Several messianic themes are sounded
in the Balaam oracles, but most prominent for the present is what appears to
be the interpretation of Gen 3:15 in Num
24:17. There is enmity between Israel and
Moab, and fearing Israel’s numbers (22:3)
Balak king of Moab summons Balaam
to curse Israel. As Balaam’s oracles are
recounted, the text indicates that a male
Israelite will arise whose coming is associated with the arrival of a star and the
rising of a scepter, pointing to his royal
status. The Targum on this text seems to
interpret the star as “the King” (malkā’)
and the scepter as “the Messiah” (měšîhā’).
This individual will “crush the forehead
of Moab” (Num 24:17). The words used
in Numbers are not the words used in
Genesis, but the image of the crushed
head of an enemy is clearly invoked. - James Hamilton, The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15, AI generated podcast format of article
Saturday, October 03, 2026
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment