Numbers 20 9

Numbers 20:9 kjv

And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

Numbers 20:9 nkjv

So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.

Numbers 20:9 niv

So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him.

Numbers 20:9 esv

And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

Numbers 20:9 nlt

So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the LORD.

Numbers 20 verses

Numbers 20 9 Meaning

Numbers 20:9 signifies Moses' initial act of obedience in retrieving the specific staff—Aaron's rod that budded, kept as a memorial in God's presence—as divinely instructed. This action itself was compliant, setting the stage for the next crucial, but ultimately flawed, step of communicating God's provision to the rebellious Israelites.

Numbers 20 9 Context

Numbers chapter 20 recounts a critical turning point in the Israelites' wilderness journey, occurring at Kadesh, approximately 38 years after the exodus. This chapter marks the end of a generation, with the death of Miriam and the impending deaths of Aaron and Moses. The Israelites, consistent in their tendency to complain, once again find themselves without water, and their familiar murmuring erupts into accusation against Moses and Aaron (Num 20:2-5). Moses and Aaron respond by falling on their faces before the Tabernacle, seeking divine guidance (Num 20:6). The LORD then instructs Moses to take the staff (Num 20:8) and speak to the rock to bring forth water for the congregation. Verse 9 specifically highlights Moses' first, obedient action in response to this divine command: taking the staff from its sacred resting place before the LORD. This action itself is in full compliance with God's directive, setting the stage for the pivotal moment in the following verses (Num 20:10-11) where Moses deviates from God's explicit instructions to "speak" to the rock by striking it instead, an act that leads to severe consequences for his leadership and destiny.

Numbers 20 9 Word analysis

• So Moses (וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה - vayyiqqaḥ Mosheh): "So Moses took." This phrase immediately identifies the key actor and his action. Moses, as the God-appointed leader and mediator, is the recipient of God's command. His taking of the staff signals compliance with the initial directive.
• took (וַיִּקַּח - vayyiqqaḥ): The Hebrew verb laqakh means to take, get, fetch, or receive. Here, it denotes Moses physically obtaining the staff. The crucial aspect is that this act of taking was exactly what God commanded. The subsequent disobedience would pertain not to taking the staff, but to how he used it.
• the staff (אֶת־הַמַּטֶּה - 'et-hammatteh): This refers specifically to the staff, not just any staff. This is likely Aaron's rod that budded, which was placed before the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place (Num 17:10). It symbolized divine validation of Aaron's priesthood and God's sovereign choice. Unlike the previous instance at Horeb where Moses used his staff (Ex 17:5), this specific staff carried particular spiritual weight and significance within the sanctuary. It was a token of God's power and choice.
• from before the LORD (מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה - millifney YHWH): This precise phrase emphasizes the sacred location. "Before the LORD" means from the Holy of Holies or the area immediately adjacent to the Ark of the Covenant, where God's presence dwelt among His people. It indicates the staff's sacred custody and underscores the reverence due to objects associated with divine presence and commands. Moses entered a hallowed space to retrieve it, further demonstrating his obedience to the specific details of the instruction.
• as He commanded him (כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ - ka'asher tzivvahu): This final clause is pivotal. It confirms that up to this point, Moses acted in perfect conformity with God's explicit instruction (Num 20:8). This is critical for understanding Moses' subsequent error: the sin was not in the retrieval of the staff but in his actions after retrieving it, namely striking the rock instead of speaking to it. The phrase establishes Moses' initial, proper execution of the divine will.

Numbers 20 9 Bonus section

The act of taking "the staff from before the LORD" has symbolic weight. This particular staff, Aaron's rod that budded (Num 17:8-10), signified divine approval, authority, and resurrection life. It was a visible sign of God's presence and power among His people. Moses' use of this specific staff, intended for the new method of "speaking" water into existence, subtly highlights a change in divine operation from previous wilderness water miracles. Earlier, Moses had used "his staff" to strike the rock at Rephidim (Ex 17:6), symbolizing Christ being "struck" once for our salvation (1 Cor 10:4). Here, God commands "speaking" to the rock. This change implies that the initial striking of the rock served its singular redemptive purpose, and any further striking could diminish its profound singular typological meaning or imply repeated affliction was needed, thus dishonoring the sufficiency of that single stroke. Moses' compliance in taking the right staff for the new instruction but failing to adhere to the new method underscores the grave responsibility of leaders to meticulously follow divine directives, for their actions communicate God's character to His people.

Numbers 20 9 Commentary

Numbers 20:9 captures the first part of Moses' obedience to the LORD's instruction concerning providing water at Meribah in Kadesh. God commanded Moses (Num 20:8) to "take the staff and assemble the congregation and speak to the rock." This verse focuses solely on Moses successfully executing the first part of the command: taking the staff—specifically Aaron's staff, known for its miraculous budding (Num 17), stored "before the LORD" as a memorial—from its sacred place. This was an act of full compliance with divine instruction, carried out with appropriate access to God's immediate presence.

The significance lies in the fact that this verse establishes Moses' initial faithfulness. His error and the subsequent punishment were not due to a failure to grasp or execute this particular command. Rather, his transgression would occur in the next step (Num 20:11), when he failed to speak to the rock as instructed, and instead, in an outburst of anger and possibly frustration with the rebellious Israelites, he struck the rock twice (contrasting with the previous instruction at Horeb to strike the rock, Ex 17:6). This distinction is crucial: God had commanded a new way of engaging the miracle—speaking to it, representing a display of faith and a reliance on the power of His word. Moses’ action of striking demonstrated impatience, undermined God’s new instruction, and perhaps misrepresented God's nature to the people. This deviation, though seemingly small to human eyes, was deemed a lack of faith and a failure to honor God as holy before the people (Num 20:12). This verse, therefore, marks the critical moment before the crucial misstep, underscoring that Moses had all the necessary divine resources and explicit instructions in hand before he faltered.