Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 24:3/אבן עזרא על במדבר כ״ד:ג׳

אוישא משלו. הטעם שנשא קול במשלו והמשל כנחלים נטיו:

1AND HE TOOK UP HIS PARABLE.³, literally, and he lifted up his parable and said. Hence I.E.’s comment. This means he lifted up his voice and uttered his parable. The parable was, As valleys stretched out⁴ (v. 6).

בנאם. דבר כמו וינאמו נאם י"א כי טעם שומע גם יחזה דבר הנחוש והקרוב אל הדעת שהוא דרך הנבואה בחלום כדברי אליפז תמונה לנגד עיני דממה וקול אשמע:

2THE SAYING OF. The word ne’um means the saying of. Compare, va-yimamu ne’um (and say: He saith) (Jer. 23:31). Some say that who heareth and also Who seeth means who hears and who sees by divination. However, it most likely refers to that which is heard and seen in a prophetic dream. Compare Eliphaz’s statement, A form was before mine eyes; I heard a still voice (Job 4:16).⁵

גשתם העין. אין לו אח רק פירושו כפי מקומו הפך סתום וי"א כי עין אחד היתה לבלעם וזה דרך דרש:

3WHOSE EYE IS OPENED. The word shetum (opened) has no brother.⁶ It can be interpreted only in context. Shetum is the opposite of setum (shut).⁷ means whose eye is opened. Some say that Balaam had only one eye.⁸ However, this is a midrashic interpretation.