Aaron’s Staff Buds
Numbers 17:1-13
Num.17.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Exodus 4:2-5 (verbal): God gives Moses a rod as a sign and speaks directly to him — similar language of divine speech to Moses and the use of a rod as authoritative sign.
- Numbers 16:28-30 (thematic): Both passages concern God's vindication of leadership (Moses/Aaron) and announce that God will demonstrate who is chosen/authorized.
- Leviticus 8:1-5 (thematic): God speaks to Moses about the ordination and commissioning of Aaron and his sons — parallels the theme of priestly authority and divine instruction given to Moses.
- Exodus 19:6 (thematic): God's instruction to Moses about Israel's special status as a 'kingdom of priests' provides background for the establishment and validation of the priesthood in Numbers 17.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
- And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num.17.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אלעזר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וירם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המחתת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מבין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השרפה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- האש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- זרה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- הלאה: ADV
- כי: CONJ
- קדשו: ADJ,m,sg,abs+3,ms
Parallels
- Numbers 16:36-38 (quotation): Moses there commands Eleazar to take the censers from among the burning and to scatter the fire on the altar because the censers of the rebels became holy — language and action nearly identical to Num 17:2.
- Leviticus 10:10-11 (thematic): Priestly instruction to distinguish between holy and common (and teach the people) echoes the rationale in Num 17:2 that the censers are now holy and must be treated accordingly.
- 2 Samuel 6:6-7 (1 Chron 13:9-10) (thematic): Uzzah is struck for touching the ark — a parallel concern that sacred objects must not be handled casually, underscoring the danger and sanctity associated with holy things like the censers.
- Joshua 7:11-12 (thematic): The story of Achan and the 'devoted' things shows that certain objects can render the community liable and must be removed or treated as holy/accursed, related to the treatment of the censers made holy by judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest: Take the censers from among those consumed by fire and remove the coals from them, for they are holy.
- Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest: Take up the censers from among those consumed by the fire, and beat out the fire from them—for they have become holy.
Num.17.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- את: PRT,acc
- מחתות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- החטאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- בנפשתם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- ועשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- רקעי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- פחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צפוי: ADJ,m,sg
- למזבח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- הקריבם: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg,3,m,pl(obj)
- לפני: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויקדשו: CONJ+VERB,nif,perf,3,m,pl
- ויהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לאות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבני: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Num.16:37-40 (quotation): The same episode earlier in the narrative: the censers of the men who sinned are gathered and hammered into plates to cover the altar — language and action closely mirror Num 17:3.
- Num.17:1-11 (structural): The adjacent unit in the chapter (Aaron’s rod that budded) likewise produces an object ‘kept as a sign to the sons of Israel’ — parallels the idea of making and keeping sacred signs for Israel.
- Exod.27:2-8 (thematic): Instructions for constructing and overlaying the bronze altar and its utensils; thematically related to making metal plates/coverings and the consecration of altar fittings.
- Ps.106:16-18 (thematic): Retells the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram and God’s judgment — thematically connected as the background event that produced the censers turned into a sign.
Alternative generated candidates
- Make the censers of these sinners into hammered plates as a covering for the altar; for they offered them before the LORD and they became holy, and they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.
- Make of these censers, which the guilty offered when they died, hammered plates of bronze and overlay the altar with them; for they were offered before the LORD and have become holy, and they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.
Num.17.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלעזר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- מחתות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הנחשת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הקריבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- השרפים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- וירקעום: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- צפוי: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- למזבח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 16:36-40 (structural): Immediate narrative background: describes the taking of the censers after Korah’s rebellion — Num 17:4 continues the account by saying Eleazar took the bronze pans and they were made a covering for the altar.
- Exodus 27:3-5 (verbal): Catalogue of altar utensils (pans, shovels, basins, forks, firepans) made of bronze — same items/material as those hammered into a covering in Num 17:4.
- Exodus 38:3-8 (verbal): Description of the altar and its bronze vessels (pots, shovels, basins, flesh-hooks, firepans) made for cultic use — parallels the manufacture and use of bronze implements for the altar.
- 2 Chronicles 4:5-6 (thematic): Solomon’s temple inventory lists corresponding bronze items (pans, shovels, basins, flesh-hooks, firepans) — a later temple parallel to the tabernacle/altar utensils referenced in Num 17:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which those who had been burned had offered, and he hammered them out as a covering for the altar.
- And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that the fire had consumed and he hammered them into plates as a covering for the altar.
Num.17.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זכרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבני: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למען: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יקרב: VERB,qal,impr,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- מזרע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- להקטיר: VERB,qal,inf
- קטרת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- לפני: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כקרח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכעדתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Numbers 16:1-35 (thematic): The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram is the event referenced in 17:5; it challenges the priestly office and results in divine judgment, providing the background for the prohibition against unauthorized ministrations.
- Numbers 16:40 (verbal): After the Korah incident Moses makes atonement with the censers of the rebels and sets them as a reminder to Israel — directly connected to 17:5's concern about who may 'take incense'.
- Numbers 17:10 (structural): The immediately following verse records Aaron's rod that budded as the confirming sign for Aaron's exclusive priesthood — the positive counterpart to 17:5's prohibition.
- Leviticus 10:1-3 (thematic): Nadab and Abihu's offering of 'strange fire' and their death illustrates the recurring theme that unauthorized approach to the sanctuary/priestly duties brings divine judgment, paralleling the warning in 17:5.
- Exodus 30:7-10 (verbal): Prescribes that Aaron (and his sons) alone are to burn incense and explicitly forbids strangers from performing this duty, closely mirroring the prohibition stated in Num 17:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- It shall be a memorial to the people of Israel, that no one who is not of the offspring of Aaron may come near to burn incense before the LORD and be like Korah and his company, as the LORD had spoken to Moses concerning them.
- A memorial to the people of Israel, that no outsider who is not of Aaron's offspring may come near to burn incense before the LORD, and that he not be like Korah and his company, as the LORD spoke to Moses concerning him.
Num.17.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילנו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- עדת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממחרת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- המתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- עם: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Num.16:41 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and immediate parallel: the congregation again 'murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the LORD' in the aftermath of Korah's rebellion.
- Num.21:5 (thematic): People complain to Moses and God, accusing him of bringing them out to die ('Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?'), echoing the charge that Moses' leadership causes death.
- Deut.1:27 (thematic): Moses' retrospective account of the people’s murmuring: they accused God (and by implication his leadership) of delivering them to death and disaster—same pattern of blaming leaders/God for peril.
- Exod.16:2 (thematic): General formulaic motif: 'the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron'—repeated pattern of complaint against the leaders in the wilderness narrative.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all the congregation of the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron the next day, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”
- And all the congregation of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD."
Num.17.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בהקהל: PREP
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- על: PREP
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויפנו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אהל: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- מועד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- כסהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הענן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 40:34-35 (structural): Same scene at the inauguration of the tabernacle: the cloud covers the tent of meeting and the glory of the LORD fills it.
- Exodus 33:9-10 (structural): When Moses enters the tent of meeting the pillar of cloud stands at the entrance and the LORD speaks — a closely parallel depiction of divine presence in the tent.
- Numbers 9:15-23 (thematic): The recurring motif of the cloud resting on the tabernacle and governing Israel’s movement; underscores the cloud as the sign of God’s presence.
- 1 Kings 8:10-11 (thematic): At Solomon’s dedication the cloud fills the temple and the glory of the LORD fills the house — a later temple parallel to the tabernacle manifestation here.
- Leviticus 16:2 (allusion): God’s appearance in a cloud above the mercy seat/entrance of the tent, linking the cloud with divine communication and sanctum presence.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting; and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
- And when the congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tent of Meeting; and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
Num.17.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אהל: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- מועד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 33:7-11 (thematic): Describes Moses’ use of the tent of meeting and his entering it to commune with God; thematically parallels Moses (and here Aaron) approaching the tent as locus of divine presence and decision.
- Numbers 7:89 (verbal): Uses nearly the same wording about Moses entering the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD—direct verbal parallel to the action of approaching the tent.
- Leviticus 9:22-23 (verbal): Narrates Moses and Aaron entering the tent of meeting (and then blessing the people) at the inauguration of the priesthood; parallels the joint appearance of Moses and Aaron before the tabernacle.
- Numbers 17:10 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation of 17:8—after Moses and Aaron go before the tent, Aaron’s rod is stored in the tabernacle; structurally connected as the outcome of their approach.
Alternative generated candidates
- Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting.
- And Moses and Aaron came before the Tent of Meeting.
Num.17.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Leviticus 1:1 (verbal): Uses the identical formula 'And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying' to introduce divine instructions (here, the priestly/offerings material); a standard verbal marker for God addressing Moses.
- Numbers 16:28 (structural): 'And the LORD spoke unto Moses' occurs as God directs Moses how to respond to Korah's rebellion—structurally similar: God addresses Moses to manage a leadership/crisis episode.
- Numbers 27:12 (thematic): God speaks to Moses with the same introductory phrase when giving instructions about entering the land and succession; thematically parallels Num 17's concern with authority and Aaron's priestly status.
- Deuteronomy 31:14 (verbal): A near-identical formula ('And the LORD said unto Moses...') appears when God charges Moses about his impending death and Joshua's commissioning—verbal and functional parallel in transferring or affirming leadership instructions.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
- And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num.17.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הרמו: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,pl
- מתוך: PREP
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ואכלה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- כרגע: ADV
- ויפלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Numbers 17:8 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same episode: describes Aaron's rod that budded and the placing of the rod before the testimony (direct continuation/context).
- Numbers 16:32–35 (structural): Same narrative cluster (Korah's rebellion): these verses record the divine judgment against the rebels that prompted the sign of Aaron's rod as confirmation of priestly authority.
- Exodus 4:2–5 (verbal): Earlier use of a staff/rod as a miraculous sign to validate divine commissioning (Moses' rod becoming a serpent and back), paralleling the rod as a credentialing sign.
- Hebrews 9:4 (quotation): New Testament reference that lists 'Aaron's rod that budded' alongside the manna and covenant tablets—explicitly cites the rod as a remembered sacred token.
- Isaiah 11:1 (thematic): Uses the image of a 'shoot' or 'rod' from a stump as a sign of a chosen offspring/authority; thematically parallels the rod/branch motif as a sign of legitimate leadership or divine choice.
Alternative generated candidates
- Take from among this congregation every man's censer; put fire on them and set incense in them, and let the man whom the LORD chooses be holy.
- 'Withdraw from among this congregation, that I may consume them in an instant.' And they fell on their faces.
Num.17.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- המחתה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ותן: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מעל: PREP
- המזבח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושים: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- קטרת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- והולך: VERB,qal,impv,2,ms
- מהרה: ADV
- אל: NEG
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וכפר: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הקצף: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלפני: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- החל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנגף: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Leviticus 16:12-13 (verbal): Aaron is told to take a censer of burning coals from off the altar and put sweet incense in it and bring the smoke within the veil — nearly identical ritual language (fire from the altar + incense) used to effect atonement.
- Numbers 16:46-48 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: Moses instructs Aaron to take a censer, put fire and incense, and make atonement for the people to stop the plague — essentially the same scene recorded in the Korah rebellion narrative.
- Exodus 30:7-10 (thematic): Aaron’s regular duty to burn incense morning and evening 'to make atonement for the people' links the use of incense/altar fire in priestly rites of expiation to the action Moses commands here.
- Numbers 25:6-13 (thematic): Another episode where a plague from the LORD strikes Israel because of sin and is ended by decisive priestly/zealous action (Phinehas); parallels the motif of divine wrath/plague and its cessation through an act tied to covenant faithfulness.
- Psalm 106:30-31 (quotation): Psalmic retelling of the Phinehas incident — 'he stood up and interposed, and the plague was stopped' — echoes the theme of priestly intervention/atonement halting a divinely-sent plague.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put fire from the altar on it, and put on incense; hurry to the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD—the plague has begun.”
- And Moses said to Aaron, 'Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay on it incense, and hurry to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD—the plague has begun.'
Num.17.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וירץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקהל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- החל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנגף: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בעם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הקטרת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויכפר: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Numbers 16:46-50 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the same plague and the identical ritual—Moses instructs the people to give censers to Aaron, who uses incense to make atonement and the plague is stopped.
- Leviticus 16:12-13 (verbal): Priestly atonement rite: the high priest takes a censer of burning coals and sweet incense into the inner sanctuary to make atonement for the people, echoing Aaron’s use of incense to avert plague.
- Exodus 30:7-10 (verbal): Prescriptive background for priestly incense: Aaron is commanded to burn incense regularly and the altar/incense is linked with making atonement—provides ritual context for Aaron’s act in Numbers 17:12.
- Numbers 25:11 (thematic): Another instance of priestly action ending divine wrath: Phinehas’s zeal is credited with turning away God’s anger and stopping a plague, a thematic parallel to Aaron’s intercessory act.
- Revelation 8:3-5 (allusion): Typological New Testament echo: an angel offers incense with the prayers of the saints at the altar—incense functions as intercession before God and is associated with judgment/mercy, reflecting the symbolic role of Aaron’s incense.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. He put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
- And Aaron took as Moses had commanded and ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
Num.17.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בין: PREP
- המתים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ובין: CONJ+PREP
- החיים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- ותעצר: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- המגפה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Num.16:48 (verbal): Almost identical wording and scenario: Aaron runs into the midst of the pestilence and 'stands between the dead and the living,' and the plague is stayed — a near-verbatim repetition of the act of interposition to halt divine punishment.
- Num.25:8-9 (verbal): Phinehas' violent intervention is described with the same outcome — his act of standing up (intervening) brings the plague to an end; parallels the motif of a human agent halting divine wrath.
- Lev.16:21-22 (thematic): On the Day of Atonement the high priest lays hands on the scapegoat to transfer the people's sins and remove them — a priestly act of mediation/transfer that averts or removes divine punishment, thematically parallel to standing between life and death to stop a plague.
- Exod.32:11-14 (thematic): Moses' intercession persuades YHWH to relent from destroying Israel after the golden calf; thematically analogous as a leader/priestly figure mediating to avert divine judgment or plague.
Alternative generated candidates
- He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
- And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest: Take the censers from among those that were burning and pour out the fire from them; for they are holy.
Make the censers of these sinners among them into hammered overlays of sheet bronze for the altar, for they presented them before the LORD and they have become consecrated; they shall be a sign to the people of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which those who had been consumed had offered and hammered them into overlays for the altar.
A reminder to the people of Israel, that no alien who is not of the seed of Aaron may come near to burn incense before the LORD, lest he be like Korah and his company, as the LORD had spoken to Moses. And all the congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron the next day, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." And when the congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron they turned toward the tent of meeting; behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. And Moses and Aaron went before the tent of meeting. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Get up from among this congregation; remove them quickly, that they may fall upon their faces. And Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar on it, and put incense in it; and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD — the plague has begun." And Aaron took as Moses had spoken; and he ran into the midst of the congregation; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.