Numbers 29:3
And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
Original Language Analysis
וּמִנְחָתָ֔ם
And their meat offering
H4503
וּמִנְחָתָ֔ם
And their meat offering
Strong's:
H4503
Word #:
1 of 10
a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)
בְּלוּלָ֣ה
mingled
H1101
בְּלוּלָ֣ה
mingled
Strong's:
H1101
Word #:
3 of 10
to overflow (specifically with oil.); by implication, to mix; to fodder
בַשָּׁ֑מֶן
with oil
H8081
בַשָּׁ֑מֶן
with oil
Strong's:
H8081
Word #:
4 of 10
grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
שְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה
three
H7969
שְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה
three
Strong's:
H7969
Word #:
5 of 10
three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice
לַפָּ֔ר
for a bullock
H6499
לַפָּ֔ר
for a bullock
Strong's:
H6499
Word #:
7 of 10
a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
Historical Context
The Feast of Trumpets marked the civil new year (religious new year began with Passover in Nisan). The ram's horn (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) blast summoned Israel to prepare for Yom Kippur, ten days later. In later Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah became a day of judgment, when God reviews each life. This autumn festival period finds NT echo in Christ's return with the trump of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and final judgment.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the repetition of identical grain offering proportions across different festivals reveal God's consistency?
- What spiritual preparation might the ten days between Trumpets (warning) and Atonement (judgment) symbolize?
- How do these trumpet blasts prefigure the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Christ's return?
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Analysis & Commentary
And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil—this verse continues instructions for the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) begun in verse 1. The identical formula from Numbers 28:20 appears here: three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram. The repetition across multiple festivals (Passover, Trumpets, Tabernacles) establishes consistency in worship proportions, teaching that while occasions differ, the principle of generous, proportional offering remains constant.
Numbers 29 outlines the seventh month's (Tishri) sacred calendar: Trumpets (day 1), Day of Atonement (day 10), and Tabernacles (days 15-22)—the most concentrated period of worship in Israel's year. The grain offerings mingled with oil symbolized God's blessing on harvest and the Spirit's enablement for worship. Joel 2:28-29's promise of Spirit-outpouring was fulfilled at Pentecost, but the oil-mingled offerings anticipated this reality.