רמב"ן — לכה איעצך אשר יעשה / דרך כוכב מיעקב

Q — 'לכה איעצך אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך באחרית הימים' — what is the 'advice' Bilam gives Balak? Rashi/Chazal: the strategy of seducing Israel through Moabite women (the eitzah famous from Bamidbar 31:16, 'הן הנה היו לבני ישראל בדבר בלעם'). Chizkuni: an unwritten oral advice given in secret.

A — Ramban: neither. The 'eitzah' is the prophecy itself, in the following pesukim ('דרך כוכב מיעקב'). 'איעצך' here means 'I'll inform you of the divine counsel' — like 'זאת העצה היעוצה על כל הארץ.' Rasag translates 'אודיעך.' This prophecy is messianic — 'אראנו ולא עתה אשורנו ולא קרוב' — far-off, a fourth and climactic vision. It's framed as 'advice' (private speech, sotto voce) because it's catastrophic news for Moab — 'ומחץ פאתי מואב' — and you don't broadcast such things publicly. Ramban allows that Bilam separately may have given the zenut counsel (per 31:16) but insists that's not what this pasuk records.