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Christianity

Numbers 17Aaron's Rod Blossoms

Summary

Numbers 17 settles the question of priesthood by a sign. Each tribal leader brings a rod with his name, Aaron's name is written on Levi's rod, and all twelve are placed before the testimony overnight. In the morning Aaron's rod has budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Moses shows the rods to the people, and Aaron's is kept before the ark as a warning to rebels. The terrified people cry that they will perish if they approach the tabernacle.

Key verse

“And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.”

Numbers 17:8

Themes

  • Divine Choice
  • Signs
  • End of Grumbling
  • Life From Dead Wood

Text

1

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2

Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers 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 one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.

4

And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.

5

And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

6

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

7

And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

8

And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

9

And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

10

And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

11

And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.

12

And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.

13

Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

  • Christianity

    Hebrews 9: Inside the Ark

    Hebrews 9:4 lists Aaron's rod that budded among the contents of the ark, along with the golden pot of manna and the tablets of the covenant.

  • Christianity

    Jeremiah 1: The Almond Branch

    Jeremiah 1:11 to 12 sees a rod of an almond tree, playing on the Hebrew words for almond and watching. Some readers connect it with the almond blossoms on Aaron's rod.

Questions about Numbers 17

Why did Aaron's rod bud?

Numbers 17:5 says the rod of the man God chose would blossom, ending the complaints after Korah's rebellion. The almonds confirmed Aaron's family as priests.

Why do verse numbers in Numbers 16 and 17 differ?

The King James Version's Numbers 16:36 to 50 corresponds to 17:1 to 15 in Hebrew Bibles, so Numbers 17:8 in English is 17:23 in Hebrew.