Aaron's Rod

Biblical Text and Content

Aaron's rod plays a significant role in two episodes.

• Signs in Egypt: In Exodus 7:8-13, Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh. The rod became a serpent, and the rods of the Egyptian magicians also became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed up theirs. Aaron then lifted up the rod and turned the water into blood (Exodus 7:19-20), and he brought on the plagues of frogs (8:5-6) and lice (8:16-17). These plagues make up the opening portion of the ten plagues.
• The rod that budded: In Numbers 16, the company of Korah rose up against the authority of Moses and Aaron. Afterward, God had a rod collected from the leader of each of the twelve tribes (Numbers 17). Aaron's name was to be written on the rod of the tribe of Levi, and the twelve rods were laid up in the tabernacle before the ark of the testimony. On the next day, only Aaron's rod had budded, blossomed, and yielded fruit (17:8). God commanded that this rod be kept before the testimony as a token against the rebels (17:10).

Background and Terminology

The Hebrew word matteh means both "rod" and "tribe." In Numbers 17, where each tribe presents one rod, the word itself is thus bound up with the narrative. The fruit that appeared is called shaqed in Hebrew, which is commonly understood to be the almond. The New Korean Revised Version renders it as "apricot," while the New Korean Standard Version uses gambokseunga, a Korean name for the almond. A branch of the same tree appears in Jeremiah 1:11-12, where a wordplay draws on the similar sound of shaqed and shoqed, a word meaning "to watch."

Biblical-Theological Significance

The budding rod is a sign showing that the appointment of Aaron's house as priests from among the Levites was God's own choice. In the New Testament, Hebrews 9:4 records that the ark of the covenant contained the golden pot that had manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant. Hebrews also teaches that no one can take the honor of the priesthood upon himself; he must be called by God, as Aaron was: "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Hebrews 5:4). The epistle then applies this principle to Christ's office as High Priest.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Place of keeping: Numbers says the rod was placed "before" the testimony, whereas Hebrews says it was "in" the ark. 1 Kings 8:9 records that in Solomon's time there was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone. Proposed explanations include that the manner of keeping changed over time and that Hebrews is speaking collectively of the tabernacle furnishings as a whole.
• The rod at Meribah: In Numbers 20:9, Moses took the rod "from before the LORD" and struck the rock. Some interpreters identify this rod with Aaron's rod that budded. Others, on the basis of "with his rod" in 20:11, regard it as Moses' own rod.
• Symbolic readings: Since the early church, many interpreters have read the springing forth of life from dead wood as a type of the resurrection. Some Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions also connect the rod with the conception by the Virgin Mary. Reformed interpreters tend to emphasize what the text directly states—the confirmation of the priestly election—and to caution against excessive allegory (a method that reinterprets each detail of a text as signifying something else).

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, "Aaron's rod that budded" is chiefly cited in connection with offices appointed by God, with vocation, and with God's power to bring forth life from what seems dead. It also serves as a text for ordination services and sermons on church office.