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Numbers Chapter
Seventeen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 17
In
this chapter the priesthood of Aaron is further confirmed and established by
the budding and blossom of his rod
as it lay among the princes of the several
tribes
when theirs did not
Numbers 17:1; which
rod of Aaron was ordered to be laid up before the ark
as a token against the
rebels
and to put an end to all murmurings against Aaron for the future; which
was accordingly done
Numbers 17:10; upon
which the people expressed their fear of perishing because of their sins
Numbers 17:12.
Numbers 17:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses
saying:
YLT
1And Jehovah speaketh unto
Moses
saying
And the Lord spake unto Moses
.... After the plague
ceased
for the further confirmation of the priesthood in Aaron's family
another method is directed to by the Lord:
saying: as follows.
Numbers 17:2 2 “Speak to
the children of Israel
and get from them a rod from each father’s house
all
their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s
name on his rod.
YLT
2`Speak unto the sons of
Israel
and take from them each a rod
for a father's house
from all their
princes
for the house of their fathers
twelve rods; the name of each thou
dost write on his rod
Speak unto the children of Israel
.... The principal men
among them of the several tribes:
and take of everyone of them; not of every individual
of the people of Israel
but of their princes
as afterwards explained:
a rod
according to the house of their fathers; or
"father"
of whom their house or tribe was called
as Reuben
Simeon
&c. this rod was either a common walking staff
as some think
or rather
the ensign of their princely office and dignity
peculiar to each tribe; though
some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree
and that all the
rods were of one and the same tree; but supposing they were all of the almond
kind
as JosephusF4Antiqu. l. 4. c. 4. sect. 2. thinks
yet being
dry rods
and of long use
served to make the miracle appear the greater:
of all their princes
according to the house of their fathers
twelve rods; this explains who they were to be taken of
the princes of the
several tribes
whose names are given
Numbers 1:5; and
the number of them twelve
according to the number of the twelve tribes:
write thou every man's name upon his rod; the name of
each prince
or head of a tribe
either by cutting it into the rod
or
fastening a writing to it
after the manner of those times; as
for instance
the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben; by which it was to be made and was
made to appear
that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood
but to
the tribe of Levi
and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron; whereby
it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it
as being all
holy
and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe
as such their princes
were.
Numbers 17:3 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi.
For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house.
YLT
3and Aaron's name thou dost
write on the tribe of Levi; for one rod [is] for the head of their fathers'
house:
And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi
.... Or upon
the rod that was for the tribe of Levi; the name of "Aaron" was to be
written
not the word "Levi"
or a "Levite"
as JosephusF5Antiqu.
l. 4. c. 4. sect. 2. ; for that would not have decided the controversy about
the priesthood
which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron
who were of the same tribe:
for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their
fathers; one rod for the head or prince of every tribe
every prince
representing his own tribe he was the head of
and the rod the prince; and
though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families
the family of the
priests
and the family of the Levites; yet
as Jarchi observes
they were but
one tribe
and so one rod for them
as for the other tribes.
Numbers 17:4 4 Then you
shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony
where I
meet with you.
YLT
4and thou hast placed them
in the tent of meeting
before the testimony
where I meet with you.
And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation
.... In the
most holy place:
before the testimony; that is
the ark in
which the testimony or the law was; here they were laid as in the presence of
God
who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them
and put an
end to it; for upon the ark was the mercy seat
over which were the cherubim
the seat of the divine Majesty
and where none could come at them
and where no
fraud could be supposed to be committed:
where I will meet with you; not with the people in
person
who might not go at any time into the most holy place; nor with Aaron
who only might go into it on the day of atonement; but with Moses
the chief
ruler and representative of the whole body of the people
and who might go in
there at any time
to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty
and where the Lord had said he would meet him
Exodus 25:22; and
now would
in a miraculous way
clearly show him
and the people of Israel by
him
who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribes.
Numbers 17:5 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I
choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children
of Israel
which they make against you.”
YLT
5`And it hath come to pass
the man's rod on whom I fix doth flourish
and I have caused to cease from off
me the murmurings of the sons of Israel
which they are murmuring against you.'
And it shall come to pass
that the man's rod whom I shall choose
.... Or make
it manifest that he had chosen him
and so confirm the choice he had made of
him and his family
for the priesthood to be and continue in:
shall blossom; bud and blossom
and yield fruit
as it
afterwards did
which is here declared beforehand
that the miracle might
appear the greater
exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of
it:
and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of
Israel
whereby they murmur against you; against Moses for
setting up his brother as an high priest
and establishing the priesthood in
his family; and against Aaron for accepting of it
and officiating in it; but
by this method now taken
God would for ever silence their murmurings
so that
they should never be able
with any face
to object any more to the authority of
the Aaronic priesthood
which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all
dispute and contradiction.
Numbers 17:6 6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel
and each of
their leaders gave him a rod apiece
for each leader according to their fathers’
houses
twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
YLT
6And Moses speaketh unto the
sons of Israel
and all their princes give unto him one rod for a prince
one
rod for a prince
for their fathers' house
twelve rods
and the rod of Aaron
[is] in the midst of their rods;
And Moses spake unto the children of Israel
.... What the
Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods
which they hearkened unto
and observed:
and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece
for each prince
one; every prince of the several tribes
and so a rod for every
tribe
as well as for each prince:
according to their father's houses
even twelve rods; there being
twelve tribes named after their fathers
or the patriarchs
the twelve sons of
Jacob; and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him
called after his two
sons Ephraim and Manasseh
there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron; and so
the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clause
"and
there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaron;'in all thirteen; though the
Jews say there were but twelve with it
allowing but one rod for Joseph
under
whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh
and reckoning the tribe of Levi
one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes
that the rod of Levi was among the
twelve and Joseph had but one rod:
and the rod of Aaron was among their rods: in the middle
of them
and was so placed
as Jarchi thinks
that it might not be said
because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty
therefore it
budded; but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that
respect.
Numbers 17:7 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
YLT
7and Moses placeth the rods
before Jehovah
in the tent of the testimony.
And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of
witness. In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness
was
that is
the law
which was in the ark
over which was the mercy seat
with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt
and this was the most holy
place; and the rods being laid here
might be said to be laid before the Lord
who
by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest
would decide
the controversy about the priesthood
which was the end of their being laid
before him.
Numbers 17:8 8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went
into the tabernacle of witness
and behold
the rod of Aaron
of the house of
Levi
had sprouted and put forth buds
had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.
YLT
8And it cometh to pass
on
the morrow
that Moses goeth in unto the tent of the testimony
and lo
the rod
of Aaron hath flourished for the house of Levi
and is bringing out
flourishing
and doth blossom blossoms
and doth produce almonds;
And it came to pass
that on the morrow Moses went into the
tabernacle of witness
.... Where none but he could go at any time; this was the day
after the rods had been placed there:
and
behold
the rod of Aaron
for the house of Levi; the rod that
had Aaron's name upon it
which was to represent the tribe of Levi
of which he
was:
was budded
and brought forth buds; knobs of blossom
such
that are seen on trees before they open; for the almond tree puts forth its
blossoms before its leaves; though the Targum of Jonathan renders it
"branches"
as do some versions; and some think this is to be
understood of its putting out its leaves first
contrary to the nature of the
almond tree
and so makes the miracle the greater; thus Ben Melech:
and blossomed blossoms; open flowers or
blossoms
such as appear on the almond tree in the spring
and look very
beautiful:
and yielded almonds; ripe almonds
in their
full perfection
as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan; the latter of which
is
"in the same night it perfected and brought forth almonds:'the word
used has the signification of weaning
and alludes to children grown up to some
ripeness and maturity
Genesis 21:8; the
case seems to be this
that in one part of the rod were buds
swelling and just
putting out
in another part open flowers quite blown
and in others full ripe
fruit: now this clearly showed it to be supernatural
since the almond tree
though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers
yet never has
those and ripe fruit on it at the same time; to which may be added
that this
was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms; not the spring
but rather
autumn
as it should seem
since it was after the affair of the spies and the
murmurs of the people on their report; now it was the time of the first ripe
grapes
when they went into the land
and they were forty days searching it
and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were: the
design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aaron's family
and show that
it would continue there
in a flourishing condition
and that there would be a
succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah
as there were; and
the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste
see Jeremiah 1:11; may
denote the vigilance of the priests in their office
and the haste punishment
makes to come upon such that should oppose them
or usurp the priesthood
as in
the case of Uzziah; so Jarchi remarks: this rod of Aaron's may be an emblem of
the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion
Psalm 110:2; which
in the eyes of men is mean and despicable
like a dry stick
but becomes a
fruitful one through the power of divine grace; and an almond tree rod may
denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and
others
and their doctrine; and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he
early calls them by his grace
and frequently makes the first part of their
ministry most useful
and fruit is brought forth which remains: moreover
this
rod may be considered as a type of Christ; it being a dry rod or stick
may
denote the meanness of his descent and appearance in the world
and the
unpromising aspect of his being the King
Messiah
and Saviour of men; and being
an almond tree rod
may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time
which the Lord hastened; his being the firstborn
and his right to the
priesthood
and his vigilance in it; its lying among other rods
and budding
and blossoming
and bringing forth fruit
may point at Christ's assuming the
common nature or man
his being cut off by death
his resurrection from the
dead
and the fruits arising from thence
justification
peace
pardon
and
eternal life; and as Aaron's priesthood was confirmed by the budding
&c.
of this rod
so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are
by his resurrection
from the dead; See Gill on Hebrews 9:4.
Numbers 17:9 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked
and each man took
his rod.
YLT
9and Moses bringeth out all
the rods from before Jehovah
unto all the sons of Israel
and they look
and
take each his rod.
And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord
unto all
the children of Israel
.... He brought them out of the holy place
and showed them to
the princes of the several tribes:
and they looked
and took every man his rod; which they
knew by their names upon them; by their own handwriting
as Aben Ezra; for
though Moses is bid to write their names on them
Numbers 17:2; yet
no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written
and
take care that they were.
Numbers 17:10 10 And the Lord said to
Moses
“Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony
to be kept as a sign
against the rebels
that you may put their complaints away from Me
lest they
die.”
YLT
10And Jehovah saith unto
Moses
`Put back the rod of Aaron
before the testimony
for a charge
for a
sign to the sons of rebellion
and thou dost remove their murmurings from off
me
and they do not die;'
And the Lord said unto Moses
.... After the rods had
been viewed
and every prince took his rod
and full satisfaction was given
that the priesthood belonged to Aaron
by the budding and blossoming of his
rod
when the rest remained as they were:
bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony; before the
ark
in which the testimony or law was; here it was placed and continued
but
how long cannot be said with certainty; no doubt for many ages; which increases
the wonder
that it should
as it probably did
continue with its buds
blossoms
and fruit on it: the apostle speaks of it
as in the holy of holies
with the ark
the pot of manna
and the tables of the covenant
Hebrews 9:4; the Jews
sayF6Kimchi in 2 Chron. xxxv. 3. Maimon. Hilchot. Beth Habechirah
c. 4. sect. 1.
that when Josiah the king ordered the ark to be laid up in
that place which Solomon had built
that it might not be carried with the
captives into captivity
as it is said
2 Chronicles 35:3
"put the holy ark"
&c. they hid with the ark the rod of Aaron
and the pot of manna
and the anointing oil
and which were not in the second
temple; and they sayF7T. Hieros. Shekalim
c. 6. fol. 49. 3.
particularly of Aaron's rod
that at the time it was laid up by Josiah it had
its buds and almonds: now this was ordered to be put in the most holy place
before the ark:
to be kept for a token against the rebels; to be a token
of their sin and wickedness in rebelling against God
his ordinance and
ministers; which occasioned this miracle to be wrought
for the confirmation of
the priesthood in Aaron's family
which they opposed
and to be a caution to
others not to attempt anything against it for the future; so Christ and the
Gospel ministry will be swift witnesses against the opposers of him and that;
see Malachi 3:5
and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me
that they
die not; quite silence all the murmurings of the people with respect to
the priesthood being so fully convinced by this miracle of the divine authority
Aaron and his family had to exercise the priestly office
and they only
and so
such destruction of the people be prevented as had been lately made.
Numbers 17:11 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him
so he did.
YLT
11and Moses doth as Jehovah
hath commanded him; so he hath done.
And Moses did so; as the Lord commanded him
even so did he. Took Aaron's
rod
and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned
being a faithful
servant to God in all his house.
Numbers 17:12 12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses
saying
“Surely we die
we perish
we all perish!
YLT
12And the sons of Israel
speak unto Moses
saying
`Lo
we have expired; we have perished; we have all
of us perished;
And the children of Israel spake unto Moses
.... The
princes of the tribes
who had seen the miracle of the rod
and knew that it
was laid up in the most holy place
and for what purpose
which gave them a
sensible concern: these
and as many as were acquainted with it
addressed
Moses upon it
as follows:
saying
behold
we die
we perish
we all perish; which being
expressed without the copulative
and in different words
show that they were
spoken quick and in haste
and discover the passion of mind and distress they
were in
and the sense they had of their sin and danger
fearing they should
all die and perish
as many had already; it has respect
as some think
to
punishments past and future
so the Targum of Jonathan
"some of us have
been consumed by flaming fire
and others of us have been swallowed up in the
earth and are lost
and
lo
we are accounted as if all of us would perish.'
Numbers 17:13 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”
YLT
13any who is at all drawing
near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth; have we not been consumed -- to
expire?'
Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord
shall die
.... They who before were so bold and daring as to think the
priesthood was common to them with Aaron
or they had as good a right to it
and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did
are now so frightened
at the rod being laid up as a token against them
that they thought they must
not come near the tabernacle at all
and
if they did
would be in the utmost danger
of death:
shall we be consumed with dying? such violent deaths
until there are none left of us? but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the
words affirmatively; we are near or about to be consumed; and so the Targum of
Onkelos
lo
we are to be consumed; which agrees best with the preceding
clause
for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmed.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》