Numbers 17 Back to blog

Numbers 17

23 Oct 2026 - Theology

A Budding Staff

This chapter is a continuation of the story from the previous chapter, Numbers 16. At this point, the P-teller has proved two things:

Only Aaron and his sons can be kohanim (High Priests)
Only Aaron and his sons can offer incense sacrifices to atone for sin But there is more. The chieftains of the tribes may think that they can still perform other offerings of the High Priest. The P-teller has another story to prove that this is forbidden.

The Lord instructs Moses to get a staff from each of the twelve chieftains, including Aaron. Each staff should have the chieftains name carved on it, including the staff of Aaron. The Lord tells Moses to put the twelve staffs in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the Ark of the Covenant. (1-4)

Numbers 17:6-11 (NASB) - “So Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader, for their fathers’ households, twelve staffs in all, with the staff of Aaron among their staffs. Then Moses left the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had sprouted and produced buds and bloomed with blossoms, and it yielded ripe almonds. Moses then brought out all the staffs from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his staff. But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Put the staff of Aaron back in front of the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, so that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me and they do not die.’ Moses did so; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.”

Again the people were afraid. They cried out to Moses, saying, “Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing! Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?” (12-13)

The P-teller does not tell us why they are afraid. But it is simple to understand. After each rebellion in Numbers 16, the rebels were punished and lives were lost. But not this time. This test was just to teach a lesson: No one but Aaron and his sons can be the true High Priests of Israel.

Numbers 17

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