Text -- Numbers 17:9-13 (NET)

17:9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.

The Memorial

17:10 The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end before me, that they will not die.” 17:11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him– this is what he did. 17:12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish! 17:13 Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Num 17:9

¹ tn The words “at them” are not in the Hebrew text, but they have been added in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Num 17:10

¹ tn The verb means “to finish; to complete” and here “to bring to an end.” It is the imperfect following the imperative, and so introduces a purpose clause (as a final imperfect).

² tn This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause.

NET Notes: Num 17:12

¹ tn The use of הֵן (hen) and the perfect tense in the nuance of a prophetic perfect expresses their conviction that they were bound to die – it was certain (see GKC 312-13 §106.n).

NET Notes: Num 17:13

¹ sn Num 17:13 in the English Bible is 17:28 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36.

² tn The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, ha’im tamnu ligvoa’).