Hypertext Bible

Tanach: Numbers (Bemidbar): Numbers (Bemidbar) Chapter 24

Book of AmosHebrew BibleTanakh

Summary only - full text stays on its own separately-gated source. Read the full text at the source »

This is Numbers 24 from the Hebrew Bible, presented in parallel columns of the Masoretic Hebrew text (with cantillation markings) and a scholarly transliteration. It belongs to the genre of prophetic oracle poetry within the Pentateuch's narrative tradition. The passage records the final two oracles of Balaam, a non-Israelite seer hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel. Instead, compelled by divine spirit, Balaam delivers blessings: the famous "Mah tovu" lyric praising Israel's encampments (v. 5), and predictions of Israel's military ascendancy over Moab, Edom, and surrounding peoples. The confrontation ends with Balak furious and dismissing Balaam without payment, while Balaam insists he can only speak what YHWH places in his mouth. The passage's most distinctive and historically consequential element is the "Star Oracle" (v. 17): "A star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel" — a prophecy of a future ruler who will crush Moab and subdue all the sons of Sheth. This verse became one of the most debated messianic proof-texts in Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, and rabbinic literature, and was cited by the Dead Sea Scrolls community and possibly underlies Matthew's account of the Magi. The closing oracles against Amalek, the Kenites, and an enigmatic final strophe about ships from Kittim afflicting Assyria add a layer of eschatological scope beyond Israel's immediate enemies.

Tanach: Numbers (Bemidbar): Numbers (Bemidbar) Chapter 24

Related pages View as graph →