English Standard Version
Numbers 17:8
8On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
Numbers 17:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
- New International Version (NIV)The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.
- New Living Translation (NLT)When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!
Context of Numbers 17:8
6Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. 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 and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10And the Lord said to Moses, "Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die."
Read all of Numbers 17Numbers 17:8 word by word
וַיְהִ֣י מִֽמָּחֳרָ֗ת וַיָּבֹ֤א מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל הָעֵד֔וּת וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּרַ֥ח מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לְבֵ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיֹּ֤צֵֽא פֶ֙רַח֙ וַיָּ֣צֵֽץ צִ֔יץ וַיִּגְמֹ֖ל שְׁקֵדִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass, that on the morrowמׇחֳרָתmochŏrâth mochŏrâthâm · morrowH4283
- Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- wentבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- into the tabernacleאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
- of witnessעֵדוּת‛êdûth · testimonyH5715
- and, behold, the rodמַטֶּהmaţţeh maţţâh · tribe: rodH4294
- of Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
- for the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Leviלֵוִיlêvîy · LeviH3878
- was buddedפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
- and brought forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: produceH3318
- budsפֶּ֫רַחperach · flowerH6525
- and bloomedצוּץtsûts · to blossomH6692
- blossomsצִיץtsîyts tsits · flowerH6731
- and yieldedגָּמַלgâmal · to weanH1580
- almondsשָׁקֵדshâqêd · almondH8247
Cross-references for Numbers 17:8
- Numbers 17:5And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you."
- Genesis 40:10and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes.
- Psalms 110:2The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
- Psalms 132:17There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
- Isaiah 4:2In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel.
- Ezekiel 17:24And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it."
- Ezekiel 19:12But the vine was plucked up in fury, cast down to the ground; the east wind dried up its fruit; they were stripped off and withered. As for its strong stem, fire consumed it.
- John 15:1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Commentaries on Numbers 17:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The rod of Aaron - was budded, etc. - That is, on the same rod or staff were found buds, blossoms, and ripe fruit. This fact was so unquestionably miraculous, as to decide the business for ever; and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood, represented by that of Aaron, the beginning, middle, and end of every good work must be found. The buds of good desires, the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions, and the ripe fruit…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Yielded almonds - “Ripened almonds,” i. e. “brought forth ripe almonds.” The name almond in Hebrew denotes the “waking-tree,” the “waking-fruit;” and is applied to this tree, because it blossoms early in the season. It serves here, as in Jeremiah 1:11-12, to set forth the speed and certainty with which, at God‘s will, His purposes are accomplished. So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaron‘s rod, naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-13Verses 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Aaron’s staff … produced almonds: This proved he was God's chosen leader and that the Levites had a special role. The cups on the lampstand of the Tent of the Testimony (the tabernacle) had the shape of almond blossoms (Exodus 25:33–36). Later, the prophet Jeremiah’s vision of an almond branch symbolized the Lord's watchfulness and his plans to act (Jeremiah 1:11–12). There is no natural reason for Aaron’s staff to bud. Almond wood is soft when alive and…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Moses went into the tabernacle--being privileged to do so on this occasion by the special command of God. And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaron's rod--which, according to Josephus, was a stick of an almond tree, bearing fruit in three different stages at once--buds, blossoms, and fruit.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 17:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries