כי מראש צורים אראנו. כי על השפי היה והוא גבוה והעד על השפי שהוא כפירושי ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקראת נחשים וישת אל המדבר פניו ולא אל שפי גם יתכן להיות מראש צורים משל לגזירות היורדות מהעליונים כי ראה בחכמתו שתעמוד זאת האומה לבד' ולא תתערב עם אחרות מתגברת עליה לעזוב תורתה כאשר עשו כל האומות: FOR FROM THE TOP OF THE ROCKS I SEE HIM. Balaam said this because he was high up on the hill. He went not, as at other times, to meet with enchantments. But he set his face toward the wilderness (Num. 24:1)47I.E. assumes that the wilderness is a flat area. and not toward the high place48Which he previously faced. is proof that my interpretation of shefi49See I.E. on verse 3. is correct.50For Scripture contrasts midbar (wilderness), which is a flat area, with sefi. Thus sefi must refer to an elevated area. It is also likely that from the top of the rocks is a parable symbolizing the decrees that come down from heaven. For Balaam in his wisdom51Which came to him from on high. saw that this nation would stand alone and not intermingle with other nations that would overpower her and try to force her to give up God’s Torah, as the nations did.
ובגוים לא יתחשב. אפרשנו בפסוק יצב גבולות עמים: AND SHALL NOT BE RECKONED AMONG THE NATIONS. I will explain this in my comments on When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance (Deut. 32:8).