Numbers 29:29

KJV

And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

KJV (with Strong's)

And on the sixth {H8345} day {H3117} eight {H8083} bullocks {H6499}, two {H8147} rams {H352}, and fourteen {H702}{H6240} lambs {H3532} of the first {H1121} year {H8141} without blemish {H8549}:

Complete Jewish Bible

"'On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect;

Berean Standard Bible

On the sixth day you are to present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished,

American Standard Version

And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs a year old without blemish;

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Numbers 29:29 meticulously details the specific animal offerings required for the sixth day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This verse prescribes "eight bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish" as part of the daily burnt offerings for the congregation. These precise instructions underscore God's demand for meticulous obedience in worship, the ongoing need for atonement, and the absolute holiness required for anything presented before Him, reflecting the nature of a covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Numbers 29:29 is situated within a larger legislative section of the book of Numbers, specifically chapters 28-29, which provides a comprehensive and detailed outline of the various sacrifices and offerings to be made throughout Israel's annual calendar of festivals. This section follows the census and the allocation of tribal lands, serving as a divine mandate for how the people are to worship God once they enter and settle in the Promised Land. The preceding verses in [Numbers 28](/numbers/28 "Numbers 28 - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Offerings") establish the daily, weekly, and monthly offerings, setting a pattern of continuous worship. [Numbers 29](/numbers/29 "Numbers 29 - Festival Offerings") then focuses on the annual feasts, with the Feast of Tabernacles (beginning at [Numbers 29:12](/numbers/29-12 "Numbers 29:12 - Offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles")) receiving the most extensive treatment due to its duration and unique sacrificial pattern. The distinctive feature of the Tabernacles offerings, as highlighted by this verse, is the progressive decrease in the number of bullocks offered each successive day, from thirteen on the first day down to seven on the seventh day, with the eighth bullock specified here for the sixth day.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was one of the three major annual pilgrimage festivals (alongside Passover and Pentecost) that required all Israelite males to travel to Jerusalem. Celebrated in the autumn, it served a dual purpose: first, to commemorate God's faithful provision and protection for the Israelites during their forty years of wilderness wandering, when they lived in temporary shelters or "booths" (sukkot); and second, to celebrate the final ingathering of the agricultural harvest, marking the culmination of the agricultural year. The construction and dwelling in temporary booths during the festival served as a tangible reminder of their transient past and God's enduring presence. The elaborate sacrificial system outlined in Numbers, including the specific offerings for this feast, was central to Israelite worship, providing the means for atonement, thanksgiving, and the maintenance of their covenant relationship with Yahweh, who had delivered them from Egypt and sustained them in the wilderness.
* **Key Themes:** Numbers 29:29, within the broader context of the festival laws, powerfully articulates several key theological themes. Firstly, it underscores the **Divine Specificity and Sovereignty in Worship**: God dictates precisely how He is to be approached and worshipped, leaving no room for human improvisation regarding the quantity, type, or quality of offerings. This meticulous detail emphasizes God's holiness and His absolute authority over His people's spiritual lives. Secondly, the verse contributes to the theme of **Continual Atonement and Consecration**: The daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices, including those for Tabernacles, reinforced the constant need for the nation to be cleansed from sin and consecrated to God, maintaining their covenant purity before a holy God. This ongoing ritual served as a reminder of Israel's dependence on divine grace for reconciliation, as seen in passages like [Leviticus 4:20](/leviticus/4-20 "Leviticus 4:20 - Atonement for the Congregation"). Finally, the phrase "without blemish" highlights the theme of **Holiness and Purity of Offerings**, symbolizing the perfection required for anything presented to God and foreshadowing the ultimate, perfect sacrifice for sin, a concept foundational to the entire sacrificial system (e.g., [Leviticus 1:3](/leviticus/1-3 "Leviticus 1:3 - Requirements for a Burnt Offering")).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Blemish (Hebrew, _tamim'_):** This word (תָּמִים) is crucial in the context of Old Testament sacrifices. It signifies being complete, whole, sound, perfect, or blameless. When applied to sacrificial animals, it means they must be physically perfect, without any defect, disease, or deformity. This requirement was not merely for aesthetic reasons but carried profound theological weight. It symbolized the holiness of God, who is Himself perfect and demands perfection in what is offered to Him. It also underscored the gravity of sin, implying that only a perfect substitute could adequately atone for imperfection. The "without blemish" standard was a constant reminder of the high standard of purity and moral integrity God expected from His people and a prefigurement of the ultimate, perfect sacrifice to come.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And on the sixth day":** This phrase precisely situates the offerings within the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. The progression of days for the festival's unique bullock offerings (decreasing daily) was a significant element, emphasizing the cumulative nature of the feast and perhaps the increasing focus on the people's joy and thanksgiving as the festival neared its climax.
* **"eight bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs":** This specifies the exact quantities and types of animals required for the burnt offering on this particular day. The bullocks, rams, and lambs represent different categories of livestock, indicating a comprehensive and substantial offering from the community's resources. The large numbers signify the magnitude of the feast and the communal nature of the worship, with the entire congregation participating through these representative sacrifices.
* **"of the first year without blemish":** This clause provides a critical qualitative requirement for the lambs. "Of the first year" indicates young, prime animals, emphasizing the offering of the best and most vigorous. The phrase "without blemish" (as analyzed above) is a non-negotiable standard for all sacrificial animals in the Mosaic Law, signifying the purity, perfection, and wholeness demanded for anything presented in the presence of a holy God. It highlights the sanctity of the sacrificial act and the divine standard of acceptance.

#### Literary Devices
The primary literary device at play in Numbers 29:29, and indeed throughout Numbers 28-29, is **Precision and Detailing**. The meticulous enumeration of each animal type and quantity, along with the specific day and the requirement of being "without blemish," serves to emphasize the divine origin and non-negotiable nature of these commands. This extreme specificity underscores God's sovereignty over worship and the absolute obedience He demands. It also functions as a form of **Symbolism**, where the physical perfection of the animals symbolizes the spiritual purity and holiness required to approach God. Furthermore, the **Repetition** of similar sacrificial formulas across different festival days reinforces the continuity and foundational importance of the sacrificial system in Israelite life and worship. The decreasing number of bullocks over the seven days of Tabernacles also introduces a unique, almost poetic, **Pattern** within the detailed instructions, setting this feast apart.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Numbers 29:29, with its precise sacrificial requirements, profoundly connects to the broader theological understanding of God's holiness, humanity's sinfulness, and the divine provision for reconciliation. The meticulous nature of the offerings underscores that approaching a holy God is not a casual matter but requires specific, divinely ordained means. The "without blemish" requirement for the animals points to the absolute perfection necessary for atonement, a standard that no human or animal sacrifice could ultimately meet perfectly or permanently. This constant need for repeated sacrifices highlighted the temporary and symbolic nature of the Old Covenant system, preparing the way for a definitive and perfect solution. The communal aspect of these large offerings also emphasizes the corporate identity of Israel as a people consecrated to God, whose collective well-being depended on their adherence to His covenant commands and the ongoing provision for their sins.

* [Leviticus 1:3](/leviticus/1-3 "Leviticus 1:3 - Requirements for a Burnt Offering without Blemish")
* [Leviticus 22:21](/leviticus/22-21 "Leviticus 22:21 - Requirements for Peace Offerings without Blemish")
* [Malachi 1:8](/malachi/1-8 "Malachi 1:8 - Condemnation for Offering Blemished Sacrifices")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While believers in Christ are no longer bound by the Mosaic sacrificial system, Numbers 29:29 offers enduring lessons for contemporary worship and discipleship. The divine specificity in these ancient commands challenges us to consider the intentionality and reverence with which we approach God. Our worship, though transformed by Christ's finished work, should still be offered with our "best"—not in terms of material offerings, but in the sincerity of our hearts, the devotion of our lives, and the purity of our motives. Just as the Israelites were called to present unblemished animals, we are called to present ourselves as "living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God," which is our true and proper worship ([Romans 12:1](/romans/12-1 "Romans 12:1 - Present Your Bodies as Living Sacrifices")). The meticulous nature of these Old Testament commands highlights God's absolute holiness and the immense cost of sin, thereby magnifying the infinite value of the perfect redemption accomplished through Christ. It reminds us that grace does not diminish God's standards but fulfills them in a way we never could.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does the divine specificity of the offerings in Numbers 29:29 challenge or affirm your understanding of worship today?**
* **In what ways can we, as New Covenant believers, offer ourselves "without blemish" to God in our daily lives?**
* **What does the sheer quantity of animals offered on the sixth day of Tabernacles communicate about the nature of communal worship and thanksgiving?**
* **How does understanding the Old Testament sacrificial system deepen your appreciation for the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ?**

### FAQ
**Why did the number of bullocks decrease each day during the Feast of Tabernacles?**

Answer: The decreasing number of bullocks offered each day during the Feast of Tabernacles (from thirteen on the first day to seven on the seventh day) is a unique feature of this festival's sacrificial requirements, not explicitly explained in the text. Various interpretations exist. Some scholars suggest it symbolized a progressive focusing of the offerings, moving from a broader national scope to a more intense, culminating focus on the seventh day. Others propose it might represent a gradual decrease in sin or an increasing sense of completion and rest as the festival progressed towards its conclusion, particularly with the emphasis on the "great day" of the feast in [John 7:37](/john/7-37 "John 7:37 - The Great Day of the Feast"). It could also simply be a divinely ordained pattern, unique to this joyous harvest festival, emphasizing its distinctiveness among the annual feasts.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Numbers 29:29, with its exacting requirements for "unblemished" sacrifices and its place within the elaborate sacrificial system, finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices, including the bullocks, rams, and lambs offered on the sixth day of Tabernacles, were but a shadow of the true reality to come, as emphasized in [Colossians 2:16-17](/colossians/2-16 "Colossians 2:16-17 - Shadow and Reality"). The repeated need for these offerings underscored their inadequacy to permanently deal with sin, pointing forward to a single, perfect, and final sacrifice. Jesus is identified as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" in [John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), fulfilling the requirement of an "unblemished" offering. Just as the Old Testament animals had to be without physical defect, Christ was morally and spiritually perfect, "a lamb without blemish and without spot" ([1 Peter 1:18-19](/1_peter/1-18 "1 Peter 1:18-19 - Redemption through Christ's Precious Blood")). His sacrifice on the cross was not merely one among many, but the definitive act of atonement, rendering all previous animal sacrifices obsolete, as the book of [Hebrews](/hebrews/1 "The Book of Hebrews") powerfully argues. Through His perfect offering, Christ has obtained eternal redemption for us ([Hebrews 9:12](/hebrews/9-12 "Hebrews 9:12 - Christ's Eternal Redemption")), allowing us to approach God with boldness and confidence, no longer through the blood of bulls and goats, but through the precious blood of the Son of God.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.