Numbers 17:2 kjv
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.
Numbers 17:2 nkjv
"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.
Numbers 17:2 niv
"Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff.
Numbers 17:2 esv
"Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff,
Numbers 17:2 nlt
"Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel's ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader's name on his staff.
Numbers 17 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 4:2-4 | The Lord asked him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied... | Moses' staff as a symbol of divine power and authority in leadership. |
| Ex 7:9-12 | "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,'... Aaron’s staff..." | Aaron's staff demonstrating divine power and superiority over worldly magic. |
| Heb 5:4 | No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. | Principle that spiritual authority and priestly office are by divine call, not human initiative. |
| Rom 13:1 | Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. | All authority, including religious and civil, is instituted by God. |
| Jn 3:27 | "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." | God's sovereignty in granting roles, gifts, and authority. |
| Dt 17:15 | Be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. | God's right to choose leaders, whether kings or priests. |
| Jer 1:9-10 | "See, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms..." | Example of direct divine appointment for prophetic ministry, conferring authority. |
| Ex 3:1-6 | There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire... Moses hid his face... | God's presence as the source of authority for His appointed servants. |
| 1 Ki 18:24 | "You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers by fire—he is God." | Divine demonstration confirming who is truly chosen and legitimate. |
| Acts 2:22 | Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him. | God's use of signs and wonders to confirm the authenticity of His chosen one. |
| Jg 6:36-40 | Gideon's fleece test, asking for divine confirmation for his leadership. | God sometimes uses specific, clear signs to confirm a call or command to His servants. |
| Nu 16:35 | Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense. | Immediate preceding context: divine judgment on unauthorized offerings, emphasizing divine boundaries. |
| Ex 24:4 | Moses then built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes. | Physical representation of the twelve tribes as units. |
| Dt 29:10-11 | "All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, and your officers..." | Collective representation of the tribes through their leaders before God. |
| Rev 7:4-8 | Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. | Future recognition and sealing of the twelve tribes of Israel. |
| Nu 1:2-4 | "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families... one chief from each tribe." | God often dealt with Israel through their tribal structures and appointed heads. |
| Ex 19:5 | "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession." | Emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's direct commands and divine order. |
| Dt 30:8 | "You shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments..." | Consistent biblical emphasis on obedience to God's instructions. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." | God's valuing of obedience over ritual, which applies to carrying out His instructions. |
| Nu 27:23 | Then Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord had directed. | Principle of orderly, divinely directed succession and commissioning of leaders. |
| Heb 7:14 | For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. | Christ's priesthood, not based on Levite lineage, highlights God's sovereign freedom in selection. |
| Jn 15:16 | "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." | The divine initiative in choosing individuals for specific roles and purposes. |
| Eph 4:11 | And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. | God's continued appointment of various leadership roles within His people. |
Numbers 17 verses
Numbers 17 2 Meaning
Numbers 17:2 instructs Moses to command the Israelites to provide twelve staffs, one from the chief of each ancestral house representing a tribe. On each staff, the respective chief's name is to be written. This was a divine preparatory step for an unprecedented miracle to definitively demonstrate God's chosen authority, specifically settling the dispute over the priesthood following Korah's rebellion and confirming Aaron's unique divine appointment.
Numbers 17 2 Context
Numbers chapter 17 is presented immediately after the profound divine judgment on Korah and his followers in Numbers 16. Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 chiefs challenged Moses and Aaron's leadership and the divinely ordained priestly office. They claimed that "all the congregation are holy, every one of them" (Nu 16:3), implying everyone had a right to serve in sacred offices. God emphatically refuted this challenge through severe judgment by fire and the earth swallowing up the rebels. However, the congregation still murmured against Moses and Aaron, leading to a plague. To permanently settle the question of priestly authority and prevent further rebellion, God commanded this symbolic act in Nu 17. The staffs were to be collected and placed before the ark of the covenant, signifying a divine, supernatural validation of who God had chosen. The blossoming of Aaron's staff, contrasted with the unchanged staffs of the other tribes, served as a final, unmistakable sign.
Numbers 17 2 Word analysis
- "Speak" (דַּבֵּר - dabbēr): An imperative verb, signaling a direct and authoritative command from God. It indicates that the initiative for this act comes solely from the divine.
- "to the people of Israel" (אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - ʾel bĕnê Yiśrāʾēl): The addressee is the entire covenant community, emphasizing the public and official nature of the subsequent event. It also reinforces their collective responsibility to accept God's decision.
- "and get from them" (וְקַח מֵאִתָּם - wĕqaḥ mēʾittām): Moses is commanded to receive these staffs, not choose them. The people's participation is a prerequisite for God's demonstration.
- "a staff" (מַטֶּה - maṭṭeh): The Hebrew word maṭṭeh can mean "staff," "rod," "branch," or even "tribe." In this context, it refers to a physical wooden staff. Its multiple meanings highlight that the physical object is a representation of a tribal unit or leader's authority. Staffs were common symbols of authority and leadership in the ancient Near East.
- "from each father's house" (לְבֵית־אָב - lĕvêt-ʾāv): This refers to the patriarchal unit, a subdivision within a tribe, emphasizing the meticulous and representative nature of the selection. It highlights the deeply ingrained clan and family structures of Israel.
- "from all their chiefs" (מֵאֵת כָּל־נְשִׂיאוֹתָם - mēʾēt kol-nĕsîʾôtām): "Chiefs" (nesîʾîm) refers to the heads or princes of the tribal and family units. This ensures that the representation is official and recognized within the community.
- "according to their fathers' houses" (לְבֵית־אֲבֹתָם - lĕvêt-ʾăvōtām): Reiterates the structured and traditional basis of the chosen representatives, reinforcing their legitimacy within Israelite society.
- "twelve staffs" (שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מַטּוֹת - šĕnêm ʿāśār maṭṭôt): This number precisely corresponds to the traditional twelve tribes of Israel (excluding Levi here, whose unique position is the subject of the test, and later, Aaron's staff will be added for the house of Levi for a total of thirteen in effect, but representative of the unified 12 non-Levitical tribes and the Levitical priesthood). The number symbolizes the completeness of Israel.
- "Write each man's name on his staff" (וְאִישׁ אֶת־שְׁמוֹ תִּכְתֹּב עַל־מַטֵּהוּ - wĕʾîš ʾet-šĕmô tikhtōv ʿal-maṭṭēhû): The command to write the name makes the staff unique, identifiable, and unequivocally associated with its representative. This formality prevents any later claim of confusion or substitution, underscoring transparency and accountability.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them a staff from each father's house": This phrase emphasizes divine command initiating a corporate action involving all Israel through their established family and tribal units. It requires active participation from the entire community to validate the upcoming demonstration.
- "from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs": This segment highlights the hierarchical and representative structure of Israel. God is dealing with the community through its appointed leaders, symbolizing each tribe's collective standing and identity. The number "twelve" underscores the totality and unity of the nation.
- "Write each man's name on his staff": This detail ensures specificity, transparency, and personal accountability. It's a formal step to eliminate any ambiguity about whose staff belongs to which representative and tribe, crucial for the credibility of the miraculous sign that will follow.
Numbers 17 2 Bonus section
The Hebrew word for "staff," maṭṭeh, is notably used also for "tribe" elsewhere in the Old Testament. This dual meaning highlights that each physical staff in Numbers 17 not only represents the individual chief but intrinsically embodies the entire tribal unit under that leader. Therefore, when Aaron's staff budded, it was not merely a personal validation for him, but a validation for the entire tribe of Levi and their assigned priestly duties for all Israel. This solidified the Levitical priesthood's exclusive right, reinforcing God's established order. The staffs being dry branches emphasize that life would be supernaturally bestowed, signifying that God's chosen authority is not based on natural ability or human merit but solely on His life-giving power and divine will. This event underscores God's commitment to order, holiness, and the integrity of His worship and service.
Numbers 17 2 Commentary
Numbers 17:2 sets the stage for a unique and pivotal demonstration of God's sovereign choice. After a profound challenge to divine authority, manifested in Korah's rebellion, God provides an undeniable, physical sign. This verse is not merely a logistical instruction; it is a meticulously detailed divine command ensuring that the upcoming miracle would be unambiguous and conclusive for the entire nation. By having each tribal chief present his staff with his name inscribed, God ensures the participation and representation of all twelve tribes in a clear, public manner. The staffs, typically symbols of a leader's authority, become vessels for God's demonstration of His chosen spiritual authority. The dry staffs representing human election would be contrasted with Aaron's, which represented divine election and validation. This act served as a visible teaching aid to distinguish divinely appointed leadership from human ambition, settling once and for all who possessed legitimate access to sacred service.