Bilangan 24:9

24:9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,

and as a lioness, ¹  who can stir him?

Blessed is the one who blesses you,

and cursed is the one who curses you!’”

Bilangan 24:1

Balaam Prophesies Yet Again

24:1 ² When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, ³  he did not go as at the other times ⁴  to seek for omens, ⁵  but he set his face ⁶  toward the wilderness.

1 Samuel 17:34

17:34 David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock,

Hosea 11:10

God Will Restore the Exiles to Israel

11:10 He will roar like a lion,

and they will follow the Lord;

when he roars,

his children will come trembling ⁷  from the west.

Amos 3:8

3:8 A lion has roared! ⁸  Who is not afraid?

The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy? ⁹ 

[24:9]  ¹ tn On the usage of this word see HALOT 517 s.v. לָבִיא.

[24:1]  ² sn For a thorough study of the arrangement of this passage, see E. B. Smick, “A Study of the Structure of the Third Balaam Oracle,” The Law and the Prophets, 242-52. He sees the oracle as having an introductory strophe (vv. 3, 4), followed by two stanzas (vv. 5, 6) that introduce the body (vv. 7b-9b) before the final benediction (v. 9b).

[24:1]  ³ tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of the Lord.”

[24:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “as time after time.”

[24:1]  ⁵ tn The word נְחָשִׁים (nÿkhashim) means “omens,” or possibly “auguries.” Balaam is not even making a pretense now of looking for such things, because they are not going to work. God has overruled them.

[24:1]  ⁶ tn The idiom signifies that he had a determination and resolution to look out over where the Israelites were, so that he could appreciate more their presence and use that as the basis for his expressing of the oracle.

[11:10]  ⁷ tn When the verb חָרַד (kharad, “to tremble”) is used with prepositions of direction, it denotes “to go or come trembling” (BDB 353 s.v. חָרַד 4; e.g., Gen 42:28; 1 Sam 13:7; 16:4; 21:2; Hos 11:10, 11). Thus, the phrase מִיָּם…וְיֶחֶרְדוּ (vÿyekherdu…miyyam) means “to come trembling from the west.” Cf. NAB “shall come frightened from the west.”

[3:8]  ⁸ sn The roar of the lion is here a metaphor for impending judgment (see 1:2; cf. 3:4, 12). Verses 7-8 justify Amos’ prophetic ministry and message of warning and judgment. The people should expect a prophetic message prior to divine action.

[3:8]  ⁹ sn Who can refuse to prophesy? When a message is revealed, the prophet must speak, and the news of impending judgment should cause people to fear.