Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, х wayªgal (H1540); Septuagint, apekalupse]. 'Both these (the Hebrew and the Greek) terms signify the rolling back of a veil, or such a removal of it from any object before which it has hung, that it shall no longer intervene between that object and the subject of vision, to prevent his contemplation of it. It is on this principle we are to account for and interpret such metaphorical phrases as uncovering the ears or opening the eyes of any one' (cf. Numbers 24:3-16; 1 Samuel 9:15; 2 Samuel 7:27: Henderson on 'Inspiration,' p. 27). It was a miracle, performed to humble his proud heart, which had to be first subjected in the school of a donkey before he was brought to attend to the voice of God speaking by the angel; and the lesson taught him by this extraordinary incident was, that the mouth and tongue were under the control of Him who made them, and who, when it suited the purposes of His all-wise Providence, could cause a mute donkey to speak, contrary to its nature, as well as constrain him to utter blessings contrary to his purpose.