Numbers 24:16
in Numbers 24the 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 open:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He saith, who heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
KJV
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
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This verse in Numbers 24
Commentary
3 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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 parable.
This site's exposition
This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor
on Numbers 24:15-16
The fourth oracle repeats verse 3 and adds one line, who has knowledge from the Most High. Most High is El Elyon, the name Melchizedek used at Genesis 14:18-20 and Abram at 14:22. Calvin reads such a gift as given without sanctifying its bearer, and 31:8 bears him out.
This site's exposition
who has knowledge from the Most High
Albert Barnes notes the added line, knowledge from the Most High, marks what follows as more plainly predictive than the earlier oracles. Jerome records a student asking him why the soothsayer Balaam spoke of Christ more plainly than almost any other prophet. It prepares for the star of verse 17.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| נְאֻ֗ם | neum | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ | shomea' | [the] [one who] hears | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אִמְרֵי־ | ʾimrei- | <of> [the] words of | H561 → | |
| אֵ֔ל | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
| וְיֹדֵ֖עַ | veyodea' | and [the] [one who] knows | H3045 → | 945 times |
| דַּ֣עַת | daat | <of> [the] knowledge of | H1847 → | |
| עֶלְי֑וֹן | elyon | [the] Most High | H5945 → | |
| מַחֲזֵ֤ה | machazeh | <the> vision of | H4236 → | |
| שַׁדַּי֙ | shadai | [the] Almighty | H7706 → | |
| יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה | yechezeh | he sees | H2372 → | |
| נֹפֵ֖ל | nofel | [who] falls down | H5307 → | 435 times |
| וּגְל֥וּי | ugelui | and [who] is uncovered of | H1540 → | 186 times |
| עֵינָֽיִם׃ | ʾeinayim | eyes | H5869 → | 887 times |
נְאֻ֗ם[the] utterance of
neumH5002 →376 times
שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙[the] [one who] hears
shomea'H8085 →1159 times
אִמְרֵי־<of> [the] words of
ʾimrei-H561 →
אֵ֔לGod
ʾelH410 →241 times
וְיֹדֵ֖עַand [the] [one who] knows
veyodea'H3045 →945 times
דַּ֣עַת<of> [the] knowledge of
daatH1847 →
עֶלְי֑וֹן[the] Most High
elyonH5945 →
מַחֲזֵ֤ה<the> vision of
machazehH4236 →
שַׁדַּי֙[the] Almighty
shadaiH7706 →
יֶֽחֱזֶ֔הhe sees
yechezehH2372 →
נֹפֵ֖ל[who] falls down
nofelH5307 →435 times
וּגְל֥וּיand [who] is uncovered of
ugeluiH1540 →186 times
עֵינָֽיִם׃eyes
ʾeinayimH5869 →887 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 13:2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
it leads to
- 1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:3
If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.
- 1 John 4:20–21
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
- Matthew 17:20
“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’…
- Matthew 21:21
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,…
- 1 John 4:8
Through
1 Corinthians 8:1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 8:7
But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it…
- Isaiah 5:21
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
- Romans 14:3
The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him.
- 1 Corinthians 8:7
Where this verse is studied
About Numbers
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, LETTER 77.7; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.