Numbers 17:10

_AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, BRING AARON'S ROD AGAIN BEFORE THE TESTIMONY, TO BE KEPT FOR A TOKEN AGAINST THE REBELS; AND THOU SHALT QUITE TAKE AWAY THEIR MURMURINGS FROM ME, THAT THEY DIE NOT._ Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony - i:e., either in the ark before the tables of stone (Ebrard's 'Comment. on Hebrews 9:4 ') or in a chest adjoining it (Davidson's 'Introduction,' 3:, p. 223; Owens 'Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews'). TO BE KEPT FOR A TOKEN AGAINST THE REBELS - for if, after all admonitions and judgments, seconded by miracles, the people should still rebel, they would certainly pay the penalty by death....

10._And the Lord said unto Moses. _What God had prescribed concerning the censers, He now commands as to the rod, _i.e., _that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages; because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works, and not only so, but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice, he bids, therefore, and not without reproach, that this sign should be laid up in safety, saying, that this is done on account of their perverseness. At the same time, however, He commends His paternal love and pity, in that, whilst tie chastises their pride, He provides for their welfare. For, as they were given to rebellion, they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings. He says, then, that He anticipates them, and restrains their impetuous fury, lest they should die. Thus in humbling us, tie not only punishes our transgressions, but tie has regard to what is...

8-13 While all the other rods remained as they were. Aaron's rod became a living branch. In some places there were buds, in others blossoms, in others fruit, at the same time; all this was miraculous. Thus Aaron was manifested to be under the special blessing of Heaven. Fruitfulness is the best evidence of a Divine call; and the plants of God's setting, and the boughs cut off them, will flourish. This rod was preserved, to take away the murmurings of the people, that they might not die. The design of God, in all his providences, and in the memorials of them, is to take away sin. Christ was manifested to take away sin. Christ is expressly called a rod out of the stem of Jesse: little prospect was there, according to human views, that he should ever flourish. But the dry rod revived and blossomed to the confusion of his adversaries. The people cry, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish...

THE TESTIMONY - i. e. the two tables of the Law; compare Exodus 25:16 note. No doubt the rod lay in front of the tables within the ark. In the days of Solomon 1 Kings 8:9 there was nothing in the ark save the Two tables. Aaron’s rod was probably lost when the ark was taken by the Philistines....

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 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 say f, 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,...

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

SAID. See note on Numbers 3:40. TESTIMONY. the ark of the covenant, as in Numbers 17:4. REBELS. Hebrew sons of rebellion. Genitive of character. rebellious ones. TAKE AWAY. assuage, or, abate, as in Numbers 17:5. Compare Genesis 8:1....

_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 of Israel....