Numbers 17:2

“Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

“Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods from them, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod.

BSB

“Speak to the Israelites and take from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man’s name on his staff,

KJV

Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.

ASV

Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.

BBE

Say to the children of Israel that they are to give you rods, one for every family, for every chief, the head of his father's house, making twelve rods; let every man's name be placed on his rod.

Original Hebrew

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דַּבֵּר da·ber speak H1696 אֶל־ 'el- to H413 בְּנֵי be·nei [the] people of H1121 יִשְׂרָאֵל yis·ra·'el Israel H3478 וְקַח ve·kach and take H3947 מֵאִתָּם me·'i·tam from with them H854 מַטֶּה ma·teh a rod H4294 מַטֶּה ma·teh a rod H4294 לְבֵית le·veit for [the] house of H1004 אָב 'av an ancestor H1 מֵאֵת me·'et from with H854 כָּל־ kol- all H3605 נְשִׂיאֵהֶם ne·si·'e·hem leaders their H5387 לְבֵית le·veit to [the] house of H1004 אֲבֹתָם 'a·vo·tam ancestors their H1 שְׁנֵים she·neim two [plus] H8147 עָשָׂר 'a·sar ten H6240 מַטּוֹת ma·tot rods H4294 אִישׁ 'ish each H376 אֶת־ 'et- (marks the object) H853 שְׁמוֹ she·mo name his H8034 תִּכְתֹּב tikh·to you will write H3789 עַל־ 'al- on H5921 מַטֵּהוּ ma·te·hu rod his H4294

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–7

It is an instance of the grace of God, that, having wrought divers miracles to punish sin, he would work one more to prevent it. Twelve rods or staves were to be brought in. It is probable that they were the staves which the princes used as ensigns of their authority; old dry staves, that had no sap in them. They were to expect that the rod of the tribe, or prince, whom God chose to the priesthood, should bud and blossom. Moses did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already; he did not undertake to determine it; but left the case before the Lord.

Read Matthew Henry on Numbers 17 →

Cross-references

People & places

Israel

Topics

Government

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.