Discovery BoxNumbers 17:5 
Context17:5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”
Numbers 17:12-13
Context17:12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We are bound to die! 1 We perish, we all perish! 17:13 (17:28) 2 Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?” 3
1 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).
2 sn Num 17:13 in the English Bible is 17:28 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36.
3 tn The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, ha’im tamnu ligvoa’).
