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.
Balaam came to curse Israel, but standing over their camp he described a Person still far off — a Star out of Jacob, a Sceptre out of Israel. Three questions follow: who is this coming One, when does He come, and why did the man who saw Him gain nothing?
The whole scene is a failed attack. One writer sets the two wills side by side:
Never was Satan more determined to curse; never was God more determined to bless! Satan never had a more willing servant. And no man was ever more powerless than Balaam once the Almighty took hold of him!
What came out instead reached far beyond the moment on the hilltop:
So the curse Balaam intended became the most magnificent statement of blessing ever pronounced on the people of God. It reaches down to the last days, when Israel will be exalted under the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth.
The Star and the Sceptre are not decoration. Each carries its own idea:
The star is for watchers. We must be up early in the morning if we wish to see the early star. The sceptre speaks of authority and rule.
Another writer names each one in a word: "The Star speaks of hope, and the Sceptre speaks of rule and government. Where is our hope? We answer, In the Lord Jesus Christ" (F. B. Hole).
Balaam's earlier speeches looked at the whole nation. This one narrows to one Person:
We recall his first parable. From the top of the rocks he said in the same way, "I see him and from the hills I behold him." There it was the nation; here it is a person — the King of Israel whose shout he had heard before among the wonderful people. The description of this coming King is glorious. He sees Him first as a star coming out of Jacob. Then he calls Him a sceptre risen out of Israel, striking through the sides of Moab and turning all the sons of tumult against each other.
Commentators differ over how much of this has already happened. One writer sees it fulfilled twice — once in David, and once still to come: "As a fulfilled prophecy, this star is David; and, as a prophecy yet to be fulfilled, this star is Christ, David's Son" (H. L. Rossier). Others place the whole weight in the future. Gaebelein calls it "a very pronounced Messianic prophecy relating to the time when the kingdom is to be restored to Israel." He says many teachers have made a mistake by applying it to Christ's first coming. Kelly, weighing nation after nation, reaches the same conclusion:
So it does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern. It does not matter whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from… It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees.
Some read the phrase "sons of Sheth" as a description rather than a family line:
Instead of "children of Sheth," it is better to read "sons of tumult"; that is, "tumultuous war will be destroyed."
The verse opens with a confession that condemns the speaker. Older translations put its first words in the future — "I shall see him, but not now":
But at the start he is made to speak of his own tragic position: "I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not near." … Balaam's fate will be that of all unbelievers. Believers see the Lord Jesus now by faith. But Balaam had no intention of bowing his heart to Him at the time. So in the future he will see Him, but not near. It will be only in awesome judgment, when he sees Him at the Great White Throne.
Seeing was never the problem. "He thus beheld in vision a glorious Person to whom he could never come near. Distance must be his portion for ever" (W. W. Fereday).
The wording here stops short of something the New Testament adds:
He had been predicted as coming "a Star out of Jacob," without any reference to the morning. As the bright Morning Star, Jesus presents Himself as the One who runs ahead of the coming day and guarantees it. Now Israel does not know Him like this, for it has rejected Him and treated Him as an impostor. The Church, and the Church alone, knows Him in this character.
- Curse — Balaam came to curse. God made the same mouth speak the greatest blessing ever pronounced over His people, reaching to the last days.
- Star — the Star is for watchers, seen by those awake before dawn. It speaks of hope, and our hope is Christ.
- Sceptre — the Sceptre means authority: tumult ended, a King on the throne — "the day of Immanuel," not of David or the Maccabees.
- Person — the earlier oracles looked at the nation; this one narrows to one Man, the King of Israel Himself.
- Distance — Balaam saw Him and stayed far off. Sight without surrender leaves a man watching the glory from outside it.
And Edom shall be a possession, and Seir a possession, -- they, his enemies; but Israel will do valiantly.
Balaam was hired to curse Israel. Instead, his last prophecy describes the day when the Star out of Jacob rises and Israel's enemies lose their land. The verse raises two questions: why name Edom and Seir, and when does this happen?
Edom is not a random target. Edom had already refused to let Israel pass through its land. Commentators tie that refusal to the judgment announced here. (The quote below uses an older translation; the ESV says, "Edom shall be dispossessed.")
And as Balaam foretold long ago, Edom — which in the days of Moses refused to let Israel pass through his border (Num. 20:21) — "will be a possession, Seir also will be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly."
Seir is named next to Edom for a simple reason. It was the land Esau settled in.
Esau had made Seir his home (Gen. 33:16), so it lies close to Edom and Moab. These will be fully brought under Israel's rule.
The previous verse names a Star out of Jacob and a Sceptre out of Israel. This verse tells us what follows, and who wins the victory.
First he sees Him as a star coming out of Jacob. Then he calls Him a sceptre risen out of Israel… Because of this, Edom becomes His possession, and Seir as well. All His enemies are conquered, and Israel stands with the King and does valiantly. It is a very clear prophecy about the Messiah. It points to the time when the kingdom will be restored to Israel. Many teachers of God's Word have made a mistake in applying this prophecy to the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture describes some future victories as God's act alone, with no human army. This one is different.
Israel (that is, the spared remnant) is destined to play an important part in defeating the enemies of God and His people… The destruction of the Western armies described in Revelation 19:19-21, and the overthrow of the armies of Russia and her allies in Ezekiel 39, will happen with no human help at all. But against other foes, God intends to use a delivered Israel.
Yet the strength Israel shows is not Israel's own.
He is the Star out of Jacob, the Sceptre out of Israel. "Israel shall do valiantly" but by His power. Christ alone is before God, as He always was and is.
Some writers also read Edom as a picture of something in us. Esau was Jacob's brother, and that family tie is the point.
The judgment passes on to Edom, the typical enemy of Israel, who… pictures for us the world of the old man — the natural fallen man. He is the most real enemy we have as Christians. He is no less an enemy for being related to us all by nature, just as Edom was the brother of Israel who acted like no brother. His enmity is described here as revenge. He had a quarrel from the beginning — the loss of his birthright-blessing, which he sold for a bowl of stew and has since forgotten.
That raises a question about the coming kingdom: will the old nature be gone by then?
Edom speaks of the flesh, and the flesh then will be put in the place of nothingness. For Israel in the Millennium will not be in the perfect state: the flesh will still be in them, but put under control.
The promise comes at the end of a hard road, not instead of one.
It is not for the false prophet to speak of God's discipline of His people. God would only allow someone who was set on cursing them to speak of their blessing. Yet we know that God had to discipline His beloved people. They will still have to pass through times of dreadful judgment because of their sins. But in the end, they will "do valiantly."
- Curse reversed. Balaam was hired to curse Israel. God let him announce only Israel's blessing.
- King first. Edom and Seir change hands only because the Sceptre has risen; the possession is His before it is Israel's.
- Then the nation. Other enemies fall by God's hand alone. Here God uses the spared remnant, and its courage comes from His power.
- Then the flesh. Edom, the brother who acted like no brother, pictures the old nature. God will hold it under control, not make friends with it.
- Then the end. Discipline comes first, blessing last. Commentators place this prophecy in the coming kingdom, not at Christ's first coming.
And one out of Jacob shall have dominion, and will destroy out of the city what remaineth.
Balaam's last message ends not with a curse but with a coming Ruler. Commentators press two questions here: who is this Ruler, and how will He rule?
Balaam took money to curse Israel. The opposite came out of his mouth, and one writer explains why.
God used the false prophet Balaam to declare His mind. He also forced the High Priest of Israel, who was plotting the death of Jesus, to say that He would die for the nation (John 11:51). Balaam would gladly have cursed Israel, but twice over God made him speak the word He put in his mouth. The third time, when Balaam tried to escape God, "The Spirit of God came upon him" and made him bless. In his fourth parable, Balaam prophesies about Christ's coming as "a star out of Jacob, and a scepter … out of Israel."
In an earlier speech Balaam described the nation. Here he sees one person, and one writer warns against placing the fulfilment too early.
After this introduction he says again that he sees Him and looks on Him. But not now, and not near. We remember that in the first parable he said, from the top of the rocks, "I see him and from the hills I behold him." There it was the nation. Here it is a person: the King of Israel, whose shout he had heard before among that wonderful people… This is a very clear prophecy about the Messiah. It points to the time when God will restore the kingdom to Israel. Many teachers of God's Word have made a mistake here. They apply this prophecy to the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ… Balaam says, "Out of Jacob one has dominion and destroys what is left from the city." These words refer to His reign and rule in the coming age.
One writer tests the word "dominion" against the idea that Christ's kingdom is only inward and spiritual.
That this points to the rule of Christ is obvious. But in what sense does His first coming, or the Church, fulfil it? If words have any meaning, the dominion here spoken of is not spiritual but earthly — not brought in by persuasion, but by power.
Commentators differ on what "the city" means. One takes it as human society organised for its own strength.
Whatever city this means, the large fellowship it stands for will be destroyed. People want their cities to find strength in unity. But corruption thrives in men's cities, and the Lord Jesus will destroy all this.
Another links it to Cain's city, and sets a very different city against it.
"For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Cor. 15:25). Cain built his city after he murdered his brother, and after he "went out from the presence of Jehovah." But destruction will fall on "him that remains of the city." Yet there is another city, not built by man. Abraham, the friend of God, looked for it — "the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10).
The Ruler comes out of Jacob, and Jacob does not just watch. One writer separates the victories God wins alone from those He wins through His people.
Rev. 19:19-21 describes the destruction of the Western armies, and Ezek. 39 the overthrow of the hordes of Russia and her allies. God will do both without any human help. But against other enemies He intends to use a delivered Israel… "out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remains of the city." Israel's armies will be unstoppable, led on by Christ, who will then indeed be "a man of war" (Ex. 15:3; Ps. 45:3-5).
Verse 19 sounds like a closing line. Three short additions follow, and the first one looks at Amalek.
Balaam's words in Num. 24:19 seem to be final. What more could be added to the statement that "out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion," and destroy even the remnants of His people's enemies? But the Spirit of God had still more to say in three short additions… "Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he will perish forever." Ancient fame may look wonderful to men, but it will count for nothing when God arises in His might.
- Compelled — the man paid to curse ends up announcing the King. God can make even an unwilling mouth serve His purpose.
- Person — the earlier speech saw the nation; this one sees a Man, the King of Israel, "not now" and "not near."
- Power — the dominion promised is earthly and enforced, not a rule brought in by persuasion.
- City — what man builds for himself falls, whether that means human society or Cain's city. The city with foundations is God's.
- People — the delivered nation shares in the victory, but only when led by the One who comes out of Jacob.
And he saw Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek is the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be for destruction.
Balaam's last words turn from Israel's future to the nations nearby. The first he names is Amalek. The title he gives them sounds like a compliment. The sentence that follows is total ruin.
What does that title mean? One writer reads it as a matter of timing — who struck first at God's people after they left Egypt:
Here we read of Amalek's unprovoked attack on Israel, just as they had escaped from the power of Pharaoh. Through Samuel we learn what Moses did not tell us in Exodus 17: that "he lay in wait for him," like a serpent lurking in the road. For this cowardly attempt to destroy His people, the LORD swore that He would have war with Amalek "from generation to generation." Balaam, in his prophecy, calls them "the first among the nations." That probably means they were the first of the desert tribes to attack the people of God as they traveled to the land of promise. But their end, he says, is utter destruction.
Balaam does not explain the judgment; earlier Scripture does. The charge rests on how Amalek chose its targets.
The reason for this severe judgment lies in Exodus 17, where the LORD says, "I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven," and in Deuteronomy 25, where Moses says, "Remember what Amalek did to you… how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God." Exalted as the first among the nations, Amalek now faces the sentence of utter destruction, and it seems God has already carried it out.
Amalek was an old and famous name. Balaam's verdict says what that is worth:
When Balaam looked on Amalek, "he took up his discourse and said, 'Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.'" Ancient prestige, however wonderful it may be in the eyes of men, will count for nothing when God arises in His might.
The verses just after this one name other enemies. Being first or last on the list makes no difference:
So it makes no difference whether the powers are western or eastern, whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from. Amalek may be the first of the nations, and Asshur may look like the last; yet trouble comes to Asshur and Eber, and "he too shall come to utter destruction." It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees. The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
One writer traces the sentence through Israel's history to what may be its end:
Moses charged Israel, "When the LORD your God has given you rest… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget" (verse 19). Samuel recalled the word of God and the charge of Moses, and sent Saul to destroy Amalek… For failing in his mission, through disobedience, Saul lost his kingdom. David, in recovering his wives, whom the Amalekites had taken captive at Ziklag, helped on the destruction of Amalek. This destruction, it would seem, was almost complete when, in the days of Hezekiah, some of the sons of Simeon "struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped." It may be that Haman and his sons were the last of Amalek.
Commentators differ here. The words quoted earlier put this judgment in "the day of Immanuel," not in the days of David.
Amalek's judgment is heavier than Moab's or Edom's. One writer gives the reason:
However, Israel will bring Moab and Edom under its rule, but Amalek will suffer a more solemn judgment. Though Amalek was first among the nations, he will totally perish, as Exodus 17:14 affirms, "I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." For Amalek symbolizes the lusts of the flesh, which God will not spare.
Read that way, the verse shapes how believers treat the flesh now — and promises its end:
The flesh and its lusts were never to be seen as anything but enemies. There is to be, not constant conflict, but absolute hostility between the people of God and the lusts of the flesh. The time is coming, thank God, when the very name of the flesh, with all its wretched meaning, will be blotted out for the beloved people of God. It will be only a memory of what we once were, and of a grace that has delivered us completely.
- First — Amalek's title points to who struck first at God's people, right after they escaped Egypt.
- Cause — Amalek attacked the faint and weary at the rear, and did not fear God.
- Doom — an ancient name counts for nothing when God arises. Amalek's end is utter destruction.
- Reach — first nation or last empire, east or west, no enemy escapes; the LORD alone is exalted in that day.
- Picture — Amalek stands for the lusts of the flesh: no truce with them now, and one day their very name will be gone for God's people.
And he saw the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Firm is thy dwelling-place, and thy nest fixed in the rock;
Balaam's last words turn from Israel to the nations camped nearby, naming each one's future in a line or two. He pays the Kenites a compliment — a home set high in the rock — and then cancels it. What is any stronghold worth when God acts?
These were not enemies. One writer traces their family line, their friendship with Israel, and the sin at their heart:
They appear to be a branch of the Midianites, and therefore descendants of Abraham. Midian was a son of Abraham (Gen. 25:2). Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was priest of Midian. In Judges 1:16 we read of the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law. The record of the Kenites shows friendship. Not a few lived among the Israelites, though most remained with the Midianites. And there were those who boasted of their strong dwelling places and put their nest in a rock. They thought themselves secure from Him who must reign over all. They thought the land given to Abraham (Gen. 15:19) could never be made good to his children. The sin of the Kenites was self-confidence; they boasted in their strongholds. Nevertheless they would be wasted until Asshur carried them away captive.
The word for "nest" sounds like the tribe's own name. One writer reads their whole character out of that pun:
They settle among the people of God, but they never unite themselves with them. Balaam's prophecy views them as separate to the last. The play upon the name there — "you put your nest (ken) in the rock" — shows plainly what it means. They are Midianites, men of the world, but not at war with Israel as others of their race were. Instead, they make a nest for themselves among them. It is for the nest that they are there… All this describes only too well the state of many others. In every age they attach themselves to the people of God, yet are not of them.
Two things could not keep the Kenites alive — the rock fortress, and their place beside God's people:
The dwelling place of the Kenites was strong. They could rest in comfort and security in their rock fortress. But without the help and blessing of the God of Israel they could not continue as a nation. Even leaving their natural security and joining God's people would not save them… They were not like Amalek, though they lived among them. Israel had no hostility from them to rebuke, as it had from Moab. But they were not the chosen of God, and He did not preserve them from the forces that consume nations.
One writer widens the point to every defence a nation can build:
Great fortifications, strong natural frontiers, and every possible build-up of military force will be worthless when the day of the Lord opens. He is wiser and stronger than men. Everything will collapse before Him.
Balaam does not stop with the Kenites. Asshur (Assyria), the conqueror, gets a verdict too:
But what about victorious Asshur? "And he took up his discourse and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur." So it does not matter whether the power is western or eastern. It does not matter whether the adversaries are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from. Amalek may be the first of nations, and Asshur seems set to be the last. Yet affliction comes to Asshur and Eber… It is the day of Immanuel.
Only two peoples in this prophecy have their fault named. One writer sees the same pair at the end of the age:
Only two have their evil recorded… Amalek is foremost in his hatred of God. The Kenites are strong in self-confidence, putting their trust in nature — in man. These are common traits of the natural man. When the Lord Jesus appears to take the kingdom, these two characteristics will be most prominent… Along with this will come extreme confidence in man and his boasted progress. Like the Kenites of old, they will put their trust in the rocks.
Commentators differ on how far this reaches. Some read the captivity as history under Assyria. Others place it among the judgments at the end of the age.
- Nest — The Kenites came for the nest, not for the God of Israel. The pun on their name says it all. They stayed separate to the last.
- Neighbours — Jethro's people were friendly to Israel and related to them. Closeness to God's people is not the same as belonging to them.
- Nevertheless — The rock fortress was strong. It was not strong against God. One word overturns the whole compliment.
- Nations — Assyria carries them off. Then ships from Chittim afflict Assyria. Every power in the chain meets the same end, first or last.
- Now — The Kenite sin is trust in man, not hatred of God. Both are common traits of the natural man, and both reach their height at the end.
But the Kenite shall be consumed, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
Balaam looks past Israel to the nations around it, and his eye stops on a people who were no enemy of Israel at all. The Kenite had a strong home and a record of kindness, yet the word over him is burning and captivity — so why is he judged?
The Kenites were not strangers to Israel. They were relatives by blood and by marriage.
He looks on the Kenites and again takes up his parable. They will be laid waste. They appear to be a branch of the Midianites, and therefore descendants of Abraham. Midian was a son of Abraham (Gen. 25:2). Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was priest of Midian. In Judges 1:16 we read of the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law. The record of the Kenites shows friendship. Not a few lived among the Israelites, though the greater part stayed with the Midianites.
So why did they settle among God's people at all? Their own name answers it.
They never unite themselves with the people of God, though they settle among them, and Balaam's prophecy views them as separate to the last. The play upon the name there — "you put your nest (ken) in the rock" — clearly shows the meaning of it. They are Midianites, men of the world, but not at war with Israel as others of their race were. Instead, they make a nest for themselves among them, and it is for the nest that they are there... All this describes only too well the condition of many who attach themselves, in every age, to the people of God, yet are not of them.
Being near God's people is not the same as belonging to God. The Kenites were nothing like Israel's open enemies.
The dwelling place of the Kenites was strong. They could rest in comfort and security in their rock fortress. But without the help and blessing of the God of Israel they could not continue as a nation. Even if they left their natural security and joined themselves to God's people, that would not save them. The time would come when they would go into captivity, and until then their numbers would shrink. They were not like Amalek, though they lived among them, and there was no hostility against Israel to be rebuked, as there was in Moab. But they were not the chosen of God, and He did not keep them safe from all the different forces that destroy nations.
Their kindness to Israel is on record. But kindness is not the final test.
The prophecy then describes the Kenites as having a lasting dwelling place, established in the rock (v. 21), but "Kain (the Kenites) shall be burned and Asshur carry him away captive." The Kenites had shown kindness to Israel when they came out of Egypt (1 Sam. 15:6), but clearly at the last their character of disobedience to God will call for their judgment too. What appears to be good, if it does not have Christ as its Object, will be proved at the last to be only "enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). Asshur (Assyria) will take them captive at the time of the end.
The word translated "nevertheless" turns the whole sentence. The Kenite's defences are real, and they still fail.
Great fortifications, strong natural frontiers, and every possible build-up of military force will be worthless when the day of the Lord opens. He is wiser and stronger than men. Everything will collapse before Him.
The fault was not hostility. It was trust in the wrong place.
Some of them boasted of their strong dwelling places and put their nest in a rock. They thought they were safe from Him who must reign over all. They thought God could never make good His gift of the land to Abraham (Gen. 15:19) for his children. The sin of the Kenites was self-confidence; they boasted in their strongholds.
Asshur carries the Kenite off. Balaam's next words turn on Asshur himself.
But what about victorious Asshur? "And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur." So it does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern, whether the enemies are many or few, with what resources or from what direction... It is the day of Immanuel.
- Nest — The Kenite's name carries the word for nest. He built a safe, comfortable place among God's people without ever becoming one of them.
- Near — He was related to Moses by marriage and lived among Israel. The prophecy still views him as separate to the last.
- Nevertheless — Rock walls, natural borders and armies hold firm. Then the day of the Lord opens, and they collapse.
- Not Christ — Real kindness stands on his record. But what looks good without Christ as its Object proves at the last to be enmity against God.
- No exception — Asshur carries the Kenite away, then ships from Chittim afflict Asshur. No power escapes; it is the day of Immanuel.
And he took up his parable, and said, Alas! Who shall live when God doeth this?
Balaam has just seen a Star rise out of Jacob and a Sceptre crush Israel's enemies — Moab, Edom, Amalek, the Kenite. Now the prophet stops predicting and cries out: if God does this, who is left alive?
The words are wrung out of a man forced to describe a glory he does not want. Balak hated Israel, but Balaam has had to announce Israel's coming King. The sound he makes is not praise.
In prophetic vision he saw Christ. But the Lord Jesus could not say of him what He said to the Jews about Abraham: "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). It gave Balaam no joy to see Christ. It gave him no joy to be forced to describe the great day. On that day He will lift up the people Balak hated and destroy all their enemies, Moab included. Indeed he said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?" This sounds like a wail of disappointment and despair.
The same future that drew this groan from Balaam draws songs from others.
The Spirit led David to describe the blessedness of that time in Psalm 72, and carried him far beyond himself into overflowing worship and praise. Faith looks at the future and breaks out: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel." The enemy on the outside can only say with sadness, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?" (Psalm 72:18; Numbers 24:23).
Balaam's question is not just panic. It points to a day that is still to come.
There shall come a day, connected with the bringing in of the sceptre and dominion of the promised ruler. It will be a day so great and terrible that it puts the lives of all the sons of men in apparent danger. Who shall live when God does this? The flood had gone over the earth. God had promised, seven times over, that all flesh would never again die in a flood of waters. But here comes another judgment, and it looks universal — or nearly so.
Another writer sets this cry beside the Lord's own words about the end times.
In Matthew 24 we have a description of these end times: "And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short" (24:22). Just compare this verse with Numbers 24:23: "Alas, who shall live when God does this!" It is clearly the same period of time. After these terrible days, Christ will appear and set up His Kingdom, and peace will be the result.
But what about victorious Asshur?… It does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern. It does not matter whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from. Amalek may be the first of nations, and Asshur may seem to be the last. Yet affliction comes to Asshur and Eber; "and he also shall perish for ever." It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees. The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
Another writer asks who is acting here, and who gets drawn in.
Neither the pride of power nor the strong dwelling place can stop the one from perishing for ever, or the other from being wasted in captivity. For Balaam's parable does not here speak of Israel accomplishing these things, but, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?" Then in a few words the parable brings the three families of Noah on the scene. Kittim was a descendant of Japheth, Asshur of Ham, and Eber of Shem. All of them will take part in the final conflicts of the last days.
Balaam asks his question and moves on. One writer sets out what God is doing, and who is still standing at the end.
That day also clears the ground for the reign that follows.
God's intervention will sweep the earth clear of all that fills men with pride and vain glory.
- Alas — the cry is a groan, not worship; Balaam sees Christ's day and finds no gladness in it.
- Scale — the judgment is so wide that survival itself is the question; the Lord said those days must be cut short, or no one would be saved.
- Reach — east or west, many or few, first nation or last: no power escapes.
- Agent — the parable does not credit Israel with the blow; it is God doing this, and the Lord alone is exalted in that day.
- Answer — those who live are those God in mercy spares, and beyond the terror stands the reign of the King.
And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and afflict Asshur, and afflict Eber, and he also shall be for destruction.
Balaam's last prophecy looks past his own day and out to sea, where ships sail from the west to strike a great eastern power. Three questions follow: where is Kittim, who are Asshur and Eber, and who is the "he" that comes to utter destruction?
The name is tied throughout the Old Testament to ships. One writer sets out the geography and the persons together, reading the verse as a picture of the last conflict.
In a few words Balaam spoke of "Armageddon," where the last terrible clash of the nations will take place (Rev. 16:13-16)... "Chittim," strictly speaking, means the island of Cyprus. But Scripture uses it as a general term for the West (Jer. 2:10), seen from the Holy Land as God's centre. In Dan. 11:30 Chittim clearly means the Roman Empire. Asshur stands for the cruel Assyrian of Isaiah and Micah, the King of the North of Dan. 11:40. He wins at first in the world's last crisis. He overthrows many countries (Dan. 11:41)... But God has appointed both the Assyrian and the Roman to destruction. The "he" of Num. 24:24 is the last head of the Roman Empire (compare Dan. 7:8).
Ships from Chittim appear by name in only one other place: Daniel 11. That link shapes how commentators read this verse.
Daniel gives a similar prophecy about the king of the north. Ships from Chittim come against him, so he is discouraged, turns back, and rages against the holy covenant (Dan. 11:30). The king of the north here was the king of Syria, yet the Spirit of God seems to identify him with the Assyrian of the last days. The ships of Rome came against Antiochus Epiphanes. But they were a foreshadowing of Balaam's prophecy being fulfilled. In the last days it seems the navies of the western powers will come against the king of the north, the revived Assyrian.
Balaam names one nation after another, and judgment falls on each in turn.
Amalek may be the first of nations, and Asshur seemed set to be the last. Yet affliction comes on Asshur and Eber, and "he too shall come to utter destruction." It is the day of Immanuel, not of David or the Maccabees. Jehovah alone will be exalted in that day. So it does not matter whether the powers are western or eastern, whether the enemies are many or few, what resources they have, or where they come from.
Eber is the ancestor whose name lies behind the word "Hebrew." One writer reads it as a cut-down title for the Jewish people, used at a time when God does not own them as His people.
Asshur, or Assyria, was the power that carried Israel captive, and now Asshur's turn to feel God's judgment comes. The ships of Chittim afflict Eber as well as Asshur. The Western powers become the instrument of God's anger against Eber — that is, Israel, or the Jew. But not as Israel: they are "Lo-ammi" and are no more than the children of Eber, Hebrews. God does not acknowledge them, and for a time their title and name of power is lost. But when the Star out of Jacob comes, and the Sceptre from Israel, they will receive this name of power again, and "Lo-ammi" will be reversed for ever.
Not everyone agrees. Another writer maps the names onto the four world empires of Daniel's visions instead.
There is no doubt that Asshur stands for the first of the Gentile empires, that is, Babylon. Eber probably stands for the other, the Medo-Persian. Kittim, the isles of the west, stands for the Greek and Roman rule.
The conqueror does not outlive his own conquest.
We see the final judgment of the ships of Chittim — that is, of the west, north of the Mediterranean. We see the judgment of their chief as well, after he has afflicted Asshur and Eber. It will be the terrible judgment of God at the end of this age.
Balaam's cry, "Alas, who shall live when God does this!", is not the last word. The verse sits under the promise of the Star and the Sceptre a few lines earlier.
The verse looks at the great conflict still to come, since nothing in the past quite fits it all... West and East and Israel will clash and suffer. But the word just before it stands: Israel acts bravely, and one from Jacob will rule. Eber surely stands here as a figure for the Jews. The prophets declare that they rise to the first place on earth, when God destroys the destroyers of the earth and Messiah reigns.
- West — Kittim means Cyprus, but Scripture uses it for the West, seen from the Holy Land as God's centre. In Daniel 11:30 it means Rome.
- East — Those ships strike Asshur, the Assyrian, the King of the North. He wins at first in the world's last crisis.
- Israel — Eber is the name behind "Hebrew." Some read it as the Jewish people, stripped of their title for a time. Others read it as the Medo-Persian empire.
- The victor — He too "shall come to utter destruction." The western chief goes down with those he afflicted. Numbers, resources and direction of attack save no one.
- The King — The day belongs to Immanuel. When God destroys the destroyers of the earth, the Star out of Jacob reigns and Israel gets its lost name back.