Numbers 24:3 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

The eyes, either,

1. Of his body, as in the following verse; or,

2. Of his mind, which God had opened in a peculiar and prophetical manner, whence prophets are called seers, 1 Samuel 9:9. He implies that before he was blind and stupid, having eyes, but not seeing nor understanding. Some render the words having his eyes shut, as the Hebrew verb satham signifies, the letters schin and samech being frequently exchanged; and so the meaning is, that he received this revelation either in a dream, when men's eyes are simply shut; or in an ecstasy or trance, when men's eyes, though open, are in a manner shut, to wit, as to the use and exercise of them.

Numbers 24:3

3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: