Exodus 29:38 · Bible study
Exodus 29:38 Commentary: The Daily Burnt Offering
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why two lambs daily? The continual burnt offering in Exodus 29:38 points to Christ's atonement and calls believers to daily consecration.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God commands a perpetual morning and evening burnt offering of two year‑old lambs, establishing the central daily worship of Israel.
- Key words: tamid (continually, perpetuity); keves benei shanah (lamb a year old, perfect for sacrifice); the verb ta'aseh (you will offer) is a standard imperfect conveying ongoing action.
- Main debate: Whether this law reflects pre‑exilic practice or a later structuring from Numbers 28; and how directly it typifies Christ’s sacrifice (virtually all traditions affirm a typological link).
- Theological theme: Daily consecration, God’s people need constant atonement and whole‑life worship, ultimately fulfilled in the once‑for‑all Lamb.
- Best use: Preach or teach to connect the rhythm of Old Testament worship with the believer’s daily walk in Christ; a foundation for understanding Hebrews and the book of Daniel.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
KJV King James Version 1769
Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`And this is that which thou dost prepare on the altar; two lambs, sons of a year, daily continually;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And this is what thou shalt offer upon the altar — two lambs of the first year, day by day continually.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
This is what thou shalt sacrifice upon the altar: Two lambs of a year old every day continually,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y esto es lo que ofrecerás sobre el altar: dos corderos de un año cada día, sin intermisión.
E isto é o que oferecerás sobre o altar: dois cordeiros de ano cada dia, sem interrupção.
Voici ce que tu offriras sur l’ autel: deux agneaux d’ un an, chaque jour, à perpétuité.
Und das sollst du mit dem Altar tun: zwei jährige Lämmer sollst du allewege des Tages darauf opfern,
Dit nu is het, wat gij op het altaar bereiden zult: twee lammeren, die eenjarig zijn, des daags, geduriglijk.
Or questo è ciò che offrirai sull’altare: due agnelli d’un anno, ogni giorno, del continuo.
A to jest, co ofiarować będziesz na ołtarzu: dwa baranki roczne, dwa na każdy dzień ustawicznie.
Вот что будешь ты приносить на жертвеннике: двух агнцев однолетних [без порока] каждый день постоянно [в жертву всегдашнюю];
「你每 天 所要獻 在 壇 上的就是 兩隻 一 歲 的羊羔；
Now this is the offering which you are to make on the altar: two lambs in their first year, every day regularly.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 29:38
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Exodus 29:38 institutes the daily burnt offering as the central, non‑negotiable act of Israel’s worship. Calvin notes it was given so that “the people might perpetually exercise themselves in the recollection of the future reconciliation.” The twin lambs, one at morning, one at evening, formed a continual acknowledgment that the nation’s life belonged to Yahweh (Barnes). Gill and Wesley see in these lambs a clear type of Christ: the Lamb of God who “continually, through the efficacy of his blood, takes away day by day the sins of his people” (Gill). Keil and Delitzsch stress that this offering consecrated Israel’s daily life to the Lord, while the accompanying grain and drink offerings (vv. 40, 41) underscored that no worship is complete without the worshiper’s wholehearted devotion. The perpetual nature of the sacrifice (tamid, “continually”) is not merely habitual but unceasing, a rhythm that God intended to frame every day of Israel’s existence.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commanded a daily burnt offering as a central, perpetual act of worship for Israel, to be offered morning and evening without fail.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Typological significance of the daily lamb | Christians across traditions see the lamb as a type of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away sin. | Some (Reformed, Baptist) emphasize that the daily sacrifice prefigures Christ's continual intercession; others (Roman Catholic, Orthodox) also link it to the Eucharistic sacrifice as a perpetual offering. |
| The perpetuity of the command | The <em>tamid</em> was binding on Israel as long as the temple stood; its suspension was a national disaster (Daniel). | Liberal scholars (e.g., Cambridge) view the passage as a post‑exilic composition from Numbers 28, hence not from Moses; conservative scholars (Keil, Calvin) accept Mosaic authorship and see the law as given in the wilderness. |
| The drink offering and its meaning | Wine was poured out as a libation, symbolizing joy and the fullness of life offered to God. | Some (Barnes) suggest it was poured at the base of the burnt‑offering altar; others note it was forbidden on the incense altar (Exod 30:9). The mode is not described in detail. |
| Application to Christian worship | Christians no longer offer animal sacrifices; the moral call to daily consecration remains. | Some traditions (Lutheran, Reformed) apply the rhythm to personal prayer and Scripture; others (Anglo‑Catholic) see it as a pattern for the Daily Office of morning and evening prayer. |
Historical & Cultural Context
These instructions appear at the climax of the tabernacle’s consecration. The altar has been purified, Aaron and his sons ordained (Exod 29:1, 37). Now God sets the perpetual worship that will define the sanctuary from its first day forward. The Hebrew phrase בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה (benei shanah, “sons of a year”) describes lambs in their first year, considered without blemish and suitable for sacrifice (cf. Lev 22:27). The adverb תָּמִיד (tamid) carries the sense of “continuity, perpetuity”, the offering was to be unbroken, morning and evening, generation after generation.
The Cambridge Bible notes that this law is nearly identical to Numbers 28:3, 8, which regulates the post‑exilic usage. Before the exile, evidence from 2 Kings 16:15 and Ezekiel 46:13, 15 suggests only a morning burnt offering was required, with a cereal offering in the evening; the duplication of the lamb may reflect a later development. Regardless of when the text reached its final form, the tamid became the heartbeat of Israel’s worship. Its suspension by Antiochus Epiphanes (ca. 167 BC) is recorded in Daniel 8:11, 13; 11:31; 12:11 as a national catastrophe. The restoration of the daily sacrifice under Ezra and Nehemiah marked the re‑establishment of covenant life (Ezra 3:3).
The lamb was offered with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour (about 3, 4 pounds) mixed with oil, and a quarter‑hin of wine (roughly a pint and a half) as a drink offering. These accompaniments, vegetable and drink, were not extras but integral parts of the “sweet savor” to Yahweh. Barnes explains that the burnt offering proper acknowledged that the people’s lives belonged to God, while the meal offering recognized that all their works were His due. The drink offering may have been poured around the base of the altar (cf. Exod 30:9). Together, the three elements made a complete gift: life, labor, and joy returned to the Giver.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 29:38. The Cambridge Bible acknowledges a source‑critical issue: the passage closely parallels Numbers 28:3, 8 and may have been inserted secondarily, but this affects the literary history, not the transmitted text itself. The Masoretic Text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
The daily burnt offering has been read by Jewish tradition as the foundational sacrifice that established the rhythm of the Temple. In Daniel 8, 12, the “daily sacrifice” (Hebrew hattamid) becomes a marker of covenant faithfulness, its removal a sign of desolation. Early Christian writers, including Justin Martyr and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, saw these lambs as shadows of Christ, whose single offering supersedes all repetitions. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Wesley emphasized the spiritual lesson: believers need a daily return to the cross, not to repeat Christ’s work but to live in its ongoing efficacy. The passage has also shaped the liturgy of many churches, inspiring the practice of morning and evening prayer as a “sacrifice of praise.”
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A constant rhythm of grace. The daily sacrifice taught Israel that they could not live on yesterday’s atonement. Each morning and evening, the lamb renewed their standing before God, a picture of our need for Christ’s ongoing intercession (Heb 7:25).
- Whole-life worship. The lamb, the flour, and the wine together symbolized life consecrated to God. Not just a sin offering, but a gift that encompassed work, possessions, and joy. Our worship must also be total, not compartmentalized.
- God’s promise to meet us. The sacrifice was offered “at the door of the Tent of Meeting… where I will meet with you” (v. 42). The daily offering made God’s presence accessible. In Christ, we have even greater access, but still we are called to show up day by day.
Five-point outline
- The necessity of daily sacrifice: the tamid was to never cease.
- The cost of worship: two perfect lambs, fine flour, oil, wine, not a cheap offering.
- The public nature: offered on the altar at the sanctuary, not in private.
- The communal benefit: offered for all Israel, not just the priests.
- The hope of fulfillment: the lamb points forward to the Lamb who takes away sin once for all (John 1:29).
Illustration hooks
- The sunrise and sunset. Just as God gives us new mercy every morning and evening grace each night, the two lambs bookended the day with sacrifice. What would it look like to begin and end each day with conscious offering to God?
- A standing appointment. The daily sacrifice was a non‑negotiable meeting. In a world of constant distraction, how can we build a “morning and evening” rhythm of prayer and Scripture that grounds our week?
- The cost of consistent faithfulness. For centuries, the priests offered these lambs generation after generation. It was not glamorous but it was faithful. Small, daily acts of obedience accumulate into a life of worship.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God care about animals being killed every day? Isn’t that barbaric?
- How can I apply an Old Testament sacrifice to my life as a Christian?
- Is the “continual burnt offering” the same as the “daily sacrifice” mentioned in Daniel and the book of Hebrews?
Leading a Discussion
This passage describes the first explicit command for a twice‑daily sacrifice in Israel’s worship. Notice that it comes immediately after the consecration of the priests and the altar, the stage is set, and now the regular service begins. The sacrifice was not optional; it was the foundation of the nation’s relationship with God. As you discuss, think about what “continual” (Hebrew tamid) really meant for a people who lived by the seasons and the cycles of the sun.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 29:38, 42. What strikes you about the repetition of “daily,” “continually,” and “perpetual”? What does this tell you about God’s design for worship?
- The lamb was offered with flour, oil, and wine (vv. 40, 41). Why do you think God included these extra elements? What might they represent in the worshiper’s life?
- Calvin wrote that the daily sacrifice reminded the people that they had “constant need of being reconciled to God.” How does this challenge our view of salvation as a one‑time event?
- How does the Bible’s later mention of the “daily sacrifice” (Dan 8:11, 12; 12:11) shape your understanding of its importance? What does its cessation signal for the nation?
- The writer of Hebrews argues that Christ’s sacrifice ends the need for repeated offerings (Heb 10:10, 14). How does the tamid help us appreciate what Jesus did “once for all”?
- In what ways could a “morning and evening” rhythm of prayer or Scripture reading function as a Christian equivalent of the daily sacrifice?
- If the lamb, flour, and wine represented a life fully offered, what parts of your life feel least “offered” to God right now?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 28:3 | You shall tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: male lambs a year old without defect, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering. |
| Numbers 28:8 | The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| I Chronicles 16:40 | to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in Yahweh’s law, which he commanded to Israel; |
| II Chronicles 2:4 | Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, to burn before him incense of sweet spices, for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. |
| II Chronicles 13:11 | They burn to Yahweh every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table, and care for the gold lamp stand with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the instruction of Yahweh our God, but you have forsaken him. |
| II Chronicles 31:3 | He also appointed the king’s portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in Yahweh’s law. |
| Ezra 3:3 | In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, even burnt offerings morning and evening. |
| Daniel 9:21 | yes, while I was speaking in prayer—the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the daily offerings as the people's regular acknowledgment that their lives belong to God and their works are His due. The consecration of priests and sanctuary served a national purpose: to consecrate the whole nation for daily life in God's presence as a kingdom of priests.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God commanded a daily sacrifice of two spotless lambs to keep Israel constantly aware of their ongoing need for reconciliation with Him. The wine and oil were not about pleasing God with physical offerings but pointed to the spiritual reality behind the ritual: faith and repentance.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary notes that this law prescribing a daily burnt-offering morning and evening reflects post-exilic practice, not earlier custom. Before the exile, only a morning burnt-offering was offered, with the evening meal-offering standing on its own. This law duplicates the burnt-offering and subordinates the meal-offering, and likely was inserted here from Numbers 28.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators stress the unbroken regularity of this command: two lambs must be offered every single day without exception. The phrase "day by day continually" rules out any interruption or special circumstance that would suspend this daily sacrifice before the Lord.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that these daily lambs typify Christ, who through his blood continually takes away his people's sins day by day. The lamb's innocence, meekness, and sacrifice foreshadow Christ's character, while being "of the first year" points to his tender human weakness, and "without spot" to his perfect purity.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the daily morning and evening sacrifice was absolutely mandatory, never to be omitted under any circumstances. Faithful observance of this continual offering would secure the promised grace and blessing from God, their heavenly King.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that God's promise to meet Israel applies directly to the altar of burnt-offering, not just the ark of the covenant. They insist it is the people, not the altar itself, who are sanctified by God's glory when He meets them there.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the priestly consecration appears early in Exodus because the priesthood has a broader role than mere ritual. It symbolically represents religious ideas, conducts Israel's moral training through sacrifice, and supplies oracular guidance when prophecy and royal governance fail. Moses’ prophetic role consecrates the priests, showing the prophetic office takes the initiative.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that these daily lambs were not optional extras but the constant duty of every day, offered at public expense for the entire nation. Their purpose was to atone for daily sins and acknowledge daily mercies. The later removal of this very sacrifice, as Daniel foretold, marked the church's greatest distress.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the daily lambs as a picture of Christ's ongoing intercession. Although Christ offered himself once for all, that single sacrifice becomes a continual offering through his perpetual work for the church, teaching believers to present daily sacrifices of prayer and praise.