Speak unto the children of Israel, that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples, and take away all pretence and cause of murmuring. Of every one of them; not of every person, but of every tribe, as it follows. A rod; either an ordinary walking staff; or rather, that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority, as may be gathered from Numbers 21:18, compared with Psalms 110:2 Jeremiah 48:16,17. According to the house of their fathers, i.e. according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribe. Every man's name, i.e. every prince s; for they being the first-born, and the chief of their tribes, might above all others pretend to the priesthood, if it was communicable to any of their tribes, and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe; so that this was a full decision of the whole question. And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed, that not only Korah and the Levites, but also those of other tribes, contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood, as that which belonged to all the congregation, they being all holy, as they said, Numbers 16:3.
Related Commentaries of Numbers 17:2
Numbers 17:2
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.