Numbers 17:3 kjv
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.
Numbers 17:3 nkjv
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.
Numbers 17:3 niv
On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.
Numbers 17:3 esv
and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house.
Numbers 17:3 nlt
Inscribe Aaron's name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe.
Numbers 17 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 28:1 | "Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar." | God chooses Aaron's line for priesthood. |
| Ex 29:9 | "You shall dress Aaron and his sons with tunics and gird them with sashes, and you shall bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever." | Priesthood is a perpetual statute. |
| Lev 8:7-9 | Describes Moses investing Aaron with the priestly garments, a sign of his unique office. | Priestly appointment through Moses' action. |
| Num 16:35 | "And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense." | Judgment on those who usurped priestly functions. |
| Num 16:40 | "...a memorial to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD..." | A reminder against unauthorized priesthood. |
| Num 17:5 | "And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout..." | God's divine validation of His choice. |
| Num 17:8 | "On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted..." | Fulfillment of the miraculous sign. |
| Deut 10:8 | "At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him..." | Separation of Levi for service. |
| 1 Sam 10:24 | "And Samuel said to all the people, 'Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.'..." | God's sovereign choice of a leader. |
| Isa 11:1 | "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." | Metaphor of a "rod" (staff/shoot) for a chosen leader (Christ). |
| Jer 1:11 | "And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see an almond branch.'" | Almond branch symbolism of watchful fulfillment (God's word). |
| Amos 1:5 | "...I will break the gate bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden..." | "Rod" or "scepter" as a symbol of authority/rule. |
| Heb 5:4 | "And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was." | God's calling is essential for priesthood. |
| Heb 9:4 | "It contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant." | Aaron's rod served as a permanent witness/memorial. |
| John 15:4-5 | "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me...apart from me you can do nothing." | Bearing fruit as a sign of divine connection. |
| 1 Cor 12:28 | "And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues." | God appoints authority and roles within His people. |
| Eph 4:11 | "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers," | God's chosen leaders for the church. |
| 1 Pet 2:9 | "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." | All believers as a "royal priesthood" through Christ. |
| Rev 22:2 | "On either side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month..." | Future fruitfulness, echoing life from the rod. |
| Jer 33:17-18 | "For thus says the LORD: 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings...'" | Divine promise for perpetual priesthood. |
| Psa 78:70-71 | "He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds... to be the shepherd of Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance." | God chooses leaders for His people. |
Numbers 17 verses
Numbers 17 3 Meaning
Numbers 17:3 instructs Moses to engrave Aaron's name onto the rod designated for the tribe of Levi. This act serves to distinguish Aaron's rod from the other tribal rods, clearly indicating that Levi's singular rod, representing its head of a father's house, belongs specifically to Aaron. It is part of God's miraculous test to undeniably confirm His chosen High Priest, bringing a definitive end to the challenge against Aaron's priestly authority following Korah's rebellion.
Numbers 17 3 Context
Numbers 17:3 follows directly after the intense events of Numbers 16, which detailed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their followers' rebellion against the divinely appointed leadership of Moses and Aaron. The rebellion challenged not only Moses' authority as a leader but, more significantly, Aaron's unique priestly role. God’s immediate and severe judgment—consuming fire and the earth swallowing the rebels—affirmed Moses' and Aaron's positions. However, the murmuring of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron for the deaths continued. This verse initiates God's definitive sign to put an end to all doubt regarding who He had chosen to be the High Priest. The historical context is the Israelites' wilderness wanderings, a period marked by frequent testing of their faith, repeated challenges to divine authority, and the ongoing establishment of the Levitical priesthood and Tabernacle worship as central to their national identity and relationship with God.
Numbers 17 3 Word analysis
- And you shall write: Moses is given an explicit command, serving as God's instrument to execute this crucial directive. It emphasizes God's direct involvement in orchestrating the proof.
- Aaron's name: The Hebrew
שֵׁם(shem) denotes not just the given name but often carries the significance of one's character, authority, and reputation. By writing Aaron's "name," it signifies his personal identification, divine appointment, and the enduring authority bestowed upon him as the High Priest. This personalizes God's choice amidst the collective representation. - on the rod of Levi: The rod itself (
מַטֶּה, matteh) is a symbol of authority and tribal identity. It represents the "house of Levi" but is distinguished by bearing Aaron's name. This acknowledges Aaron's tribal origin but elevates his role above the general Levites, marking his unique position within the tribe as the High Priest. The Hebrew word for "rod" can also mean "tribe," highlighting the representative nature of the rod for the entire clan. - for there shall be one rod: This specifies that Levi, despite having numerous father's houses within the tribe, will be represented by a single rod in this test, namely Aaron's. It underlines the concept of unified spiritual leadership under one High Priest, differentiating it from the general tribal leadership where there might be multiple elders or heads.
- for each head of a father's house: The phrase "head of a father's house" (
רֹאשׁ בֵּית אָב) refers to the patriarchal leader of a clan or subclan, the representative leader of a division within a tribe. This highlights the existing tribal administrative structure, confirming that all twelve (or effectively, eleven plus Aaron's representing Levi) major family divisions were represented in this divinely orchestrated "roll call" of authority.
Numbers 17 3 Bonus section
The Hebrew word מַטֶּה (matteh), translated as "rod" or "staff" in this context, also means "tribe." This double meaning is significant because Aaron's "rod" directly represents the "tribe" of Levi, emphasizing his role as the designated representative of his entire tribal family for the High Priesthood. This links individual leadership directly to collective identity under God's chosen system. The entire exercise involving the rods serves as a divine judgment against human arrogance and presumption in usurping God-given authority. It illustrates that God uses even the most ordinary objects—simple wooden staffs—to display His extraordinary power and confirm His divine decrees. The permanent display of Aaron's rod that budded in the Ark of the Covenant, as mentioned in Hebrews 9:4, solidifies this verse's purpose as an eternal testimony against future rebellion and a reminder of God's appointed order.
Numbers 17 3 Commentary
Numbers 17:3 serves as a pivotal preparatory step in God's divine validation of Aaron's high priestly office, definitively settling the lingering dissent and challenges to authority that culminated in Korah's rebellion. By commanding Moses to write Aaron's name on the single rod representing the tribe of Levi, God personalizes His chosen leader within the priestly lineage, signaling a clear, undeniable designation from Heaven. This act prevents any future dispute over the authenticity of the designated rod and, by extension, the authority of the High Priest. The rod, a simple staff representing tribal authority, becomes the object of a miraculous sign, illustrating that true spiritual leadership and the ability to bear "fruit" (as seen in the following verses) come not from human ambition or communal vote, but solely from divine selection and enablement. It powerfully teaches that access to God’s holy presence and service within the Tabernacle is a matter of God's sovereign calling, not self-appointment or popular acclaim. The clarity and precision of this instruction underscore God's desire to leave no room for ambiguity concerning His chosen priestly mediator.