Numbers 29:18
And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
Original Language Analysis
וּמִנְחָתָ֣ם
And their meat offering
H4503
וּמִנְחָתָ֣ם
And their meat offering
Strong's:
H4503
Word #:
1 of 7
a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)
וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֡ם
and their drink offerings
H5262
וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֡ם
and their drink offerings
Strong's:
H5262
Word #:
2 of 7
a libation; also a cast idol
לַ֠פָּרִים
for the bullocks
H6499
לַ֠פָּרִים
for the bullocks
Strong's:
H6499
Word #:
3 of 7
a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
לָֽאֵילִ֧ם
for the rams
H352
לָֽאֵילִ֧ם
for the rams
Strong's:
H352
Word #:
4 of 7
properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically an oak or other strong tree
Cross References
Numbers 28:7And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering.Numbers 28:14And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
Historical Context
Codified law distinguished Israel from surrounding nations whose priests improvised rituals based on omens or royal whim. Israel's written Torah enabled consistency across centuries and geography. Even in Babylonian exile (586-516 BC), Jews preserved sacrificial knowledge for temple restoration under Ezra-Nehemiah.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's detailed prescription challenge the modern worship philosophy 'it doesn't matter how you worship, just that you do'?
- What does the phrase 'after the manner' teach about the regulative principle that worship must be authorized by Scripture?
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Analysis & Commentary
According to their number, after the manner (kemishpatam, כְּמִשְׁפָּטָם)—'After the manner' uses the legal term mishpat, meaning ordinance, judgment, prescribed custom. This wasn't casual worship but covenant law. Bemidbar (Numbers) means 'in the wilderness,' where God regulated every aspect of tabernacle worship to prevent innovation.
The phrase's repetition (verses 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 37) functions as liturgical refrain, emphasizing that procedures established in verses 14-15 governed all subsequent days. God prescribed not just what to offer but how—portions, preparations, accompaniments—leaving nothing to human ingenuity.