Numbers 29:7 kjv
And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
Numbers 29:7 nkjv
'On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work.
Numbers 29:7 niv
"?'On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work.
Numbers 29:7 esv
"On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work,
Numbers 29:7 nlt
"Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work.
Numbers 29 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 16:29-30 | And this shall be a statute forever... you shall afflict your souls and do no work... on this day atonement shall be made for you... | Direct command for Yom Kippur; emphasizes atonement. |
| Lev 23:27-28 | On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be to you a holy convocation... afflict your souls... | Core instruction for the day and its holy purpose. |
| Lev 23:31 | You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. | Reiterates prohibition of work, perpetual ordinance. |
| Exod 30:10 | Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year... once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. | Foretells the annual need for atonement by the high priest. |
| Psa 35:13 | ...I humbled myself with fasting... | Connects "afflicting souls" to the practice of fasting. |
| Isa 58:3-5 | 'Why have we fasted,' they say... 'Is this not the fast that I choose...? To bow down his head like a bulrush, and spread out sackcloth...?' | Challenges superficial fasting, defining true humility/affliction. |
| Isa 58:6-7 | 'Is this not rather the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness... to share your bread with the hungry...?' | Emphasizes that true "affliction" involves justice and mercy. |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning... rend your heart..." | Calls for sincere repentance and inward affliction of the soul. |
| Neh 9:1-2 | Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dirt on their heads. | Example of communal fasting, confession, and repentance in post-exilic Israel. |
| Dan 9:3 | Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. | Daniel's personal practice of afflicting his soul in prayer and repentance. |
| Zech 12:10 | And I will pour on the house of David... the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced... | Prophecy of future national mourning and repentance for sin. |
| Acts 27:9 | Now when much time had been spent... because the Fast was already over... | New Testament reference to Yom Kippur as "the Fast," showing its common understanding. |
| Rom 3:25 | whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith... | Christ as the ultimate "covering" for sin, fulfilling the purpose of atonement. |
| Rom 5:11 | And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. | Christ provides reconciliation, mirroring the atoning purpose of Yom Kippur. |
| 1 Cor 5:7 | ...For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. | Christ as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, His sacrifice is for the entire body. |
| 2 Cor 7:10 | For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. | True "affliction of soul" should lead to godly sorrow and repentance. |
| Phil 2:12 | ...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; | Points to ongoing spiritual effort, contrasting with "not doing work" which is for rest in atonement. |
| Col 2:16-17 | So let no one judge you... regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come... | Old Testament feasts, including Yom Kippur, are shadows pointing to Christ. |
| Heb 9:7 | but into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins of ignorance; | Explains the High Priest's entry into the Most Holy Place on Yom Kippur with atoning blood. |
| Heb 9:12 | Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. | Christ's perfect, singular sacrifice fulfilling and surpassing Yom Kippur's rituals. |
| Heb 10:11-14 | And every priest stands ministering daily... But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down... | Highlights the definitive nature of Christ's sacrifice versus the repetitive Levitical sacrifices. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | Emphasizes the need for confession, part of the inner 'affliction of soul.' |
Numbers 29 verses
Numbers 29 7 Meaning
Numbers 29:7 details the specific observances for the tenth day of the seventh month, which is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). It commands the assembly of God's people for a sacred gathering, requiring them to humble themselves, primarily through fasting, and to refrain from all ordinary labor. This day was dedicated to national atonement for sin and spiritual consecration before God.
Numbers 29 7 Context
Numbers chapter 29 outlines the specific burnt offerings and grain offerings to be presented to the Lord during each of the appointed feasts from the seventh month onward, including Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Verse 7 focuses solely on the Day of Atonement. This chapter, following the previous prescriptions for sacrifices in chapter 28, reinforces the Israelites' detailed obligations regarding worship and atonement, particularly as they prepare to enter the promised land.
Historically, this instruction was given to the second generation of Israelites in the wilderness, after the initial census. It provided them with precise, divine regulations for their communal religious life, distinguishing their worship practices from the idolatrous rituals of the nations around them. The solemnity, self-denial, and focus on atonement inherent in Yom Kippur were direct polemics against the often self-indulgent or ritualistically empty practices of pagan religions, which frequently involved revelry rather than repentance.
Numbers 29 7 Word analysis
- And on the tenth day: This precise timing, baʿăśōr baḥōdeš (בעשור בחדש), "on the tenth of the month," specifies the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), universally recognized as the holiest day of the Jewish year. The specificity emphasizes divine order and the unique importance of this date.
- of this seventh month: Hebrew, haššəḇîʿî (השביעי). The seventh month (Tishri) in the biblical calendar marks a period rich with significant feasts (Feast of Trumpets on the 1st, Day of Atonement on the 10th, Feast of Tabernacles on the 15th-22nd). The number seven often signifies completion and spiritual perfection in scripture, making the observance within this month particularly weighty.
- you shall have: A divine imperative, not an option. It denotes an unbreakable covenant requirement for the community.
- a holy convocation: Hebrew, miqra qodesh (מקרא קדש). Miqra means "a calling out" or "assembly," derived from qara (קרא) "to call." Qodesh means "holy," "set apart." This term signifies not just any gathering, but one specifically summoned by God, set apart for sacred purposes. It indicates a required religious assembly where God's presence is specifically invoked or expected, distinguishing it from regular workdays.
- You shall afflict your souls: Hebrew, wəʿinnītem ʾet-napšōtêḵem (ועניתם את-נפשתיכם). The verb ʿanah (ענה) here means "to humble, to make low, to fast, to mortify." While primarily understood as fasting from food and drink, it historically extended to abstinence from other bodily pleasures such as bathing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. The term naphesh (נפש), "soul," here refers to the entire person, emphasizing a deep, inner humbling, genuine self-denial, and sincere repentance, not just outward ritual. This internal discipline was foundational to seeking God's forgiveness.
- you shall not do: A direct, negative command, prohibiting specific actions.
- any work: Hebrew, kol-məlaʾḵāh (כל-מלאכה). Məlaʾḵāh generally means "work, labor, business, occupation." It refers to creative, purposeful activity undertaken to produce, create, or derive benefit. On the Day of Atonement, the prohibition covers all customary secular occupations and even domestic work (cooking, cleaning for enjoyment), so that the entire day could be devoted to introspection, repentance, and communion with God, resting entirely on His provision and grace for atonement. It highlights the cessation of human effort in the process of divine reconciliation.
Words-group by Words-group Analysis:
- "And on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation": This phrase establishes the specific time and nature of the gathering. It underscores the divine authority and pre-eminence of this day. The meticulous dating reinforces the sacred calendar's role in ordering Israel's life around God's redemptive plan. The holy convocation ensures that the community collectively engages in this solemn observance.
- "You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work": These two interconnected commands define the mode of observance. Afflicting souls points to the internal disposition of humility, repentance, and reliance on God's mercy. This physical deprivation (fasting, etc.) aids spiritual focus. Not doing any work provides the necessary external environment, freeing individuals from daily distractions and responsibilities to wholly consecrate themselves to this spiritual process. The combination signifies complete cessation from self-reliance and worldly pursuits to engage in sacred remembrance and plea for divine mercy. It points to a cessation of human striving and a resting in God's provided way of atonement.
Numbers 29 7 Bonus section
- The Day of Atonement is the only biblical fast explicitly commanded by the Torah, setting it apart as singularly significant for the entire community. All other fasts mentioned in scripture were often commemorative or crisis-driven, not universally mandated in the Law in the same way.
- The cessation from work on Yom Kippur is considered a 'Sabbath of Sabbaths' due to its extreme stringency and solemnity, demanding full spiritual focus beyond that of a regular Sabbath. It was not just about physical rest but active, intentional engagement with atonement.
- The phrase "afflict your souls" in other contexts could also imply self-debasement, leading some to practices of severe asceticism, but within the Mosaic context of Yom Kippur, it clearly pointed to spiritual humility enacted through fasting and sincere repentance.
- While Numbers 29 details the burnt offerings for this day, the underlying ritual for atonement, including the High Priest's entry into the Most Holy Place, is primarily outlined in Leviticus 16. This verse provides the public and personal participation aspects of the holy day.
Numbers 29 7 Commentary
Numbers 29:7 provides foundational instructions for observing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's unique in the Levitical calendar for commanding a fast (to "afflict your souls") as a nationwide requirement, emphasizing intense spiritual reflection, repentance, and self-denial. The dual prohibitions—"afflict your souls" and "not do any work"—highlight a complete break from normal life. The holy convocation ensured communal participation in this vital annual event for sin covering.
This divine mandate for a full cessation from labor and active self-humiliation underscored humanity's absolute dependence on God's provision for atonement. It taught Israel that reconciliation with God was not earned through human toil or good deeds but granted through divine grace, mediated by the high priest's actions on that singular day. Every individual's effort ceased, pointing towards a deep, personal reliance on the national atonement sacrifice. Ultimately, this day foreshadowed the once-for-all, perfect atonement provided by Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest, whose completed work allows believers to rest from their own efforts to gain righteousness. The "affliction of soul" for believers today translates into humble repentance and sorrow for sin, yet also rejoices in the full and final forgiveness secured by Christ.