Num 23-24 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 23:1-30: 23:1-30 As a diviner, Balaam performed rituals to interpret omens and ascertain Israel’s future (cp. 23:23 ; 24:1 ). Balak had summoned him to pronounce imprecations, but God repeatedly prohibited him from doing so. • It is possible that these sacrifices were connected with the practice of extispicy —the examination of animal livers or other organs for an omen concerning the future. According to ancient Near Eastern texts, this form of fortune-telling was a widely practiced and highly developed art. Such practices were banned from Israel (see Deut 18:9-14 ; cp. Ezek 21:21 ). 23:1 The number seven was a sacred symbol (also 23:4 , 14 , 29 ; cp. Job 42:8 ; see thematic note for Symbolic Numbers at end of chapter).

Summary for Num 23:1-30: 23:1-30 ^a As a diviner, Balaam performed rituals to interpret omens and ascertain Israel’s future (cp. 23:23 ^b; 24:1 ^c). Balak had summoned him to pronounce imprecations, but God repeatedly prohibited him from doing so.

• It is possible that these sacrifices were connected with the practice of extispicy—the examination of animal livers or other organs for an omen concerning the future. According to ancient Near Eastern texts, this form of fortune-telling was a widely practiced and highly developed art. Such practices were banned from Israel (see Deut 18:9-14 ^d; cp. Ezek 21:21 ^e). 23:1 ^f The number seven was a sacred symbol (also 23:4 ^g, 14 ^h, 29 ⁱ; cp. Job 42:8 ^j; see thematic note for Symbolic Numbers at end of chapter).
Summary for Num 23:7-10: 23:7-10 ^k In his first oracle from God (23:5 ^l, 16 ^m), Balaam rehearsed the circumstances that brought him to Moab, emphasized God’s special relation with Israel, and declared his intention of protecting them from harm.

• These poetic oracles illustrate the parallelism of Hebrew poetry. Parallel lines reinforce the content by repeating important concepts in a highly structured pattern.

• Aram: Aram-naharaim (Gen 24:10 ⁿ) is another name for North Mesopotamia, where Balaam’s home of Pethor was located (Num 22:5 ^o).

• The eastern hills are a line of mountains in North Syria.
Summary for Num 23:7-8: 23:7-8 ^p Instead of cursing Israel, the seer noted their special status (cp. Exod 19:5-6 ^q; Deut 7:6-9 ^r) and observed that God’s blessing had turned a humble people into a great nation (cp. Gen 12:2-3 ^s; 13:16 ^t; 28:14 ^u). Balaam wished for similar good fortune to come his way (Num 23:10 ^v).
Summary for Num 23:13-26: 23:13-26 ^w Balak hoped that he would get different results if he changed the venue. The precise location of the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak is unknown, though Pisgah is part of the ridgeline that overlooks the plains of Moab (Deut 34:1 ^x) in the vicinity of Bamoth-baal (Num 22:41 ^y) and Mount Peor (23:28 ^z).
Summary for Num 23:18-24: 23:18-24 ^aa This oracle emphasizes God’s faithfulness to his people—he would stay with them and keep all of his promises.
23:19 ^ab Because of God’s reliable character, Balaam could do nothing but bless Israel.
Summary for Num 23:20-21: 23:20-21 ^ac Since the Lord would follow through on his promises to bless his people (bringing them no misfortune or trouble), Balaam was in no position to reverse God’s intentions. Though God punished the Hebrews for acts of disobedience, his advocacy of Israel’s cause was evident from the time he delivered them from Egypt.
Summary for Num 23:23-24: 23:23-24 ^ad No curse could succeed against Israel because they had been blessed (22:12 ^ae; cp. Gen 12:2-3 ^af; 22:17-18 ^ag). Israel was safe from the harm that Moab and Midian sought to inflict through divination (cp. Num 24:1 ^ah); Israel would become famous because God protected them from harm (see Josh 2:9-11 ^ai; cp. Num 14:13-19 ^aj).
Summary for Num 23:27-24:14: 23:27–24:14 ^ak Disappointed with Balaam’s blessing, Balak hoped that yet another change of location would produce different results. Though the location of Mount Peor is unknown, this place was probably near a worship site of Baal of Peor (cp. 25:3 ^al, 5 ^am) and the Beth-peor of Deut 3:29 ^an; 34:6 ^ao, where Moses was buried.

Thematic note: Symbolic Numbers
Numbers used in Scripture have often inspired wild speculation. An understanding of the symbolism of numbers in the ancient world can help ground our interpretation. Such symbolism, however, is not rigid or exact, so great care must be exercised when numbers are used in interpretation, so as not to push fanciful predictions about future events.
The number one can refer to God’s oneness (Deut 6:4 ^ap; Gal 3:20 ^aq; Jas 2:19 ^ar). Two is the minimum number required to give a legitimate witness (Deut 17:6 ^as; Rev 11:3 ^at), and three can imply divine representation (Gen 18:1-2 ^au; 2 Cor 13:14 ^av; Rev 1:4-5 ^aw). Four can stand for the known world, represented in Revelation by living creatures, horsemen, winds, and angels (Rev 4:6-8 ^ax; 6:1-8 ^ay; 7:1 ^az) and in Genesis ^ba by four rivers (Gen 2:10-14 ^bb). When three and four are added to make seven, they represent perfection or divine fulfillment, indicating that God and the world are in harmony. The multiplication of three by four yields twelve, the number associated with God’s people (Gen 35:22-26 ^bc; Exod 24:4 ^bd; 28:21 ^be; Num 17:2 ^bf; Josh 4:3-8 ^bg; 1 Kgs 18:31 ^bh; Matt 10:1-4 ^bi; 19:28 ^bj; Jas 1:1 ^bk; Rev 12:1 ^bl; 21:12–22:2 ^bm. The number five and its multiples, such as ten, represent human completeness (e.g., five fingers per hand); and six carries a negative sense or implication of evil, being neither humanly complete (five) nor divinely complete (seven).
Multiples of ten (e.g., forty) are a symbolic way to indicate many, whereas three sixes (666) imply supreme evil (Rev 13:18 ^bn). One thousand is regarded as the foundational large number; 12,000 indicates a large number of God’s people (Rev 7:5-8 ^bo); and 144,000 represents the complete people of God (Rev 7:4 ^bp; 14:1 ^bq). The number 10,000 and its multiples are probably best transliterated from Greek as myriads, since they really mean “a huge number” rather than a precise count.
While some of the numbers in the Bible have symbolic meanings, using numbers to speculate on the time of Christ’s return or of the end of the world is highly dubious—only God possesses that knowledge (Mark 13:32 ^br). God did not intend for the symbolic numbers in Revelation to help us predict the future; rather, their symbolic meanings help to explain the significance of the visions. Because the numbers are symbolic, sometimes when we translate them into contemporary sizes, distances, and numbers for our ease of reading, it can result in the loss of theological significance. The use of these symbolic numbers can illuminate a vision’s relationship to the world or to the people of God.

Passages for Further Study
Gen 2:2-3 ^bs; 4:15 ^bt; 15:13 ^bu; 41:53-54 ^bv; Exod 20:6 ^bw; 25:31-37 ^bx; 32:15 ^by; Lev 16:14 ^bz; 23:16 ^ca; 2 Sam 24:13 ^cb; 1 Kgs 4:26 ^cc; 17:21 ^cd; 18:31 ^ce, 43-44 ^cf; Job 1:2 ^cg; Ps 90:4 ^ch; Jer 15:3 ^ci; 49:36 ^cj; Ezek 14:21 ^ck; Dan 4:16 ^cl, 23-25 ^cm; 7:3 ^cn, 17 ^co, 24 ^cp; Zech 4:2 ^cq; 6:1 ^cr; Matt 10:1-5 ^cs; 12:40 ^ct; 18:21-22 ^cu; Mark 6:7 ^cv; Luke 15:8 ^cw; Acts 6:3 ^cx; 10:16 ^cy; 1 Cor 8:6 ^cz; Eph 4:4-6 ^da; 2 Pet 3:8 ^db; Rev 1:16 ^dc; 2:10 ^dd; 4:4 ^de; 6:1 ^df; 7:1 ^dg, 4-8 ^dh; 12:1 ^di, 3 ^dj; 13:1 ^dk; 17:3-14 ^dl; 20:2-7 ^dm; 21:12-21 ^dn

‏ Numbers 24

Summary for Num 24:1-2: 24:1-2 ^do Unlike previously (23:3 ^dp, 15 ^dq), Balaam did not resort to divination this time. He already knew that auguries and omens could not harm Israel (23:23 ^dr), so he quit looking for them. Instead, Balaam was directly inspired by the Spirit of God.
Summary for Num 24:3-9: 24:3-9 ^ds The third oracle contains another description of God’s plan to bless Israel.
Summary for Num 24:5-6: 24:5-6 ^dt God’s love for his people was reflected in the blessings he showered upon them.
Summary for Num 24:6-7: 24:6-7 ^du The Lord’s favor is emphasized by the comparison of Israel’s situation with groves and gardens that have access to abundant water. Their growing population already reflected God’s blessing (24:7 ^dv), as mentioned in 23:10 ^dw. This would also become clear in the second registration (ch 26 ^dx).
Summary for Num 24:7-9: 24:7b-9 ^dy God’s blessing would enable the Israelites to overcome their enemies (see 24:15-24 ^dz).

• Agag was an Amalekite king defeated by Saul (1 Sam 15:7-9 ^ea, 32-33 ^eb). The Amalekites, a desert people, were traditional enemies of the Hebrews (cp. Num 14:45 ^ec; Exod 17:8-16 ^ed), and it is likely that Agag was the traditional designation for their king. Since God brought Israel out of Egypt, he fought on their behalf, like a warrior and like a wild animal (ox and lion; Num 24:8-9 ^ee).

• Blessed ... cursed: See Gen 12:3 ^ef; 27:29 ^eg.
24:10 ^eh Balak clapped his hands in reproach (cp. Job 27:23 ^ei; Lam 2:15 ^ej).
24:14 ^ek let me tell you what the Israelites will do to your people in the future: Since Balak sought to curse Israel, he and his people would be cursed (24:9 ^el). The damage that Balak hoped to inflict on Israel would fall on Moab.
Summary for Num 24:15-25: 24:15-25 ^em This prophecy provides more specific details than the first three. Based on another vision from the Almighty (24:16 ^en), it lists some of the enemies that Israel would defeat in the future and predicts the emergence of an outstanding leader who would play a major role in these military victories (24:17 ^eo).
24:17 ^ep A star was a symbol for a king (cp. Isa 14:12 ^eq; Matt 2:1-10 ^er), and a scepter was an image of power and majesty (cp. Gen 49:10 ^es; Ps 45:6 ^et). King David fits the description historically. The Moabites, whose defeat is mentioned in Num 24:17 ^eu, were among the many peoples conquered during his reign (2 Sam 8:2 ^ev), though Moab remained a dangerous enemy of Israel after David’s time (cp. 2 Kgs 3:1-27 ^ew; Isa 15–16 ^ex; Jer 48 ^ey). Many interpreters have extended the image beyond David. Christians identify Jesus of Nazareth with a star (cp. Matt 2:2 ^ez; 2 Pet 1:19 ^fa; Rev 2:28 ^fb; 22:16 ^fc) and a scepter (cp. Heb 1:8 ^fd).

• The people of Sheth were probably the ancient Sutu, though it might refer to Edom/Seir (also conquered by David; Num 24:18 ^fe), Ir (or Ar) of Moab (24:19 ^ff; cp. 21:28 ^fg), or Amalek, one of Israel’s earliest and most persistent enemies (24:20 ^fh).
Summary for Num 24:21-22: 24:21-22 ^fi The Kenites, a desert people who occupied some of the same regions as the Amalekites and Midianites, would be destroyed by Assyria. Moses married a Kenite (Judg 1:16 ^fj; 4:11 ^fk; cp. Num 10:29-32 ^fl), and the Kenites remained mostly friendly with Israel thereafter (e.g., 1 Sam 15:6 ^fm; 27:10 ^fn; 30:27-30 ^fo).
Summary for Num 24:23-24: 24:23-24 ^fp The oracle ends with a word about the rise and fall of invaders from Cyprus (Hebrew Kittim; this term probably referred to a number of Mediterranean people groups; cp. Gen 10:4 ^fq; Jer 2:10 ^fr; Dan 11:30 ^fs). 24:23 ^ft This verse, like 22:12 ^fu, sums up the lesson of the entire incident.
24:24 ^fv Eber, spelled the same as the ancestor of the Hebrews (cp. Gen 10:21-25 ^fw; 11:10-16 ^fx), possibly refers to a people beyond the Euphrates River, a region that fits the parallel reference to Assyria (Josh 24:3 ^fy; Isa 7:20 ^fz).
24:25 ^ga Balaam did not yet go back to Pethor (31:8 ^gb).