Numbers 28
Big idea: The offering calendar restated for a generation that has never lived in a land. It begins with the smallest and most relentless requirement — two lambs a day, one in the morning and one at evening, a continual burnt offering ordained at Sinai — and builds outward: double on the Sabbath, a fuller offering at each new moon, then Passover and Unleavened Bread with their seven days, then the Feast of Weeks. The refrain that structures the whole chapter is in addition to the continual burnt offering: every festival is added to the daily rhythm, never a substitute for it. The extraordinary never replaces the ordinary.
Chapter 28 covers the daily, weekly, monthly and spring feasts. Chapter 29 takes up the seventh month, where the offerings are heaviest.
28:1–8 — Two lambs, day by day
See that you present my offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, as a pleasant aroma to me, in their due season. This is the offering: male lambs a year old without defect, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering — one in the morning, one at evening — with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter hin of beaten oil. It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai. Its drink offering is a quarter hin for each lamb, poured out in the holy place. The other lamb is offered at evening, with the same meal offering and drink offering, an offering made by fire for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘See that you present my offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, as a pleasant aroma to me, in their due season.’ 3 You shall tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: male lambs a year old without defect, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering. 4 You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening, 5 with one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil. 6 It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 7 Its drink offering shall be the fourth part of a hin for each lamb. You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place. 8 The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
28:9–15 — Sabbath and new moon
On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without defect, with two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil and its drink offering — the burnt offering of every Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. At the beginnings of your months, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old without defect, with three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for the ram and one tenth for every lamb; the drink offerings half a hin of wine for a bull, a third for the ram, a quarter for a lamb — the burnt offering of every month throughout the year. And one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
9 “‘On the Sabbath day, you shall offer two male lambs a year old without defect, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, and its drink offering: 10 this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 11 “‘In the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect, 12 and three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, for the one ram; 13 and one tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb, as a burnt offering of a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 14 Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. 15 Also, one male goat for a sin offering to Yahweh shall be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
28:16–31 — Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Weeks
In the first month, on the fourteenth day, is Yahweh's Passover; on the fifteenth, a feast — unleavened bread eaten for seven days. The first day is a holy convocation with no regular work, and the offering is two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect, with three tenths for a bull, two tenths for the ram and one tenth for every lamb, and one male goat for a sin offering to make atonement. These are offered in addition to the morning burnt offering, daily for seven days; the seventh day is a holy convocation. Then in the day of the first fruits, at the feast of weeks, a holy convocation with no regular work, and the same offering: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs, with their meal offerings and one male goat to make atonement — besides the continual burnt offering. See that they are without defect.
16 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh’s Passover. 17 On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. 18 In the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work, 19 but you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. They shall be without defect, 20 with their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil. You shall offer three tenths for a bull, and two tenths for the ram. 21 You shall offer one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; 22 and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23 You shall offer these in addition to the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24 In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. It shall be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. 26 “‘Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work; 27 but you shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; 28 and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for each bull, two tenths for the one ram, 29 one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; 30 and one male goat, to make atonement for you. 31 Besides the continual burnt offering and its meal offering, you shall offer them and their drink offerings. See that they are without defect.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).