Charles Ellicott Commentary Numbers 24:17

"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." — Numbers 24:17 (ASV)

I shall see him ... — Better, I see him (or, it), but not now; I behold him (or, it), but not near. The reference cannot be to Israel, whose armies were encamped before the eyes of Balaam. His words must be understood as referring to One whom he beheld with the eyes of his mind, not with his bodily sight. This is obvious from the words that follow. Balaam beholds in vision a Star and a Sceptre, not as having already appeared, but as about to appear in the future.

There shall come a Star out of Jacob ... — Literally, There has come forth a Star out of Jacob, etc. The verb is in the prophetic past or historic tense of prophecy, denoting the certainty of the event predicted. (Compare to Jude 1:14: Behold the Lord cometh—literally, came.) If there is any ambiguity in the first symbol, it is removed in the second. A star is a fitting image of an illustrious king or ruler, and the mention of the sceptre in the words that follow shows that it is so employed in the present instance.

The Targum of Onkelos is as follows: “When the King shall arise out of Jacob, and the Messiah shall be anointed from Israel.” The Targum of Palestine reads thus: “A King is to arise from the house of Jacob, and a Redeemer and Ruler from the house of Israel.” Ibn Ezra interprets these words of David, but he says that many interpret them of the Messiah. It seems to have been with reference to this prophecy that the pretender to the title of the Messiah in the days of the Emperor Adrian took the name of Bar-cochab, or Bar-cochba (the son of a star). The words of the Magi, We have seen his star in the East (Matthew 2:2), appear to have reference to this prophecy.

And shall smite the corners of Moab. —Or, the two sides of Moab. The prophecy was partially, or typically, fulfilled in the time of David (2 Samuel 8:2). Moab and Edom represented symbolically the enemies of Christ and of His Church, and as such will eventually be subdued by the King of kings. (Compare to Psalm 60:8.)

And destroy all the children of Sheth. —Better, and destroy (or, break down; compare to Isaiah 22:5) all the sons of tumult. Such appears to be the most probable rendering of these words according to the present Hebrew text. It has been conjectured, however, that the word that is rendered “destroy” (karkar) should be read kodkod (crown of the head), as in the parallel passage of Jeremiah 48:45, in which case the clause may be rendered, And the crown of the head of all the sons of tumult.