SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:10
¿Quién contará el polvo de Jacob, o el número de la cuarta parte de Israel? Muera mi alma de la muerte de los rectos, y mi postrimería sea como la suya.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 23:10
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, ( whmk ytyrja yhtw 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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 10. Who can count, the dust of Jacob , etc.] 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, ( Genesis 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 Numbers 2:1-34), and one of them is represented by Balaam as so numerous, as not to be counted, or should be so, (see Hosea 1:10,11). 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, ( Revelation 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 f359 ; 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, ( Deuteronomy 32:15 33:5), 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” f360 , 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” f361 ; but it is not certain Balaam had any, and if he had, his concern seems to be more for himself than for them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - With the camps of Israel full in view, Balaam ordered seven altars to be built, and a bullock and a ram to be offered on each. Oh the sottishness of superstition, to imagine that God will be at man's beck The curse is turned into a blessing, by the overruling power of God, is love to Israel. God designed to serve his own glory by Balaam, an therefore met him. If God put a word into the mouth of Balaam, wh would have defied God and Israel, surely he will not be wanting to those who desire to glorify God, and to edify his people; it shall be given what they should speak. He who opened the mouth of the ass caused the mouth of this wicked man to speak words as contrary to the desire of his heart, as those of the ass were to the powers of the brute. The miracle was as great in the one case as in the other. Balaa pronounces Israel safe. He owns he could do no more than God suffere him to do. He pronounces them happy in their distinction from the res of the nations. Happy in their numbers, which made them both honourabl and formidable. Happy in their last end. Death is the end of all men even the righteous must die, and it is good for us to think of thi with regard to ourselves, as Balaam does here, speaking of his ow death. He pronounces the righteous truly blessed, not only while the live, but when they die; which makes their death even more desirabl than life itself. But there are many who desire to die the death of the righteous, but do not endeavour to live the life of the righteous gladly would they have an end like theirs, but not a way like theirs They would be saints in heaven, but not saints on earth. This saying of Balaam's is only a wish, not a prayer; it is a vain wish, being only wish for the end, without any care for the means. Many seek to quie their consciences with the promise of future amendment, or take up with some false hope, while they neglect the only way of salvation, by whic a sinner can be righteous before God.
Original Hebrew
מי 4310 מנה 4487 עפר 6083 יעקב 3290 ומספר 4557 את 853 רבע 7255 ישׂראל 3478 תמת 4191 נפשׁי 5315 מות 4194 ישׁרים 3477 ותהי 1961 אחריתי 319 כמהו׃ 3644
