Numbers 17:2-6 (KJV)
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. 6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods
In the above text its not clear whether Moses took twelve or thirteen rods into the tabernacle since Aaron's rod was said to be among those of the princes.
Numbers 1:2-16 (KJV)
2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. 16 These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
Earlier during the census(Numbers 1:1-16) when the princes were selected to head the Israelites they were twelve excluding the Levites
.Aaron's rod is said to have represented the house of levi which incidentally had no prince in the earlier census.
Could it have been twelve or thirteen rods?