Numbers 17:8
in Numbers 17The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bare ripe almonds.
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.
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This verse in Numbers 17
Commentary
12 notes on this verseAnd so He Himself also chose Aaron as priest, that not the will of man but the grace of God should have the chief part in the election of the priest; not the voluntary offering of himself, nor the taking it upon himself, but the vocation from heaven, that he should offer gifts for sins who could be touched for those who sinned, for He Himself, it is said, bears our weakness. No one ought to take this honour upon himself but they are called of God, as was Aaron, and so Christ did not demand but received the priesthood.
This site's exposition
and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds
One night puts buds, open blossom and ripe almonds on the same branch at once, three stages of a season standing together. The almond is the first tree in that land to wake, and its Hebrew name shaqed sits beside shoqed, hastening, in Jeremiah 1:11-12, where a prophet is shown an almond rod and told that God will hasten his word to perform it. Exodus 25:33-34 had already shaped the bowls of the lampstand like almonds, so the tree stood inside the sanctuary before this rod did. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown report Josephus taking the rod for almond wood, and Adam Clarke reads the three stages as a whole work begun, promised and finished.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
For Paul came to preach the cross of the Lord, always green like the holly oak, and the nuts, which have a harder shell and a tender fruit, and rightly so, for the priestly rod of Aaron was a nut tree, and the staff of Jeremiah was of the same kind. Who would doubt that silver is also a dual-purpose, not idle gift; when both the life of the Patriarchs and the discourse of the Apostles always flourish in the hearts of individuals; and the speech of the saints, like silver tested by fire, shines with the bright light of salutary instruction? And not without reason do they refer to dual-purpose silver in which the coming of Paul was prefigured, who bestowed double honor on the laboring elders in word and doctrine.
There is only one true high priest, as Scripture says, of whom the high priest Aaron presented a figure. For this reason his rod blossomed. Just as Aaron's rod sprouted among the Jewish people, so the cross of Christ flowered among the Gentiles. However, since …
In the book of the prophet it is written: "Take to thyself the rod of an almond tree." We ought to consider why the Lord said this to the prophet, for it was not written without a purpose, since in the Pentateuch too we read that the almond rod of Aaron the priest, after being long laid up, blossomed. For the Lord seems to signify by the rod that the prophetic or priestly authority ought to be straightforward, and to advise not so much what is pleasant as what is expedient.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
A figure preceded in the rod and flower of Aaron. The history is in the rod of Aaron, which, cut off and dry, in the space of a single night put forth leaves, flowered, and brought forth fruit. Who brought it about that the Virgin …
The Reformation1 voice
For it was no natural circumstance that a branch which derived no sap from the root, and which at that season of the year would have been dry upon the tree, should produce flowers and fruit, when it was east before the Ark of the Covenant, whilst the others, although altogether similar, remained dry and dead.
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age, Eccl. xii. This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood, which soon became old and ready to vanish away, Heb. viii. It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood: for he is the man, the branch, that is to be a priest upon his throne, as it follows ( Zech. vi.
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And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The 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 of faith, love, and obedience, all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Yielded 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 Jer 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, may signify the profitableness, because of God’s appointment and blessing, of the various means of grace (e. g. the priesthood, the sacraments), which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy. Compare Isa 4:2; Isa 11:1; Isa 53:2; Jer 33:5; Zec 6:12.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מִֽמָּחֳרָ֗ת | mimochorat | from [the] next day | H4283 → | 32 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֤א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מֹשֶׁה֙ | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֹ֣הֶל | ʾohel | [the] tent of | H168 → | 345 times |
| הָעֵד֔וּת | haedut | the testimony | H5715 → | 59 times |
| וְהִנֵּ֛ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| פָּרַ֥ח | parach | it had budded | H6524 → | |
| מַטֵּֽה־ | mateh- | [the] rod of | H4294 → | 252 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֖ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | of [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| לֵוִ֑י | levi | Levi | H3878 → | 59 times |
| וַיֹּ֤צֵֽא | vaiyotze' | and it had put forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| פֶ֙רַח֙ | ferach | bud[s] | H6525 → | |
| וַיָּ֣צֵֽץ | vaiyatzetz | and it had blossomed | H6692 → | |
| צִ֔יץ | tzitz | blossom | H6731 → | |
| וַיִּגְמֹ֖ל | vaiyigmol | and it had ripened | H1580 → | |
| שְׁקֵדִֽים׃ | shekedim | almonds | H8247 → |
וַיְהִ֣יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
מִֽמָּחֳרָ֗תfrom [the] next day
mimochoratH4283 →32 times
וַיָּבֹ֤אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
מֹשֶׁה֙Moses
moshehH4872 →765 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֹ֣הֶל[the] tent of
ʾohelH168 →345 times
הָעֵד֔וּתthe testimony
haedutH5715 →59 times
וְהִנֵּ֛הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
פָּרַ֥חit had budded
parachH6524 →
מַטֵּֽה־[the] rod of
mateh-H4294 →252 times
אַהֲרֹ֖ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
לְבֵ֣יתof [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
לֵוִ֑יLevi
leviH3878 →59 times
וַיֹּ֤צֵֽאand it had put forth
vaiyotze'H3318 →1067 times
פֶ֙רַח֙bud[s]
ferachH6525 →
וַיָּ֣צֵֽץand it had blossomed
vaiyatzetzH6692 →
צִ֔יץblossom
tzitzH6731 →
וַיִּגְמֹ֖לand it had ripened
vaiyigmolH1580 →
שְׁקֵדִֽים׃almonds
shekedimH8247 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 4:2On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Zechariah 6:12
And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build…
- Zechariah 3:8
Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
- Isaiah 27:6
In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.
- Joel 2:32
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by…
- Jeremiah 23:5
Through
Ezekiel 17:24Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make…
it leads to
- Amos 9:11
“In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,
- 1 Corinthians 1:27–28
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- Amos 9:11
Through
Numbers 17:5The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites against you.”
it leads to
- Numbers 16:5
Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one…
- Numbers 16:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Epistle 63; Ambrose of Milan, On Joseph the Patriarch; Ambrose of Milan, Letter 41; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 6; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 111.1-2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.