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Numbers Chapter 17 (GENEVA1599)

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Numbers Chapter 17
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1 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

2 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and take of euery one of them a rod, after the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the familie of their fathers, euen twelue rods: and thou shalt write euery mans name vpon his rod.

3 And write Aarons name vpon the rod of Leui: for euery rodde shalbe for the head of the house of their fathers.

4 And thou shalt put them in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, before the Arke of the Testimonie, where I wil declare my selfe to you.

5 And the mans rod, whome I chuse, shall blossome: and I will make cease from mee the grudgings of the children of Israel, which grudge against you.

6 Then Moses spake vnto the children of Israel, and al their princes gaue him a rod, one rod for euery Prince, according to the houses of their fathers, euen twelue rods, and the rod of Aaron was among their roddes.

7 And Moses layde the rods before the Lord in the Tabernacle of the Testimonie.

8 And when Moses on the morow went into the Tabernacle of the Testimonie, beholde, the rod of Aaron for the house of Leui was budded, and brought forth buddes, and brought forth blossoms, and bare ripe almondes.

9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord vnto all the children of Israel: and they looked vpon them, and tooke euery man his rodde.

10 After, the Lord said vnto Moses, Bring Aarons rod againe before the Testimonie to bee kept for a token to the rebellious children, and thou shalt cause their murmurings to cease from me, that they dye not.

11 So Moses did as the Lord had commanded him: so did he.

12 And the children of Israel spake vnto Moses, saying, Behold, we are dead, we perish, we are all lost:

13 Whosoeuer commeth neere, or approcheth to the Tabernacle of the Lord, shall dye: shall we be consumed and dye?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the test with the rods in Numbers chapter 17?
After the rebellion in Numbers 16, the LORD has each tribe's leader place a rod with his name in the tabernacle overnight, promising that the rod of the man he chose would blossom, settling once and for all who was meant to serve as priest.
What happened to Aaron's rod overnight?
Verse 8 says it had budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds by morning, a sudden, unmistakable sign of life among the twelve otherwise identical dry rods, comparable to the growth pictured in Ezekiel 17:24.
Why did Moses keep Aaron's rod instead of returning it?
Verse 10 says the LORD told Moses to bring it back before the testimony 'to be kept for a token against the rebels,' so future generations would remember and stop murmuring against the LORD's chosen priesthood.

Today's Verse

Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Exodus 23:20 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

The rod is kept afterward as a permanent token against further rebellion, an object lesson in the LORD making a dry stick flourish, a picture Ezekiel 17:24 later develops on a larger scale. Priestly and Levitical duties are spelled out in detail next in Numbers 18.