Numbers 15:3

3 you will offer special gifts as a pleasing aroma to the LORD . These gifts may take the form of a burnt offering, a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, a voluntary offering, or an offering at any of your annual festivals, and they may be taken from your herds of cattle or your flocks of sheep and goats.

Numbers 15:3 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 15:3

And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt
offering
The first of these respects such offerings by fire, which were not wholly burnt, but part of them were eaten by the priests, ( Deuteronomy 18:1 ) ; and the latter such as were wholly burnt, unless the latter can be thought to be only an explanation of the former:

or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering;
these were peace offerings, some of which were for thanksgiving, and others were either a vow or a freewill offering, as here: see ( Leviticus 7:11 Leviticus 7:12 Leviticus 7:16 ) ;

or in your solemn feasts;
as the passover, pentecost of which, and the offerings in them, see ( Leviticus 23:4-37 ) ( Numbers 28:1-29:40 ) ;

to make a sweet savour unto the Lord;
for acceptance with him:

of the herd or of the flock;
a bullock of the one, a lamb or kid of the goats of the other; fowls are not mentioned, because burnt offerings of them required no drink offerings ^F6.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Maimon. Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 2. sect. 2.

Numbers 15:3 In-Context

1 Then the LORD told Moses,

2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “When you finally settle in the land I am giving you,

3 you will offer special gifts as a pleasing aroma to the LORD . These gifts may take the form of a burnt offering, a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, a voluntary offering, or an offering at any of your annual festivals, and they may be taken from your herds of cattle or your flocks of sheep and goats.

4 When you present these offerings, you must also give the LORD a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of olive oil.

5 For each lamb offered as a burnt offering or a special sacrifice, you must also present one quart of wine as a liquid offering.