falling into
falling into
i.e. prostrated by the prophetic impulse. See, 1Sa 19:24; Eze 1:23; Dan 8:18; 2Co 12:2-4; Rev 1:10; Rev 1:17.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Balaam continues to prophesy under the control of the Spirit of God.
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He speaks ... He sees ... he bows
Here Balaam refers to himself as "He." (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
he bows down
This is an act of humility. (See: Symbolic Action)
with his eyes open
Here "eyes open" is an idiom that means Balaam has received the ability to know what God wants to say. (See: Idiom)
How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, the place where you live, Israel!
Both of these statements mean the same thing. They emphasize the Israelite camp was beautiful to Balaam. (See: Parallelism)
translationWords
word of God
vision
Almighty
bow
tent
Jacob
life
Israel
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.