Komentarz do Liczb 24:15

He referred to himself now as one who heareth the words of G-d,²⁴⁰Verse 16. and as one who seeth the vision of the Almighty,²⁴⁰Verse 16. as he had done in the third prophecy,¹⁷⁹Verse 4. but he added now [the phrase] and knoweth the knowledge of the Most High.²⁴⁰Verse 16. Now one who speaks in this manner, saying “I know the knowledge of a certain person” means to say that he understands him, and what is in his heart, [even] those matters which he does not utter verbally, and similarly this [man Balaam] intended to say that he knows and will now say what is in the “mind” [i.e., intention] of G-d the Most High to do in His world at the end of all days.²³⁹Verse 14. This is similar to that which it says, for the day of vengeance is in My heart,²⁴¹Isaiah 63:4. and the Rabbis have said²⁴²Midrash Tehillim 89:2. [with reference to that day, that its precise timing is a matter which “His] heart has not divulged to the mouth.” Now Scripture states here, And ‘he took up his parable,’ and said²⁴³Verse 15. and it does not mention that this was [said] by prophecy, as it says about the [previous] three occasions, for since he said, The saying of him who heareth the words of G-d … who seeth the vision of the A lmighty²⁴⁰Verse 16. it is self-understood that the hand of G-d was upon¹⁷⁶Ezekiel 37:1: The hand of the Eternal was upon me. him, just as at the third time, where it says: and the spirit of G-d came upon him;²⁴⁴Verse 2. and he himself said so.²⁴⁵For in his third prophecy, Balaam said of himself, who heareth the words of G-d, who seeth the vision of the Almighty (Verse 4) and it says there, and the spirit of G-d came upon him (Verse 2). So here too, in his fourth prophecy, where it says who heareth the words of G-d, who seeth the vision of the Almighty, it was also through the spirit of G-d which came upon him, even though it does not say so expressly.

וישא משלו, He began his parable, etc. I have already explained that everything Bileam said has to be understood allegorically.

VV. 15 u. 16. וישא וגו׳ (siehe Verse 3 u. 4). Er spricht hier noch יודע דעת עליון von sich aus, weil, wie Ramban im Kommentar erläutert, er hier Ereignisse der allerfernsten Zeit offenbart, die in der Gegenwart nur noch bloße Gedanken des Höchsten sind.