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Numbers 15

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Laws for Grain and Drink Offerings 1–16

1
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, ​
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and will make an offering by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill-offering, or in your set feasts, to make a sweet savor unto Jehovah, of the herd, or of the flock;
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then shall he that offereth his oblation offer unto Jehovah a meal-offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of oil: ​
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and wine for the drink-offering, the fourth part of a hin, shalt thou prepare with the burnt-offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
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Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meal-offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the third part of a hin of oil:
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and for the drink-offering thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
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And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt-offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace-offerings unto Jehovah;
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then shall he offer with the bullock a meal-offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with half a hin of oil:
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and thou shalt offer for the drink-offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
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Thus shall it be done for each bullock, or for each ram, or for each of the he-lambs, or of the kids.
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According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.
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All that are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
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And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah; as ye do, so he shall do.
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For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you, a statute for ever throughout your generations: as ye are, so shall the sojourner be before Jehovah. ​
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One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

Offering the Firstfruits of Dough 17–21

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And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,
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then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heave-offering unto Jehovah. ​
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Of the first of your dough ye shall offer up a cake for a heave-offering: as the heave-offering of the threshing-floor, so shall ye heave it.
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Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto Jehovah a heave-offering throughout your generations.

Atonement for Unintentional Sins 22–29

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And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses, ​
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even all that Jehovah hath commanded you by Moses, from the day that Jehovah gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;
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then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt-offering, for a sweet savor unto Jehovah, with the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof, according to the ordinance, and one he-goat for a sin-offering. ​
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And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their oblation, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, and their sin-offering before Jehovah, for their error:
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and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.
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And if one person sin unwittingly, then he shall offer a she-goat a year old for a sin-offering.
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And the priest shall make atonement for the soul that erreth, when he sinneth unwittingly, before Jehovah, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.
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Ye shall have one law for him that doeth aught unwittingly, for him that is home-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.

The Penalty for Presumptuous Sin 30–31

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But the soul that doeth aught with a high hand, whether he be home-born or a sojourner, the same blasphemeth Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ​
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Because he hath despised the word of Jehovah, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. ​

The Sabbath Breaker Executed 32–36

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And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks upon the sabbath day. ​
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And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
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And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
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And Jehovah said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. ​
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And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him to death with stones; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

The Command to Wear Tassels (Tzitzit) 37–41

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And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of each border a cord of blue: ​
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and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye follow not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to play the harlot; ​
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that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
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I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah your God.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 15

Verse 2

the land of your habitations — Moshab, a dwelling-place, the word of 'throughout your habitations' (Ex 35:3). The LORD calls it the land 'which I give unto you' right after the sentence on the unbelieving generation (Num 14:29–34), with the promise kept for their children: 'them will I bring in' (Num 14:31).

Verse 4

a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour — 'Meat' is the old word for food; the Hebrew is minchah, the grain offering. It is measured to the animal: a tenth of flour with a lamb (vv.4–5), two tenths with a ram (v.6), three with a bullock (v.9). The lamb's measure is that of the daily offering (Ex 29:40).

Verse 15

One ordinance — Chuqqah, an ordinance, spoken of 'you' and of 'the stranger' (ger, a sojourner living among them) together: 'as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD'. The same one law governs the Passover (Ex 12:49; Num 9:14) and the sins of ignorance in v.29, and 'one manner of law' returns in Lev 24:22.

Verse 19

an heave offering — Terumah, from rum, to lift up; the Hebrew reads 'lift up a lifting'. It is taken when Israel eats 'of the bread of the land', as they first did at Gilgal, where 'the manna ceased' after they ate 'of the old corn of the land' (Josh 5:11–12). Verse 20 names it: 'a cake of the first of your dough'.

Verse 22

if ye have erred — Shagah, to stray, as a sheep strays; the noun shegagah, 'ignorance', appears in vv.24–29. Lev 4:2 provides for the same sin 'through ignorance', and Hebrews speaks of 'the errors of the people' (Heb 9:7). Verses 22–29 give an offering for the congregation and for the individual; vv.30–31 deal with the sin done 'presumptuously'.

Verse 24

one young bullock for a burnt offering — 'Without the knowledge of the congregation' is literally 'from the eyes of the congregation', as in Lev 4:13, 'hid from the eyes of the assembly'. The bullock goes up for 'a sweet savour unto the LORD' (nichoach), with its grain and drink offerings, and one kid of the goats is the sin offering.

Verse 30

doeth ought presumptuously — Literally 'with a high hand' (beyad ramah), the phrase for Israel going out of Egypt 'with an high hand' (Ex 14:8): a hand raised in boldness. 'Reproacheth' is gadaph, to revile, the verb of Isa 37:6, 'have blasphemed me'. The penalty, 'cut off' (karath), falls on the home-born and the stranger alike.

Verse 31

despised the word of the LORD — Bazah, to hold in contempt, the verb Nathan used to David: 'Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD' (2 Sam 12:9). 'Broken' is parar, to make void, as in 'they have made void thy law' (Ps 119:126). 'Utterly be cut off' repeats the verb: the guilt, 'his iniquity', stays on him.

Verse 32

gathered sticks upon the sabbath day — The commandment was 'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy' (Ex 20:8), with the word, 'Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day' (Ex 35:3). The man is found 'in the wilderness' and brought to Moses, Aaron and the whole congregation (v.33); vv.34–35 give the outcome.

Verse 35

shall be surely put to death — The sentence is that of Ex 31:14, 'every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death'. The man had been put 'in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him' (v.34); the LORD now names it, stoning by 'all the congregation … without the camp', the place where the blasphemer was also stoned (Lev 24:14).

Verse 38

fringes in the borders of their garments — Tsitsith, fringes, with 'a ribband of blue' (pethil techeleth), the same blue lace that held the plate 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD' on the high priest's mitre (Ex 28:36–37). Kraspedon, the New Testament's word for this fringe, is the 'hem' of Christ's garment touched by the sick (Matt 9:20; 14:36) and the Pharisees' enlarged 'borders' (Matt 23:5).

Verse 39

seek not after your own heart and your own eyes — 'Seek' is tur, to spy out, the verb of the men sent to 'search the land' (Num 13:2, 17; 14:6–7). The fringe is to be looked on, so as to 'remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them'; v.40 adds, 'be holy unto your God'. 'Go a whoring' is the word of Ps 73:27, 'all them that go a whoring from thee'.