[Heb. 17: 16 28] _The blossoming of Aaron's staff_ The challenge to Korah and his company to burn incense had produced results which should have proved conclusively that their overweening claim was wrong. But the congregation only murmured that Moses and Aaron had -killed the people of Jehovah"; a... [ Continue Reading ]
_rods_ STAVES. They were the official staves of the princes, symbols of their tribal authority, not fresh rods cut from trees, which might conceivably have blossomed in the ordinary course of nature.... [ Continue Reading ]
_one_ STAFF _for_ THE HEAD _of their_ CLANS] lit. -their fathers" houses" as R.V. This apparently refers not to all the tribes but to the tribe of Levi with its three divisions or clans, the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. They were to have only one representative, i.e. Aaron.... [ Continue Reading ]
All the staves were placed in front of the ark for that night.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the_ STAFF _of Aaron was_ IN THE MIDST OF _their_ STAVES] We are perhaps to think of the thirteen staves as stuck into the ground and standing erect, Aaron's staff being the middle one.... [ Continue Reading ]
Stories of the vegetation of dried sticks are not uncommon in legend. Gray (_Numb._p. 217) mentions that of -Joseph of Arimathea's stick, which placed in the ground of Weary-all hill, became the miraculous thorn of Glastonbury." And he cites other instances.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Put back the_ STAFF _of Aaron_ Cf. Hebrews 9:4. _the_ SONS _of rebellion_ A common Heb. idiom to express a quality or characteristic; cf. 2 Samuel 3:34; 2 Samuel 7:10; 2 Samuel 12:6 (marg.); Proverbs 31:5 (marg.). -House of rebellion" is found very frequently in Ezek. as a designation of the house... [ Continue Reading ]
_we_ EXPIRE, _we_ PERISH, _we all_ PERISH] This and the following verse form a transition to ch. 18, in which the Levites guard the Tent, lest any layman should perish by approaching it, as Korah and his company had attempted to do.... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall we perish all of us?_ The exact force of the words is doubtful. They may mean -Shall we completely come to an end by expiring?" of which R.V. is a correct paraphrase: or -Shall we ever finish expiring?" i.e. -can we ever be free from the danger of death" if we approach the Tent?... [ Continue Reading ]