Essay sobre Números 24:31

Few moments in the Torah, to my thinking, can compare with what now happens in this story. The description of Bil’am’s transformation in the opening verses is matched and even surpassed by what happens to the poetry of this section. From v.3 on, we are treated to an elevation and intensification of poetic language, beginning with the rhythmic opening lines and continuing through the pregnant Middle Eastern imagery of trees and water.