And when he looked on Amalek... — From the. mountain of Peor, on which Balaam then stood, he had a view of the country of the Amalekites, which lay to the south of the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:29; Genesis 36:12).
Amalek was the first of the nations. — The ancestor of the Amalekites was Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Genesis 36:12). It has been supposed that the Amalekites separated themselves at a very early period from the rest of the Edomites. The word reshith, which is here rendered “first,” may denote priority in rank, but more frequently denotes priority in time. The corresponding word in the second clause of the verse, aharith (latter end), may be thought to denote that the reference is to time, not to rank. On the other hand, the reference in Numbers 24:7 to the kings of the Amalekites may be urged in favour of the reference to rank. Some understand the allusion to be to the fact that the Amalekites were the first nation which attacked Israel when they had come out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8). It is possible, however, that there may be a reference both to time and to rank. (Comp. Amos 6:1.)
But his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. — Or, come to destruction. More literally, But his latter end shall be even to one perishing — i.e., he shall come to the position of one who is perishing. The destruction of the Amalekites began in the reign of Saul (1 Samuel 14:48; 1 Samuel 15:7), was continued by David (1 Samuel 27:8; 1 Samuel 30:17; 2 Samuel 8:12), and was completed by Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:42-43).