Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 23:10

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!

10. Or number the fourth part of Israel ] involves a necessary emendation, the Heb. text (represented in R.V. marg.) being scarcely translateable.

For ‘the fourth part ’ ( ) some would read ‘the myriads ’ ( ), or perhaps, as LXX. suggests, ‘the multitude of the people of Israel’ ( ).

Let me die ] lit. may my soul, or my life, die.

the death of the upright ones ] The plural adjective refers to Israel who are ideally considered as a nation of upright men. The singular pronoun at the end of the verse refers to the nation as a single whole.

There is no reference in the final words to a future life; it is a poetical parallel to the preceding clause. Balaam prays that the close of his life may be the peaceful end enjoyed by good men.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The fourth part of Israel – i. e., each one of the four camps, into which the host of Israel was divided (see Num. 2), seemed to swarm with innumerable multitudes. Possibly Balaam could only see one camp. Balaam bears testimony in this verse to the fulfillment of the promises in Gen 13:16; Gen 28:14.

The righteous – i. e., the ancestors of Israel, who died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off Heb 11:13. With their histories Balaam was familiar, particularly with that of Abraham, the righteous man whom God had raised up from the east (and) called to His foot Isa 41:2.

Let my last end be like his – Render rather, last estate, for the reference is not so much to the act of death, as to all that followed upon it – to the future, in which the name and influence of the deceased person would be perpetuated.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Num 23:10

Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

The end of the righteous desired

Carlyle, in his History of the French Revolution, tells us of a Duke of Orleans who did not believe in death; so that when his secretary stumbled on the words, The late King of Spain, he angrily demanded what he meant by it.

The obsequious attendant replied, My Lord, it is a title which some of the kings of Spain have taken. We know that all our paths, wind as they may, will lead to the grave. A certain king of France believed in death, but forbade that it should ever be mentioned in his presence. And if, said he, I at any time look pale, no courtier must dare, on pain of my displeasure, to mention it in my presence; thus imitating the foolish ostrich, which, when pursued by the hunter, and utterly unable to escape, is said to hide its head in the sand, fancying that it is secure from the enemy which it cannot see. I trust that, being sane men, you desire to look in the face the whole of your future history, both in the present world and in worlds beyond the region of sight; and, foreseeing that soul and body must part in the article of death, you are desirous to consider that event, that you may he prepared for it.

I. Balaams wish concerning death. He anxiously desired that he might die such a death as the righteous die.

1. Truly we commend his choice, for, in the first place, it must, at the least, be as well with the righteous man when he comes to die, as with any other man. By the righteous man we mean the man who has believed in Jesus,-and so has been covered with Christs righteousness, and moreover, has by the power of the Holy Spirit received a new heart, so that his actions are righteous both towards God and man. A certain carping infidel, after having argued with a poor countryman who knew the faith, but who knew little else, said to him, Well, Hodge, you really are so stupid that there is no use arguing with you. I cannot get you out of this absurd religion of yours. Ah! well, said Hodge, I dare say I am stupid, master, but do you know we poor people like to have two strings to our bow? Well, said the critic, what do you mean by that? Master, Ill show you. Suppose it should all turn out as you say; suppose there is no God, and there is no hereafter, dont you see I am as well off as you are? Certainly, it will not be any worse for me than it will be for you, if we both of us get annihilated. But dont you see if it should happen to be true as I believe, what will become of you?

2. There is this to be said for the righteous man: he goes to the death chamber with a quiet; conscience. It has been clearly ascertained that in the event of death, the mind is frequently quickened to a high degree of activity, so that it thinks more perhaps in the course of five minutes than it could have done in the course of years at other times. Persons who have been rescued from drowning, have said that they imagined themselves to have been weeks in the water, for the thoughts, the many views and visions, the long and detailed retrospect seemed to them to have required weeks, and yet the whole transpired in a few seconds. Frequently towards the last the soul travels at express speed, traversing its past life as though it rode upon the lightning. Ah! then how blessed is that man who, looking back upon the past, can see many things of which conscience can approve!

3. Again, the righteous man, when he dies, does not lose his all. With every other man the sound of earth to earth, dust to dust, and ashes to ashes, is the end of present seeming wealth and the beginning of eternal and real want. But the Christian is not made a bankrupt by the grave; death to him is gain. Go, said the dying Saracen hero, Saladin, take this winding sheet, and as soon as I expire, bear it on a lance through all the streets, and let the herald cry as he holds aloft the ensign of death, This is all that is left of Saladin, the conqueror of the East. He need not have so said if he had been a Christian, for the believers heritage is not rent from him, but opened up to him by the rough hand of death. The world to come and all its infinite riches and blessedness are ours in the moment of departure.

4. Let me die the death of the righteous may well be our wish, because he dies with a good hope. Peering into eternity, with eyes marvellously strengthened, the believer frequently beholds, even while he is yet below, something of the glory which is to be revealed in him.

5. Moreover, the believer dies in the arms of a friend. I do not say in the arms of a mortal friend, for it has fallen to the lot of some Christians to be burnt at the stake; and some of them have rotted to death in dungeons; but yet every believer dies in the arms of the best of friends. Precious is communion with the Son of God, and never more so than when it is enjoyed upon the verge of heaven.

6. Lastly, when the good man dies, he dies with honour. Who cares for the death of the wicked? A few mourning friends lament for a little time, but they almost feel it a relief within a day or two that such a one is gone. As for the righteous, when he dieth there is weeping and mourning for him. Like Stephen, devout men carry him to the sepulchre, and make great lamentation over him.

II. Balaam spoke concerning the godly man, of his last end. I do not know that this wicked prophet, whose eyes were once opened, knew anything about this latter end, as I shall interpret it; but you and I do know, and so let us use his words, if not his thoughts. God has endowed us with a spiritual nature which shall Outlive the sun, and run on coeval with eternity. Like the years of Gods right hand, like the days of the Most High, has God ordained the life of souls to be. Now, I can well believe that the most of us wish that our position after death may be like that of the righteous.

1. The first consideration in death is that the spirit is disembodied. I should desire to be like a Christian in the disembodied state, because he will not be altogether in a new and strange world. Some of you have never exercised your spirits at all about the spirit-world. You have talked with thousands of people in bodies, but you have never spoken with spiritual beings; to you the realm of spirit is all unknown; but let me tell you, Christians are in the daily habit of communing with the spirit-world, by which I mean that their souls converse with God; their spirits are affected by the Holy Spirit; they have fellowship with angels, who are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them that are the heirs of salvation.

2. After the judgment is pronounced, the disembodied spirit dwells in heaven. Some of you could not be happy if you were allowed to enter that heaven. Shall I tell you why? It is a land of spirit, and you have neglected your spirit. There is a story told of a young woman who dreamed that she was in heaven unconverted, and thought she saw upon the pavement of transparent gold, multitudes of spirits dancing to the sweetest music. She stood still, unhappy, silent, and when the King said to her, Why do you not partake in the joy? she answered, I cannot join in the dance, for I do not know the measure; I cannot join in the song, for I do not know the tune; then said He in a voice of thunder, What dost thou here? And she thought herself cast out for ever. If you do not learn heavens language on earth you cannot learn it in the world to come. If you are not holy you cannot be with holy saints.

3. After awhile our bodies will be raised again; the soul will re-enter the body; for Christ has not only bought the souls of His people, but their bodies too. Awake, ye dead! awake! and come to judgment! come away! Then up will start the bodies of the wicked. I know not in what shapes of dread they will arise, nor how they will appear. But this I know, that when the righteous shall rise they will be glorious like the Lord Jesus; they shall have all the loveliness which heaven itself can give them.

III. We have to make a practical use of the whole. Behold the vanity of mere desires. Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous, and yet was slain in battle fighting against those righteous men whom he envied. There is an old proverb which says, Wishers and woulders make bad housekeepers; and another which declares, Wishing never filled a sack. Mere desiring to die the death of the righteous, though it may be natural, will be exceedingly unprofitable. Stop not there. Have you never heard the old classic story of those ancient Gauls who, having once drunk the sweet wines of Italy, constantly, as they smacked their lips, said one to another, Where is Italy? And when their leaders pointed to the gigantic Alps crowned with snow, they said, Cannot we cross them? Every time they tasted the wine the question was put, Where is Italy? and cannot we reach it? This was good plain sense. So they put on their war-harness, and marched to old Rome to fight for the wines of Italy. So every time you hear of heaven, I should like you, with Gothic ardour, to say, Where? is it? for I fain would go. And happy should I be if men here would put on the harness of the Christian, and say, Through floods and flames for such a conquest, to drink of such wines well refined, we would fain go to the battle that we may win the victory. Oh, the folly of those who, knowing and desiring this, yet spend their strength for nought! The Roman Emperor fitted out a great expedition and sent it to conquer Britain. The valiant legionaries leaped ashore, and each man gathered a handful of shells, and went back to his barque again–that was all. Some of you are equally foolish. You are fitted by God for great endeavours and lofty enterprises, and you are gathering shells: your gold and your silver, your houses and your lands, and heaven and everlasting life you let go. Like Nero, you send to Alexandria for sand for your amusements, and send not for wheat for your starving souls. Well, cries one, how is heaven to be had? It is to be had only by a personal seeking after it. I have read of one who, when drowning, saw the rainbow in the heavens. Picture him as he sinks; he looks up, and there, if he sees the many-coloured bow, he may think to himself, There is Gods covenant sign that the world shall never be drowned, and yet here I am drowning in this river. So it is with you. There is the arch of Gods promise over you, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life, and yet, because you believe not in Him, you will be drowned in your sins. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Balaam

I. The man.

II. The circumstances.

III. The wish.

1. Natural.

2. Insincere.

3. Inconsistent.

Lessons:

1. A good wish alone will never save the soul.

2. Even knowledge of the consequences of sin will not restrain a wicked man.

3. As wishes, knowledge, and human strength are insufficient, seek for Divine grace. (Preachers Analyst.)

The death of the righteous

I. Righteous men die.

II. Bad men would die like them

1. The death of the righteous is a desirable death. No moral remorse, no terrible forebodings. Peaceful conscience. Glorious hope.

2. This desirable death is only gained by a righteous life. (Homilist.)

The end attained by effort

No results are attained without the diligent application of means, and no end is reached without persistent effort.

1. With respect to earthly things this proposition needs no argument. There is nothing valuable attained without labour and patience. Is knowledge? Is wealth? Is fame? Is influence? Is dignity?

2. It is well to know, then, that the spiritual kingdom is not under one law and the material under another. Gods laws traverse the whole of His creation.

3. Learn here–

(1) That supine waiting for righteousness to be conveyed to us from without is supreme foolishness. Ask, knock, seek!

(2) That the spirit of work must be infused into our Christianity.

(3) That we shall reap what we sow; and in proportion to our diligence in sowing. (Preachers Monthly.)

The prayer of Balaam

I. That no man ought to expect, or hope, to die the death of the righteous, who will not lead the life of the righteous. If a thorn-bush could bring forth grapes, or a thistle figs, we should not know what was coming next: certainty, as to causes and effects, would be at an end, and our ideas would be but chaos. So likewise if a bad life could lead to a good death, or if he who would none of the holy beginnings of the righteous could come at last to an end like his, all our moral ideas would be upset, and confusion worse confounded would ensue as to our duties, the consequences of human acts, and the relation of cause to effect in the spiritual sphere. The sight of the unity and harmony of Gods laws in nature leads to faith in the truth and equity of His dealings with men as moral and responsible beings; and no clear mind can help seeing the force of the analogy. Nor can this argument be shaken by any theory about the efficacy of what are commonly known as death-bed repentances. Who knows anything about the worth of such changes? Are they really changes?

II. Wishes, however earnest, do not of necessity bring with them the thing wished for. Why should the wish for eternal good have a power which no wish for temporal good possesses? If the mere wishing for what you want in this life does not give the thing wished for, how can you have, for a mere wish, the glories and rewards of the life to come? (Morgan Dix, D. D.)

The happiest end of life

1. The righteous life insures the happiest end–a happy future for the soul.

2. To end well our life is a noble ambition.

3. Let us cultivate this desire, for it will fashion our lives, if it be a strong and constant motive. (Hom. Monthly.)

Upon the character of Balaam

These words, taken alone, and without respect to him who spoke them, lead our thoughts immediately to the different ends of good and bad men. It is necessary particularly to observe what Balaam understood by righteous. And he himself is introduced in the Book of Micah explaining it; if by righteous is meant good, as to be sure it is. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal. From the mention of Shittim it is manifest that it is this very story which is here referred to, though another part of it, the account of which is not now extant, as there are many quotations in Scripture out of books which are not come down to us. Remember what Balaam answered, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord, i.e., the righteousness which God will accept. Balak demands, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Balaam answers them, He hath showed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Here is a good man expressly characterised, as distinct from a dishonest and superstitious man. No words can more strongly exclude dishonesty and falseness of heart than doing justice and loving mercy; and both these, as well as walking humbly with God, are put in opposition to those ceremonial methods of recommendation which Balak hoped might have served the turn. From hence appears what he meant by the righteous whose death he desires to die. The object we have now before us is the most astonishing in the world: a very wicked man, under a deep sense of God and religion, persisting still in his wickedness, and preferring the wages of unrighteousness, even when he had before him a lively view of death, and that approaching period of his days which should deprive him of all those advantages for which he was prostituting himself; and likewise a prospect, whether certain or uncertain, of a future state of retribution: all this joined with an explicit ardent wish that, when he was to leave this world, he might be in the condition of a righteous man. What inconsistency, what perplexity is here! With what different views of things, with what contradictory principles of action, must such a mind be torn and distracted! And yet, strange as it may appear, it is not altogether an uncommon one: nay, with some small alterations, and put a little lower, it is applicable to a very considerable part of the world. For if the reasonable choice be seen and acknowledged, and yet men make the unreasonable one, is not this the same contradiction, that very inconsistency which appeared so unaccountable? To give some little opening to such characters and behaviour, it is to be observed in general that there is no account to be given in the way of reason of mens so strong attachments to the present world: our hopes and fears and pursuits are in degrees beyond all proportion to the known value of the things they respect. This may be said without taking into consideration religion and a future state; and when these are considered, the disproportion is infinitely heightened. Now, when men go against their reason, and contradict a more important interest at a distance for one nearer, though of less consideration, if this be the whole of the case, all that can be said is that strong passions, some kind of brute force within, prevails over the principle of rationality. However, if this be with a clear, full, and distinct view of the truth of things, then it is doing the utmost violence to themselves, acting in the most palpable contradiction to their very nature. But if there be any such thing in mankind as putting halfdeceits upon themselves, which there plainly is, either by avoiding reflection, or (if they do reflect) by religious eqivocation, subterfuges, and palliating matters to themselves, by these means conscience may be laid asleep, and they may go on in a course of wickedness with less disturbance. All the various turns, doubles, and intricacies in a dishonest heart cannot be unfolded or laid open; but that there is somewhat of that kind is manifest, be it to be called self-deceit or by any other name. To bring these observations home to ourselves: it is too evident that many persons allow themselves in very unjustifiable courses, who yet make great pretences to religion, not to deceive the world–none can be so weak as to think this will pass in our age–but from principles, hopes, and fears respecting God and a future state, and go on thus with a sort of tranquillity and quiet of mind. This cannot be upon a thorough consideration and full resolution that the pleasures and advantages they propose are to be pursued at all hazards, against reason, against the law of God, and though everlasting destruction is to be the consequence. This would be doing too great violence upon themselves. No, they are for making a composition with the Almighty. These of His commands they will obey; but as to others, why, they will make all the atonements in their power–the ambitious, the covetous, the dissolute man, each in a way which shall not contradict his respective pursuit. Besides these, there are also persons who, from a more just way of considering things, see the infinite absurdity of this, of substituting sacrifice instead of obedience; there are persons far enough from superstition, and not without some real sense of God and religion upon their minds, who yet are guilty of most unjustifiable practices, and go on with great coolness and command over themselves. The same dishonesty and unsoundness of heart discovers itself in these another way. In all common ordinary cases we see intuitively at first view what is our duty, what is the honest part. This is the ground of the observation that the first thought is often the best. In these cases doubt and deliberation is itself dishonesty, as it was in Balaam upon the second message. That which is called considering what is our duty in a particular case is very often nothing but endeavouring to explain it away. Thus those courses which, if men would fairly attend to the dictates of their own consciences, they would see to be corruption, excess, oppression, uncharitableness; these are refined upon–things were so and so circumstantiated–great difficulties are raised about fixing bounds and degrees, and thus every moral obligation whatever may be evaded. That great numbers are in this way of deceiving themselves is certain. There is scarce a man in the world who has entirely got over all regards, hopes, and fears concerning God and a future state; and these apprehensions in the generality, bad as we are, prevail in considerable degrees: yet men will and can be wicked, with calmness and thought; we see they are. There must therefore be some method of making it sit a little easy upon their minds, which in the superstitious is those indulgences and atonements before mentioned, and this self-deceit of another kind in persons of another character. And both these proceed from a certain unfairness of mind, a peculiar inward dishonesty, the direct contrary to that simplicity which our Saviour recommends, under the notion of becoming little children, as a necessary qualification for our entering into the kingdom of heaven. But to conclude: How much soever men differ in the course of life they prefer, and in their ways of palliating and excusing their vices to themselves, yet all agree in the one thing, desiring to die the death of the righteous. This is surely remarkable. The observation may be extended further, and put thus: Even without determining what that is which we call guilt or innocence, there is no man but would choose, after having had the pleasure or advantage of a vicious action, to be free of the guilt of it, to be in the state of an innocent man. This shows at least the disturbance and implicit dissatisfaction in vice. If we inquire into the grounds of it, we shall find it proceeds partly from an immediate sense of having done evil, and partly from an apprehension that this inward sense shall one time or another be seconded by a higher judgment, upon which our whole being depends. As we are reasonable creatures, and have any regard to ourselves, we ought to lay these things plainly and honestly before our mind, and upon this act as you please, as you think most fit; make that choice and prefer that course of life which you can justify to yourselves, and which sits most easy upon your own mind. And the result of the whole can be nothing else but that with simplicity and fairness we keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right, for this alone shall bring a man peace at the last. (By. Butler.)

Balaams vain wish

I. What does it mean? He knew that he must die, and that after death he must live for ever. He had seen men die; he had seen the men of Aram, and Midian, and Moab die; and he bad seen the mourners sorrow for them as those who had no hope. He would not die their death. He had at least heard of other deaths, for he evidently knew much of Israels history. He had heard of the deaths of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in other days; and, it may be, he had heard of Aarons death on Mount Her just a short time before; and he knew how the righteous die. But the words mean more than this, for he speaks not merely of death, but of something beyond death–the last cad of the righteous. There is no repetition of the other. There is a parallelism indeed, but it is an ascending one; this second part containing more than the first; and by last end the seer meant resurrection–a truth far more widely known, at least among the nations in any way linked with patriarchal traditions, than is generally admitted. Balaams prayer was, Let me share the death of the righteous; and let me share his resurrection too. How comprehensive!

II. What state of feeling does it indicate? Sick at heart, and weary of the hollowness of his own heathenism, and all that it could give him, he cries aloud from the depths of a dissatisfied heart, Let me die the death of the righteous. Disappointed and sorrowful, he sees the eternal brightness in the distance, with all its attraction, and in the bitterness of his spirit cries out, Would God that I were there! The feeling soon passes off, but while it lasts it is real. But, with all its reality, it leads to nothing. Balaams wish is a very common one, both in its nature and in its fruitlessness. Sometimes it is a mere passing wish, called up by vexation and weariness; at other times it is a deep-breathed prayer; but in both cases it is too often ineffective, leading to nothing. Men, young as well as old, get tired of life, sick of the world and its vanities. They see that none of its pleasures can last. When it has done all it can, it still leaves them with a troubled conscience, an aching head, and an empty heart. In too many cases this desire is transient and sentimental. It leads to no action, no result. It vanishes like a bright rainbow from a dark cloud, and there is no change. Is it to be so with you? If hungry, a wish wont give you bread; or, if thirsty, a wish wont quench your thirst; or, if suffering, a wish wont soothe your pain; or, if dying, a wish wont bring back health into your pale cheek and faded eye. Yet a wish may be a good beginning. All fruit begins with buds and blossoms; and though these often come to nought, yet sometimes they end in much. That wish may be the beginning of your eternal life. It may lead to much; oh, let it lead you on! (H. Bonar, D. D.)

Balaams lights and shadows

Balaams character is a deep one–one of amazing power, of mixed good and evil, with a strife of elemental forces in his soul. The desire to die the death of the righteous is founded upon great intelligence, deep penetration into the ruling forces of the moral world, even if unaccompanied by the moral force to be righteous.

1. The highest knowledge of Divine things does not ensure salvation; one who knows what it is may fail of its light, peace, and final reward.

2. In all men this law of righteousness is found, as well as the consciousness that, if followed, it will lead to good.

3. All opposition to the Church or kingdom of God must fail, because the Church is founded on that law of righteousness or right which is the law of being and the very essence of God.

4. Death and its connection with righteousness, or what it opens to the righteous. (J. M. Hoppin, D. D.)

The death of the righteous

The thought which I wish to inculcate is that a Christian life is the only sure ground of hope in death. I would represent the work of life and the preparation for death as one and the same thing; and would attach to every portion of healthful, active, busy life the associations of deep solemnity, which are commonly grouped around the closing moments of ones earthly pilgrimage. Let me first ask your attention to an invariable law of our being of which we are too prone to lose sight, namely, that our success and happiness in every new condition of life depend upon our preparation for that condition. Our earthly life is made up of a series of states and relations, each of which derives its character from the next preceding. Thus, the childs the father of the man. Now, how is it that men will not apply this same law to that future state of being on which they hope to enter? How fail they to perceive that the heavenly society, like every other state of being, demands preparation, and that preparation for it cannot be a mere formula of holy words mumbled by dying lips but must run through the habits, the feelings, the affections, the entire character? You must have entered here upon the duties and the joys of the spiritual life in order to make them even tolerable to you hereafter. And spirituality of thought, temper, and feeling must, in some measure, have detached you from earthly objects, and made them seem inferior and unessential goods, in order for you to resign them without intense suffering. This view demands, as a preparation for death, not only a decent formalism, but a strictly spiritual religion–a religion which has its seat in the affections, Now, why are we not all diligently fitting ourselves for the home where we hope to go? Were it some distant city or foreign country upon our own planet where we expected to fix our residence, how earnestly should we seek an interest in its scenes, its resources, its life I How eagerly should we avail ourselves of every opportunity of training in whatever might be peculiar in its condition and modes of living! How fast, in the interval before embarking, should we become, in desire and feeling, citizens of our future home! And shall the city of God form the only exception to this rule? Shall we turn our backs upon it till driven to the shore where we must embark, and then go we know not whither? Shall not prayer, and faith, and hope lay up treasures against our arrival thither? Thus do the law of human life and the Word of God, while they make us solicitous to die the death of the righteous, unitedly urge upon us the essential importance of living his life. The same lesson must have impressed itself upon all who have been in any degree familiar with the closing scenes of life. It is not the opportunity of a death-scene, not the hurried and unnatural utterances of a last hour, but the whole previous character, the direction which the face and steps had borne before death seemed near, that cherishes or crushes our hope for the departed. (A. P. Peabody.)

Selfishness, as shown in Balaams character

From first to last one thing appears uppermost in this history–Balaams self; the honour of Balaam as a true prophet–therefore he will not lie; the wealth of Balaam–therefore the Israelites must be sacrificed. Nay, more, even in his sublimest vision his egotism breaks out. In the sight of Gods Israel he cries, Let me die the death of the righteous; in anticipation of the glories of the eternal advent, I shall behold Him, but not nigh. He sees the vision of a kingdom, a Church, a chosen people, a triumph of righteousness. In such anticipations, the nobler prophets broke out into strains in which their own personality was forgotten. Moses, when he thought that God would destroy His people, prays in agony, Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book. Paul speaks in impassioned words, I have continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. But Balaams chief feeling seems to be, How will all this advance me? And the magnificence of the prophecy is thus marred by a chord of melancholy and diseased egotism. Not for one moment–even in those moments when uninspired men gladly forget themselves; men who have devoted themselves to a monarchy or dreamed of a republic in sublime self-abnegation–can Balaam forget himself in Gods cause. Observe, then, desire for personal salvation is not religion. It may go with it, but it is not religion. Anxiety for the state of ones own soul is not the healthiest or best symptom. Of course every one wishes, Let me die the death of the righteous. But it is one thing to wish to be saved, another to wish Gods right to triumph; one thing to wish to die safe, another to wish to live holily. Nay, not only is this desire for personal salvation not religion, but if soured, it passes into hatred of the good. Balaams feeling became spite against the people who are to be blessed when he is not blessed. He indulges a wish that good may not prosper, because personal interests are mixed up with the failure of good. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)

Desiring the death of the righteous

When the indifferent and wicked reflect upon the change produced at death, and see that what appears dark to them is to the believer bright; when they see one of themselves racked with fear, and goaded by the stings of a too late awakened conscience, while the righteous is calm and resigned, they will readily adopt the language of the worldly prophet and say, Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.

I. Which arises this desire? I believe it arises from the conviction that those things on which we place our affections in this life are not such as will afford peace in the hour of death. They who are most blindly attached to the god of this world are among the readiest to confess the transitory nature of present things, and their utter inability to afford comfort at the last. You desire to die the death of the righteous; are you, then, resting your confidence on Jesus Christ as chief, and deriving happiness from other things, only as He shall be pleased to give them you? Do you look upon the world as something which must soon be left behind, and which will not, as your friends, exist in another state?

II. What that death is, and wherefore desirable. The death-chamber of the confirmed saint of God is a scene eloquent to all who have ever beheld it. It reveals the assured faithfulness of Gods promises, and shows the firm foundation of their hopes, who have made those promises the rock of their salvation. The righteous is not without bodily anguish at his last end. He knows by experience the sorrows and sufferings that are the lot of man; but he knows that his Saviour has endured them too, and it is but fitting the disciple should walk in the steps of his heavenly Master. But how tranquil is his mind amid them all, as he draws near to the last moment of his earthly career! At that hour, when the false hopes of the wicked are shaken and proved worthless, then the hopes of the righteous are increasing in brightness. The dying Christian has his times of temptation when the swellings of Jordan rise up around his soul. Satan sometimes is allowed to buffet him sorely. Yet as thy day is, so thy strength shall be. And hence, amid all his depression, amid all his conflicts, as the shinings of Gods love fall upon his sinking soul, his courage revives, and he can rejoice with a joy unspeakable and full of glory. The stronger his faith, the brighter are his hopes, and therefore the higher and more heavenly his joys. What says He on this subject? Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. If a man keep My saying, he shall never taste of death. Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. O death! I will be thy plague! O grave! I will be thy destruction! Right precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. These are the promises which lie thickly scattered in the pages of Gods own blessed Word. Thus you have a faint idea of what the death of the righteous is–full of faith, deep confidence, and heavenly peace. Are you anxious to realise it for yourselves? well ye rosy be. How, then, is it to be gained? Not by putting off the work of salvation to the last. Though you desire the peaceful end of the righteous, are not some of you deluding yourselves in this way? Oh! what folly! How know you that your death will come preceded by a long sickness or affliction as your warning? (R. Allen, B. A.)

The Christians final blessedness

1. From the clearness of his views. Wise unto salvation.

2. From the strength of his faith.

3. From the firmness of his trust. Assurance that a mansion is prepared for him, and that a merciful Saviour will welcome him to glory and immortality.

4. From the slightness of the hold which this world has on him.

5. From the familiarity with which the consistent follower of the Lord regards a state of future existence. (W. H. Marriott.)

Balaams wish

I. The righteous die, and in the same manner outwardly as the wicked do. For Christ, in His first coming, came not to redeem our bodies from death, but our souls from damnation. His second coming shall be to redeem our bodies from corruption into a glorious liberty. Therefore wise men die as well as fools.

Use 1. It should enforce this excellent duty, that considering we have no long continuance here, therefore, while we are here, to do that wherefore we come into the world.

Use 2. And let it enforce moderation to all earthly things.

II. The estate of the soul continues after death. For here he wisheth to die the death of the righteous, not for any excellency in death, but in regard of the continuance of the soul after death.

Reason 1. And it discovers, indeed, that it hath a distinct life and excellency in itself, by reason that it thwarts the desires of the beady when it is in the body.

Reason 2. And we see ofttimes, when the outward man is weak, as in sickness, &c., then the understanding, will, and affections, the inward man, is most sublime, and rapt unto heaven, and is most wise.

III. There is a wide, broad difference between the death of the godly and of the wicked. In their death they are–

1. Happy in their disposition. What is the disposition of a holy man at his end? His disposition is by faith to give himself to God, by which faith he dies in obedience; he carries himself fruitfully and comfortably in his end. And ofttimes the nearer he is to happiness, the more he lays about him to be fruitful.

2. Besides his disposition, he is happy in condition; for death is a sweet close. God and he meet; grace and glory meet; he is in heaven, as it were, before his time. What is death to him? The end of all misery, of all sin of body and soul. It is the beginning of all true happiness in both.

3. And blessed after death especially; for then we know they are in heaven, waiting for the resurrection of the body. There is a blessed change of all; for after death we have a better place, better company, better employment; all is for the better.

IV. Even a wicked man, a wretched worldling, may see this; he may know this happiness of Gods people in death, and for ever, and yet notwithstanding may continue a cursed wretch. Use

1. Seeing this is so, it should teach us that we refuse not all that ill men say; they may have good apprehensions, and give good counsel. Use

2. It should stir us up to go beyond wicked men. Shall we not go so far as those go that shall never come to heaven? Let us therefore consider a little wherein the difference of these desires is, the desires that a Balaam may have, and the desires of a sound Christian, wherein the desires of a wicked man are failing.

(1) These desires, first of all, they were but flashes: for we never read that he had them long. These enlightenings are not constant.

(2) Again, this desire of this wretched man, it was not from an inward principle, an inward taste that he had of the good estate of Gods children, but from an objective admiration of somewhat that was offered to his conceit by the Holy Ghost at this time.

(3) Again, in the third place, this desire of the happiness of the estate of Gods children, it was not working and operative, but an uneffectual desire.

(4) Where desires are in truth, the party that cherisheth those desires will be willing to have all help from others to have his desire accomplished.

(5) Again, true desires of grace, they are growing desires. Though they be little in the beginning, as springs are, yet as the springs grow, so do the waters that come from them. So these desires, they grow more and more still. The desires of a blessed soul, they are never satisfied till it come to heaven.

(6) And then they are desires that will not be stilled. Desires, I confess, are the best character to know a Christian; for works may be hypocritical, desires are natural. Therefore we ought to consider our desires, what they are, whether true or no; for the first thing that issues: from the soul are desires and thoughts. Thoughts stir up desires. This inward immediate stirring of the soul discovers the truth of the soul better than outward things.

(7) Whether we desire holiness, and the restoration of the image of God, the new creature, and to have victory against our corruptions. Balaam desired happiness, but he desired not the image of God upon his soul; for then he would not have been carried with a covetous devil against all means. No; his desire was after a glimpse of Gods childrens glory only. A wicked man can never desire to be in heaven as he should be; for how should he desire to be in heaven? to be freed from sin, that he may praise God and love God; that there may be no combat between the flesh and the spirit. Can he wish this? No. His happiness is as a swine to wallow in the mire, and he desires to enjoy sensible delights. (R. Sibbes, D. D.)

The death of the righteous desired

I. That death is the appointed lot of all men.

II. That the righteous possess advantages in death unknown to all others.

1. Generally peaceful.

2. Sometimes triumphant.

3. Always safe.

III. The persuasion that the righteous possess advantages in death unknown to all others, leans many to adopt the exclamation in the text.

1. It is adopted by the trembling inquirer who has just perceived the necessity and value of true religion.

2. It is adopted by the decided Christian, whose eye is directed to the end of his course.

3. It is the language of those who partially feel the value of religion, but whose hearts are undecided before God.

4. It is the language of the openly wicked and profane. They live as sinners, but they would die as saints. (Essex Remembrancer.)

Mere desire useless

1. Balaam teaches us the uselessness, I may say the danger, of conviction without repentance, of a knowledge of what is right without an earnest pursuit of holiness.

2. And this comes nearly to the same thing as saying, that Balaams history shows us the need of practical piety, sacrificing ourselves to God, body and soul, while we have something worthy of being sacrificed; curbing our desires and passions before they die out of themselves; living a life of obedience and submission while yet the temptation of the world is strong to follow a quite different course. What is the use of a man sighing for the death of the righteous? The death is in general like the life. A far wiser prayer than Balaams would be this: Give me grace to lead the life of the righteous, and let all the prime of my health and faculties be consecrated to Thee, O Lord.

3. Lastly, the death of Balaam shows us in a very striking manner the uselessness of such religious aspirations as that in which he indulged. Balaams worst sins were committed after he had uttered the pious prayer of the text, and his end was miserable. Beware lest any of you be in like manner tempted to evil; you may see the excellence of religion; you may be even led to utter high aspirations for the rest, which remains for the people of God; but it is only a diligent walking in God s ways, a constant battle against self and sin and impurity and worldly lusts and the like, a constant serving of God in all things which He Himself has commanded, which can ensure you against making shipwreck of your faith. (Bp. Harvey Goodwin.)

The convictions of Balaam

I. It is very evident that the ruling passion of Balaam was covetousness.

II. But I wish you, further, to consider Balaam as the possessor of extraordinary gifts.

III. But, lastly, we must consider Balaam as influenced by strong religious convictions. We mark them in his anxiety to ask counsel of God–in his confession of sin when withstood by the angel–in his steady determination to obey the letter of the command–and in the impassioned wish of my text, Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his. Now we must not suppose that in all this Balaam was altogether insincere. His whole aim was to try to reconcile his wickedness with his duty; nevertheless, there were times when the better nature struggled hard within him. And is not this just the case of thousands in every age? Are there not many who, when under the influence of an awakened conscience, can melt into tears at the remembrance of past sins and negligences–who feel a momentary desire of attaining heaven? They are borne away by the fervour of the moment, and fancy themselves in earnest. The natural man has been wrought upon, and, for the time, you might fancy him spiritual; but the trance is over, and he is natural still. Beware, then, how you trust to occasional thoughts and feelings. All men, whatever their present life may be, agree in the desire of attaining heaven at the last. And here is the deceptive thing–that the wish for conversion may be mistaken for the act of conversion; the appearance of devotion for the reality of devotion; the elevated thought, the momentary aspiration, for the real abiding work of the Spirit of the Lord. Oh! then, for the grace to make these impressions permanent, so that they may lead onwards to greater watchfulness, more earnest prayer, and more honest strivings against the besetting sin. (E. Bickersteth, M. A.)

How good a thing it is to die the death of the righteous

There be many ways in which men go out of the world; some withdrawing in carelessness and indifference, some in heaviness and fear, some without hope or expectation, some with a mere wish to make an end of physical discomfort, some hardened in frigid stoicism, and some in a maze of dreams, saying to themselves, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. After no such fashion would we die. There is another manner of departure which leads all the rest in dignity and beauty. It is substantially the same in every age. Joy with peace; a trust in God that rests on strong foundations; a heart confiding in a covenant promise which it knows to be certain and sure; perfect submission to the will which is evermore a will of love; resignation of self and all into those hands which come forth through the gathering darkness; sacrificial surrender gladly paying the debt due to sin;–these signs mark the death of the righteous; whereunto, since Christ came, are to be added the presence of the Saviour, the thought that He has gone that way before us and knows every step of the path, the conviction that to die is gain, the assurance that the Lord shall raise us up at the last day, and that whosoever liveth and believeth in Him shall never die. (Morgan Dix, D. D.)

Death of Christian and infidel

The French nurse who was present at the deathbed of Voltaire, being urged to attend an Englishman whose case was critical, said, Is he a Christian? Yes, was the reply, he is, a Christian in the highest and best sense of the term–a man who lives in the fear of God; but why do you ask? Sir, she answered, I was the nurse that attended Voltaire in his last illness, and for all the wealth of Europe I would never see another infidel die.

Piety makes a soft death-pillow

A Roman Catholic seeing a Protestant die in peace and triumph, is reported to have said, If this be heresy, it makes a soft pillow to die on.

Confidence at death

Dr. Simpson on his deathbed told a friend that he awaited his great change with the contented confidence of a little child. As another friend said to him that he might, as St. John at the Last Supper, lean his head on the breast of Christ; the doctor made answer, I fear I cannot do that, but I think I have grasped hold of the hem of His garment. (Keenigs Life of Dr. Simpson.)

Courage in view of death

We are all marching thither. We are going home. Men shiver at the idea that they are going to die; but this world is only a nest. We are scarcely hatched out of it here. We do not know ourselves. We have strange feelings that do not interpret themselves. The mortal in us is crying out for the immortal. As in the night the child, waking with some vague and nameless terror, cries out to express its fears and dreads, and its cry is interpreted in the mothers heart, who runs to the child and lays her hand upon it and quiets it to sleep again, so do you not suppose that the ear of God hears our disturbances and trials and tribulations in life? Do you not suppose that He who is goodness itself cares for you? Do you suppose that He whose royal name is Love has less sympathy for you than a mother has for her babe? Let the world rock. If the foot of God is on the cradle, fear not. Look up, take courage, hope and hope to the end. (Last words of Ward Beeehers last sermon.)

A Christians last end

In the life-of the good man there is an Indian summer more beautiful than that of the seasons; richer, sunnier, and more sublime than the most glorious Indian summer the world ever knew–it is the Indian summer of the soul. When the glow of youth has departed, when the warmth of middle age is gone, and the buds and blossoms of spring are changing to the sere and yellow leaf; when the mind of the good man, still and vigorous, relaxes its labours, and the memories of a well-spent life gush forth from their secret fountains, enriching, rejoicing, and fertilising, then the trustful resignation of the Christian sheds around a sweet and holy warmth, and the soul, assuming a heavenly lustre, is no longer restricted to the narrow confines of business, but soars far beyond the winter of hoary age, and dwells peacefully and happily upon the bright spring and summer which await within the gates of Paradise evermore. Let us strive for and look trustingly forward to an Indian summer like this.

Habitual preparation to be made for death

There are few men, even among the most worldly, who do not expect to be converted before they die; but it is a selfish, mean, sordid conversion they want–just to escape hell and to secure heaven. Such a man says, I have had my pleasures, and the flames have gone out in the fire-places of my heart. I have taken all the good on one side; now I must turn about if I would take all the good on the other. They desire just experience enough to make a key to turn the lock of the gate of the celestial city. They wish a hope, just as men get a title to an estate. No matter whether they improve the property or not, if they have the title safe. A hope is to them like a passport which one keeps quietly in his pocket till the time for the journey, and then produces it; or, like life-preservers which hang useless around the vessel until the hour of danger comes, when the captain calls on every passenger to save himself, and then they are taken down and blown up, and each man with his hope under his arm strikes out for the land; and so, such men would keep their religious hope hanging idle until death comes, and then take it down and inflate it, that it may buoy them up, and float them over the dark river to the heavenly shore; or, as the inhabitants of Rock Island keep their boats, hauled high upon the beach, and only use them now and then, when they would cross to the mainland, so such men keep their hopes high and dry upon the shore of life, only to be used when they have to cross the flood that divides this island of Time from the mainland of Eternity. (H. W. Beecher.)

Frances Ridley Havergals death

She got her feet wet standing on the ground preaching temperance and the gospel to a group of boys and men, went home with a chill, and congestion set in, and they told her she was very dangerously sick. I thought so, she said, but it is really too good to be true that I am going. Doctor, do you really think I am going? Yes. Today? Probably. She said, Beautiful, splendid, to be so near the gate of heaven. Then after a spasm of pain she nestled down in the pillows and said, There, now, it is all over–blessed rest. Then she tried to sing, and she struck one glad, high note of praise to Christ, but could sing only one word, He, and then all was still. She finished it in heaven. (T. De Witt Talmage.)

A glorious death

The biographer of Dr. Norman Macleod says that, the night before his death, he described with great delight the dreams he had been enjoying, or rather the visions which seemed to be passing vividly before his eyes, even while he was speaking. He said, You cannot imagine what exquisite pictures I see! I never beheld more glorious Highlands, majestic mountains and glens, brown heather tinted with purple, and burns–clear, clear burns; and above, a sky of intense blue–so blue, without a cloud. On the day of his death he said: I have had constant joy, and the happy thought continually whispered, Thou art with me! Not many would understand me, they would put down much I have felt to the delirium of weakness, but I have had deep spiritual insight. Very shortly before he died he said to one of his daughters, Now all is perfect peace and perfect calm. I have glimpses of heaven that no tongue, or pen, or words can describe.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 10. Let me die the death of the righteous] Probably Balaam had some presentiment that he should be taken off by a premature death, and therefore he lodges this petition against it. The death of the righteous in those times implied being gathered to one’s fathers in a good old age, having seen his children, and children’s children; and to this, probably, the latter part of this petition applies: And let my last end be like his, ( uthehi acharithi chamohu, And let my POSTERITY be like his.) It has been generally supposed that Balaam is here praying for a happy death, such as true Christians die who die in the Lord; and in this way his words are generally applied; but I am satisfied this is not their meaning. The prayer, however, understood in the common way, is a good one, and may be offered to God profitably. A righteous man is one who is saved from his sins, who is justified and sanctified through the blood of the covenant, and who lives, not only an innocent, but also a holy and useful life. He who would die well should live well; for a bad death must be the issue of a bad life.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The dust of Jacob, i.e. the numberless people of Jacob or Israel, who, according to Gods promise; Gen 13:16; 28:14, are now become as the dust of the earth.

Of the fourth part of Israel, i.e. of one of the camps of Israel; for they were divided into four camps, Num 2, which Balaam from this height could easily discover; much less can any man number all their host.

Of the righteous, i.e. of his righteous and holy people, the Israelites, called Jehesurun, Deu 32:15, which word signifies upright or righteous. The sense is, they are not only happy above other nations in this life, as I have said, and therefore in vain should I curse them, but they have this peculiar privilege, that they are happy after death; their happiness begins where the happiness of other people ends; and therefore I heartily wish that my soul may have its portion with theirs when I die. But it was a vain wish; for as he would not live as Gods people did, so he died by the sword, as others of Gods enemies did, Num 31:8; Jos 13:22.

My last end, i.e. my death, as the word is used. Or, my posterity, as this Hebrew word signifies, Psa 119:13; Dan 11:4; Amo 4:2. And as the covenant and blessing of God given to Abraham did reach to his posterity, so this might not be unknown to Balaam, which might give him occasion for this wish. Or, my reward, as the word is taken, Pro 23:18; 24:20. But the first sense seems the most true, because it agrees best with the usage of Scripture to repeat the same thing in other words, and this includes the third sense, to wit, the reward, which is here supposed to follow death; and for posterity, it doth not appear that he had any, or, if he had, that he was so very solicitous for them; or that he knew the tenor of Gods covenant with Abraham and his posterity. Nay, he rather seems to have had some hope of ruining Abrahams posterity, which he attempted both here and afterwards.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

10. Who can count the dust ofJacob?an Oriental hyperbole for a very populous nation, asJacob’s posterity was promised to be (Gen 13:16;Gen 28:14).

the number of the fourth partof Israelthat is, the camp consisted of four divisions; everyone of these parts was formidable in numbers.

Let me die the death of therighteousHebrew, “of Jeshurun”; or, theIsraelites. The meaning is: they are a people happy, above allothers, not only in life, but at death, from their knowledge of thetrue God, and their hope through His grace. Balaam is arepresentative of a large class in the world, who express a wish forthe blessedness which Christ has promised to His people but areaverse to imitate the mind that was in Him.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Who can count, the dust of Jacob,…. The people of Israel, their posterity so called, not because of their original, the dust of the earth, but because of their numbers, being as numerous as the dust of the earth, or sand of the sea, as it was promised they should be,

Ge 28:14 and which is here confirmed by the prophecy of Balaam:

and the number of the fourth part of Israel; one of the four camps of Israel, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for this people was divided into four camps, under so many standards, which were those of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, see Nu 2:1, and one of them is represented by Balaam as so numerous, as not to be counted, or should be so, see Ho 1:10. The spiritual Israel of God, though comparatively few, are in themselves, and will be when all together, a great number, which no man can number, Re 7:9:

let me die the death of the righteous; which are among them, as Jarchi, among the Israelites; for they were not all righteous, nor are any, of themselves, or by their own works, but by the righteousness of Christ: or the death of the upright ones a; such as are upright in heart and life, who have right spirits renewed in them, and walk uprightly according to the rule of the divine word; such as are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; the word used is pretty near, in sound and signification, to Jeshurun, one of the names of Israel,

De 32:15, the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it,

“the death of the true ones,”

who are truly righteous and upright, truly gracious persons; who have the truth of grace, and the root of the matter in them: these die as well as others, yet their death is different from others, not in the thing itself, but in the concomitants and consequences of it; they die in the Lord, in union to him, in faith of him, in hope of eternal life by him, and their death is precious to him; and in consequence of this they are carried by angels to glory at death are immediately in heaven with Christ, and it will be well with them to all eternity. Balaam had some notion of this; and though he did not care to live the life of such, he wished to die their death, or that he might be as happy at death as they; by which he bears a testimony to the immortality of the soul, to a future state after death, and to an eternal life and happiness to be enjoyed by good men:

and let my last end be like his; which is a phrase expressive of much the same thing as before: death is the end of a man in this world; and the end of a righteous man in it is peace, rest, salvation, and eternal life, or is what follows upon it, and he then enters into: some render it, “my reward” b, which comes to much the same sense, the above being the righteous man’s reward, not in a way of debt, but grace; others render the word, “my posterity” c; but it is not certain Balaam had any, and if he had, his concern seems to be more for himself than for them.

a rectorum, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. b see Prov. xxiv. 20. c Sept.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

10. Who can count the dust of Jacob? Hence it is plain that what Balaam was to say was suggested to him by God, since he quotes the words of God’s solemn promise, wherein the seed of Abraham is compared to the dust of the earth. Still, we must bear in mind what I have just adverted to, that, although that multitude was reduced to a small number by the sin of the people, nevertheless this was not declared in vain, inasmuch as that little body at length expanded itself so as to fill the whole world. Speaking by hyperbole, then, he says that their offspring would be infinite, since the fourth part will be almost innumerable. His aspiration at the conclusion is more emphatic than a simple affirmation. “I would (he says) that I might share with them their last end!” (157) For, in the first place, every one longs for what is most for his good; and again, Balaam confesses himself unworthy to be reckoned among the elect people of God. Hence it might be easily inferred how foolishly Balak trusted to his curse. Further, in these words he refers to everlasting felicity; as much as to say that (Israel) would be blessed in death as in life. At the same time he is a witness to our future immortality; not that he had reflected in himself wherefore the death of the righteous would be desirable, but God extorted this confession from an unholy man, so that, either unwillingly or thoughtlessly, he exclaimed that God so persevered in the extension of His paternal favor towards His people, that He did not cease to be gracious to them even in their death. Hence it follows, that the grace of God extends beyond the bounds of this perishing life. Wherefore this declaration contains a remarkable testimony to our future immortality. For although Balaam, perhaps, did not thoroughly consider what he desired, still, there is no doubt but that he truly professed that he wished it for himself. Nevertheless, as hypocrites are wont to do, he did but conceive an evanescent wish, for it was in no real seriousness that he sought what he was convinced was best. (158)

The Israelites are called righteous (recti,) as also in other places, not on account of their own righteousness, but in accordance with God’s good pleasure, who had deigned to separate them from the unclean nations.

(157) Corn. a Lapide has a curious note on “the death of the righteous,” contrasting the happy deaths of some, whom he deemed righteous, with those of others, whom he counted enemies of the Church. Amongst the latter he refers to Calvin himself. “Calvin, excruciated, according to Beza, by divers diseases, was in addition preyed upon by lice, as Jerome Bolsec, a physician of Lyons, and formerly his disciple, reports in his Life, ch. 22. Hence observe, that those who persecute the Church, were, by God’s just judgment, eaten by worms. Such was the case with Huneric, Herod, Antiochus, the emperors Maximinianus and Arnulphus, and Calvin.”

(158) “Qu’il desireroit d’estre en pare’le condition avecques le peuple d’Israel;” that he desired to be in a like condition with the people of Israel. — Fr.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(10) Who can count the dust of Jacob?These words point back to the promise made to Abraham: And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, &c. (Gen. 13:16).

And the number of the fourth part of Israel.The Israelites were divided into four great encampments (Numbers 2). It is probable that Balaam could only see one of these encampments from Bamoth-Baal (Num. 22:41); but see below on Num. 23:13.

The death of the righteous.The Hebrew word yesharim (upright, or righteous) is applied to Israel because God, who is just and right (Deu. 32:4). had chosen His people to be a Jeshurun (Deu. 32:15; Deu. 33:5; Deu. 33:26)a holy and peculiar people, following after righteousness and judgment. The end of Balaam (Num. 31:8) presented a strange contrast to his prayer, and showed that even the prayer of the wicked is abomination in the sight of the Lord. (See Pro. 28:9.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

10. The dust of Jacob Posterity so multiplied as to be countless as the dust. The hyperbole was a common rhetorical figure with Oriental writers, especially in indicating a great number. Gen 13:16, note; Exo 32:12.

The death of the righteous The qualities which in Balaam’s conception are implied in the term righteous are, “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” Mic 6:8. He ascribes these qualities to Israel as a whole, because there were some among them of unquestioned rectitude, and others who evinced their rectitude of heart by prompt repentance after any temporary defection. There is no sufficient evidence that Balaam’s desire embraced blessedness beyond the grave. The whole prophecy has reference to unbroken prosperity up to a peaceful death. “How much soever men differ in the course of life they prefer, and in their ways of palliating and excusing their vices to themselves, yet all agree in one thing, desiring to die the death of the righteous. This surely is remarkable. The observation may be extended further, and put thus: There is no man but would choose, after having had the pleasure or advantage of a vicious action, to be free of the guilt of it to be in the state of an innocent man. This shows, at least, the disturbance and implicit dissatisfaction in vice arising partly from an immediate sense of having done evil, and partly from an apprehension that this inward sense shall, one time or another, be seconded by a higher judgment, upon which our whole being depends.” Bishop Butler.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments