21:4 Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea, 1 to go around the land of Edom, but the people 2 became impatient along the way.
“The oracle 4 of Balaam son of Beor;
the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; 5
1 tn The “Red Sea” is the general designation for the bodies of water on either side of the Sinai peninsula, even though they are technically gulfs from the Red Sea.
2 tn Heb “the soul of the people,” expressing the innermost being of the people as they became frustrated.
3 tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”
4 tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is an “oracle.” It is usually followed by a subjective genitive, indicating the doer of the action. The word could be rendered “says,” but this translations is more specific.
5 tn The Greek version reads “the one who sees truly.” The word has been interpreted in both ways, “shut” or “open.”