Birth & AdventClear Fulfillment
The Star of Jacob
Written: ~1400 BC→Fulfilled: ~5 BC
Balaam's oracle of a star from Jacob was fulfilled in the star that guided the Magi to Jesus.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Old Testament Prophecy
Numbers 24:17
"A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel."
New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 2:2
""Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.""
Commentary
The Magi's star may be a direct fulfillment of Balaam's oracle. The Magi were likely from the East (Babylon or Persia), where Jewish exiles had preserved messianic prophecies. Their knowledge of the "star" prophecy from Numbers 24 would explain why they associated a celestial sign with the birth of the Jewish king.