[Heb. 17:16–28]

The blossoming of Aaron’s staff

The challenge to Korah and his company to burn incense had produced results which should have proved conclusively that their overweening claim was wrong. But the congregation only murmured that Moses and Aaron had ‘killed the people of Jehovah’; and a terrible punishment had been sent them for their murmuring. But now Jehovah arranges for a proof of the superiority of the Levites to the other tribes, more conclusive, if possible, than the last. In the arrangement of the camp there were thirteen tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh (the house of Joseph) being reckoned as two. Each of the tribes was represented by a chief, who was bidden to present a staff with his name inscribed upon it. And the superiority of the tribe of Levi was proved by the blossoming of the staff of Aaron its chief.

2. rods] staves. They were the official staves of the princes, symbols of their tribal authority, not fresh rods cut from trees, which might conceivably have blossomed in the ordinary course of nature.

3. one staff for the head of their clans] lit. ‘their fathers’ houses’ as R.V. This apparently refers not to all the tribes but to the tribe of Levi with its three divisions or clans, the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. They were to have only one representative, i.e. Aaron.

4. All the staves were placed in front of the ark for that night.

6. the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their staves] We are perhaps to think of the thirteen staves as stuck into the ground and standing erect, Aaron’s staff being the middle one.

8. Stories of the vegetation of dried sticks are not uncommon in legend.

Gray (Numb. p. 217) mentions that of ‘Joseph of Arimathea’s stick, which placed in the ground of Weary-all hill, became the miraculous thorn of Glastonbury.’ And he cites other instances.

10. Put back the staff of Aaron] Cf. Hebrews 9:4.

the sons of rebellion] A common Heb. idiom to express a quality or characteristic; cf. 2 Samuel 3:34; 2 Samuel 7:10; 2 Samuel 12:6 (marg.); Proverbs 31:5 (marg.). ‘House of rebellion’ is found very frequently in Ezek. as a designation of the house of Israel.

12. we expire, we perish, we all perish] This and the following verse form a transition to ch. 18, in which the Levites guard the Tent, lest any layman should perish by approaching it, as Korah and his company had attempted to do.

13. shall we perish all of us?] The exact force of the words is doubtful. They may mean ‘Shall we completely come to an end by expiring?’ of which R.V. is a correct paraphrase: or ‘Shall we ever finish expiring?’ i.e. ‘can we ever be free from the danger of death’ if we approach the Tent?