Numbers 24:8

Num 24:8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce [them] through with his arrows.

Ver. 8. God brought him forth out of Egypt.] This he tells Balak, in answer to that complaint of his. {Num 20:5} Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, q.d., Come they are indeed, but not of themselves, but by God, who said, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 24:8-9. He shall eat up the nations, &c. — The expressions in these verses are intended to signify the victories which the Israelites should gain over their enemies, and particularly the Canaanites, and the secure and quiet possession they should have of the land afterward, all which was fulfilled especially in the days of David and Solomon. He couched, he lay down as a lion — It is remarkable that God here put into the mouth of Balaam nearly the same expressions which Jacob had used concerning Judah, (Gen 49:9,) and Isaac concerning Jacob, Gen 27:29. And what wonder, considering that all these prophecies proceeded from one and the same spirit?

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In Num 24:8 and Num 24:9, Balaam proclaims still further: "God leads him out of Egypt; his strength is as that of a buffalo: he will devour nations his enemies, and crush their bones, and dash them in pieces with his arrows. He has encamped, he lies down like a lion, and like a lioness: who can drive him up? Blessed be they who bless thee, and cursed they who curse thee!" The fulness of power that dwelt in the people of Israel was apparent in the force and prowess with which their God brought them out of Egypt. This fact Balaam repeats from the previous saying (Num 23:22), for the purpose of linking on to it the still further announcement of the manner in which the power of the nation would show itself upon its foes in time to come. The words, "he will devour nations," call up the image of a lion, which is employed in Num 24:9 to depict the indomitable heroic power of Israel, in words taken from Jacob's blessing in Gen 49:9. The Piel גּרם is a denom. verb from גּרם, with the meaning to destroy, crush the bones, like שׁרשׁ, to root out (cf. Ges. 52, 2; Ewald, 120, e.). הצּיו is not the object to ימחץ; for מחץ, to dash to pieces, does not apply to arrows, which may be broken in pieces, but not dashed to pieces; and the singular suffix in חצּיו can only apply to the singular idea in the verse, i.e., to Israel, and not to its enemies, who are spoken of in the plural. Arrows are singled out as representing weapons in general.

(Note: The difficulty which many feel in connection with the word חצּיו cannot be removed by alterations of the text. The only possible conjecture חלציו (his loins) is wrecked upon the singular suffix, for the dashing to pieces of the loins of Israel is not for a moment to be thought of. Knobel's proposal, viz., to read קמיו, has no support in Deu 33:11, and is much too violent to reckon upon any approval.)

Balaam closes this utterance, as he had done the previous one, with a quotation from Jacob's blessing, which he introduces to show to Balak, that, according to words addressed by Jehovah to the Israelites through their own tribe-father, they were to overcome their foes so thoroughly, that none of them should venture to rise up against them again. To this he also links on the words with which Isaac had transferred to Jacob in Gen 27:29 the blessing of Abraham in Gen 12:3, for the purpose of warning Balak to desist from his enmity against the chosen people of God.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Verse 8. God brought him forth out of Egypt] They were neither expelled thence, nor came voluntarily away. God alone, with a high hand and uplifted arm, brought them forth. Concerning the unicorn, See Clarke on Nu 23:22.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) God brought him forth out of Egypt.—(Comp. Num_23:22, and Note.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. The first two lines are identical (with the exception of ‘him’ for ‘them’) with Num_23:22 (E ); and in both traditions the words follow a reference to Israel’s king, and precede the metaphor of the lion and lioness.

And smite them through with his arrows] lit. ‘and (as for) his arrows he shall smite.’ ‘His arrows’ (חִצָּיו) should perhaps be either ‘his oppressors’ (להֲצָיו) or ‘his loins’ (חֲלָצָיו). For the latter cf. Deu_33:11.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God brought him forth out of Egypt, he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn,.... Here he repeats what he had said in a former prophecy; see Gill on Num 23:22, he shall eat up the nations his enemies: the seven nations of Canaan, which should be subdued by Israel, and that with as much ease as a lion devours its prey; nor would the Canaanites be able to make any more resistance to them than a creature in the paws of a lion; and the phrase denotes the utter destruction of them:

and shall break their bones; as the lion breaks the bones of such creatures that fall a prey to him; signifying that all their strength should be taken from them, their mighty men slain, and their fortified cities taken:

and pierce them through with his arrows: slay them utterly.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Lioness. See ver. 22, 24, of the preceeding chapter. (Haydock) --- This prediction was accomplished under the reigns of David and of Solomon. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Shall break their bones, or, unbone, or, take out, i.e. shall eat the flesh to the very bones, and then break them also.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Unicorn — This comparison is only an amplification of that in chap. xxiii, 22. See note.

Eat up the nations — Destroy them. As an illustration take the seven nations of Canaan. Num_14:9; Deu_7:1. So all nations shall be utterly wasted or conquered by spiritual Israel. Isa_60:12.

Break their bones — Literally, unmarrow their fat bones — weakening them beyond recovery.

Arrows — The chief missiles of ancient war. They are figurative of the piercing words of inspiration. Psa_45:5; Psa_64:4.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And shall break their bones. (cf. Eze_23:34) seems to mean "crush" or "smash." The Septuagint has ekmueliei , "shall suck out," i.e., the marrow, but the word does not seem to bear this meaning. Pierce them through with his arrows, or, "dash in pieces his arrows," i.e., the arrows shot at him. xjmiy wyXji. The difficulty is the possessive suffix to "arrows," which is in the singular; otherwise this rendering gives a much better sense, and more in keeping with the rest of the passage The image in Balaam"s mind is evidently that of a terrible wild beast devouring his enemies, stamping them underfoot, and dashing to pieces in his fury the arrows or darts which they vainly launch against him. (compare the imagery in Dan_7:7)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Balaam continues to prophesy under the control of the Spirit of God.

God brings him

"God brings the Israelites"

with strength like a wild ox

This simile emphasizes that the Israelites have great strength. (See: Simile)

He will eat up the nations

Balaam speaks of the Israelites as if they are wild animals that eat their enemies. This means they will destroy their enemies. (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

God

Egypt

strength

cow

nation

bow and arrow

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

אל מוציאו ממצרים GOD WHO BROUGHT THEM OUT OF EGYPT — Who was the cause of all this greatness? God who brought them out from Egypt; by his strength and his sublimity HE EATS UP (יאכל) THE NATIONS (גוים) who are (צריו) HIS ADVERSARIES.

ועצמתיהם AND THEIR BONES — those of the adversaries.

יגרם — Menachem ben Seruk explained it in the sense of “breaking to pieces”, similar to, (Zephaniah 3:3) “who have not broken to pieces (גרמו) in the morning”, and similar to, (Ezekiel 23:34) “and thou shalt crunch (תגרמי) the sherds thereof”. I, however, say that it has the meaning of “bone” (גרם in Aramaic corresponds to Hebrew עצם) — it means that one pulls away the flesh with his teeth from around the bone, and the marrow from inside, and brings the bone into its original bare condition (i.e., as it was before flesh grew upon it).

וחציו ימחץ AND PIERCE THEM THROUGH WITH HIS ARROWS — Onkelos translated this as meaning, the חצים of the adversaries, taking it in the sense of “their postion of land”, similar to (Genesis 44:23) בעלי חצים, which he translated by מרי פלנותא “those who part (differ) from him”. So, too, according to the Targum ימחץ denotes “dividing” having the same meaning as in (Judges 5:26): “She divided (מחצה) and struck through his temples”. The meaning therefore is, that they will divide amongst themselves their (the adversaries’) land (Hence the translation of Onkelos: “they shall take possession of their land”). — But it can also be explained as meaning חצים literally (i.e., arrows): the arrows of the Holy One, blessed be He, He will ימחץ in the blood of the adversaries — i.e., he will dip and thus dye the arrows in their blood. Similar is, (Psalms 68:24) “In order that thou mayest colour thy foot (תמחץ) by the blood”. However, even in this sense it does not lose the usual meaning of “wounding”, as in (Deuteronomy 32:39): “I wound (מחצתי)”, for what is dyed by blood, looks as though it were wounded and stricken.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.