Numbers 17
17
The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
1#sn Num 17:1 in the English Bible is 17:16 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36. The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe,#tn Heb “receive from them a rod, a rod from the house of a father.” one from every tribal leader,#tn Heb “from every leader of them according to their fathers’ house.” twelve staffs; you must write each man’s name on his staff. 3 You must write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe.#tn Heb “one rod for the head of their fathers’ house.” 4 You must place them#tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”), and so “to set at rest, lay, place, put.” The form with the vav (ו) consecutive continues the instruction of the previous verse. in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant#tn The Hebrew text simply reads “the covenant” or “the testimony.” where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader,#tn Heb “a rod for one leader, a rod for one leader.” according to their tribes#tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” – twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.#tn The name of the tent now attests to the centrality of the ark of the covenant. Instead of the “tent of meeting” (מוֹעֵד, mo’ed) we now find the “the tent of the testimony” (הָעֵדֻת, ha’edut).
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony – and#tn Here too the deictic particle (“and behold”) is added to draw attention to the sight in a vivid way. the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds!#sn There is no clear answer why the tribe of Levi had used an almond staff. The almond tree is one of the first to bud in the spring, and its white blossoms are a beautiful sign that winter is over. Its name became a name for “watcher”; Jeremiah plays on this name for God’s watching over his people (1:11-12). 9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites. They looked at them,#tn The words “at them” are not in the Hebrew text, but they have been added in the translation for clarity. and each man took his staff.
The Memorial
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end#tn The verb means “to finish; to complete” and here “to bring to an end.” It is the imperfect following the imperative, and so introduces a purpose clause (as a final imperfect). before me, that they will not die.”#tn This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause. 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him – this is what he did.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We are bound to die!#tn The use of הֵן (hen) and the perfect tense in the nuance of a prophetic perfect expresses their conviction that they were bound to die – it was certain (see GKC 312-13 §106.n). We perish, we all perish! 13 (17:28)#sn Num 17:13 in the English Bible is 17:28 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36. Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?”#tn The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, ha’im tamnu ligvoa’).
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Numbers 17
17
Aaron’s Staff Is Chosen
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” and take from among them twelve staffs, a staff from each family#Literally “a staff from a house of a father” from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff, 3and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of their families.#Literally “the house of their fathers” 4You must then put them in the tent of assembly before#Literally “in the presence of” the testimony#Or “the statute” where I meet with you. 5And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” who are grumbling against you.” 6Moses spoke to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from each of their families,#Literally “each from the house of their fathers” twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes. 7And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.
8Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds. 9Then Moses brought out to all the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff. 10And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony#Or “the statute” as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.” 11So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
12And the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish! 13Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. Will we all die?”#Literally “Will we all die to perish?”
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