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Ramban on Numbers 23:24/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״ג:כ״ד
אוְנִתְנַבֵּא עֲלֵיהֶם כִּי כְּלָבִיא יָקוּם שֶׁהוּא הַגּוּר, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יִתְנַשֵּׂא כְּאַרְיֵה, וְלֹא יִשְׁכּוֹן בְּאַרְצוֹ עַד יֹאכַל טֶרֶף וְיִשְׁתֶּה דַּם מַלְכֵי כְּנַעַן, כְּדִבְרֵי אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על במדבר כ״ג:כ״ד). וְהִנֵּה הוֹסִיף עַתָּה בַּנְּבוּאָה הַזֹּאת הַשֵּׁנִית לְהַגִּיד לְבָלָק כָּבְשָׁם הָאָרֶץ וְהָרְגָם מְלָכִים אַדִּירִים. וְהִנֵּה בָּלָק יוֹדֵעַ כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ אֶת אַרְצוֹ, וּלְפִיכָךְ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִגִּיד לָהֶם עַתָּה שֶׁסּוֹפָם לְנַצֵּחַ מַלְכֵי כְּנַעַן, יִרְצֶה עוֹד שֶׁיְּקַלְּלֵם בְּנִצּוּחוֹ עַד שֶׁיּוּכַל הוּא לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם, אוּלַי יוּכַל לְהִלָּחֵם בּוֹ וּלְהַכּוֹת מֵהֶם. עַל כֵּן אָמַר עוֹד ״וְאֶקָּחֲךָ אֶל מָקוֹם אַחֵר אוּלַי יִישַׁר בְּעֵינֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וְקַבֹּתוֹ לִי מִשָּׁם״ (במדבר כ״ג:כ״ז). לֹא שֶׁיַּחְזִיר אָחוֹר בִּרְכָתוֹ, שֶׁכְּבָר הוֹדִיעוֹ ״לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב וּבֶן אָדָם וְיִתְנֶחָם״ (במדבר כ״ג:י״ט), אֲבָל חָשַׁב: הִנֵּה הֵם עֲתִידִים לִכְבֹּשׁ אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁהִיא נַחֲלָתָם וְלַהֲרֹג מַלְכֵיהֶם, אֲבָל אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁאֶתְגַּבֵּר אֲנִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְאַכֶּה בּוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ הָעֲמָלֵקִי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בָּהָר הַהוּא שֶׁהִכּוּם עַד הַחָרְמָה (במדבר י״ד:מ״ה). וְזֹאת כַּוָּנָתוֹ מִפַּחְדּוֹ מֵהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכִּיר לְזִקְנֵי מִדְיָן (במדבר כ״ב:ד׳), אוֹ הָיָה עִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהָשִׁיב אֵלָיו כָּל מַה שֶׁתָּפְסוּ מִיַּד סִיחוֹן מֵאֲשֶׁר לְמוֹאָב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּדִבְרֵי יִפְתָּח, וּכְבָר הִזְכַּרְתִּיו:
1Balaam prophesied also about them [Israel] that he will rise up ‘k’lavi,’ which is the lion’s whelp, and afterwards he will lift himself up like a [fully-grown] lion, and he will not rest in his Land until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the kings of Canaan,167 as Onkelos explained it.Thus Balaam added now in this second prophecy [to the words of his first prophecy], telling Balak that they [the Israelites] would conquer the Land and kill mighty kings. Now Balak knew that the Israelites would not receive his land as an inheritance,168 and therefore although Balaam told them now that the Israelites would ultimately conquer the kings of Canaan, Balak still wanted [Balaam] to curse them so that [Balak] would be victorious [over them], and that he would be able to overcome them, and possibly he could fight against them and inflict losses on them. Therefore he still said, [Come now], I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please G-d that thou mayest curse me them from thence.169 Balak did not [ask Balaam] to withdraw the blessing [which he had previously given Israel], since he had already informed him, G-d is not a man, that He should lie, neither the son of man, that He should repent,170 but he thought: “Indeed the Israelites are destined to conquer the land of Canaan, which is their inheritance, and to kill their kings; but it is still possible that I will prevail over them and inflict losses on them, as did the Amalekite and the Canaanite who dwelt in that hill-country, who smote them even unto Hormah.”171 Balak intended to do this because of his fear of them, as he mentioned to the elders of Midian,172, 22:3-4. or it may be that his purpose was that he should be able to reconquer all [that land] which the Israelites had captured from the possession of Sihon which originally belonged to Moab, as is stated explicitly in the words of Jephthah.173 I have already mentioned this.174