Claim 39
I see him, but not now
Balaam foresees a later Israelite ruler, but 'not now' supplies no useful timetable for identifying Jesus.
The Old Testament text
Num 24:17 · BSBI see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
Translation note: SP foreheads; Hebrew corners (of the head); LXX princes
The claimed New Testament fulfilment
John says the Word became flesh, and Paul says God's Son came when the time had fully arrived. Christians connect Jesus's arrival with Balaam's distant future ruler.
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Why Christians see a prophecy
This is a genuine future royal oracle with a long Jewish and Christian history of messianic interpretation. Christians understand Jesus as the ultimate ruler from Israel who arrived at God’s chosen time.
Why it is less convincing
The phrase ‘not now’ could fit any later ruler and gives no date. The oracle describes victories over Moab and Edom, while John and Galatians simply say Jesus came; neither connects him with Balaam’s words.
Our assessment
Insufficiently specificFar too vague to identify Jesus
The wider oracle can support messianic interpretation, but its time phrase does not predict when Jesus would come.
Sources and further reading
- Marcin Kowalski, The Star of Jacob (Numbers 24:17) and Its Interpretations. Verbum Vitae; survey of Jewish and Christian interpretations.
- Helen R. Jacobus, Balaam’s ‘star oracle’ in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Bar Kokhba. University of Manchester Research Explorer; abstract and reception-history summary.
- BSB Publishing, Berean Standard Bible v5.9. BSB Publishing; Numbers 24:15–19; 2 Samuel 8:2, 14; John 1:14; Galatians 4:4.
Biblical quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.