Numbers 17

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 17 of 36

1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Speak to the sons of Israel, and take from each one of them a rod, for a father's house, from all their rulers, for the house of their fathers, twelve rods. You shall write the name of each man on his rod.

3 And you shall write Aaron's name on the staff of the tribe of Levi; for one rod shall be for the head of their fathers' house.

Read full chapter in the Bible Reader

Chapter Summary

To settle the question of priesthood permanently, God commands that rods from each tribe be placed in the tabernacle. Aaron's rod alone buds, blossoms, and bears almonds, confirming his priestly authority. The rod is kept as a memorial.

Key Hebrew Words

מַטֶּה rod, staff H4294 · TWOT 1352b
פָּרַח to bud, blossom H6524 · TWOT 1815
שָׁקֵד almond H8247 · TWOT 2451a
תְּלֻנָּה murmuring H8519 · TWOT 1097a
עֵדוּת testimony H5715 · TWOT 1576f
מְרִי rebellion H4805 · TWOT 1242a

People & Context

Moses

Prophet who places the twelve rods before Jehovah and carries out His command about Aaron's rod.

Aaron

High priest whose rod alone buds, blossoms, and bears almonds, confirming his priestly authority.

Jehovah

God who commands the test of the rods and chooses Aaron to end Israel's murmurings.

Timeline

Aaron's Rod Buds

Moses collected twelve inscribed rods, one for the leader of each tribe, and placed them in the tabernacle before the testimony 37 . The next day, Aaron's rod representing the house of Levi had miraculously budded, bloomed, and produced ripe almonds .

Numbers 17:1-9
Rod Preserved as Warning

God instructed Moses to put Aaron's rod back before the testimony to be kept as a token of warning to the rebels . This was done to put an end to their murmurings so they would not die .

Numbers 17:10-13

Read Numbers 17 in the KJ3 Reader

Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.

Open in Bible Reader
Numbers 16NumbersNumbers 18