Numbers 15:1-21

Laws About Sacrifices

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 1When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,
3 and 2you offer to the LORD from the herd or from the flock a food offering[a] or a burnt offering or a sacrifice, 3to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or 4at your appointed feasts, to make a 5pleasing aroma to the LORD,
4 then 6he who brings his offering shall offer to the LORD 7a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah[b] of fine flour, 8mixed with a quarter of a hin[c] of oil;
5 and you shall offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, a quarter of a hin of 9wine for the drink offering for each lamb.
6 10Or for a ram, you shall offer for a grain offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.
7 And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a 11pleasing aroma to the LORD.
8 And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to 12fulfill a vow or for 13peace offerings to the LORD,
9 then one shall offer 14with the bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil.
10 And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
11 15"Thus it shall be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat.
12 As many as you offer, so shall you do with each one, as many as there are.
13 Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
14 And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do.
15 For the assembly, 16there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD.
16 One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you."
17 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18 17"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you
19 and when you eat of 18the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD.
20 19Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a 20contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.
21 21Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.

Numbers 15:1-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 15

In this chapter the children of Israel are instructed about the meat offerings and drink offerings, and the quantities of them, which were always to go along with their burnt offerings and peace offerings they should offer when they came into the land of Canaan, Nu 15:1-12; and they are told that the same laws and ordinances would be binding equally on them that were of the country, and on the strangers in it, Nu 15:13-16; and an order is given them to offer a cake of the first dough for an heave offering, Nu 15:17-21; and they are directed what sacrifices to offer for sins of ignorance, both of the congregation and particular persons, Nu 14:22-29; but as for presumptuous sinners, they were to be cut off, Nu 14:30,31; and an instance is recorded of stoning a sabbath breaker, Nu 14:32-36; and the chapter is concluded with a law for wearing fringes on the borders of their garments, the use of which is expressed, Nu 14:35-41.

Cross References 21

  • 1. ver. 18; Leviticus 23:10; Deuteronomy 26:1
  • 2. Leviticus 1:2, 3
  • 3. Leviticus 22:21; Leviticus 27:2
  • 4. Numbers 28:19, 27; Lev. 23:8, 12, 36; Deuteronomy 16:10
  • 5. Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 4:31; See Genesis 8:21
  • 6. Leviticus 2:1; Leviticus 6:14
  • 7. Exodus 29:40; Leviticus 23:13
  • 8. Numbers 28:5; Leviticus 14:10
  • 9. Numbers 28:7, 14
  • 10. Numbers 28:12, 14
  • 11. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 12. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 13. Leviticus 7:11
  • 14. Numbers 28:12, 14; See Leviticus 6:14-17
  • 15. See Numbers 28
  • 16. ver. 29, 30; Numbers 9:14; Exodus 12:49
  • 17. ver. 2
  • 18. [Joshua 5:11, 12]
  • 19. Deuteronomy 26:2, 10; Nehemiah 10:37; Ezekiel 44:30
  • 20. Leviticus 2:14; See Leviticus 23:10-17
  • 21. [See ver. 20 above]

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Or an offering by fire; so throughout Numbers
  • [b]. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  • [c]. A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.