Numbers 28:30

[And] one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.

And one {H259} kid {H8163} of the goats {H5795}, to make an atonement {H3722} for you.

plus a male goat to make atonement for you.

Include one male goat to make atonement for you.

one he-goat, to make atonement for you.

Commentary

Numbers 28:30 is a specific instruction regarding the required sacrifices given by God to Moses for the people of Israel. It details one component of the communal offerings made during certain feasts throughout the year.

Context

This verse is found within a larger section of the Book of Numbers (chapters 28-29) that meticulously outlines the various offerings and sacrifices to be made by the Israelites. These chapters provide a detailed liturgical calendar, specifying the animals, quantities, and types of offerings for daily sacrifices, weekly Sabbaths, monthly New Moons, and annual feasts like the Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles.

Specifically, Numbers 28:30 refers to the "kid of the goats" designated as a sin offering (also known as a purification offering) to accompany the burnt offerings for the Feast of Trumpets, which marked the first day of the seventh month. This particular offering served to make atonement for any unintentional sins or ritual impurities of the community, ensuring they remained in a right relationship with God as they observed His appointed times.

Key Themes

  • Atonement and Reconciliation: The primary purpose of the "kid of the goats" was to "make an atonement for you." This highlights God's provision for dealing with sin and impurity, allowing His holy presence to remain among His people. It underscores the constant need for reconciliation due to human sinfulness.
  • Divine Requirements and Obedience: The detailed nature of these sacrificial laws emphasizes God's absolute holiness and His precise requirements for worship. Israel's obedience to these commands was a demonstration of their covenant faithfulness.
  • Foreshadowing of Christ: These Old Testament animal sacrifices, including the sin offering, served as a temporary means of covering sin and pointed forward to the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His blood alone provides eternal atonement for all who believe, fulfilling the purpose of all previous offerings.

Linguistic Insights

The key Hebrew word here is kaphar (Χ›ΦΈΦΌΧ€Φ·Χ¨), translated as "make an atonement." This verb literally means "to cover," "to purge," or "to make reconciliation." In the context of sacrifices, it denotes the process by which sin or defilement is covered or cleansed, thereby restoring a proper relationship with God. The sin offering (chatta't) was specifically designed to address sins committed unintentionally or ritual impurities that violated God's holy standards.

Practical Application

While Christians are no longer required to offer animal sacrifices, Numbers 28:30 still holds profound significance. It reminds us of:

  1. The Seriousness of Sin: The need for a specific offering, even for unintentional sins, underscores that all sin separates us from God and requires divine intervention for reconciliation.
  2. God's Provision for Forgiveness: Just as God provided a way for atonement in the Old Testament, He has provided the ultimate solution for sin through Jesus Christ. We can now approach God with confidence, knowing our sins are fully covered by His perfect sacrifice (John 1:29).
  3. A Call to Gratitude and Holiness: Understanding the cost of atonement should lead us to profound gratitude for Christ's work and motivate us to live lives of increasing holiness, reflecting the purity God desires for His people.
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Cross-References

  • Numbers 28:22

    And one goat [for] a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.

  • Numbers 28:15

    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.

  • 1 Peter 3:18

    ΒΆ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21

    For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • 1 Peter 2:24

    Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

  • Numbers 15:24

    Then it shall be, if [ought] be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.

  • Galatians 3:13

    Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
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