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NUMBERS 29

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
Offerings of the Seventh Month Offerings At the Feast of Trumpets Offerings for Various Occasions The Offerings at New Year Festival f. The Feast of Acclamation
29:1-6 29:1-6 29:1-6 29:1-6 29:1-6
Offerings On the Day of Atonement The Offerings at the Day of Atonement g. The Day of Expiation
29:7-11 29:7-11 29:7-11 29:7-11 29:7-11
Offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles The Offerings at the Festival of Shelters h. The Feast of Shelters
29:12-16 29:12-16 29:12-16 29:12-16 29:12-16
29:17-19 29:17-19 29:17-19 29:17-19 29:17-19
29:20-22 29:20-22 29:20-22 29:20-22 29:20-22
29:23-25 29:23-25 29:23-25 29:23-25 29:23-25
29:26-28 29:26-28 29:26-28 29:26-28 29:26-28
29:29-31 29:29-31 29:29-31 29:29-31 29:29-31
29:32-34 29:32-34 29:32-34 29:32-34 29:32-34
29:35-38 29:35-38 29:35-38 29:35-38 29:35-38
29:39 29:39 29:39 29:39 29:39-30:1
(v. 40 is 30:1 in MT)
29:40 29:40 29:40 29:40 29:40

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:1-6
1"Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord."

29:1 "in the seventh month" The seventh month was an extremely important month for the Israelites because it contained several of their annual feast days. It denoted the end of one agricultural season and the beginning of another. The first one mentioned, the "blowing of the trumpets" on the first day of the seventh month, in later Judaism, it will become their new year festival called Rosh Hashanah (cf. Lev. 23:23-25). See Special Topics: FEASTS OF ISRAEL and ANE CALENDAR.

Remember there are two calendars in use in the ANE. One begins in the fall (month of Tishri) and one in the spring (Nisan).

29:1, 12 "a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work" This implies a special religious gathering at the Tabernacle/Temple (cf. Num. 28:18, 25, 26).

Exactly what "laborious work" meant is uncertain but surely it meant a rest day like the Sabbath, where covenant people focused on YHWH and not their vocation or chores.

▣ "a day for blowing trumpets" This refers to the shophar, which was the left horn of a flat-tailed sheep. It was about eighteen inches long, was soaked in water, and then stretched out to form a slow curve; it made a distinct sound. See SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL.

29:2 "a burnt offering" See note at Leviticus 1.

▣ "a soothing aroma" See SPECIAL TOPIC: A SOOTHING AROMA.

▣ "seven" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE.

29:5 This was a sin offering (cf. Num. 29:11). See notes at Leviticus 4.

29:6 There was always a series of offerings.

  1. an animal (often of several kinds)
  2. grain
  3. libation

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:7-11
7"Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8You shall present a burnt offering to the Lord as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings."

29:7 "on the tenth day of this seventh month. . .you shall humble yourselves" This refers to the Day of Atonement, the only real fast day in all of Israel's worship days (cf. Leviticus 16; 23:26-32). See full notes online at Leviticus 16. See SPECIAL TOPIC: FEASTS OF ISRAEL.

▣ "you shall not do any work" Notice this is a complete cessation of all work, which is different from "no laborious work" in Num. 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 12, 35. The latter rabbis developed an extensive oral tradition around these admonitions in an attempt to protect the individual worshiper from inadvertently violating YHWH's law.

29:8 "without defect" See SPECIAL TOPIC: WITHOUT BLEMISH.

29:11 "for a sin offering" This is repeated everyday, cf. Num. 29:11, 19, 25, 31, 34, 38. See notes online at Leviticus 4.

▣ "atonement" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ATONEMENT.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:12-16
12"Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the Lord for seven days. 13You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the Lord: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering."

29:12-38 "on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. . ." Numbers 29:12-38 describes the sacrifices of the different days of the Feasts of Booths (cf. Lev. 23:33-36,39-44). See SPECIAL TOPIC: FEASTS OF ISRAEL.

The offerings for each day of the eight-day feast are specified.

  1. day one
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 13 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 lambs
    2. grain offering for each (different amounts)
    3. libations for each animal
    4. 1 male goat for a sin offering (cf. Num. 29:11, 19, 25, 31, 34, 38)
    5. besides the regular continual offering (cf. Num. 28:3-8)
  2. day two
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 12 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 4 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations for each animal
    4. 1 male goat for a sin offering (Leviticus 4)
  3. third day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 11 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for a sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)
  4. fourth day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 10 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)
  5. fifth day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 9 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)
  6. sixth day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 9 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)
  7. seventh day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 7 bulls
      (2) 2 rams
      (3) 14 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)
  8. eighth day
    1. burnt offerings (cf. Leviticus 1)
      (1) 1 bull
      (2) 1 ram
      (3) 7 male lambs
    2. grain offering (cf. Leviticus 2)
    3. libations
    4. 1 male goat for sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:17-19
17"Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 19and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:20-22
20"Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:23-25
23"Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:26-28
26"Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 27and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:29-31
29"Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:32-34
32"Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:35-38
35"On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:39
39"You shall present these to the Lord at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings.'"

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:40
40Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

29:39-40 Basically there are two types of sacrificed which are explained in detail in Leviticus 1-3. There are three voluntary:

  1. the burnt offering
  2. the grain offering
  3. the peace offering

There are two required sacrifices (Leviticus 4-5):

  1. the sin offering
  2. the guilt offering

The difference between the sin and guilt offering is that the guilt offering involves restitution, which may be made to a covenant brother.

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