but he set his face toward the wilderness.

private those cabalistic and magical arts which were common to sorcerers, and which he was in hopes might have made him master of his impious purpose, wherein, however, he was disappointed. These devices he now abandoned, because he saw they were fruitless, although his heart was in reality no better than before, as we infer from the sequel of the narrative. The original word for "enchantments" (nehâshim) is closely related to the Heb. term for serpent (nahash) and the relation between the ideas conveyed by serpent and divination or augury is undoubtedly recognized in more places than one in the original Scriptures. The literal rendering in the present instance is "to meet enchantment or magic-omens." The phrase undoubtedly implies the meeting, or seeking an interview with the Lord, for the purpose of making him propitious to his design by certain ceremonies of a cryptic or mysterious nature known as divinations or auguries.—¶ He set his face toward the wilderness. Heb. el hammidbar, the usual term to denote the dreary desert through which Israel had wandered after leaving Egypt, but implying in this connection a region which could only be comparatively denominated a desert or wilderness, as they were encamped in the valley of the Jordan, while Balaam was beholding them from the heights above. It appears from the occasional usage of the term, that any large and extensive tract of champaign country, even though it may happen to have villages in it, is called in the Scripture wilderness. It would seem, however, that both the Chaldee and Jerusalem paraphrases were somewhat misled by the use of the term midbar, and supposed that

2 And Balaam lift up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding

Balaam turned his face in the direction of the wilderness from which they had recently emerged, as is to be inferred from their interpretation. Chald. "He set his face towards the calf that Israel had made in the wilderness," implying, perhaps, that a people guilty of such a flagrant iniquity might properly be the subjects of a curse. But this supposes that Balaam knew of their transgression, which might have been the fact, or might not. Targ. Jerus. "He set his face toward the wilderness, and remembered concerning them the work of the calf, and would have cursed Israel." Finding all his previous incantations of no effect whatever, he resolves to abandon them, and utter what was put into his mouth. It was moreover wisely ordered in providence that the august and glorious predictions that follow respecting the Messiah and the Lord's church should not be preceded by magical rites, which would in some degree have weakened their credit or tarnished their lustre.

V. 2. Saw Israel abiding (in his tents). Heb. shokën, the root of Shekinah. See Note on Ex. 29:45. The addition in italics, "in his tents," is very proper, as the allusion is to that mode of habitation. Indeed, the Tabernacle, the special residence of the Shekinah, was a movable tent, though of peculiar and unique structure. Gr. "Saw Israel encamped by tribes." The order prescribed for the disposition of the several tribes was always observed during their encampment, and this exact and beautiful order seems to have made a profound impression upon the spirit of Balaam, as may be inferred from his language in vs. 5–7.—¶ And the Spirit of God came upon him. Chald. “The spirit of prophecy from before the Lord

in his tents according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

a 1 Sam. 10. 10.

rested upon him." This Sol. Jarchi intimates was with a view to keep him from cursing Israel. It'evidently implies a strong compulsory influence emanating from the Lord himself, and overruling and restraining him from uttering the anathemas which he had conceived in his heart, and inspiring him to see and to foretell future events. The phrase imports a divine impulse or afflatus which was often imparted to men independent of their moral character. It was a species of possession or inspiration for the time being, and those who were subjects of it "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Thus, it is said ch. 11: 26, "The Spirit rested upon them, and they prophesied." So also v. 29 of the same chapter, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them." In like manner the Spirit of God came upon Saul, converting him temporarily into a new man, but not making any permanent change in his character, PSam. 19:1923. "Tis sometimes said, 'The Lord came to Balaam' as he did to Abimelech, Gen. 20: 3, and to Laban, Gen. 31: 24; but 'tis never said 'The word of the Lord' came to him, as to Jeremiah, Jer. 1:4, and to the rest of God's prophets. God never vouchsafed his 'word' to any but to his prophets, of whom 'tis said always, that 'the word of the Lord came to them.""-Ness. The remarks of Calvin on this incident are very appropriate. "It is said 'the Spirit of God was upon him,' not as if it had begun to inspire him at that particular moment when he cast his eyes upon the camp of Israel; but because it prompted him to look in that direction, in or

3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the

der that the impulse of prophecy might be stronger in him, as respecting a thing actually before his eyes. But after the Spirit had thus affected his senses, or at any rate had prepared them to be fit instruments for the execution of his office, it then also directed his tongue to prophesy; but in an extraordinary manner, so that a divine majesty shone forth in the sudden change, as if he were transformed into a new man. In a word, 'the Spirit of God was upon him,' showing by manifest token that He was the author of his address, and that Balaam did not speak of his own natural intelligence. To the same intent it is said that 'he took up his parable,' because the character of his address was marked with unusual grandeur and magnificent brilliancy." Chalmers also speaks in a similar vein of this prophecy. "He is made the involuntary instrument of further revelations; and what he now utters when the Spirit of God came upon him, is in the very highest style and strain of lofty inspiration. We cannot fix on any portion of Scripture that bears a nobler or more sustained elevation than these effusions poured forth by Balaam from the mountains, as he looked down on the tents of Israel stretched out in full and far perspective before him."— Bib. Readings in loc. Still the rhetorical or poetical merit of the utterance is comparatively of very little consequence when viewed in relation to its spiritual import.

Dr.

V. 3. Balaam the son of Beor hath said. Heb. neum bilam, the saying, affirmation, averment of Balaam. The term is applied for the most part to divine oracles or declarations, which are

man whose eyes are open hath | said;

"faithful sayings," worthy of all confidence and acceptation. It is of very emphatic import, and its use in this exordium is no doubt to be referred to the Spirit who spake through Balaam, and thus put a seal upon the prophecy as a truly divine revelation. The Most High was greatly magnified in thus ratifying his blessing upon his people through Balaam, a sorcerer and corrupt prophet who fain would have cursed them. And this circumstance, tending so much to the divine glory, Balaam himself is made an instrument of proclaiming. He is virtually made to say, Even the man whose power to curse was so much relied on, and who leaned so strongly to compliance with Balak's suit -even he must and will affirm it, and vigorously stand to it, that Israel shall be blessed. The language of David, 2 Sam. 23: 1, 2, is strikingly analogous, as the same word which occurs there also conveys clearly the intimation that what he said is not said from himself, but from the inspiration of the Lord's Spirit, though uttered by his organs. "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue."- -¶ The man whose eyes are open hath said. Heb. shethum haâyin, opened of eye. The margin of our version gives, "Who had his eyes shut (but now opened);" from which it would naturally be inferred that there was a degree of ambiguity in the original. This is the fact, as commentators are very much divided between "open" and "shut" as the true rendering. A satisfactory decision between the claims of the two is not

|

4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw

easy. The Chald. has "The man who sees fairly (pulchre)." Gr. “The truly seeing man." Syr. "The man whose eye is disclosed, or laid open (retectus)." Vulg. "The man whose eye is stopped up (obturatus)." The original (shethum) occurs only here and v. 15, and Hengstenberg and others take it as the original form of the word, which was afterwards softened into sâtham, a word of not unfrequent occurrence, and signifying to close, to shut. But Drusius, on the other hand, and from him Rosenmuller, refer shethum to the Chald. shatham, to perforate, and hence to open, which is favored by some of the ancient versions, as the Syr. Sam. and Arab. We incline, on the whole, to embrace both senses, on the ground that an ecstatic or trance state is described, in which, as is well known, the external sight is closed while the internal is opened. Glassius, in his "Sacred Philology," gives a multitude of examples from the Hebrew Scriptures in which the same word conveys directly contrary meanings. In the Gr. of the New Testament the same peculiarity occasionally obtains. Thus, Mat. 6: 2, "Verily I say unto you they have their reward;" where the original (apechomai) has both a negative and affirmative sense, implying that in having their reward they have it not, since in seeking applause of men they lose that higher and better blessing which comes from God only.

V. 4. He hath said which heard the words of God. Heb. neum, the assured saying,-the same form of expression with that occurring v. 3, and implying a degree of emphasis and asseveration such as pertains to a divine oracle rather than to a human utterance. "The words of God" is in the original "the