Aaron's Rod That Budded

Biblical Account

The account appears in Numbers 17, which corresponds to 17:16–28 in the Hebrew Bible. In Numbers 16, Korah and others challenged the leadership of Moses and the priesthood of Aaron and came under judgment. When the people's murmuring continued even after this, God instructed the leader of each of the twelve tribes to bring a rod and had each man's name written on it. Aaron's name was to be written on the rod of the tribe of Levi. Moses laid the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. The next day, Aaron's rod alone had "brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds" (Numbers 17:8). God commanded that this rod be placed before the testimony "to be kept for a token against the rebels" (Numbers 17:10), that is, as a visible sign. The following chapter, Numbers 18, sets out the duties of the priests and the Levites.

Background

• The Hebrew word matteh means both "rod" and "tribe." Accordingly, each rod is understood to represent a tribe.
• The word for the fruit, shaqed, means almond; the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders it "apricot." The word sounds similar to a verb meaning "to watch over," a wordplay used in Jeremiah 1:11–12. The cups on the lampstand of the tabernacle were also shaped like almond blossoms (Exodus 25:33–34).

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The central point of the passage is that the priesthood cannot be claimed on human initiative but is conferred by God's choice. Hebrews 5:4–5 states that no one takes this honor to himself, "but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." It goes on to explain that Christ likewise did not glorify himself but was appointed high priest by God. Hebrews 9:4 records that the ark of the covenant contained "the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant."

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Place of keeping: Numbers records that the rod was to be placed "before" the testimony. 1 Kings 8:9 states that in Solomon's time there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone. Regarding how these two accounts relate to Hebrews 9:4, some hold that the contents changed over time, while others hold that Hebrews refers to the ark together with the objects kept beside it.
• Relation to Moses' rod: Some interpret the rod that Moses took "from before the LORD" in Numbers 20:9 as Aaron's rod, but the text does not say so.
• Typological interpretation: Typology is a way of reading Old Testament events as foreshadowing things to come. Many Protestant interpreters read the coming to life of dead wood as a type of Christ's resurrection and of the high priesthood established by God. In the medieval Western church, the rod was reportedly also read as a symbol of the virginal conception of Mary.
• Contemporary application: The passage is sometimes used as a basis for establishing the authority of pastors. Others, however, pointing to the fulfillment of the Old Testament priesthood in Christ and to the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, urge caution in applying it directly to present-day church offices.
• Later embellishments: Jewish tradition reportedly contains stories that elaborate at length on the history of this rod, but these do not appear in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited in sermons emphasizing that calling and church office come from God.