Numbers 17:1

_AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING,_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1._And the Lord spoke unto Moses. _Howsoever stubborn the Israelites might be, yet their hardness of heart being now subdued, and their pride broken down, they ought to have acknowledged the authority of the priesthood, and to have perpetually held it in pious reverence. But it is plain from the confirmation of it, which is now added, that they were not yet thoroughly overcome. For God never appoints anything in vain; the remedy, therefore, was necessary, that He now applied to that disease of obstinacy which He perceived still to maintain its secret hold upon their hearts. Herein we also behold His inestimable goodness, when He not only had regard to the relief of their infirmity, but even struggled with their depravity and perverseness, in order to restore them to their senses. In the same way also He now deals with us, for he not only strengthens the weakness of our faith by many aids...

1-7 It is an instance of the grace of God, that, having wrought divers miracles to punish sin, he would work one more to prevent it. Twelve rods or staves were to be brought in. It is probable that they were the staves which the princes used as ensigns of their authority; old dry staves, that had no sap in them. They were to expect that the rod of the tribe, or prince, whom God chose to the priesthood, should bud and blossom. Moses did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already; he did not undertake to determine it; but left the case before the Lord....

CHAPTER XVII _The twelve chiefs of the tribes are commanded to take their_ _rods, and to write the name of each tribe upon the rod that_ _belonged to its representative; but the name of_ Aaron _is to be_ _written on the rod of the tribe of Levi_, 1-3. _The rods are to be laid up before the Lord, who promises that_ _the man's rod whom he shalt choose for priest shall blossom_, 4, 5. _The rods are produced and laid up before the tabernacle_, 6, 7. _Aaron's rod alone buds, blossoms, and bears fruit_, 8, 9. It is laid up before the

EXPOSITION AARON'S ROD THAT BUDDED (Numbers 17:1). NUMBERS 17:1 AND THE LORD SPAKE. Presumably upon the same day, since the design was to prevent any recurrence of the sin and punishment described above. NUMBERS 17:2 TAKE OF EVERY ONE OF THEM A ROD. Literally, "take of them a rod, a rod," _i.e; _a rod apiece, in the way immediately particularized. hsilgnE:egaugnaL\מַטֶּה} _ _is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 38:18) and for the rod of Moses ...

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....

7. THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON CONFIRMED CHAPTER 17 _ 1. The divine command (Numbers 17:1)_ 2. The rods before Jehovah (Numbers 17:6) 3. The blossoming rod of Aaron (Numbers 17:8) Little comment is needed on this chapter. The blossoming and fruit bearing rod of Aaron is another confirmation of the priesthood. Standing among the dying, “making an atonement,” he is a type of Christ in His atoning work. The blossoming rod is the beautiful figure of resurrection. The rods were absolutely dead, not a sign of life was there. And Aaron's rod received life during that night and life was there in its abundance, buds, blossoms and almonds. Christ risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sle

THE BUDDING OF AARON'S ROD (from P). The superiority of Levi over the other tribes is finally vindicated through the budding of the rod of Aaron (the representative of that tribe) when a rod for each tribe is laid up before the Ark. Rods (or staves) were usually carried by persons of distinction among the Hebrews (Numbers 21:18; Genesis 38:18; 1 Samuel 14:43) as among the Babylonians (Herodotus, i. 195). Fanciful stories, which are in some degree parallel to this story, and describe the sprouting of sapless staves or shafts, occur in the classical tales of Hercules-' club and Romulus'spear (which took root and grew) Numbers 17:2

SPAKE. See note on Numbers 1:1....

F. BUDDING OF AARON'S ROD (NUMBERS 17) TEXT Numbers 17:1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. 3. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. 4. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet you. 5. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. 6. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, an