17:8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony—and10 the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds!11
tn Here too the deictic particle (“and behold”) is added to draw attention to the sight in a vivid way.
11
sn There is no clear answer why the tribe of Levi had used an almond staff. The almond tree is one of the first to bud in the spring, and its white blossoms are a beautiful sign that winter is over. Its name became a name for “watcher”; Jeremiah plays on this name for God’s watching over his people (1:11–12).