Chapter 24:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Leviticus Deuteronomy
Numbers 24
Balaam inspired by God, blesses Israel again, ver. 1-9.
Answers Balak's reproof, ver. 10-13. Utters several prophecies,
ver. 14-24 Goes home, ver. 25.
Verse 1. At other times - In former times. Toward the wilderness -
Where Israel lay encamped, expecting what God of his own
accord would suggest to him concerning this matter.
Verse 2. Came upon him - Inspired him to speak the following words.
Verse 3. Whose eyes are open - Hebrew. Who had his eyes shut, but
now open. The eyes of his mind, which God had opened in a
peculiar and prophetical manner, whence prophets are called
Seers, 1 Sam. ix, 9. It implies that before he was blind and stupid,
having eyes, but not seeing nor understanding.
Verse 4. 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.
Verse 6. As the valleys - Which often from a small beginning are spread
forth far and wide. As gardens - Pleasant and fruitful and secured
by a fence. As lign-aloes - An Arabian and Indian tree of a sweet
smell, yielding shade and shelter both to man and beast; such is
Israel, not only safe themselves, but yielding shelter to all that join
themselves to them. Which the Lord hath planted - Nature, not art.
Verse 7. He shall pour the water - That is. God will abundantly water the
valleys, gardens, and trees, which represent the Israelites; he will
wonderfully bless his people, not only with outward blessings, of
which a chief one in those parts was plenty of water, but also with
higher gifts and graces, with his word and spirit, which are often
signified by water, and at last with eternal life, the contemplation
whereof made Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous. His
seed shall be in many waters - This also may be literally
understood of their seed, which shall be sown in waterish ground,
and therefore bring forth a better increase. His King - That is, the
King of Israel, or their chief governor. Than Agag - Than the
King of the Amalekites, which King and people were famous and
potent in that age, as may be guessed by their bold attempt upon
so numerous a people as Israel. And it is probable, that Agag was
the common name of the Amalekitish Kings, as Abimelech was of
the Philistines, and Pharaoh of the Egyptians, and Caesar of the
Romans.
Verse 9. He lay down - Having conquered his enemies the Canaanites,
and their land, he shall quietly rest and settle himself there.
Verse 11. The Lord - Whose commands thou hast preferred before my
desires and interest; and therefore seek thy recompence from him,
and not from me.
Verse 17. I shall see him - Or, I have seen, or do see the star, and scepter
as it here follows, that is, a great and eminent prince, which was
to come out of Israel's loins, the Messiah, as both Jewish and
Christian interpreters expound it, who most eminently and fully
performed what is here said, in destroying the enemies of Israel or
of God's church, here described under the names of the nearest
and fiercest enemies of Israel: And to him alone agrees the
foregoing verb properly, I shall see him, in my own person, as
every eye shall see him, when he comes to judgment. Not now -
Not yet, but after many ages. A star - A title often given to,
princes and eminent persons, and particularly to the Messiah, Rev.
ii, 28; xxii, 16. A scepter - That is, a scepter-bearer, a king or
ruler, even that scepter mentioned Gen. xlix, 10. The corners -
The borders, which are often used in scripture for the whole
country to which they belong. Of Sheth - This seems to be the
name of some then eminent, though now unknown place or prince
in Moab; there being innumerable instances of such places or
persons sometime famous, but now utterly lost as to all
monuments and remembrances of them.
Verse 18. A possession - Which was also foretold, Gen. xxv, 23, and in
part fulfilled, 2 Sam. viii, 14; 1 Chron. xviii, 13, but more fully by
Christ, Amos ix, 12 Obad. i, 18, who shall subdue and possess all
his enemies; here signified by the name of Edom, as Jacob or
Israel, his brother, signifies all his church and people. Seir - A part
and, mountain of Edom.
Verse 19. Out of Jacob - Out of Jacob's loins. He that shall have
dominion - David, and especially Christ. Of the city - Or from or
out of this city, that is, the cities, the singular number for the
plural. He shall not subdue those Moabites and Edomites which
meet him in the field, but he shall pursue them even to their
strongest holds and cities.
Verse 20. He looked on Amalek - From the top of Pisgah, which was
exceeding high, and gave him the prospect of part of all these
kingdoms. The first - Hebrew. the firstfruits; so called either,
because they were the first of all the neighbouring nations which
were embodied together in one government: or, because he was
the first who fought against Israel and was vanquished by them.
That victory was an earnest and first-fruit of the large harvest of
victories which the Israelites should in due time get over all their
enemies. He shall perish for ever - He began with God and with
Israel, but God will end with him, and the firm purpose of God is,
that he shall be utterly destroyed; so that Saul lost his kingdom for
not executing this decree, and God's command pursuant thereunto.
Verse 21. The Kenites - The posterity or kindred of Jethro; not that part
of them which dwelt among the Israelites, to whom the following
words do not agree, but those of them who were mingled with the
Amalekites and Midianites. Thy nest - Thy dwelling-place, so
called, either because it was in an high place, as nests commonly
are: or in allusion to their name, for ken in Hebrew signifies a
nest.
Verse 22. The Kenite - Hebrew. Kain, that is, the Kenite, so called,
either by a transposition of letters, which is very usual in the
Hebrew tongue; or from the name of some eminent place where
they lived, or person from whom they were descended, though
now the memory of them be utterly lost, as it hath fared with
innumerable other places and persons, famous in their
generations, mentioned in ancient Heathen writers. Shall be
wasted - Shall be by degrees diminished by the incursions of
divers enemies, till at last the Assyrian comes to compleat the
work and carries them into captivity. For the Kenites who lived
partly among the ten tribes, and partly with the two tribes, were
carried captive with them, part by Salmaneser, the King of
Assyria, and part by Nebuchadnezzar, who also is called an
Assyrian, Ezra vi, 22 Isaiah lii, 4.
Verse 23. Who shall live - How calamitous and miserable will the state
of the world be, when the Assyrian, and after him the Chaldean,
shall over-turn all these parts of the world? Who will be able to
keep his heart from fainting under such grievous pressures? Nay,
how few will escape the destroying sword?
Verse 24. Chittim - A place or people so called from Chittim the son of
Javan, Gen. x, 4, whose posterity were very numerous, and were
first seated in the lesser Asia, and from thence sent forth colonies
into the islands of the Aegean sea, and into Cyprus, afterwards
into Macedonia and other parts of Greece, and then into Italy.
Whence it comes to pass that by this name is understood
sometimes Macedonia, as 1 Maccabees. i. 1, and 1 Maccabees.
viii. 5, sometimes Italy, as Dan. xi, 29, 30, and sometimes both, as
in this place: for he speaks here of the scourge that God hath
appointed for the Assyrian after he had done God's work in
punishing of his people and the bordering nations. Now although
the Assyrian and Chaldean empire was subdued by the Medes and
Persians, yet the chief afflictions of that people came from two
hands, both beyond the sea and brought to them by ships; first
from the Grecians under Alexander and his successors, by whom
that people were grievously oppressed and wasted; then from the
Romans, who subdued all the Grecian empire, one great part
whereof were the Assyrians largely so called. Eber - The posterity
of Eber, the Hebrew, who were the chief and flower of Eber's
children. He also - Not the Hebrew: they shall have a better end;
all Israel shall be saved; but the afflicter or scourge of Ashur and
Eber, namely, the Grecian and Roman empire. Thus Balaam,
instead of cursing the church, curses Amalek, the first, and Rome,
the last enemy of it!
Verse 25. To his place - To Mesopotamia; tho' afterwards he returned to
the Midianites, and gave them that devilish counsel which was put
in practice, chap. xxv, 16-18.
Chapter 24:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Leviticus Deuteronomy
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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