“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.”
'I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth' — the oracle opens with the future tense: 'I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.' Balaam perceives a distant future, a messianic figure. A star (kochav) and scepter (shevet) shall arise from Jacob. The star symbolizes royalty, guidance, and the divine; the scepter is the symbol of kingly rule. The figure shall 'crush' Moab's 'forehead' and destroy the 'sons of Sheth' (unclear, perhaps Moabites or Edomites). The oracle is the messianic prophecy par excellence; it is read throughout the NT as pointing to Christ, particularly by early Christian interpreters and medieval Jewish commentators.
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