In Balaam's final oracles, he declares that he sees a coming figure, "but not now," and beholds him, "but not near." He then describes a star coming from Jacob and a scepter rising from Israel. In its historical setting, the oracle anticipates a future Israelite ruler who will triumph over Israel's enemies. The language of the scepter is plainly royal, and the prophecy came to be understood by Jewish and Christian readers as extending beyond an immediate historical king toward messianic hope.

The fulfillment passages in this table emphasize the appointed time of Christ's coming. John 1:14 announces that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among humanity, while Galatians 4:4 says that God sent His Son "when the fullness of time had come." Neither passage directly quotes Numbers 24:17, so the connection should not be overstated as a formal New Testament citation. Nevertheless, Christians understand Jesus as the ultimate royal descendant of Jacob toward whom Israel's messianic expectations converge. Balaam sees the ruler at a distance; in the New Testament, at God's appointed time, that promised king enters history in the person of Christ.