Numbers 23:24 (ASV)

Passage

Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:22 God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.

Numbers 23:23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel: Now shalt it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

Numbers 23:24 Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

Numbers 23:25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

Numbers 23:26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaketh, that I must do?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "people", "riseth", "lioness", "doth", "lift", and "himself". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob..." into verse 25's "And Balak said unto Balaam Neither curse...", so "behold" and "people" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.