Numbers 29:11

Translation
King James Version
One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.
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KJV (with Strong's)
One H259 kid H8163 of the goats H5795 for a sin offering H2403; beside the sin offering H2403 of atonement H3725, and the continual H8548 burnt offering H5930, and the meat offering H4503 of it, and their drink offerings H5262.
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Complete Jewish Bible
also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
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Berean Standard Bible
Include one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings.
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American Standard Version
one he-goat for a sin-offering; besides the sin-offering of atonement, and the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and their drink-offerings.
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World English Bible Messianic
one male goat for a sin offering; besides the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink offerings.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
An hee goate for a sinne offring, (beside ye sinne offring to make the atonement and the continual burnt offring and the meat offring thereof) and their drinke offrings.
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Young's Literal Translation
one kid of the goats, a sin-offering; apart from the sin-offering of the atonements, and the continual burnt-offering, and its present, and their libations.
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See also
Leviticus 16:3Leviticus 16:5Leviticus 16:9Numbers 28:3Numbers 28:8Hebrews 9:25Hebrews 9:28
In the KJVVerse 4,620 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Numbers 29:11 concludes the detailed sacrificial instructions for the Feast of Tabernacles, specifically addressing the unique offerings required for its distinct eighth day, Shemini Atzeret. This verse meticulously outlines a final sin offering, alongside the enduring daily burnt offering and its accompanying grain and drink offerings, profoundly emphasizing the Israelite community's perpetual need for atonement and God's meticulous provision for worship even after a period of intense celebration. It underscores the divine precision in cultic observance and the comprehensive nature of God's redemptive plan, foreshadowing a more perfect and ultimate sacrifice.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Numbers 29:11 is strategically placed within a lengthy liturgical section (Numbers 28-29) that meticulously details the various sacrifices required for Israel's annual calendar of feasts and regular offerings. These two chapters function as a comprehensive manual, outlining daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices. Numbers 29 specifically focuses on the offerings for the seventh month, which was the most sacred and festival-rich period, encompassing the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Verse 11 specifically addresses the offerings for the "eighth day" (Shemini Atzeret), a distinct holy convocation that followed the seven days of Sukkot. This final day marked the solemn culmination of the entire autumn festival cycle, requiring its own unique set of sacrifices, distinct from the preceding seven days of Sukkot, signifying a profound conclusion to the year's major feasts and a final act of national communion with God.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The Israelite calendar was intricately woven with both their agricultural cycle and their covenant relationship with Yahweh. The autumn feasts, including the Feast of Tabernacles, were harvest festivals, celebrating God's abundant provision and protective care. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) itself involved living in temporary shelters (booths) for seven days, commemorating Israel's wilderness wanderings and God's faithful dwelling among them. The "eighth day," Shemini Atzeret, was a separate, solemn assembly, distinct from the seven days of Sukkot, signifying a final, concentrated time of fellowship with God before the people returned to their homes. It was a day of rest and holy convocation, emphasizing God's enduring presence and the covenant's requirements even after a period of joyous celebration. The meticulous nature of the offerings reflected the cultural understanding of approaching a holy God with utmost reverence and precision, ensuring ritual purity and covenant faithfulness.
  • Key Themes: The instructions in Numbers 29, and particularly verse 11, contribute to several key themes prevalent in the book of Numbers and the Pentateuch. First, the Continual Need for Atonement is vividly portrayed; even after the intense purification of the Day of Atonement and the joyous celebration of Sukkot, a sin offering is still required on the eighth day, underscoring humanity's persistent sinfulness and God's ongoing provision for reconciliation. This highlights the reality that ritual purity was never a permanent state but required constant maintenance. Second, the Divine Specificity in Worship is paramount. The precise details regarding the type, number, and accompanying offerings for each day and festival underscore God's holiness and His demand for worship conducted strictly according to His revealed will. This meticulousness demonstrates the importance of approaching God on His terms, emphasizing obedience and reverence. Finally, the concept of Layered Sacrifices is evident, where various offerings (sin, burnt, grain, drink) work in conjunction to address different aspects of the covenant relationship—purification from sin, complete dedication to God, and thanksgiving for His provision. The continual burnt offering mentioned here signifies the unbroken daily devotion owed to God, even amidst the special feast day offerings.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Sin Offering (Hebrew, chaṭṭâʼâh', H2403): From the root meaning "to miss the mark," this term refers to an offense, its penalty, or the sacrifice made for its expiation. In the context of the sacrificial system, the chaṭṭâʼâh was specifically designed to atone for unintentional sins, ritual impurities, or breaches of the covenant that disrupted one's relationship with God or the community. Its inclusion on the eighth day of Tabernacles, after a week of celebration, underscored the ongoing human propensity for sin and the constant need for divine grace and cleansing.
  • Meat Offering (Hebrew, minchâh', H4503): While the KJV translates this as "meat offering," the Hebrew minchâh specifically denotes a grain offering or a donation/tribute. It typically consisted of fine flour, often mixed with oil and frankincense, and was a voluntary offering of thanksgiving, devotion, or a supplement to burnt and peace offerings. It symbolized the dedication of one's produce and livelihood to God, acknowledging His provision and sovereignty over all aspects of life.
  • Drink Offerings (Hebrew, neçek', H5262): This offering involved pouring out a libation, typically wine, as an act of devotion and homage, often accompanying burnt and grain offerings. It was a gesture of consecration, symbolizing the pouring out of one's life or blessings before God. Its presence here signifies a complete and comprehensive act of worship, encompassing both animal and agricultural produce, and a liquid libation, demonstrating holistic devotion.

Verse Breakdown

  • "One kid of the goats [for] a sin offering;": This clause specifies the primary, distinct sacrifice for the eighth day of Shemini Atzeret: a single male goat, designated as a chaṭṭâʼâh or sin offering. Its purpose was to cleanse the community from any ritual impurity or unintentional sin that might have accumulated, ensuring their continued purity and acceptance before God as the festival cycle concluded. This highlights the persistent need for atonement, even after a period of intense communion and celebration.
  • "beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.": This crucial phrase indicates that the newly prescribed sin offering for the eighth day was in addition to other standing offerings, emphasizing the layered and comprehensive nature of Israel's worship.
    • "beside the sin offering of atonement": This likely refers to the ongoing efficacy or remembrance of the annual Day of Atonement's comprehensive cleansing, ensuring that all specific sin offerings were viewed within the broader context of God's complete provision for national atonement. It could also broadly refer to the general principle that all sin offerings serve to make atonement.
    • "and the continual burnt offering": This refers to the daily morning and evening burnt offering (the ʻôlâh), which was a perpetual sacrifice symbolizing Israel's unceasing dedication and complete surrender to God. Its inclusion here emphasizes that even during special feast days, the regular rhythm of devotion was maintained, signifying constant communion and worship.
    • "and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings": These refer to the grain (minchâh) and drink (neçek) offerings that regularly accompanied the burnt offerings. They provided a complementary dimension to the animal sacrifices, representing the dedication of agricultural produce and a pouring out of devotion, making the worship complete and holistic, acknowledging God's sovereignty over all aspects of life.

Literary Devices

Numbers 29:11, within its broader context, employs several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Repetition, as the chapter meticulously reiterates the types and quantities of sacrifices for each day of the festival. This creates a rhythmic, liturgical cadence that emphasizes the unwavering and precise nature of Israelite worship and the divine imperative for adherence to God's commands. Symbolism is also central, with each offering carrying profound theological meaning: the sin offering symbolizes purification and reconciliation, the burnt offering represents complete dedication, and the grain and drink offerings signify thanksgiving and the dedication of one's livelihood. The meticulous detail itself serves as a form of Emphasis, highlighting the gravity of approaching a holy God and the comprehensive nature of His provision for atonement and communion. The culmination of offerings on the eighth day, after a week of decreasing animal sacrifices, provides a sense of Culmination and finality, bringing the entire festival cycle to a solemn, yet hopeful, close.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Numbers 29:11, as an integral part of the intricate sacrificial system, profoundly illustrates God's unblemished holiness, humanity's pervasive sinfulness, and His gracious, meticulous provision for reconciliation. The continual need for a sin offering, even after the comprehensive cleansing of the Day of Atonement and a week of joyous celebration during Sukkot, underscores that human imperfection and the need for divine grace are constant realities. This meticulous system was not merely ritualistic but served as a powerful pedagogical tool, teaching Israel about the gravity of sin, the necessity of blood atonement, and the absolute purity required to stand in God's presence. It pointed forward to a time when a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice would definitively address the problem of sin, fulfilling the temporary and repetitive nature of these Old Covenant rituals. The complexity also reveals God's desire for His people to approach Him with reverence, precision, and a deep understanding of His terms for fellowship.

  • Leviticus 4:27-31 - Details the procedure for a sin offering for an individual, showing the purpose of atonement and forgiveness.
  • Leviticus 16:34 - Emphasizes the annual Day of Atonement as a perpetual statute, highlighting the ongoing need for national cleansing.
  • Hebrews 10:1-4 - Explains that the Old Testament sacrifices, including those for sin, were a shadow of the good things to come, unable to truly take away sins.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Numbers 29:11, with its detailed requirements for the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, serves as a powerful reminder of several enduring spiritual truths for believers today. Firstly, it underscores the persistent reality of human sin and our ongoing need for God's grace and forgiveness. Even after a week of celebrating God's faithfulness and dwelling with Him, a sin offering was still required, demonstrating that our fallen nature constantly requires cleansing. This should cultivate within us a posture of profound humility and a deep dependence on God's mercy. Secondly, the meticulous nature of the offerings teaches us about the seriousness of worship and the importance of approaching God on His terms, not our own. While we no longer offer animal sacrifices, the principle of reverent, intentional, and obedient worship remains paramount. True worship involves acknowledging our sin, seeking purification, and offering our lives in complete dedication and thanksgiving. Finally, this verse, like all Old Testament sacrifices, powerfully points us to the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It invites us to reflect on the immense cost of our redemption and to live daily in light of the profound, unmerited grace extended to us through Him.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the inclusion of a "sin offering" on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles speak to the ongoing reality of sin in the life of a believer, even after periods of spiritual celebration?
  • What does God's meticulous detail in the sacrificial instructions teach us about His character and the nature of true worship?
  • In what ways does the concept of "continual burnt offering" challenge or affirm your understanding of daily devotion and surrender to God?
  • How can understanding the purpose of these Old Testament offerings deepen your appreciation for the "once-for-all" sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

FAQ

What is the significance of the "eighth day" (Shemini Atzeret) in Numbers 29:11?

Answer: The "eighth day" (Shemini Atzeret) is a distinct holy convocation that immediately follows the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). While Sukkot celebrates God's provision and commemorates the wilderness wanderings, the eighth day marks a solemn conclusion to the entire autumn festival cycle. It is a day of rest and holy assembly, separate from the main feast, signifying a final, concentrated time of communion with God before the people return to their homes. The offerings on this day, as detailed in Numbers 29:36-38, are fewer than the preceding days, perhaps emphasizing a shift from the boisterous celebration of Sukkot to a more intimate, reflective gathering with God. It underscores the enduring covenant relationship and God's desire for His people's presence.

Why are so many different offerings required on this single day?

Answer: Numbers 29:11 specifies a "sin offering," alongside the "sin offering of atonement," the "continual burnt offering," and its associated "meat offering" (grain offering) and "drink offerings." This combination reflects the comprehensive nature of Israelite worship and the various aspects of their relationship with God. The sin offering addresses specific impurities or unintentional sins, ensuring ritual purity. The continual burnt offering represents Israel's unceasing dedication and complete surrender to God, a daily act of devotion that continued even during feasts. The grain and drink offerings were acts of thanksgiving and dedication of their produce. Together, these offerings provided a holistic means of approaching God—addressing sin, expressing devotion, and giving thanks—demonstrating that worship encompassed every facet of their lives and their covenant obligations. This layered approach ensured that all aspects of their relationship with God were ritually acknowledged and maintained.

How does this verse relate to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)?

Answer: While Numbers 29:11 describes offerings for the eighth day of Tabernacles, it implicitly relates to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) by mentioning "the sin offering of atonement." Yom Kippur, described in Leviticus 16 and also commanded in Numbers 29:7-11, was the most solemn day of the year, providing a comprehensive, national atonement for all sins. The sin offering on the eighth day of Tabernacles, though distinct, operates within the framework of God's overarching provision for atonement established on Yom Kippur. It signifies that even after the annual cleansing, and a week of celebrating God's presence, the ongoing reality of human sin requires continuous, though perhaps less intensive, propitiation. It reminds the Israelites that while Yom Kippur provided a yearly national cleansing, individual and communal purity still needed regular attention through prescribed offerings.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Numbers 29:11, with its detailed sacrificial requirements for the eighth day of Tabernacles, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The "one kid of the goats for a sin offering" vividly points to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Unlike the repeated, temporary Old Testament sacrifices that could never truly perfect the worshiper (Hebrews 10:1-4), Christ offered Himself "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10), becoming the perfect and sufficient sin offering. The "continual burnt offering" foreshadows Christ's complete and perpetual dedication to God's will, a life lived in perfect obedience and culminating in His self-sacrifice on the cross, which was wholly consumed by divine wrath on our behalf. Furthermore, the "sin offering of atonement" finds its complete efficacy in Christ's shed blood, which truly cleanses us from all sin and provides eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). The meticulous nature of the Old Covenant offerings underscores the gravity of sin and the holiness of God, but Christ's singular sacrifice transcends and perfects them all, ushering in a new covenant where forgiveness is freely given through faith in Him, allowing us to approach God with confidence, not through repeated animal blood, but through the perfect blood of our Great High Priest.

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Commentary on Numbers 29 verses 1–11

There were more sacred solemnities in the seventh month than in any other month of the year, not only because it had been the first month till the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (which, falling in the month Abib, occasioned that to be thenceforth made the beginning of the months in all ecclesiastical computations), but because still it continued the first month in the civil reckonings of the jubilees and years of release, and also because it was the time of vacation between harvest and seedtime, when they had most leisure to attend the sanctuary, which intimates that, though God will dispense with sacrifices in consideration of works of necessity and mercy, yet the more leisure we have from the pressing occasions of this life the more time we should spend in the immediate service of God. 1. We have here the appointment of the sacrifices that were to be offered on the first day of the month, the day of blowing the trumpets, which was a preparative for the two great solemnities of holy mourning on the day of atonement and of holy joy in the feast of tabernacles. The intention of divine institutions is well answered when one religious service helps to fit us for another and all for heaven. The blowing of the trumpets was appointed, Lev 23:24. Here the people are directed what sacrifices to offer on that day, of which there was not then any mention made. Note, Those who would know the mind of God in the scripture must compare one part of the scripture with another, and put those parts together that have reference to the same thing, for the latter discoveries of divine light explain what was dark and supply what was defective in the former, that the man of God may be perfect. The sacrifices then to be offered are particularly ordered here (Num 29:2-6), and care taken that these should not supersede the daily oblation and that of the new moon. It is hereby intimated that we must not seek occasions to abate our zeal in God's service, nor be glad of an excuse to omit a good duty, but rather rejoice in an opportunity of accumulating and doing more than ordinary in religion. If we perform family-worship, we must not think that this will excuse us from our secret devotions; nor that on the days we go to church we need not worship God alone and with our families; but we should always abound in the work of the Lord. 2. On the day of atonement. Besides all the services of that day, which we had the institution of, Lev. 16, and which, one would think, required trouble and charge enough, here are burnt-offerings ordered to be offered, Num 29:8-10. For in our faith and repentance, those two great gospel graces which were signified by that day's performances, we must have an eye to the glory and honour of God, which was purely intended in the burnt-offerings; there was likewise to be a kid of the goats for a sin-offering, besides the great sin-offering of atonement (Num 29:11), which intimates that there are so many defects and faults, even in the exercises and expressions of our repentance, that we have need of an interest in a sacrifice to expiate the guilt even of that part of our holy things. Though we must not repent that we have repented, yet we must repent that we have not repented better. It likewise intimated the imperfection of the legal sacrifices, and their insufficiency to take away sin, that on the very day the sin-offering of atonement was offered, yet there must be another sin-offering. But what the law could not do, in that it was weak, that Christ has done.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–11. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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