Aaron's Staff Buds

To address the murmurings of the children of Israel against them, Moses was instructed by the Lord to take one rod from each of the heads of the twelve tribes. Each man's name was written upon his rod, with Aaron's name specifically written upon the rod of Levi (Numbers 17:3). Moses then placed these rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness, following the command that the rod of the man chosen by the Lord would blossom to make the murmurings of the Israelites cease (Numbers 17:5).

On the following day, Moses entered the tabernacle of witness and discovered that the rod belonging to Aaron for the house of Levi had changed. The text records that the rod had budded, brought forth buds, bloomed blossoms, and yielded ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8). The specific duration of time required for these botanical developments beyond one night is a detail the text does not say. Moses then brought all the rods out from before the Lord to show the results to the children of Israel.

After each man identified and took his own rod, the Lord commanded Moses to bring Aaron's rod back before the testimony. It was to be kept as a token against the rebels to take away their murmurings so that they would not die (Numbers 17:10). The children of Israel responded by expressing fear that they would perish or be consumed for coming near the tabernacle, though the specific physical appearance of the tabernacle at that moment is a detail the text does not say (Numbers 17:13).