Numbers 24:5

5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel.

Numbers 24:5 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 24:5

How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob
Not that the matter of which they were made was so rich, or their structure so admirable, but the order in which they were placed was so beautiful and agreeable:

and thy tabernacles, O Israel;
which is the same thing in other words, and which may be applied figuratively to the church of God, which often goes by the names of Jacob and Israel; and agrees with particular congregations and assemblies of saints, where they dwell as in tents in a movable state, like pilgrims and sojourners; and which are the dwelling places of Father, Son, and Spirit, and of the people of God with one another; and are goodly, pleasant, and delightful, because of the presence of God with them, and on account of the provisions there made for them, and the company they there enjoy; see ( Psalms 84:1 Psalms 84:4 Psalms 84:10 ) .

Numbers 24:5 In-Context

3 and he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,

4 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls [into a trance] with [his] eyes uncovered:

5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel.

6 they stretch out like river valleys, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the Lord has planted, like cedars beside the water.

7 Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be by abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.