Numbers 24:17

Jesus Christ Prophecy The return of Christ

¹⁵ Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying, “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,

¹⁶ the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

I 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.

¹⁸ Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.

¹⁹ A ruler will come from Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: I 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.
KJV: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
WEB: I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and crush all the sons of Sheth.
ASV: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult.
DARBY: I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh: There cometh a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and he shall cut in pieces the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.
BLB: I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab and destroy all the sons of tumult.

ÅB: Jeg ser ham, men ikke nå, jeg skuer ham, men ikke nær; en stjerne stiger opp av Jakob, et spir løfter seg fra Israel; han knuser Moabs tinninger og utrydder ufreds-slekten.
OTB: Jeg ser ham, men ikke nå; jeg skuer ham, men ikke nær; en stjerne skal komme ut av Jakob, en septer skal reise seg ut av Israel, og skal knuse Moabs panner, og ødelegge alle Sets sønner.
B1930: Jeg ser ham, men ikke nu, jeg skuer ham, men ikke nær; en stjerne stiger op av Jakob, et spir løfter sig fra Israel; han knuser Moabs tinninger og utrydder ufreds-ætten.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
Read in context
Luke 1:32–33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
Read in context
Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
Read in context
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
Read in context
Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
Read in context
Zechariah 10:4
The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together.
Read in context
Matthew 2:2–9
asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Read in context
Psalms 45:6
Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Read in context