Numbers 24:23-24
“And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.”
King James Version
Western ships afflicting Assyria and Eber (Hebrews), understood as Rome's eventual dominance over the Near East.
Fulfillment References
Daniel 2:44 Daniel 11:30
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalBalaam's final oracle looks far ahead: 'ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur... and he also shall perish for ever.' Maritime powers from the west (Chittim/Kittim) would overthrow the great eastern empires — read of Greece and Rome, and ultimately of the rise and fall of all human kingdoms before God's everlasting reign (Dan. 2; 7). The God who governs the nations' rise and fall is the one Lord whose kingdom alone endures.
JewishBalaam's enigmatic last oracle of distant maritime conquerors (Kittim) afflicting Assyria and Eber; often read of later Mediterranean powers' dominance.
CatholicA distant prophecy of the shifting of empires, read within God's sovereign ordering of history toward His kingdom.
Protestant'Chittim' (the western coastlands) foretelling Greek/Roman naval power overthrowing the eastern empires; God's hand over the nations.
Academic'Kittim' (Cyprus, later Greeks/Romans) in Balaam's oracle is much discussed; the Dead Sea Scrolls identify the Kittim with Rome.
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Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.