Numbers 15:6
Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.
Original Language Analysis
א֤וֹ
H176
א֤וֹ
Strong's:
H176
Word #:
1 of 11
desire (and so probably in proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
לָאַ֙יִל֙
Or for a ram
H352
לָאַ֙יִל֙
Or for a ram
Strong's:
H352
Word #:
2 of 11
properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically an oak or other strong tree
תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה
thou shalt prepare
H6213
תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה
thou shalt prepare
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
3 of 11
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
מִנְחָ֔ה
for a meat offering
H4503
מִנְחָ֔ה
for a meat offering
Strong's:
H4503
Word #:
4 of 11
a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)
בְּלוּלָ֥ה
mingled
H1101
בְּלוּלָ֥ה
mingled
Strong's:
H1101
Word #:
8 of 11
to overflow (specifically with oil.); by implication, to mix; to fodder
בַשֶּׁ֖מֶן
of oil
H8081
בַשֶּׁ֖מֶן
of oil
Strong's:
H8081
Word #:
9 of 11
grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
Historical Context
Written during Israel's wilderness wanderings (c. 1440s BC), these regulations standardized offerings for all Israel. The precise measurements ensured equity—rich and poor alike brought offerings proportionate to the sacrifice's size, not their personal wealth.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the graduated offering scale reflect God's concern for both justice (standardization) and mercy (proportionality)?
- What does the requirement of a grain offering with every animal sacrifice teach about integrating worship into daily provision?
- In what ways does the oil-and-flour mixture foreshadow the Spirit's role in making our worship acceptable to God?
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Analysis & Commentary
For a ram thou shalt prepare for a meat offering (מִנְחָה minchah)—The grain offering accompanying the ram required two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. This minchah was not 'meat' in modern English but a tribute-offering of grain, acknowledging God's provision of daily bread.
The graduated scale (lamb = 1/10 ephah; ram = 2/10 ephah; bullock = 3/10 ephah) reflects the worshiper's means while maintaining the principle that no one approaches God empty-handed. The mixture of flour and oil symbolized the union of human labor (grinding grain) with divine blessing (oil representing the Spirit).