Numbers 17:9-13

17:9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites. They looked at them, ¹  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 ²  before me, that they will not die.” ³  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! ⁴  We perish, we all perish! 17:13 (17:28) ⁵  Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?” ⁶ 

[17:9]  ¹ tn The words “at them” are not in the Hebrew text, but they have been added in the translation for clarity.

[17:10]  ² 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).

[17:10]  ³ tn This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause.

[17:12]  ⁴ 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).

[17:13]  ⁵ sn Num 17:13 in the English Bible is 17:28 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36.

[17:13]  ⁶ tn The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, ha’im tamnu ligvoa’).