Numbers 15:10 kjv
And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
Numbers 15:10 nkjv
and you shall bring as the drink offering half a hin of wine as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 15:10 niv
and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
Numbers 15:10 esv
And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 15:10 nlt
and give two quarts of wine as a liquid offering. This will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 15 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 8:21 | The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground..." | God's acceptance of Noah's post-flood sacrifice, first use of "pleasing aroma". |
| Ex 29:18 | ...It is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. | Defines a standard for accepted burnt offerings, connects to "pleasing aroma". |
| Ex 29:40 | and a fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering with the first lamb. | Earlier mention of drink offering with daily sacrifice. |
| Lev 1:9 | ...it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. | Reiterates "pleasing aroma" for burnt offerings, emphasizing acceptance. |
| Lev 23:13 | ...with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering of a fourth of a hin of wine. | Details drink and grain offerings alongside specific animal sacrifices. |
| Num 6:15 | ...with their grain offering and their drink offerings. | Underscores accompanying nature of drink offerings in Nazarite vows. |
| Num 15:5 | ...you shall offer for the drink offering a fourth of a hin of wine with the burnt offering or sacrifice for each lamb. | Establishes the specific quantity for a lamb/goat in this chapter's context (a separate measure is for a ram and bull, with v.10 giving a more generic quantity if for larger sacrifices implicitly in the range of 1/4 - 1/2 hin) |
| Num 28:7 | Its drink offering shall be a fourth of a hin of strong wine for each lamb. In the Holy Place you shall pour out a drink offering to the LORD. | Reinforces the daily drink offering ritual. |
| Num 29:6 | This is in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering... | Highlighting drink offerings as additions to major feast sacrifices. |
| Deut 12:6 | There you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices... and your drink offerings. | Prescribes where Israelites must bring all forms of offerings. |
| Judg 16:23 | ...they gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice... | Polemical contrast to pagan libations for false gods. |
| Isa 57:6 | Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering; you have brought a grain offering. | Prophetic condemnation of idolatrous practices including pouring drink offerings to pagan gods. |
| Jer 7:18 | ...to pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. | Explicit condemnation of misdirected libations. |
| Ezek 20:41 | As a pleasing aroma I will accept you... | God's future acceptance of purified Israel likened to "pleasing aroma." |
| Amos 5:22 | ...though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them...nor will I look on the peace offerings of your fattened animals. | Rituals without righteousness are not a "pleasing aroma." |
| Phil 2:17 | Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad... | Paul uses the metaphor of his life as a drink offering, spiritualizing the concept. |
| Phil 4:18 | I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. | Christian giving viewed as a spiritual "pleasing aroma" to God. |
| Eph 5:2 | ...Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | Christ's ultimate sacrifice is the supreme "fragrant offering," fulfilling Old Covenant types. |
| Col 2:16-17 | Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival... These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. | Old Covenant ritual measurements and types are shadows, fulfilled in Christ. |
| Heb 10:1-4 | For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. | The repeated sacrifices (including libations) point to a greater reality in Christ. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | Believers offer spiritual sacrifices, resonating with the concept of "pleasing" to God. |
Numbers 15 verses
Numbers 15 10 Meaning
Numbers 15:10 specifies the precise requirement for a drink offering of half a hin of wine, mandated to accompany a burnt offering or peace offering, particularly those involving a lamb or a goat. This libation was to be presented to the Lord as "an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma," signifying God's divine acceptance and satisfaction with the worshiper's obedience and act of devotion. It underscores the meticulousness required in covenant worship and the holistic nature of Israel's sacrificial system.
Numbers 15 10 Context
Numbers chapter 15 provides detailed supplementary laws regarding sacrifices, specifically specifying additional accompanying offerings that were mandatory for burnt offerings (olah) and peace offerings (zevach shlamim). These regulations were given to the Israelites for when they would eventually enter and settle in the Promised Land (Num 15:2), serving to establish comprehensive worship practices for a new settled life, beyond the initial wilderness legislation. The instructions encompass requirements for offerings involving a bull, a ram, and a lamb or a goat, including specific quantities of grain and drink offerings. Verse 10 specifically addresses the drink offering of wine that was to accompany a burnt or peace offering of a lamb or goat, completing the ritual prescribed earlier in the chapter for such an animal.
Numbers 15 10 Word analysis
- and a drink offering (וְנֶסֶךְ, və·ne·seḵ): The prefix 'וְ' (və) means 'and' or 'then,' indicating a continuation or consequence. 'Nesek' (נֶסֶךְ) refers to a libation or drink offering, specifically an act of pouring out liquid. In ancient Near Eastern religions, libations were common, often poured directly onto the ground or a specific object. In Israelite worship, it was poured out at the base of the altar (e.g., Ex 29:40) and was always an accompanying offering, never a standalone sacrifice. It symbolized dedication and devotion, echoing the outpouring of one's heart and life.
- half a hin (חֵצִי הַהִין, ḥê·ṣî ha·hîn): 'Ḥêṣî' (חֵצִי) means 'half,' and 'hin' (הִין) is a Hebrew unit of liquid measure, approximately 3.7 liters (or roughly one gallon). This precise measurement (one half of a hin) indicates the specific volume of wine required for a lamb or goat offering, underscoring the exactness and order God required in worship. The varying amounts specified in Num 15 (1/4 hin for a lamb in 15:5, 1/3 hin for a ram in 15:7, 1/2 hin for a bull in 15:9) highlight a proportionate increase in accompanying offerings for larger sacrifices, implying verse 10 functions as a general rule or specifically refers to the amount for the largest scale among lambs or perhaps small-medium rams for that specific sacrificial category, consistent with its placement.
- of wine (יָיִן, yā·yin): The Hebrew word for wine. Wine was a common and important part of daily life and celebration in ancient Israel. In the sacrificial system, it often symbolized joy, covenant blessings, and the richness of the land. Its inclusion in offerings sanctified a common element of life for divine service.
- an offering made by fire (קָרְבָּן אִשֶּׁה, qor·bān ʾiš·šeh): 'Qorban' (קָרְבָּן) is a general term for an offering or sacrifice, meaning something 'brought near' to God. 'Isheh' (אִשֶּׁה) refers to an 'offering by fire' or a 'food offering' (food of God in a metaphorical sense). This term is used frequently to describe sacrifices consumed by fire on the altar, such as burnt offerings (olah) and fat portions of peace offerings (zevach shlamim). While the wine itself wasn't literally consumed by fire, its accompaniment to the fiery sacrifice rendered it part of the complete "offering by fire" in a theological sense, symbolizing its dedication and ascent to God through the entire ritual.
- a pleasing aroma (רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ, rê·aḥ nî·ḥō·aḥ): This idiomatic phrase, also translated as "sweet savor" or "soothing aroma," describes sacrifices acceptable to God. 'Reiach' (רֵיחַ) means 'aroma' or 'smell,' and 'nichoach' (נִיחֹחַ) means 'soothing,' 'restful,' or 'pleasing.' It's a metaphor for God's divine acceptance and satisfaction, implying that the sacrifice has appeased or pleased Him, bringing a sense of divine favor and peace. It's not a literal biological 'smell' for God but a theological expression of His approval.
- to the Lord (לַיהוָה, la·YHWH): The preposition 'לַ' (la) means 'to' or 'for.' 'YHWH' (יהוה) is the sacred four-letter name of God, often transliterated as Yahweh, translated as "the LORD." This emphasizes that the offering, and indeed all true worship, is directed exclusively to the one true God, setting it apart from pagan rituals and offerings made to false deities. It underlines the covenant relationship and divine ownership.
Numbers 15 10 Bonus section
- Canaan Entry Preparations: These specific laws in Numbers 15 served as preparatory instructions for the generation about to enter the Promised Land. They highlighted the importance of establishing a structured, unified system of worship across all tribes, foreigners included (Num 15:15), emphasizing their future collective life as God's covenant people.
- Consistency and Completeness: The integration of the drink offering with the animal and grain offerings underlines the comprehensive nature of worship in the Old Testament. Each component was essential for the sacrifice to be considered complete and acceptable, symbolizing that genuine worship involved dedication of various aspects of life and produce.
- Atonement and Acceptance: While drink offerings were typically offerings of dedication or communion rather than explicit atonement, their integral role in the whole burnt offering (which was for atonement) connected them conceptually to the removal of sin and the re-establishment of a right relationship with God, particularly when yielding "a pleasing aroma."
- Typological Significance: The "pouring out" of the drink offering foreshadows various New Testament spiritual truths: Paul's life being "poured out" for the sake of the Gospel (Phil 2:17), and more profoundly, the pouring out of Christ's blood as the ultimate "drink" of the new covenant (Matt 26:28).
Numbers 15 10 Commentary
Numbers 15:10, seemingly a mere liturgical detail, holds significant theological weight within the framework of Old Covenant worship. It illustrates God's demand for order, precision, and wholeness in sacred service. The meticulously measured wine, coupled with specific animals, underscored that acceptable worship was not arbitrary but governed by divine decree. The phrase "an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord" signifies more than a physical ritual; it embodies God's gracious acceptance of His people's devoted act. This acceptance was crucial, showing reconciliation, renewed favor, and a satisfied deity. Ultimately, this specific act pointed forward to the ultimate pleasing aroma, the self-sacrifice of Christ, which truly satisfied God's righteousness and offered a lasting and perfect atonement for all who believe, transcending the need for physical libations and burnt offerings.