Passage · Old Testament
Numbers 24:17
Num.24.17
Explore this passage in the graph“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. Read this passage at the publisher: Read in NIV · Read in ESV
Connections that cite this passage
Jesus is read as fulfilling Numbers 24:17
Historic Christian readingMedium confidenceBalaam's oracle of a star from Jacob and a scepter from Israel has been read by Christians since the early centuries as pointing to the Messiah, and Matthew's star over Bethlehem is often connected to it. The New Testament does not quote the verse, so this is labeled a historic reading.
Other responsible views
- David as the nearer referent: Many interpreters see the oracle fulfilled first in David, who conquered Moab and Edom, with a messianic sense developing later in Jewish and Christian reading.
Cross-references
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