“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.
Parallel translations
- 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.
- 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,
- NKJV “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod.
- NASB “Speak to the sons of Israel, and obtain from them a staff for each father’s household: twelve staffs, from all their leaders for their fathers’ households. You shall write each man’s name on his staff,
- NLT “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God commanded that twelve rods, one for each tribe with the leader's name inscribed, be collected to test whom He had chosen.
Overview
Each tribal prince's rod, marked with his name, represented his house's claim to leadership and access to God. By gathering all twelve, God set up an objective, public test. The procedure ensured that the coming sign could not be disputed, demonstrating that priestly authority rests on God's choice, not human ambition.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Exod 4:17You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
- Ezek 21:13“For there is a trial. What if even the rod that condemns will be no more?” says the Lord Yahweh.
- Num 1:5–16These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: Of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur.
- Gen 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.
- Num 2:3–30Those who encamp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
- Exod 4:2Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
- Ps 110:2Yahweh will send out the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule among your enemies.
- Ps 125:3For the scepter of wickedness won’t remain over the allotment of the righteous; so that the righteous won’t use their hands to do evil.
- Mic 7:14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
- Num 10:14–27First, the standard of the camp of the children of Judah went forward according to their armies. Nahshon the son of Amminadab was over his army.
- Ezek 19:14Fire has gone out of the rods of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”
- Ezek 21:10It is sharpened that it may make a slaughter. It is polished that it may be as lightning. Shall we then make mirth? The rod of my son condemns every tree.
- Ezek 37:16–20You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 17:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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