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Numbers 17

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God Commands the Test of the Rods 1–7

1
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod. ​
3
And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses. ​
4
And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. ​
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And it shall come to pass, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you. ​
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And Moses spake unto the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
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And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimony.

Aaron's Rod Budds and Blossoms 8–9

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And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bare ripe almonds. ​
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And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

The Rod Preserved as a Warning 10–11

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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me, that they die not. ​
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Thus did Moses: as Jehovah commanded him, so did he.

The People's Fearful Reaction 12–13

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And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. ​
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Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah, dieth: shall we perish all of us? ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 17

Verse 2

a rod according to the house of their fathers — Matteh means both a rod and a tribe, and the verse uses it for twelve tribal rods, as in Num 1:4, 'a man of every tribe'. Moses writes each man's name upon his rod. The test follows the rising of Korah's company against the priesthood (ch. 16) and settles whom the LORD has chosen (v.5).

Verse 3

Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi — The rod of Levi carries Aaron's name, 'for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers'. Aaron had already been set over the priest's office (Num 3:10), and Korah, a Levite, had asked for it (16:10). Here the other tribes' rods are set beside Levi's, and the LORD decides between them.

Verse 4

before the testimony — Edut, 'testimony', is the name for the tablets that lay in the ark (Ex 25:16). The rods are laid up where the LORD says 'I will meet with you', the promise of Ex 25:22, 'there I will meet with thee'. The sign is laid up in the place where the LORD meets with Moses.

Verse 5

shall blossom — Parach, to bud or bloom, the verb of v.8. 'Choose' is bachar, the verb of 16:7, 'the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy'. 'Murmur' is lun, as in 16:41. The LORD says the sign will 'make to cease' the murmurings, and v.10 speaks of taking them 'quite' away.

Verse 8

yielded almonds — The one rod passes through every stage in a night: it 'was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds'. Shaqed, almond, is found elsewhere in Gen 43:11, where Jacob sends almonds as a gift, in Jer 1:11, 'a rod of an almond tree', and in Eccl 12:5. It is the rod 'for the house of Levi'.

Verse 10

a token against the rebels — 'Token' is ot, a sign, the word used of the censers in 16:38. 'Rebels' is literally 'sons of rebellion'. 'To be kept' is mishmereth, a charge, the word of the manna kept 'for your generations' (Ex 16:33). Heb 9:4 lists 'Aaron's rod that budded' with the golden pot of manna and 'the tables of the covenant'.

Verse 12

we die, we perish — 'Perish' is abad, the verb of 16:33, where Korah's company 'perished from among the congregation'. The people speak after the plague of 16:49. The LORD's answer comes in Num 18:22–23: Israel is not to 'come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die', and the Levites do the service.

Verse 13

shall we be consumed with dying? — 'Consumed' is tamam, to be finished, the verb of 14:35, 'in this wilderness they shall be consumed'. 'Cometh near' is qarev, the word of the law that 'the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death' (3:10). The next chapter assigns the nearness to the priests and Levites (18:3–4).