Numbers 28:21 kjv
A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
Numbers 28:21 nkjv
you shall offer one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs;
Numbers 28:21 niv
and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.
Numbers 28:21 esv
a tenth shall you offer for each of the seven lambs;
Numbers 28:21 nlt
and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.
Numbers 28 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 2:1-10 | "When anyone offers a grain offering...fine flour, pour oil..." | General law of Grain Offering |
| Exod 12:15-20 | "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread..." | Instructions for Unleavened Bread |
| Num 28:19 | "burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram..." | Sacrificial animals for Unleavened Bread |
| Deut 16:3-8 | "eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction..." | Commemoration of haste from Egypt |
| Lev 23:6-8 | "on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread" | Unleavened Bread in cultic calendar |
| Exod 30:22-33 | "Take the finest spices...and olive oil for a sacred anointing oil." | Symbolism of Oil (consecration, Spirit) |
| Lev 6:14-18 | "This is the law of the grain offering..." | Further details on Grain Offering |
| Prov 3:9-10 | "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits..." | Offering the best to God |
| Ezek 45:21-24 | "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread..." | Prophetic renewal of feast regulations |
| John 6:35, 48-51 | "I am the bread of life..." | Jesus as ultimate "Grain Offering" |
| 1 Cor 5:7-8 | "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed...eat unleavened bread" | Christ as fulfillment of Passover/Unleavened |
| Heb 9:9-10 | "gifts and sacrifices...external regulations...until a time of reform." | Old Covenant rituals superseded |
| Heb 10:5-7 | "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you prepared..." | Christ's ultimate perfect sacrifice |
| Rom 12:1 | "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" | New Covenant "offering" of one's life |
| Zech 4:2-6 | "two olive trees...These are the two anointed ones..." | Oil signifying Holy Spirit |
| 1 Jn 2:20, 27 | "You have an anointing from the Holy One..." | Believers anointed by the Spirit |
| Exod 16:36 | "An omer is one tenth of an ephah." | Definition of the "tenth deal" measurement |
| Deut 4:2 | "You shall not add to the word...nor take from it..." | Adherence to God's precise commands |
| Psa 51:17 | "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." | Internal disposition in worship |
| Mal 1:6-8 | "If I am a master, where is my respect?...When you offer blind animals..." | Warning against deficient offerings |
| Isa 1:11 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?...I have had enough..." | Emphasis on heart behind offerings |
| Phil 4:18 | "a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." | Giving resources as New Covenant offering |
Numbers 28 verses
Numbers 28 21 Meaning
Numbers 28:21 prescribes the specific grain offering to accompany the daily burnt offerings during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. For each bullock offered daily, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil was required; for each ram, two-tenths; and for each lamb, one-tenth. This highlights God's demand for precise, consistent, and proportionate offerings, emphasizing the dedication of agricultural produce (sustenance) alongside the atoning blood sacrifice, all done with the best quality resources and according to divine command.
Numbers 28 21 Context
Numbers 28-29 detail God's meticulous instructions for the regular (daily, weekly, monthly) and annual festival offerings, setting precise standards for worship in the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple). Numbers 28:21 is specifically part of the regulations for the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:16-25), which immediately follows Passover. This feast commemorates Israel's hasty departure from Egypt, leaving no time for bread to rise, symbolizing freedom from spiritual leaven (sin). The context establishes the proportionality and exactness of all prescribed sacrifices for each day of the festival, ensuring order, holiness, and consistency in Israel's communion with God, reflecting a people dedicated to YHWH through their communal worship.
Numbers 28 21 Word analysis
- their meat offering (מנחה, minchah): More accurately, "their grain offering" or "cereal offering." This refers to a non-blood offering, typically made of grain, often accompanied by oil and frankincense. It was supplementary to the burnt offering (olah). Significance: While the burnt offering represented atonement and complete surrender of life, the grain offering represented dedication of the produce of the earth, acknowledging God's provision and committing the fruit of one's labor.
- fine flour (סֹלֶת, solet): The highest quality flour, pure and refined. Significance: Demanded the very best, not leftovers or inferior produce, demonstrating profound respect and reverence for God. This emphasizes that worship is not merely about obedience but also about offering excellence and value.
- mingled with oil (בְּלוּלָה בַּשֶּׁמֶן, belulah bashemen): "Mixed" or "saturated" with oil. Oil symbolizes consecration, anointing, divine blessing, and often the Holy Spirit (e.g., in anointing priests). Significance: Implies that the offering, and by extension the life of the worshiper, is infused or sanctified by God's presence or blessing. It transforms a common substance into a holy offering.
- three tenth deals (שְׁלֹשָׁה עֶשְׂרֹנִים, shloshah isronim): A "tenth deal" (עשרון, isaron) is one-tenth of an ephah (approx. 2.2 liters or 2/5ths of a gallon). This denotes a precise measurement. Significance: Highlights the meticulous nature of God's commands. Every detail of worship was prescribed, leaving no room for human invention or arbitrary practice. It teaches divine authority and the importance of exact obedience.
- for a bullock: Refers to the main animal sacrifice of the burnt offering, indicating a specific proportionality. Significance: Shows the scaled nature of offerings; larger, more significant animals required larger corresponding grain offerings, reflecting the cost and significance of the primary sacrifice.
- two tenth deals for a ram, and a tenth deal for a lamb: Specifies reduced, yet still proportionate, amounts for smaller animals (ram and lamb) compared to a bullock. Significance: Maintains the principle of precise, scaled worship, ensuring consistency across different types of offerings and reflecting the value attached to each.
- throughout the seven bullocks: Clarifies that these specific quantities for the bullocks (and by extension, the rams and lambs mentioned) were to be offered every day of the seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread. Significance: Emphasizes consistency and persistence in worship, not just an initial burst of devotion but sustained obedience over the prescribed duration of the feast. It reflects an ongoing, disciplined approach to honoring God.
Numbers 28 21 Bonus section
The specific "tenth deal" measurement (omer or isaron) links back to the wilderness experience when Israel gathered manna, also measured by an omer per person (Exod 16:36). This connection subtly reinforces God's provision and the nation's dependence on Him, weaving daily sustenance into the fabric of worship and obedience. The sequence of "bullock," "ram," and "lamb" mirrors the descending order of cost and typical importance in the sacrificial system, yet each receives its divinely proportioned grain offering. The comprehensive nature of the Numbers 28-29 instructions, coming after decades of wilderness wandering, highlighted that despite trials, Israel's core identity as God's consecrated people required adherence to established patterns of worship as a central tenet of their covenant relationship.
Numbers 28 21 Commentary
Numbers 28:21 provides a vital snapshot into the nature of Old Covenant worship, emphasizing God's demand for holiness, order, and precise obedience. The "meat offering" (grain offering) signifies the dedication of sustenance and the fruit of human labor, symbolizing a life consecrated to God in all its practical aspects, not just ritualistic sacrifice. The requirement for "fine flour mingled with oil" underscored giving the very best, imbued with symbolic anointing or divine blessing. The detailed measurements — "three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, and a tenth deal for a lamb" — reflect God's meticulous instructions, leaving no room for arbitrary worship and demonstrating divine authority. This served as an indirect polemic against pagan practices which might have been chaotic or aimed at manipulating deities rather than obediently honoring the Most High God. The repeated offering "throughout the seven bullocks" signifies sustained, disciplined devotion. For believers today, while the sacrificial system is fulfilled in Christ's perfect sacrifice, the principles remain: our "spiritual worship" (Rom 12:1) involves offering our lives, resources, and very best in obedience to God's Word, acknowledging His sovereignty and provision in every aspect of our lives, empowered by the Spirit (the symbolic "oil").