Commentaria in Numeros
17. I SHALL SEE HIM (Israel), BUT NOT NOW—namely I shall see him in the day of judgment, when I shall rise with him in the valley of Josaphat, says Abulensis. Secondly, and more suitably to what follows: “I shall see him,” not with my eyes, but with the eyes of my descendants and successors. For they shall see Israel, wonderfully adorned by the birth of the Messias, to be born of them. For of this he adds: “A star shall rise out of Jacob.” For God and the Prophets are wont to foretell certain things and to send them forward to posterity, which are to be fulfilled not in him to whom they are promised, but in his posterity: so St. Chrysostomus, homily 8 on Matthew, and Euthymius on Matthew 1. So the land of Chanaan is promised to Abraham, that is, to his posterity, Genesis 15:7. So Jacob, Genesis 49, blessing his sons, promises those things which are to befall their posterity. So it is said, Aggeus 2:24: “I will take thee, Zorobabel,” namely in Christ; that is, I will take Christ, who shall be born of thee, O Zorobabel. Like are Genesis 12:3, Genesis 27:29 (1).
A STAR SHALL RISE OUT OF JACOB.—Some by the star and the sceptre understand David, and there are certain things which agree with David as with Christ. For David shone like a star in wisdom, piety, warlike fortitude and glory of kingdom, so that no one dared to touch him so exalted, as no one can touch the stars. Moreover David subdued Moab and the Idumeans, 2 Kings 8, which is what is said here of the star. But the chief literal sense is of Christ; whence the Chaldee most clearly translates: a king shall arise out of the house of Jacob, and Christ shall be anointed of the house of Israel, and shall slay the princes of Moab, and shall rule over all the children of men. Christ is therefore here called, as the sceptre, so also the “star,” first, because he is the light of the world; secondly, on account of the brightness and glory, both of the heavenly life, both of the resurrection and of beatitude: for which cause Christ is called the bright and morning star.
Where note: Christ is called the morning star, that
Again, more fully and clearly, the morning star is the light of glory and the clear vision of God, which the victorious soul obtains by the grace of Christ after death. This is called a star on account of the brightness of contemplation. “Lord,” says the Psalmist, “in thy light we shall see light.” It is called morning, first, because it will dawn after the night of this life and world; secondly, on account of the beginning of beatitude, which will be completed in the resurrection of bodies, when this morning star shall be changed as it were into the noonday sun, when, namely, the soul shall diffuse its glory into the body. Both senses, namely of Christ and of the glory of the blessed soul, are held by Richard of St. Victor, Primasius, Arethas, on the cited place of the Apocalypse.
Thirdly, Christ is called a star, because by a star the nativity of Christ was signified. For Christ, as a divine star, risen from the seed of Jacob, sent forth that bodily star, and as it were scattered it from himself, to call the Magi to himself in Bethlehem. For that the star of the Magi is here regarded is plain both from the Hebrew text, which for “shall rise” has darach, that is, stepped, and trod the way and went before, which properly suits that star going before the Magi; and because it is the common opinion of the Fathers that the three Magi were either descendants or successors of this Balaam, and were taught by this prophecy of his that a star would some day arise to indicate the nativity of a great King of the Jews; and hence the Magi, on seeing the star, were at once moved to inquire for this king signified by the star, and the words of the Magi signify this: “We have seen his star,” as if to say: We have seen not some unknown star, but “his star,” known, namely, and foretold by Balaam, that it would be his star, the indicator, namely, of Christ. So teach Origen, homilies 13, 15, 18 on this place; Epiphanius in the Epitome; Cyprian, sermon On the Star and the Magi; Basil, homily On the Human Generation of Christ; Leo, sermon 4 on the Epiphany; Ambrose, book II on Luke, chapter on the Magi; Nyssen, oration On the Holy Nativity of Christ; Eusebius, book IX, Demonstration; Procopius and Rupert here, St. Jerome, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euthymius, and others on Matthew 1. Of whom Origen and some others hold that the three Magi were Chaldees, because Balaam, their parent or predecessor, was a Chaldee, or Mesopotamian. Others, more, hold that they were Arabs: for this prophecy of the star was uttered by Balaam in Arabia: whence his memory remained renowned there, as among the neighbours, through many ages.
And from this oracle of Balaam concerning this star seems to have flowed that widespread fame once in the East of a king to be born in Juda, who should gain possession of all things, of which Suetonius makes mention in the Life of Vespasian, Cicero, On Divination book II, Orosius, Hegesippus and others. Moreover, from the Hebrew darach, that is, the star stepped forth out of Jacob, some probably hold that this star was first seen by the Magi existing in the East over Judea and Bethlehem, and as it were resting on them: for from this the Magi seem to have known that the king of Judea was born, and that he was to be sought in Bethlehem. Then that this star flew with swift motion from Judea to the East, to call the Magi, and there rested until the Magi entered upon their journey. For the Magi say, Matthew 2:2: “We have seen his star in the east.” So thinks Sebastian Barradas, Harmony of the Gospels book IX, chapter 9. Procopius on Numbers 24:17 agrees, and Haymo, sermon 3 on the Epiphany, who teach that the star seen by the Magi stood perpendicularly over Judea.
Symbolically: “The star,” says Cardinal Hugh, “has six rays, with which it illuminates the night, and Christ has six virtues, with which he enlightens every man.” The first is humility; the second is meekness, Matthew chapter 11: “Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart.” The third is obedience, Philippians chapter 2: “Christ became obedient for us unto death, even to the death of the cross.” The fourth is patience. The fifth is mercy, of which Job 31: “From my infancy mercy grew up with me, and it came out with me from my mother’s womb.” The sixth is charity, of which John chapter 3: “God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son,” etc.
Note: For “shall rise” (cochab, that is, star) Rabbi Akiba and the Jews formerly read, shall rise, cosab or cosba, that is, a lie. For from this they wished to prove that their impostor, named Bar Cosba (as if you said, son of a lie), was the true Messias; wherefore Bar Cosba, having assembled a very great army, rebelled against the Romans as king Messias. But the Emperor Hadrian besieged him in the city of Bitter, and it being taken Bar Cosba was slain, and a great slaughter of the Jews was made, as among others Galatinus relates, book IV, chapter 21.
Note: As a star was the presage of Christ, so lights have shown forth the presages of the birth of illustrious Saints. Hear examples:
Hortulana, the mother of St. Clare, when near her delivery, praying before the crucifix, heard a voice: “Fear not, woman, for thou shalt bring forth a light which shall illuminate the world more clearly”; taught by which miracle, she ordered the infant daughter born to be called Clare in baptism. So her Life has it.
When St. Swibert, bishop of Werden, was born of a most illustrious mother, the Countess Berta, an exceeding brightness filled the whole royal chamber, and continued with undimmed rays until he himself was brought forth into the light, says Marcellinus in his Life.
The mother of St. Willibrord, bishop of Utrecht, in a dream by night saw as it were a new moon waxing to the full; and looking at it more carefully, by a sudden slip it fell into her mouth, and when it was swallowed her inmost parts were filled with splendour. Awaking, however, terrified with fear, she related the dream to a certain religious priest, who said to her: “The moon which thou hast seen grow from small to great is the son whom thou hast conceived this night, who by the light of truth shall dispel dark errors, and wherever he goes, accompanied by the splendour of the light on high, shall show the full orb of his perfection, and by the sparkling brightness of his fame and the beauty of his morals shall allure the gaze of many to himself.” It came to pass after the circle of days, and the woman bore a son, whom in baptism she called Willibrord. So Alcuin Flaccus, the preceptor of Charlemagne, relates in the Life of St. Willibrord.
The mother of St. Columban the Abbot, being with child, in a dream by night saw from her bosom a glowing sun, shining with exceeding brightness, come forth and give great light to the world. Surely this Saint shone in the Church like a sun, according to that of Debora, Judges 5: “But let them that love thee shine as the sun rises in his glory.” Jonas the Abbot is witness in his Life.
The mother of St. Dominic saw that she bore in her womb a whelp, which carried in its mouth a burning torch, with which, coming forth from the womb, it illuminated and inflamed the whole world. Hence illustrious Saints and Doctors shall shine in heaven as stars for all eternities, Daniel 12. See what was said there.
Christ shall be born of Israel, who with the rod, or, as in Hebrew, the sceptre of his kingdom, that is, with royal power, shall strike, in Hebrew pierce through, the chiefs of Moab. For Christ by himself and by his Apostles converted, and at once subdued to his faith, the Moabites, Syrians, Idumeans and other nations neighbouring to Judea (1).