Notes on Numbers · §24 · Origen of Alexandria

Balaam's prophecy of a ruler and the Magi's tradition

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Origen is commenting on Balaam's prophecy in Numbers, first on the ruler over many nations, then on the star prophecy and the tradition that the Magi inherited Balaam's prophecies.

Verse 7. And he will rule over many nations (Numbers 24:7). There are indeed many lords and many gods, but blessed are those who have our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord, for they will rule over many dominions.

Verse 17. And a man from Israel shall rise (Numbers 24:17). They say that Balaam had disciples in his art, men who had been instructed by him in magic, and that they held an opinion about him and wrote down his prophecies and left them behind, including the one that says, "A star shall rise." It was through receiving this from ancestral tradition and succession that the Magi came to Bethlehem.

Greek

Στίχ. ζ΄. Καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν. (25) Εἰσὶ δὲ κύριοι πολλοὶ, καὶ θεοὶ πολλοί. Μακάριοι δὲ οἱ τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἔχοντες κύριον· κυριεύσουσι γὰρ κυρίας πολλάς.

Στίχ. ιζ΄. Καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Φασὶ τὸν Βαλαὰμ ἔχειν φοιτητὰς τῇ τέχνῃ, μαθητεύσαντας αὐτῷ τῇ μαγικῇ· καὶ δόξαν περὶ αὐτοῦ (26), ἀναγράψασθαι τὰς προφητείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταλιπεῖν, ἐν αἷς καὶ τό· Ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον. Ἤ καὶ ἐκ τῆς πατρικῆς παραδόσεως τοῦτο καὶ διαδοχῆς παραλαβόντες οἱ Μάγοι, ἐπὶ τὴν Βηθλεὲμ παρεγένοντο.

About this text

Origen's short notes on selected verses of Numbers and their moral and prophetic meaning.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) wrote these notes on selected verses from the book of Numbers for Christian readers seeking to understand the text's moral and prophetic meanings. He was a theologian who headed the Catechetical School of Alexandria, and his comments reflect a teacher's concern with how the Greek text of Scripture should be read and applied.

The work survives through a Latin translation made by Rufinus, who undertook it at the request of his brother Donatus during a time of barbarian threat and completed it when a quiet night allowed work. The original preaching likely occurred during a three-year liturgical cycle sometime between about 238 and 244 AD. These homilies are the oldest surviving corpus of Christian sermons and shaped biblical exegesis for succeeding centuries.

A reader will meet Moses, his sister Miriam, Balak king of Moab, and the seer Balaam. Origen quotes the Greek translators Aquila and Symmachus on the description of manna, and he reports a tradition that Balaam's disciples preserved his prophecies, which later guided the Magi to Bethlehem. To follow the argument, know that manna is the miraculous food God gave Israel in the wilderness, that Miriam was struck with leprosy for speaking against Moses, and that the spies who slandered the promised land effectively made God a liar. Origen treats Balaam's utterance as an oracle with symbolic meaning, and he identifies the man from Israel in the prophecy with Jesus Christ.

New English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from de La Rue, Origen's Works, vol. 7 (Migne PG 17, Paris 1857) (Greek)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.