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Numbers 28

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The Law of Communal Offerings 1–2

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. ​

The Daily Continual Burnt Offering 3–8

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And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. ​
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The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;
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And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. ​
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It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
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And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering. ​
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And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

The Sabbath Offering 9–10

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And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: ​
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This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

The New Moon Offering 11–15

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And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; ​
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And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram;
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And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
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And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
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And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the LORD shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. ​

Passover and Unleavened Bread Offerings 16–25

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And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. ​
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And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
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In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: ​
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But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish:
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And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram;
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A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
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And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you. ​
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Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. ​
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After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
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And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) Offering 26–31

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Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: ​
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But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year;
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And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram,
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A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs;
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And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.
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Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Numbers 28

Verse 2

my bread — The offerings are the LORD's 'bread' (lechem, food), as Lev 3:11 calls the burnt portion 'the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD'. 'A sweet savour' is the phrase used of Noah's offering (Gen 8:21). 'Due season' is mo'ed, the appointed time, the word translated 'congregation' in 'tabernacle of the congregation' (Num 25:6).

Verse 3

without spot — Tamim, whole or perfect, the word used of the animals throughout this chapter. The daily offering is 'continual' (tamid), two lambs 'day by day'. Peter uses the same figure of Christ, 'as of a lamb without blemish and without spot' (1 Pet 1:19). Daniel names its removal as 'the daily sacrifice shall be taken away' (Dan 12:11).

Verse 5

a tenth part of an ephah of flour — The 'meat offering' (minchah) is the grain offering, KJV 'meat' meaning food (Lev 2:1). A tenth of an ephah is an omer (Ex 16:36), mixed with 'the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil', the same measures given for the daily lamb in Ex 29:40. The oil is 'beaten' (katit).

Verse 7

the drink offering — Nesek, wine poured out, 'the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb', as in Ex 29:40. It was poured 'in the holy place'. Paul uses the Greek verb spendo, to pour out as a drink offering, of himself: 'if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith' (Phil 2:17), and 'I am now ready to be offered' (2 Tim 4:6).

Verse 9

on the sabbath day — The sabbath offering is two further lambs with two tenth deals of flour, one tenth deal for each lamb, as for the daily lambs. Verse 10 states that it is offered 'beside the continual burnt offering', so the sabbath adds to the daily offering. Ex 20:8 gives the command 'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy'.

Verse 11

the beginnings of your months — Literally the 'heads' of the months (rosh), the day of the new moon. The trumpets were blown over the burnt offerings 'in the beginnings of your months' (Num 10:10). The offering is two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, with the goat of v.15. Paul lists 'the new moon, or… the sabbath days' among the shadows (Col 2:16–17).

Verse 15

for a sin offering — Chattat, the offering for sin. The 'kid of the goats' is 'beside the continual burnt offering', the same arrangement as at the other set days (vv.22, 30). The sin offering of a ruler was 'a kid of the goats, a male without blemish' (Lev 4:23).

Verse 16

the passover of the LORD — The fourteenth day of the first month is the day appointed in Ex 12:18 and Num 9:3. Moses calls it 'the LORD'S passover' (Ex 12:11). Paul writes, 'For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us' (1 Cor 5:7). The seven days of unleavened bread follow from the fifteenth (v.17).

Verse 18

an holy convocation — Miqra, a calling together, with qodesh, holy; 'servile work' is work of labour. The day is the fifteenth, the first of the unleavened bread (v.17), and the seventh day has the same assembly (v.25). Both are in Ex 12:16: 'in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation'.

Verse 22

to make an atonement for you — Kaphar, to cover over. It is the verb used of Phinehas, who 'made an atonement for the children of Israel' (Num 25:13). The goat is a sin offering for the whole congregation, offered on each of the days in vv.15, 22 and 30. Paul says God sent his Son 'in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin' (Rom 8:3).

Verse 23

beside the burnt offering in the morning — The feast offerings are added to the daily ones. The text repeats this: 'beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering'. The seven days of unleavened bread continue it, 'it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering' (v.24).

Verse 26

the day of the firstfruits — Bikkurim, the first of the harvest, brought as 'a new meat offering' (chadash). The day falls 'after your weeks be out': 'Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD' (Lev 23:16). Ex 34:22 calls it 'the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest'.

Verse 31

without blemish — The chapter ends where it began: 'beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering', with the animals tamim, the same word as 'without spot' in v.3. The LORD's complaint in Malachi shows what the word excludes: 'cursed be the deceiver… sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing' (Mal 1:14).