Numbers 29:37
Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:
Original Language Analysis
מִנְחָתָ֣ם
Their meat offering
H4503
מִנְחָתָ֣ם
Their meat offering
Strong's:
H4503
Word #:
1 of 7
a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary)
וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֗ם
and their drink offerings
H5262
וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֗ם
and their drink offerings
Strong's:
H5262
Word #:
2 of 7
a libation; also a cast idol
לַפָּ֨ר
for the bullock
H6499
לַפָּ֨ר
for the bullock
Strong's:
H6499
Word #:
3 of 7
a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
לָאַ֧יִל
for the ram
H352
לָאַ֧יִל
for the ram
Strong's:
H352
Word #:
4 of 7
properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically an oak or other strong tree
Historical Context
The eighth-day assembly required full cessation from work like a Sabbath (Leviticus 23:36), distinguishing it from the intermediate days of Sukkot. Its solemn assembly (Hebrew atzeret, restraint/assembly) character combined festival joy with Sabbath solemnity, creating a unique liturgical moment in Israel's calendar.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the maintenance of "the manner" even in the unique eighth-day offering inform how New Covenant believers relate to Old Testament patterns?
- What does the eighth day's combination of innovation (one bull) and consistency (prescribed offerings) teach about continuity and discontinuity in redemptive history?
- How does the eighth day as both ending and beginning illuminate the "already/not yet" tension of the Christian life?
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Analysis & Commentary
According to their number, after the manner—Even on the unique eighth day with its singular bullock, the accompanying minchah and nesek follow the established mishpat. The radical reduction in primary offerings does not alter the precision of secondary offerings. This demonstrates that divine innovation (the shift to one bull) operates within, not against, revealed patterns.
The phrase "after the manner" (k'mishpatam) appears for the final time in this chapter, bookending the entire festival sequence (vv. 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 37) with covenantal consistency. The eighth day is both culmination and new beginning—perfectly fulfilled in Christ's resurrection on the eighth day (first day of the new week).