Font Size
Numbers 17:10-13
New English Translation
Numbers 17:10-13
New English Translation
The Memorial
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[a] before me, that they will not die.”[b] 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him—this is what he did.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We are bound to die![c] We perish, we all perish! 13 (17:28)[d] Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?”[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 17:10 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).
- Numbers 17:10 tn This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause.
- Numbers 17:12 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).
- Numbers 17:13 sn Num 17:13 in the English Bible is 17:28 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36.
- Numbers 17:13 tn The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, haʾim tamnu ligvoaʿ).
Numbers 17:10-13
New International Version
Numbers 17:10-13
New International Version
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff(A) in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.(B) This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!(C) 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die.(D) Are we all going to die?”
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.