Discovery BoxNumbers 24:2 
Context24:2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; 1 and the Spirit of God came upon him.
Numbers 24:5-6
Context24:5 ‘How 2 beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel!
24:6 They are like 3 valleys 4 stretched forth,
like gardens by the river’s side,
like aloes 5 that the Lord has planted,
and like cedar trees beside the waters.
1 tn Heb “living according to their tribes.”
2 tn Here מָה (mah) has an exclamatory sense: “How!” (see Gen 28:17).
3 tn Heb “as valleys they spread forth.”
4 tn Or “rows of palms.”
5 sn The language seems to be more poetic than precise. N. H. Snaith notes that cedars do not grow beside water; he also connects “aloes” to the eaglewood that is more exotic, and capable of giving off an aroma (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 298).
