Комментарий к Бамидбар 24:7

מדליו means OUT OF HIS SPRINGS, and its explanation is as given in the Targum (“The king appointed from amongst his sons shall be great”).

AND HIS KING SHALL BE HIGHER THAN AGAG. “Their first king [Saul] will conquer Agag²⁰⁸I Samuel 15:8. king of the Amalekites. Agag is here called by his name before he was born.²⁰⁹This whole paragraph — from “Agag is here called” until “…before they were born” — is not found in our texts of Rashi. Similar cases are [the expressions]: to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden;²¹⁰Isaiah 45:1. Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name.²¹¹I Kings 13:2. So also were the names of Isaac,²¹²Genesis 17:19. Ishmael,²¹³Ibid., 16:11. and Solomon²¹⁴I Chronicles 22:9. [given before they were born]. AND HIS KINGDOM — that is, Jacob’s — SHALL BE EXALTED more and more, because David and his son Solomon will come after him [Saul].” This is Rashi’s language, and he has explained it well.
It is possible that every king of the Amalekite people was called Agag, because the first king whom they set up over them was so called [Agag], and thus all his descendants who occupied his throne were called by his name,²¹⁵Thus there is no need to say, as Rashi did, that Agag here refers to the specific Amalekite king of King Saul’s days, and that his name is foretold a few hundred years before he was born, as Scripture would not foretell the birth of a wicked man. as are most kings even nowadays, who are called by the name of those who [originally] seized the kingdom. So also Haman the Agagite²¹⁶Esther 3:1. [was so called] because he was a descendant of that royal family. For it is unlikely that the prophet [Balaam] would cite the name of a wicked man [Agag] even before he was formed in the womb.²¹⁷See Jeremiah 1:5. So also [the name] Gog²¹⁸Ezekiel 39:1. was one by which all the princes of Magog were called.
Thus Balaam added with this third prophecy of his [to his previous two prophecies] by telling Balak that Jacob’s tents are goodly,²¹⁹Verse 5. referring to the period from the time that they were dwellers in tents until they would inherit the land [of Canaan], and the dwellings of Israel²¹⁹Verse 5. after the conquest and division of the Land will also be good, meaning that they will dwell therein in safe habitations. And [Balaam further informed Balak that] Israel’s land will be full of all goodly things, like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not,²²⁰Isaiah 58:11. and that Israel will conquer Amalek because he attacked him, and will destroy his memory; and that the kingdom of Israel will be even more exalted,²²¹Verse 7. because they will have afterwards mighty kings, who will be exceedingly elevated. And he further told him that Israel would eat up his adversaries and break their bones in pieces,²²²Verse 8. referring to their wealth and all their belongings. And [finally, in Verse 9] he told him that Israel would dwell in the Land safely, fearing no people, as a lion, and as a lioness that does not fear any ravenous beast.²²³Isaiah 35:9. And so now Balak despaired of [ever fighting] Israel, for [he realized that] if he would fight against him, he would be truly destroyed, for Israel would eat up all his adversaries²²²Verse 8. in the same way that he would destroy Amalek because he attacked him. Therefore Balak now told Balaam to flee to his place,²²⁴Verse 11. for he has no more desire for him [and his counsel].

יזל מים מדליו, "Water will flow from his buckets, etc." We have a tradition expressed in Shemot Rabbah 28,6 that every Israelite received his personal share in the Torah [some insight not revealed to someone else at the revelation at Mount Sinai; this was why all the souls who had not yet been assigned bodies were present at that time. Rabbi Moshe Alshich elaborates on this. Ed.] This is the reason Moses called the Torah מורשה in Deut. 33,4 (compare Pessachim 49). The Talmud suggests that the word Morashah could be read as Me-orassah, "betrothed." The "bucket" Bileam speaks about is the common source from which all the Torah insights are derived. Moses is considered as the one who filled this "bucket" with water originally, i.e. that all these insights have been alluded to in the written Torah.

וירום מאגג מלכו, a reference to King Sha-ul. Every ruler of the people of Amalek was always called Agag, just as Egyptian rulers were called Pharaoh, and just as the rulers of the Philistines were always known as Avimelech. Kings of Jerusalem in those days always had a title incorporating the word צדק, such as Malki Tzedek, and Adoni Tzedek.

וירם מאגג מלכו, “his king shall be exalted over Agog.” According to Rashi this is a reference to the king of Amalek, who had been named by Bileam before he was even born. Nachmanides writes that it is quite possible that every Amalekite King was known as Agag, much as every King of Egypt was known as Pharaoh seeing that the original Amalekite King was in fact called Agag. Any descendants of that king, if they ascended the throne, adopted the name of the original King.

Their first king. [Referring to] King Sha'ul. This is what the verse is saying: “He will be greater” referring to King Sha'ul who will take the monarchy from Agag by conquering him. [וירם מאגג מלכו can also be understood as, "He will uproot the monarchy from Agag"].

V. 7. יזל מים מדליו, das Wasser fließt aus Gottes Eimern, und Seine Saat ist jeder Menschenkeim, der an diesen Strömen göttlicher Belebungsquelle wird gesät — das ganze Geheimnis, das den Zelten und Wohnungen Jakob-Israels den Charakter des "Guten" verleiht und das ganze in ihnen sich entwickelnde Leben zu einer solchen "segnenden und gesegneten" Menschheitpflanzung gestaltet, liegt gerade in dem Sittlichen, in der durchgreifenden Heiligung und Heiligkeit des geschlechtlichen Familienlebens, das, geweiht und gefeit gegen jeden Anflug sinnlicher Peorgemeinheit, die Kraft der Menschensaat als das Gott Eigenste und Heiligste achtet und jeden Menschenspross nur von Gott nach seiner Weisung, an den Quell Seiner Lehre und Seines Gesetzes, zu Seiner Verherrlichung, zu der Verwirklichung Seines Willens auf Erden gesät und gepflanzt sein lässt, wie dies eben schon der Anblick der nach Häusern, Familien und Stämmen um das gemeinsame Gottesheiligtum Seines Gesetzes gelagerten Zelte und Wohnungen Jakob-Israels — das ישראל שכן לשבטיו — dem Beschauer ausspricht. Und gerade in diesem Sittlichen des privatesten Geschlechts- und Familienlebens liegt Israels Siegeskraft und Unüberwindlichkeit nach außen. Weil יזל מים מדליו, weil Gottes Lebensordnungen die Gefäße sind, denen der Strom entfliesst, an dessen Ufern der jüdische Menschengarten blüht, weil זרעו, weil jeder reine jüdische Menschenspross ein Erzeugnis dem göttlichen Gesetze untergeordneter Sinnlichkeit, darum steigt höher als Agag sein König, darum erhebt sich sein Reich, denn es ist eben der Sieg des göttlichen Sittengesetzes, die Hoheit des Gottesreichs auf Erden, die in jedem Siege Israels siegt und mit der Ausdehnung seines Reiches Herrschaft auf Erden gewinnt.

יזל מים מדליו, “water shall drip in a stream from its boughs;” the root נזל is used by Bileam in the same sense as by Devorah in her victory hymn to the Lord, Judges 5,5: הרים נזלו, “mountains quaked;” just as at the revelation on Mount Sinai. The power of rushing waters we call tzunami nowadays, are described by the prophet in Isaiah 8,7 as the turbulent flood waters of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris in Assyria.

יזל מים מדליו, “water shall flow from his branches.” This is not the only time when the Bible uses the singular mode when speaking of מים, water, which is mostly used in the plural mode. A relatively well known example of “water” being used in the singular mode is found in Numbers 19,20 מי נדה לא זורק עליו, “the water used to cleanse menstruants has not been sprinkled upon him.”

וזרעו במים רבים AND HIS SEED SHALL BE IN MANY WATERS — This is an expression denoting prosperity — he shall be as seed which is sown upon well-watered soil.

Bileam used the word bucket as hyperbole although a bucket is hardly a highly valued tool, because he envisages a time when the Messiah comes and the 50th level of בינה, "insight" will be revealed to mankind. At that time all the preceding 49 levels of insight which have been attained by various people throughout the preceding years will be considered as having been raised from that "bucket." In retrospect then, this insignificant bucket will be perceived as having been an extremely valuable and prestigious tool. Bileam refers to that period in the future as the time when the descendants of Israel will enjoy many waters, i.e. many insights.

וירום מאגג מלכו, “and its king will rise above that of Agag. Bileam foresees the first king of the Israelites, King Sha-ul, as defeating the Kingdom of Amalek headed by Agag at the time (Samuel I chapter 15). All the Kings of the Amalekites bore the title “Agag,” just as all the Kings of Egypt bore the title “Pharaoh.” All the kings of the Philistines bore the title “Avimelech.”

מדליו, “ from its branches.” We find this word in this sense also in Jeremiah 11,16: ורעו דליתיו, “it breaks its branches.” The meaning there seems to be that the water dripping from the branches drips to its roots (harming them).

וירם מאגג מלכו AND HIS KING SHALL BE HIGHER THAN AGAG — Their first king will conquer Agag king of the Amalakites.

וזרעו במים רבים, “their roots have abundant water.” They get irrigated by abundant water supplies and continue to grow and develop day after day. It is similar to Isaiah 17,11: “on the day that you plant, you see it grow; on the morning you sow you see it bud.”

וירום מאגג מלכו, "and its king will be greater than Agag." Bileam here revealed that Israel would become a formal kingdom at the time when king Agag the first king of the Amalekites ruled that nation. Saul lost his kingdom having failed to kill Agag and he was replaced by a more worthy colleague, i.e. David. The reason that Bileam described the commencement of the Jewish monarchy in terms of Agag the king of the Amalekites was only because this first Jewish king wasted his chance to kill Agag before the latter had progeny. Megillah 13 reveals that during the night that Saul kept Agag prisoner he succeeded in impregnating a woman who perpetuated his seed throughout the ages. The correct meter of our verse then is: "the reason that David became a greater king than Saul is the latter's failure to deal with Agag as G'd had commanded." The subject of מלכו is David. Bileam continued ותנשא מלכותו, that the kingdom of the Messiah who is a reincarnation of David will be more exalted even than that of David after Saul (Compare Ezekiel 37,24: "and My servant David will be king over them." Compare also Isaiah 52,13: ירום ונשא וגבה מאד מאד, where you have both these expressions in one and the same verse applied to one and the same person).

ותנשא מלכותו, “their Kingdom shall be exalted;” the kingdom of the Israelites.

וזרעו במים רבים, “and his seed shall be in many waters.” This is why it never has to worry about failing to produce fruit. This is the parable, followed by the declaration that David’s kingdom will outrank that of Agag, King of the Amalekites.

ותנשא מלכתו AND HIS KINGDOM SHALL BE EXALTED — i.e. the kingdom of Jacob (the Israelitish people) shall be exalted more and more, because the powerful monarchs David and Solomon will succeed him (their first king).

וירום מאגג מלכו, “and may its kingdom be exalted over Agag.” A reference to King Shaul who captured Agag, the King of Amalek.

Another thought Bileam may have had in mind when he spoke about the kingdom of the Israelites surpassing in grandeur that of Agag maybe a reference to the war against Amalek preceding the arrival of the Messiah. Inasmuch as all Amalekites nowadays are descended from Agag, G'd will have to defeat Agag and wipe out any memory of Amalek before His throne can be firmly established on earth (compare Tanchuma at the end of Parshat Ki Tetze).