English · KJV

Numbers 7

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Dedication of the Tabernacle Begins 1–3

1
And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; ​
2
That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: ​
3
And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.

Gifts Allocated to the Levites 4–9

4
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
5
Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. ​
6
And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites.
7
Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service:
8
And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
9
But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders. ​

Dedication Offerings of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun 10–29

10
And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. ​
11
And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. ​
12
And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: ​
13
And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: ​
14
One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense:
15
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
16
One kid of the goats for a sin offering: ​
17
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
18
On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: ​
19
He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
20
One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense:
21
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
22
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
23
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
24
On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer:
25
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
26
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
27
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
28
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
29
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

Dedication Offerings of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad 30–47

30
On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer:
31
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
32
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
33
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
34
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
35
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
36
On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer:
37
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
38
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
39
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
40
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
41
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
42
On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered:
43
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
44
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
45
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
46
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
47
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

Dedication Offerings of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin 48–65

48
On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:
49
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
50
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
51
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
52
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
53
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
54
On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh:
55
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
56
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
57
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
58
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
59
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
60
On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered:
61
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
62
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
63
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
64
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
65
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

Dedication Offerings of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali 66–83

66
On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered:
67
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
68
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
69
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
70
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
71
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
72
On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered:
73
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
74
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
75
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
76
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
77
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.
78
On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered:
79
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
80
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
81
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
82
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
83
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

Summary of the Offerings and God Speaks from the Mercy Seat 84–89

84
This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: ​
85
Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: ​
86
The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels.
87
All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve.
88
And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. ​
89
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. ​

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

Study Notes for Numbers 7

Verse 1

anointed it, and sanctified it — The two verbs are mashach, to anoint with oil, and qadash, to set apart as holy, as the LORD had commanded: 'anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it' (Ex 40:9). Moses' act is recorded in Lev 8:10–11. The offerings of this chapter begin on that day.

Verse 2

the princes of Israel — Nasi, an exalted one, a chief. They are 'heads of the house of their fathers', the same men appointed to stand with Moses at the numbering (Num 1:4) and called 'princes of the tribes of their fathers' (Num 1:16). 'Offered' is qarab, to bring near, the root of the word for an offering.

Verse 5

the service of the tabernacle — Abodah, work or service, the word used of the Levites' labour throughout Numbers. Moses is told to receive the gift and assign it 'to every man according to his service'; the wagons go to the Gershonites and Merarites in vv.7–8.

Verse 9

bear upon their shoulders — Nasa, to lift and carry. The Kohathites had charge of 'the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars' (Num 3:31), so they received no wagons. When the ark was later carried otherwise, David acknowledged the lapse: 'we sought him not after the due order' (1 Chr 15:13).

Verse 10

dedicating of the altar — Chanukkah, dedication or initiation. The altar had been anointed (Lev 8:11), and the princes now bring their gifts 'in the day that it was anointed'. The same event is summed up in vv.84 and 88: 'the dedication of the altar'.

Verse 11

each prince on his day — The LORD himself fixes the order: one prince, one day, twelve days in all (vv.12–78). Each tribe thus has its own day of approach to the altar, and the gifts are identical. The summary at vv.84–88 adds them up.

Verse 12

Nahshon the son of Amminadab — Judah offers first, as it is placed first in the camp on the east (Num 2:3) and first on the march (Num 10:14). Nahshon stands in the royal line: 'Amminadab begat Nahshon' (Ruth 4:20), and he is named in Christ's genealogy as Naasson (Luke 3:32).

Verse 13

one silver charger — The qe'arah is a dish, and the mizraq ('bowl') is a vessel for sprinkling. Both are weighed 'after the shekel of the sanctuary', the standard of Ex 30:13. They are filled with 'fine flour mingled with oil', the grain offering (minchah) of Lev 2:1.

Verse 16

a sin offering — Chattath, the one Hebrew word for 'sin' and for the offering that deals with it. The 'kid of the goats' is the offering of a ruler, 'a kid of the goats, a male without blemish' (Lev 4:23). Even in a dedication the princes bring it beside the burnt and peace offerings.

Verse 18

Nethaneel the son of Zuar — The second day belongs to Issachar, whose tribe camped next to Judah (Num 2:5). The name Nethaneel is Nethan'el, meaning given of God. His offering repeats Nahshon's item for item, as every prince's does through v.83.

Verse 84

the dedication of the altar — The twelve days are summed up: twelve silver chargers, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold spoons, one of each from every prince. The summary says 'in the day when it was anointed', echoing v.10 ('in the day that it was anointed'), so the whole series is tied to the anointing of the altar.

Verse 85

two thousand and four hundred shekels — The sum checks: twelve chargers of 130 shekels make 1,560, twelve bowls of 70 make 840, and together 2,400, 'after the shekel of the sanctuary'. The gold of the twelve spoons, ten shekels each, is added in v.86 as 120 shekels.

Verse 88

the sacrifice of the peace offerings — Shelem, the fellowship offering whose law is in Lev 7:11. Twelve princes at two oxen, five rams, five he goats and five lambs each give 'twenty and four bullocks' and sixty of each other kind, 204 animals. The whole dedication is closed 'after that it was anointed'.

Verse 89

from off the mercy seat — Kapporeth, the lid of the ark, where the LORD had promised, 'there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims' (Ex 25:22). Moses hears 'the voice' (qol) there, the answer to all the gifts of the chapter.