Numbers 29 28

Numbers 29:28 kjv

And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

Numbers 29:28 nkjv

also one goat as a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Numbers 29:28 niv

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

Numbers 29:28 esv

also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

Numbers 29:28 nlt

You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

Numbers 29 verses

Numbers 29 28 Meaning

Numbers 29:28 prescribes one male goat to be offered as a sin offering on the seventh day of the Feast of Booths (Sukkot). This specific offering was commanded in addition to the regular daily burnt offering, which itself included its corresponding grain and drink offerings. This ritual demonstrated a commitment to purification and atonement as a regular part of communal worship during the festive season.

Numbers 29 28 Context

Numbers chapter 29 details the specific sacrificial requirements for Israel's annual feasts, ensuring a meticulous and prescribed order of worship. Verse 28 is part of the instruction for the seventh day of the Feast of Booths (Sukkot), a harvest festival lasting seven days, followed by an eighth concluding assembly. During Sukkot, the daily burnt offerings diminished in number (specifically bulls), but the sin offering of one male goat remained constant each day. This emphasized a continual need for atonement and purification even amidst rejoicing and harvest blessings. The commands were given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, reinforcing God's covenant and their distinct identity through proper worship, in contrast to the unpredictable and often depraved rituals of surrounding pagan nations.

Numbers 29 28 Word analysis

• one male goat: Hebrew: śāʿîr ʿēz (שָׂעִיר עֵז). Śāʿîr means 'hairy one' or 'he-goat,' often specifically designating a young male goat suitable for sacrifice. ʿĒz is the general term for 'goat.' The requirement for a 'male' goat (implied by śāʿîr), often without blemish (general law of sacrifice), speaks to its fitness for God's altar. Its particular use here for a sin offering connects to its prescribed role in Levitical law for unintentional sins, emphasizing that even in celebration, purification was paramount.
• for a sin offering: Hebrew: ləḥaṭṭāʾṯ (לְחַטָּאת). Ḥaṭṭāʾṯ (sin offering) comes from the root ḥāṭāʾ, 'to miss the mark,' 'to err,' 'to sin.' This offering served to cleanse from ceremonial defilement and, more generally, from unintentional sins that alienated one from God or the community. It provided atonement (kippur) for the individual or congregation, re-establishing ritual purity and access to God.
• besides the regular burnt offering: Hebrew: miłḇaḏ ʿōlaṯ haṭṭāmîḏ (מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד).
  • miłḇaḏ: 'besides,' 'apart from,' indicating an addition, not a replacement. This sin offering was supplementary to the daily standing requirements.
  • ʿōlaṯ haṭṭāmîḏ: 'burnt offering of the continual.' ʿŌlāh (burnt offering) literally means 'that which ascends,' as the entire animal (excluding the hide) was consumed by fire, ascending to God as a "soothing aroma" (Exo 29:18). It was an offering of complete dedication and propitiation.
  • haṭṭāmîḏ: 'the continual' or 'regular.' This refers to the daily morning and evening burnt offerings commanded in Exodus 29 and Numbers 28, forming the baseline of the sacrificial system. Its presence alongside special feast offerings highlights the consistent, ongoing need for fellowship with God and His atonement.
• its grain offering: Hebrew: ûminḥāṯāh (וּמִנְחָתָהּ). Minḥāh (grain offering or meal offering) was typically an offering of flour, baked goods, or unbaked grain, often accompanied by oil and frankincense. It usually followed or accompanied burnt offerings (Lev 23:13). It symbolized dedication, thankfulness, and acknowledgement of God as the provider of sustenance. Its attachment to the burnt offering underscores a complete act of worship, combining elements of atonement and dedication.
• and its drink offering: Hebrew: wənisəyāh (וְנִסְכָּהּ). Nesek (drink offering or libation) was commonly wine poured out on the altar. It was always an accompaniment to burnt offerings and grain offerings (Num 15:5). It symbolized an overflowing dedication or complete pouring out of self and blessings to God, signifying the joy and totality of devotion inherent in the worship act.

Numbers 29 28 Bonus section

The precise number and type of sacrifices detailed in Numbers 29 for each feast day reveal God's desire for an orderly and intentional approach to worship. The decreasing number of bulls offered daily during Sukkot (starting with thirteen on the first day down to seven on the seventh) has been interpreted by some as symbolizing the lessening of the nation's burden of sin as the feast progressed, or perhaps pointing to a future easing of ritual requirements under a new covenant. Yet, the consistency of the "one male goat for a sin offering" each day during Sukkot strongly reiterates the ongoing, persistent need for purification from sin, regardless of the level of joyous celebration or harvest blessings. This highlights a foundational theological truth: access to God's presence and blessing is perpetually dependent on divine provision for atonement, ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Heb 9:12-14).

Numbers 29 28 Commentary

Numbers 29:28 is a microcosm of Israel's deeply ritualistic and divinely ordered worship life. The daily command for "one male goat for a sin offering" during Sukkot, particularly on the seventh day, demonstrates that even amidst a feast of great joy and thanksgiving for the harvest (symbolizing God's provision and faithfulness), the reality of human sin and the constant need for divine atonement were never overlooked. The inclusion "besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering" underscores the multi-faceted nature of Israel's communion with God: the tāmîd offerings represent daily devotion and complete consecration, while the specific feast offerings added layers of particular petition and purification relevant to the occasion. This meticulous divine instruction aimed to keep the people continually mindful of God's holiness, their own propensity to sin, and the only path to maintain fellowship—through atoning sacrifice, a shadow of the ultimate, perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb 10:1-4).