Albert Barnes

For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.

“For from the top of the rocks ... - The “for” indicates the constraint under which Balaam felt himself.”

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them.

“Balak seems to hope that the prophet’s words in Num 23:10 reflected the impression conveyed by the scene before him at the moment of the augury; and so that the sight of a mere few straggling Israelites in the utmost part of the camp might…”

So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

“The field of Zophim - Or, “of watchers.” It lay upon the top of Pisgah, north of the former station, and nearer to the Israelite camp; the greater part of which was, however, probably concealed from it by an intervening spur of the hill.”

I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.

“I have received commandment to bless - literally, “I have received to bless.” The reason of his blessing lay in the augury which he acknowledged, and in the divine overruling impulse which he could not resist, not in any “commandment” in words.”

He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.

““Iniquity” and “perverseness” are found together again in the Hebrew of Psa 10:7; Psa 90:10, and elsewhere; and import wickedness together with that tribulation which is its proper result.”

For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’

“Enchantment ... divination - More strictly “augury” and “soothsayer’s token,” or the omen that was superstitiously observed. “Soothsayer” is the term applied to Balaam in Jos 13:22.”

Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will have abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.

“Balaam’s native soil was ordinarily irrigated by water fetched from the neighboring Euphrates, and carried in buckets suspended from the two ends of a pole. Thus the metaphor would import that Israel should have his own exuberant and unfailing channels of blessing and plenty.”

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide…

“And knew, the knowledge of the Most High - With the addition of these words, which point to the greater importance and the more distinctly predictive character of what follows, the introduction to this last parable is the same as the introduction to the preceding…”

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.

“Render, I see him, though he be not now: I behold him, though he be not near. Balaam here describes what is actually before him in inward vision. Him - i. e., the prince, represented in the succeeding words by the Star and Scepter.”

A ruler will come from Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.”

“Destroy him that remaineth of the city - i. e., shall destroy those of every city that had previously escaped.”

Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff.

“The Kenites - First mentioned Gen 15:19 as one of the tribes whose territory was promised to Abraham. In Jdg 1:16, where we read of them as moving with the children of Judah, to establish themselves in the pastures south of Arad, Moses’ father-in-law is…”

Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Ah, who can live unless God has ordained it?

“When God doeth this - The eventual carrying away of the allies of Israel by Assyria presented itself to Balaam as the ruin of all peace and safety upon earth.”

Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.

“Returned to his own place - i. e., among the Midianites to plot by new means against the people of God, and to perish in his sin Num 31:8, Num 31:16; Rev 2:14.”

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab,

“The records of the neighboring cities of the plain, and the circumstances of the origin of Moab (Gen 19:30 ff) suggest that the people among whom Israel was now thrown were more than ordinarily licentious.”

So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

“Joined himself - i. e., by taking part in the sacrificial meals as described in the last verse. Compare Exo 34:15; 1Co 10:18. The worship of Baal was attended with the grossest impurity, and indeed partly consisted in it Hos 4:14; Hos 9:10.”

but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

“Twenty and four thousand - Paul 1Co 10:8 says “three and twenty thousand,” following probably the Jewish tradition which deducted one thousand as the number slain by the hands of their brethren.”

“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I…

“Hath turned my wrath away - The signal example thus made of a leading offender by Phinehas was accepted by God as an expiation (literally in Num 25:13 “covering;” see the note at the typical significance Lev 1:4), and the exterminating wrath which had gone…”

After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

“After the plague - These words serve to show approximately the date at which the census was taken, and intimate the reason for the great decrease in numbers which was found to have taken place in certain tribes.”

Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were the descendants of Reuben: The Hanochite clan from Hanoch, the Palluite clan from Pallu,

“Following The tribes are mentioned in the same order as in the earlier census Num. 1, except that Manasseh here precedes Ephraim; probably as being now the larger tribe.”

However, the line of Korah did not die out.

“The children of Korah died not - Compare Num 26:58. Samuel the prophet was of this family, and Heman, “the king’s seer” 1Ch 6:22, 1Ch 6:33; 1Ch 25:5.”

Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”

“According to the lot ... - This method was adopted not only in order to preclude jealousies and disputes, but also that the several tribes might regard the territories as determined for them by God Himself: compare Pro 16:33.”

and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.

“whom her mother bare - literally, “whom she bare;” the subject is wanting, and the verb is in the feminine gender. The words “her mother” are merely conjectural. The text is probably imperfect.”

The registration of the Levites totaled 23,000, every male a month old or more; they were not numbered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among…

“The total number of male Levites, 23,000, shows an increase of 1,000 on the number at Sinai Num 3:39.”

Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.

“It appears from Deu 2:14-15 that the generation numbered at the former census had perished before the host crossed the brook Zered.”

Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.

“Women in Israel had not, up to the present time, enjoyed any distinct right of inheritance. Yet a father, whether sons had been born to him or not, had the power, either before or at his death, to cause part of his estate to pass…”