But it is fitting for the present Balaam. How goodly are your houses, O Jacob, your tents, O Israel. The name of Jacob is not of the one dwelling, but of the house; but the name of Israel is of the one dwelling; for Jacob is of the physical thing. Like shady glens. They are intellectual glens shading that in which are rational, fruitful, and leafy things of practical virtue. They are intellectual paradises upon a river, a place in which rational things are planted, being watered either by the contemplation of things that have come into being, or by the contemplation of the holy Trinity. By the same. Those who dwell in tents are of those who travel, and outside this world there is a great road and many tents. Those who inhabit are not of those who travel, but of those who are stationary. Like cedars beside the waters. They are intellectual cedars, rational souls grown beside waters, being watered by the knowledge of the truth. And he shall rule over many nations. A lord is one who commands with authority, but a servant is one who obeys slavishly. A lord is one who profits from his own labors and, being characterized by lordship, is free from passion. A servant is one who is subject to passions and in need of what is better, and requiring the oversight of his own lord. There are many lords, but blessed are those who have our Lord Jesus Christ as lord. And his Gog kingdom will be exalted. The kingdom of Gog is interpreted as rooftops. According to one interpretation, the rooftops are the gifts of the Holy Spirit; but according to another, "Let him who is on the rooftop not go down into his house." It is, therefore, a kingdom of such a state. God led him out of Egypt. Both the Savior according to, "Out of Egypt I called my son," and Israel. The one He casts out, the other He calls. By the same. The divine oracle, that the Lord would come into Egypt, signified the journey of our Savior Jesus Christ which would take place together with his parents. And this world is also compared to Egypt. As the glory of a unicorn to him. Christ is intellectually a unicorn 12.584 accidentally; from whom are many unicorns. For from one Jesus Christ many have partaken to be christs. Some say that the stag is also a unicorn. He will devour the nations of his enemies. Concerning Christ; we were once the nations of his enemies. Therefore Christ will devour us, the essential virtue consuming us, as he says: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me." And he will suck out the marrow of their fatness. Then, he says, when he transforms the carnal state into a spiritual one through practical virtue. Those who bless you are blessed. He signifies two persons in these things; and they are of the faithful and the unfaithful regarding Christ. And after a little: In these things, therefore, both the attempt of the adversaries of Israel and the evil art of magic have been overturned. And the people were profaned to commit fornication. But the plan for the Hebrews to commit fornication and to worship Baal-peor was the diviner's. Wherefore Moses says: "And these things happened to the sons of Israel, according to the word of Balaam, to apostatize and to disregard the word of the Lord on account of Baal-peor." And the region toward the south-west will be yours. From the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates he promised to Abraham. Why then did he not give it to them? For Numbers indicates that a lesser portion was given. But I think that he would have given it, if they had been faithful like the one who received the promises. And this is reasonable. For often having threatened evils he did not bring them, for they repented, as in the case of the Ninevites. However, the women shall be from the people of their father. Therefore God commands that except for Judah and Levi it is not permitted to join from tribe to tribe, so that the Savior's "King and priest according to the order of Melchizedek" might not be shown coming from above as something foreign.

ἀλλ' ἁρμόζει τῷ νῦν Βαλαάμ. Ὡς καλοὶ οἱ οἶκοί σου, Ἰακὼβ, αἱ σκηναί σου, Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, οὐ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ οἴκου· τὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὄνομα, τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντός ἐστι· τοῦ γὰρ σωματικοῦ πράγματός ἐστι τὸ, Ἰακώβ. Ὡσεὶ νάπαι σκιάζουσαι. Νάπαι νοηταί εἰσι σκιάζουσαι τὸ ἐν ᾧ λογικὰ ἔγκαρπα καὶ κατάκομα τῆς πραγματικῆς ἀρετῆς. Παράδεισοι ἐπὶ ποταμόν εἰσι νοητοὶ, τοπὸς ἐν ᾧ λογικὰ πεφύτευται ἀρδόμενα ἤτοι τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν γεγονότων, ἢ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οἱ ἐν σκηναῖς οἰκοῦντες, τῶν ὁδευόντων εἰσὶ, καὶ ἔστιν ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ὁδὸς μεγάλη καὶ πολλαὶ σκηναί. Οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες, οὐκ εἰσὶ τῶν ὁδευόντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἱσταμένων. Ὡσεὶ κέδροι παρ' ὕδατα. Κέδροι εἰσὶ νοηταὶ παρ' ὕδατα φυεῖσαι ψυχαὶ λογικαὶ ἀρδόμεναι τῇ γνώσει τῆς ἀληθείας. Καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν. Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ ἐξουσιαστικῶς προστάσσων, δοῦλος δὲ ὁ δουλικῶς ὑπακούων. Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ τοῖς ἰδίοις πόνοις ὀνούμενος καὶ τῇ κυριότητι πεποιωμένος ἐλεύθερος πάθους. ∆οῦλός ἐστιν ὁ ἐμπαθὴς καὶ ἐπιδεὴς τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ χρῄζων τῆς ἐπιστασίας τοῦ ἰδίου κυρίου. Εἰσὶ δὲ κύριοι πολλοὶ, μακάριοι δὲ οἱ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἔχοντες κύριον. Καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἡ Γὼγ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ. Βασιλεία Γὼγ ἑρμηνεύεται δόματα. Κατὰ μίαν μὲν ἐκδοχὴν δόματά ἐστιν αἱ δωρεαὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· κατὰ δὲ ἄλλην, «Ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος μὴ καταβάτω εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ.» Ἔστιν οὖν βασιλεία τῆς τοιαύτης ἕξεως. Ὁ Θεὸς ὡδήγησεν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα κατὰ τὸ, «Ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου,» καὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Τὸν μὲν ἐκβάλλει, τὸν δὲ καλεῖ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ χρηματισμὸς, τὸν Κύριον ἥξειν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐδήλου τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διακομιδὴν τὴν ἅμα τοῖς γονεῦσιν αὐτοῦ γενησομένην. Αἰγύπτῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ κόσμος οὗτος παρα- βάλλεται. Ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ. Μονόκερώς ἐστιν 12.584 νοητῶς ὁ Χριστὸς κατὰ τὸ συμβεβηκός· ἐξ οὗ μονόκεροι πολλοί. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ἑνὸς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πολλοὶ μετέσχον εἶναι χριστοί. Τινές φασι καὶ τὸν ἔλαφον μονόκερον εἶναι. Ἔδεται ἔθνη τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ. Περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἦμέν ποτε ἡμεῖς. Ἔδεται οὖν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἡ οὐσιώδης ἀρετὴ νεμομένη ἡμᾶς, καθὰ λέγει· «Ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστι τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.» Καὶ τὰ πάχη αὐτῶν ἐκμυελιεῖ. Τότε, φησὶν, ὅταν τὴν σαρκικὴν κατάστασιν εἰς πνευματικὴν διὰ τῆς πραγματικῆς μεταποιῇ. Οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε ηὐλόγηνται. ∆ύο πρόσωπα σημαίνει ἐπὶ τούτοις· εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν πιστῶν καὶ ἀπίστων ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ἐν τούτοις μὲν οὖν ἀνατέτραπται καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐναντιουμένων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐγχείρησις, καὶ ἡ τῆς μαγείας κακοτεχνία. Καὶ ἐβεβηλώθη ὁ λαὸς ἐκπορνεῦσαι. Ἡ δὲ γνώμη τοῦ πορνεῦσαι τοὺς Ἑβραίους καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ, τοῦ μάντεως ἦν. ∆ιὸ φησὶ Μωϋσῆς· «Αὗται δὲ ἦσαν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Βαλαὰμ, τοῦ ἀποστῆσαι καὶ ὑπεριδεῖν τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἕνεκεν Βεελφεγώρ.» Καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν τὸ κλίτος, τὸ πρὸς Λίβα. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀβραάμ. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς; Οἱ γὰρ Ἀριθμοὶ ἐλαττοτέραν διδομένην σημαίνουσιν. Οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι δέδωκεν ἂν, εἰ κατὰ τὸν λαβόντα τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, πιστοὶ ἦσαν. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰκότως. Πολλάκις γὰρ κακὰ ἀπειλήσας οὐκ ἐπήγαγε, μετενόησαν γὰρ, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν Νινευιτῶν. Πλὴν ἐκ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν ἔσονται γυναῖκες. Προστάττει οὖν ὁ Θεὸς πλὴν τῆς Ἰούδα καὶ τῆς Λευῒ μὴ ἐξεῖναι ἀπὸ φυλῆς εἰς φυλὴν συνάπτεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ξένον τοῦ Σωτῆρος δειχθῇ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενον, τὸ, «Βασιλεὺς καὶ ἱερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ.»