Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
Who can count the dust of Jacob ... ? х `ªpar (H6083)] - dry dust. An Oriental hyperbole for a very populous nation, as Jacob's posterity was promised to be; Septuagint: to (G3588) sperma (G4690), the seed-a translation which ignores the metaphor in the original (Genesis 13:16; Genesis 28:14).
The number of the fourth part of Israel? - i:e., the camp consisted of four divisions; each one of these parts was formidable in numbers. But the phrase might be used as denoting generally a fractional part of Israel [The Septuagint has: deemous, multitudes.]
Let me die the death of the righteous, х yªshaariym (H3477)]. This designation of 'upright,' or "righteous" people, given by Balaam to Israel, was applied to them, not on account of the superior excellence of their national character-for they were frequently perverse, disobedient, and rebellious-but in reference to their being an elect nation, in the midst of which God, 'the just and righteous' (Deuteronomy 32:4), dwelt. The piercing eye of the seer discerned this to be the real secret of their extraordinary prosperity; and from a strong, though temporary admiration of their privileged state, he pronounced them a people happy above all others, not only in life, but at death, from their knowledge of the true God, and their hope through His grace. [The Septuagint renders these words of Balaam as: apothanos hee psuchee mou en psuchais dikaioon, kai genoito to sperma mou hoos to sperma toutoon.]
Dr. Warburton ('Div. Leg.', b. 5:) interprets these words thus: 'Let me die in a mature old age, after a life of health and peace, with all my posterity flourishing about me, as was the lot of the righteous observers of the law.' But they bear a far deeper and more important signification than this cold and feeble construction puts upon them, expressing a wish that the close of his life might be cheered with the comforts of the righteous, and be introduced into the happiness of another life, which the righteous only can enjoy (see Graves 'On the Pentateuch,' part 3:, sec. 3). Balaam was the representative of a large class in the world who express a wish for the blessedness of the Lord's people at last, but are averse to lead a corresponding life.