What did Bil'am mean when he described himself as "Yode'a Da'as Elyon"?
Rashi and Targum Yonasan: He was referring to his ability to catch the exact moment each day when Hashem was angry. 1
Ramban: 'The one who knows the Mind of the One on High'. 2
Targum Onkelos: 'The one who is granted knowledge from the One on High'.
Hadar Zekenim (in Pasuk 1): He was claiming that he knew that Hashem does not want to curse Yisrael.
B'rachos, 7a: It cannot be taken literally, seeing as Bil'am did not even know the mind of his own ass. Refer to 22:31 and Torah -Temimah, note 10.
Ramban: He said this because he was about to divulge what Hashem planned to do at the end of days, as the Pasuk says in Yeshayah, 63:4 "Ki Yom Nakam be'Libi".
Why did Bil'am not mention prophecy, as he did on the three previous occasions?
Ramban: Because, having said "Yode'a Da'as Elyon, asher Machazeh Shakai Yechezeh", it is obvious that he was speaking in the name of Hashem, and it was unnecessary to mention it.
