Numbers 29:23 kjv
And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:
Numbers 29:23 nkjv
'On the fourth day present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year, without blemish,
Numbers 29:23 niv
"?'On the fourth day offer ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
Numbers 29:23 esv
"On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish,
Numbers 29:23 nlt
"On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.
Numbers 29 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 15:1-16 | “Speak to the people of Israel... when you come into the land... you shall present... offerings by fire..." | Detailed laws for grain and drink offerings accompanying burnt offerings, establishing proportions. |
| Num 28:1-31 | “Command the people of Israel... to bring me my food, my offerings by fire..." | Comprehensive regulations for all daily, Sabbath, monthly, and festival offerings, including accompanying offerings. |
| Ex 29:40-41 | “with the one lamb a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine..." | Daily burnt offering requirements and their specific grain and drink offering accompaniments. |
| Lev 2:1-16 | "When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord..." | Specific laws concerning the grain offering (minchah) itself. |
| Lev 7:12-13 | "If he offers it for a thanksgiving... with loaves of leavened bread." | Mentions grain offerings as part of peace/thanksgiving offerings. |
| Lev 22:31 | "So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord." | General call for adherence to God's commands. |
| Deut 4:2 | "You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it..." | Prohibition against altering God's commands for worship. |
| Deut 12:32 | "Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do..." | Emphasis on exact and complete obedience to God’s statutes. |
| Num 29:18 | "with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the rams..." | Similar proportionality instruction for the second day of Sukkot, showing consistency. |
| Num 29:21 | "Their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams..." | Proportionality for the third day of Sukkot, reinforcing the principle. |
| Num 29:3-5 | "with its grain offering and its drink offering" | Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) offerings, also requiring grain/drink. |
| Num 29:10-11 | "Their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the rams..." | Day of Atonement offerings also required specific accompanying elements. |
| Heb 10:1 | "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities..." | Old Covenant rituals as shadows pointing to Christ’s fulfillment. |
| Heb 9:1-10 | Describes the elaborate details of the Tabernacle and its service. | God's demand for precise and prescribed worship. |
| Mal 1:10 | "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!" | Rebuke against impure or insufficient offerings, showing God's judgment on unprescribed worship. |
| Phil 2:17 | "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith..." | Paul uses "drink offering" metaphorically for sacrificial service and pouring out his life for Christ. |
| 2 Tim 4:6 | "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering..." | Paul's self-sacrificial ministry echoing the libation offering. |
| 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..." | Believers as priests offering spiritual sacrifices in the New Covenant. |
| Rom 12:1 | "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." | New Covenant worship involves the full dedication of one's life. |
| John 4:24 | "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” | New Covenant emphasis on the nature of worship – internal sincerity alongside adherence to truth. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival..." | Fulfillment of dietary and festival laws in Christ, but principles of devotion remain. |
| Matt 5:17-19 | "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets..." | Christ's fulfillment of the Law, not its destruction. |
Numbers 29 verses
Numbers 29 23 Meaning
Numbers 29:23 specifies that the grain offerings and drink offerings, which accompany the animal sacrifices of bulls, rams, and lambs during the fourth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, must be provided in precise quantities according to their established numbers and the divinely prescribed rule. It reinforces that all components of the ritual, even the seemingly secondary offerings, must adhere strictly to God’s detailed instructions for worship.
Numbers 29 23 Context
Numbers 29 details the elaborate and diminishing animal sacrifices for the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), a joyful harvest festival lasting seven days, followed by an eighth concluding day. The chapter is a continuation of specific sacrificial regulations for various annual festivals that began in Numbers 28. Verse 23 specifically concerns the offerings for the fourth day of Sukkot. Each of the first seven days of Sukkot required a varying number of bulls (decreasing by one each day from thirteen on day one to seven on day seven), but a fixed number of two rams and fourteen male lambs of the first year. Numbers 29:23 clarifies that for the animals offered on this fourth day, their corresponding grain and drink offerings must precisely align with the previously stipulated proportions given in earlier parts of the Law (e.g., Numbers 15 and 28). This specific mention of the accompanying offerings highlights God's demand for comprehensive and meticulous adherence to His prescribed worship, leaving no detail to human discretion.
Numbers 29 23 Word analysis
- Their: Refers to the offerings of the people of Israel, brought forth by the priests, signifying communal worship and adherence to the covenant.
- grain offering: (Hebrew: minchah) Literally "gift" or "tribute." This bloodless offering typically consisted of fine flour mixed with oil and often frankincense. It was not a sin offering but a general expression of worship, gratitude, or acknowledging God's provision. It frequently accompanied burnt offerings, symbolizing dedication and thanksgiving in partnership with the atonement provided by the animal sacrifice. In older English translations, "meat offering" was used to mean a food offering, not flesh.
- and their drink offerings: (Hebrew: nesek) Meaning "to pour out" or "libation." This offering involved pouring wine (or sometimes strong drink) on the altar as a part of the overall sacrifice. It symbolized joyous dedication, reverence, or celebration, complementing the primary animal sacrifice. Drink offerings, like grain offerings, were never offered independently.
- for the bulls: Refers to the ten bullocks prescribed for the burnt offering on the fourth day of the feast (Numbers 29:20). Bulls were the largest and most costly of the sacrificial animals, indicating significant atonement and commitment.
- for the rams: Refers to the two rams, a consistent number for the daily burnt offerings during the Feast of Tabernacles (Numbers 29:20). Rams, older sheep, represented valuable communal sacrifice.
- and for the lambs: Refers to the fourteen male lambs, a consistent number for the daily burnt offerings during the Feast of Tabernacles (Numbers 29:20). Lambs, particularly those "of the first year without blemish," were the most frequently prescribed individual offerings, signifying purity and total dedication.
- shall be according to their number: This key phrase dictates that the quantity of the grain and drink offerings must correspond exactly to the number of animals (bulls, rams, lambs) being offered. Each type of animal had a distinct, pre-established ratio of accompanying flour and wine as detailed in Numbers 15.
- after the prescribed rule: (Hebrew: kammishpat) Literally "according to the judgment," "custom," or "ordinance." This term signifies that the exact procedure and measurements are not left to the discretion of the priests or the people, but must strictly adhere to God's already revealed, specific, and unalterable laws concerning sacrifices, as laid out primarily in Numbers 15 and 28. It emphasizes divine authority, order, and precision in worship.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Their grain offering and their drink offerings": This grouping highlights the importance of the accompanying offerings. While the animal sacrifice was central for atonement or dedication, the bloodless offerings of grain and drink signified the offeror's gratitude, sustenance from God, joyous devotion, and holistic surrender. They collectively demonstrate that worship involves not only atonement but also devotion and thanks for God's provision.
- "for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs": This phrase lists the distinct categories of burnt offering animals. It underscores that the specific proportionality of accompanying offerings applies universally across all types and quantities of sacrificial animals. This reveals God’s meticulousness; even the type of animal impacted the corresponding grain and drink offerings. It left no aspect of the holy service undefined.
- "shall be according to their number, after the prescribed rule": This crucial instruction embodies the core principle of divine worship in the Old Covenant. It demands strict, quantitative precision ("according to their number") and absolute adherence to God's established laws ("after the prescribed rule"). This teaches Israel, and believers today, that God determines the acceptable mode of worship, emphasizing His sovereignty, the importance of obedience, and the unchangeable nature of His covenant demands. It stands against human innovation or arbitrary worship.
Numbers 29 23 Bonus section
- The consistent reiteration of these detailed requirements across multiple festival days within Numbers 28-29 served as a constant reminder to the priests and the people of the exactitude God demanded for their covenant worship. It built an institutional memory of sacred protocol.
- The high cost of these numerous and varied offerings, including the detailed grain and drink portions, was a significant investment for the community, illustrating the costly commitment required for covenant faithfulness and public worship. It conveyed that worshipping God required effort, planning, and sacrifice of resources.
- The meticulous planning implied by these instructions (e.g., having enough specific flour and wine for each type of animal over multiple days) speaks to the communal discipline and foresight necessary to properly maintain the sanctuary service.
- In the New Covenant, while we are no longer bound by these specific Levitical rituals (Col 2:16-17; Heb 9:10), the principle of "worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24) means that our offerings of prayer, praise, service, and our very lives should be according to God's new covenant rule—through faith in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:1-2).
Numbers 29 23 Commentary
Numbers 29:23 encapsulates a recurring theme throughout the ceremonial law: God demands specific, meticulous, and undeviating obedience in worship. It is not enough that the correct animals are offered; the seemingly ancillary grain and drink offerings must also strictly adhere to pre-defined ratios tied to each animal. This level of detail underscores several vital theological principles. Firstly, God is a God of order and specific instruction; His demands for worship are not mere suggestions but precise commands that brook no human alteration or approximation. This reinforces His divine sovereignty and holiness. Secondly, it conveys the idea of completeness and dedication in worship. The full "offering" to God was comprehensive, involving not just the life of the animal but also expressions of sustenance (grain) and joyous devotion (drink). This foreshadows a holistic surrender in faith. Finally, this exactness acted as a bulwark against the haphazard and syncretistic worship common among Israel's pagan neighbors. Israel’s worship was unique, divinely appointed, and perfect in its details. While these Old Covenant rituals have found their ultimate fulfillment in Christ's singular and sufficient sacrifice (Hebrews 9-10), the underlying principle of approaching God reverently, intentionally, and in humble obedience to His revealed will remains eternally relevant for the New Covenant believer.