Numbers 28:1-8 · Bible study
Numbers 28:1-8 Commentary: The Daily Sacrifice Restated Before Canaan
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why God reissues the daily offering law as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land, with commentary from early interpreters.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God reissues the daily burnt offering law to a new generation about to enter Canaan, establishing a perpetual rhythm of worship.
- Key words: קָרְבָּן (qorban, offering), תָּמִיד (tamid, continual), אִשֶּׁה (ishsheh, fire-offering), רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ (reiach nichoach, soothing aroma).
- Main debate: Whether the daily offerings were observed at all in the wilderness, or only resumed when Israel entered the land.
- Theological theme: God's desire for regular, faithful communion with his people, expressed through a tangible and costly gift.
- Best use: A foundation for teaching on the continuity of worship, the meaning of sacrifice, and the rhythm of daily devotion.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Then the LORD said to Moses,
2“Command the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My offerings by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me.
3And tell them that this is the offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs.
4Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,
5along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives.
6This is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
7The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area.
8And offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Command the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘See that you present my offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, as a pleasant aroma to me, in their due season.’
3You 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.
4You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening,
5with one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
6It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
7Its drink offering shall be the fourth part of a hin for each lamb. You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place.
8The 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.
KJV King James Version 1769
1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.
3And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
4The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;
5And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.
6It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord.
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.
8And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My oblation, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.
3And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto Jehovah: he-lambs a year old without blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt-offering.
4The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;
5and the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
6It is a continual burnt-offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
7And the drink-offering thereof shall be the fourth part of a hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou pour out a drink-offering of strong drink unto Jehovah.
8And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meal-offering of the morning, and as the drink-offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
2`Command the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, My offering, My bread for My fire-offerings, My sweet fragrance, ye take heed to bring near to Me in its appointed season.
3`And thou hast said to them, This is the fire-offering which ye bring near to Jehovah: two lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones, daily, a continual burnt-offering;
4the one lamb thou preparest in the morning, and the second lamb thou preparest between the evenings;
5and a tenth of the ephah of flour for a present, mixed with beaten oil, a fourth of the hin;
6a continual burnt-offering, which was made in mount Sinai, for sweet fragrance, a fire-offering to Jehovah;
7and its libation, a fourth of the hin for the one lamb; in the sanctuary cause thou a libation of strong drink to be poured out to Jehovah.
8`And the second lamb thou dost prepare between the evenings; as the present of the morning, and as its libation thou preparest--a fire-offering, a sweet fragrance to Jehovah.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, my bread for my offerings by fire of sweet odour to me, shall ye take heed to present to me at their set time.
3And say unto them, This is the offering by fire which ye shall present to Jehovah: two yearling lambs without blemish, day by day, as a continual burnt-offering.
4The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer between the two evenings;
5and a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for an oblation, mingled with beaten oil, a fourth part of a hin:
6[it is] the continual burnt-offering which was ordained on mount Sinai for a sweet odour, an offering by fire to Jehovah.
7And the drink-offering thereof shall be a fourth part of a hin for one lamb; in the sanctuary shall the drink-offering of strong drink be poured out to Jehovah.
8And the second lamb thou shalt offer between the two evenings; [with the] like oblation as that of the morning, and the like drink-offering, shalt thou offer it as an offering by fire of a sweet odour to Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1The Lord also said to Moses:
2Command the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: Offer ye my oblation and my bread, and burnt sacrifice of most sweet odour, in their due seasons.
3These are the sacrifices which you shall offer: Two lambs of a year old without blemish every day for the perpetual holocaust:
4One you shall offer in the mornings, and the other in the evening:
5And the tenth part of an ephi of flour, which shall be tempered with the, purest oil, of the measure of the fourth part of a hin.
6It is the continual holocaust which you offered in mount Sinai for a most sweet odour of a sacrifice by fire to the Lord.
7And for a libation you shall offer of wine the fourth part of a hin for every lamb in the sanctuary of the Lord.
8And you shall offer the other lamb in like manner in the evening according to all the rites of the morning sacrifice, and of the libations thereof, an oblation of most sweet odour to the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Numbers 28:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this passage reissues the daily burnt offering already commanded at Sinai (Exodus 29:38, 42). The timing is strategic. As Wesley notes, the generation that received the original laws had died in the wilderness; a new generation needed instruction. Barnes and Clarke add that Israel's unsettled decades likely interrupted regular observance, and the prospect of settled life in Canaan made a fresh command necessary. All see the repeated phrase 'pleasant aroma' as an anthropomorphism that signals God's acceptance of obedient worship, not literal delight in smell. The offering's details, two unblemished lambs daily, with grain and drink offerings, are not new, but they are now tied explicitly to Mount Sinai as a perpetual ordinance. The consensus is that God provides for continuity of worship across generations.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Wilderness interruption view: Clarke, Wesley, and Barnes argue the offerings were largely inactive during the 38 years of wandering, so the command reestablishes them.
- Continuous observance view: Matthew Henry and some Jewish interpreters hold that the daily lamb was never fully discontinued, making this a reminder, not a new institution.
- Shekar as intoxicating drink: Barnes and Clarke read shekar as a barley-based strong drink used in place of wine during the wilderness years.
- Shekar as non-intoxicating strong drink: Keil & Delitzsch argue shekar here means simply a strong beverage, not necessarily intoxicating, based on Leviticus 10:9 context.
What is clear: The daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings is a perpetual ordinance, ordained at Sinai, requiring two unblemished lambs offered morning and evening as a pleasing aroma to Yahweh.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Why the repetition here | All commentators agree the laws are reissued because a new generation is about to enter Canaan and the former generation had died in the wilderness. | Some (Clarke, Wesley) argue the offerings had been interrupted during the wilderness wandering; others (Barnes) hold that the full system could not have been observed in the wilderness at all. |
| Meaning of 'my bread' (לחמי) | The term is anthropomorphic, depicting offerings as God's food, and is not to be taken literally. | Calvin emphasizes the 'gross' language was adapted to a rude people. Others (Cambridge Bible) note the expression 'bread of God' occurs elsewhere (Lev 21:6) and indicates the offering sustains fellowship, not that God eats. |
| The drink offering of 'strong drink' (שכר) | The word shekar denotes a fermented beverage, distinct from wine, and was poured out in the sanctuary. | Some (Barnes, Clarke) interpret it as intoxicating drink made from barley, used because Israel lacked wine in the wilderness. Others (Keil & Delitzsch) argue it simply means 'strong drink' in a general sense, without specifying intoxication. |
| The 'pleasing aroma' (ריח ניחוח) | The phrase indicates God's acceptance of the sacrifice, not that he physically smells it. | Some traditions emphasize the literal aroma as a sensory symbol; others (Calvin) focus on the 'rest' or 'soothing' aspect, the sacrifice pacifies God's wrath and restores relationship. |
| Continuous observance in the wilderness | All see the commands as originally given at Sinai (Exodus 29) and intended for ongoing practice. | Matthew Henry and some Jewish interpreters believe the daily lamb was never totally discontinued. Wesley and Clarke hold it was partially omitted. Most modern scholars see the system as idealized for the settled land. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Numbers 28 stands at a pivot point. The people have been numbered (chapters 1, 4 and 26), Joshua has been appointed as Moses' successor (27:18, 23), and Canaan lies ahead. The wilderness years had been chaotic. Clarke suggests that the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly services had been 'considerably interrupted' during the wandering. Barnes agrees, noting that the full system described here 'could not possibly have been observed in the wilderness.' This passage therefore prepares the new generation for life in a land where they will have grain, oil and wine to offer.
The language of the command is pointed. God calls the sacrifice 'my offering, my bread' (v.2), a term that anthropomorphically pictures the Lord as dependent on Israel's provision. Calvin explains that this 'rude' expression was suited to a people who needed concrete reminders that their worship was as real as daily food. The Hebrew verb 'observe' (shamar) carries the sense of careful, guarded obedience.
One striking detail is the drink offering. It is to be 'strong drink' (shekar, v.7), poured out in the holy place. In the wilderness, lacking vineyards, Israel had substituted a barley-based drink for wine. The law now incorporates that practice, showing flexibility within prescribed worship. The 'pleasing aroma' (reiach nichoach) echoes Noah's sacrifice (Genesis 8:21), when God smelled the offering and promised never again to curse the ground. Every daily lamb connects Israel back to that promise.
The passage is not merely legal repetition. It is God's way of saying: I will be with you in the land you are about to enter, and I have given you a rhythm to keep that rhythm.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Numbers 28:1-8. The passage is stable across manuscript traditions, with the only minor differences being translational choices (e.g., 'strong wine,' 'strong drink,' or 'shekar').
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, the daily tamid became the center of Temple liturgy, with priests and Levites appointed for this perpetual service. The morning and evening sacrifices were seen as atoning for the people's sins day by day. Early Christian writers, beginning with the Epistle to the Hebrews, interpreted the repeated lambs as a type of Christ's once-for-all offering (Hebrews 10:1-14). The daily rhythm also shaped Christian monastic prayer offices, with morning and evening prayers mirroring the Old Testament pattern. During the Reformation, commentators like Calvin and Matthew Henry used the passage to emphasize the need for regular, obedient worship, not as a means of salvation, but as the grateful response of a redeemed people.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God provides a continual sacrifice. The daily lamb, offered morning and evening, ensures Israel never stands apart from atonement. This rhythm prefigures Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away sin once for all.
- New seasons require renewed obedience. As Israel prepares to cross into Canaan, God reissues the command. Each transition in life, a move, a new job, a new stage, calls us to recommit to worship.
- Worship is a pleasing aroma. God does not need animal flesh or grain. But he delights in the gift freely given, a sign of relationship restored. Our praise and service rise to him in the same way.
Five-point outline
- Command with urgency (vv.1-2): God tells Moses to 'command' and 'tell', the double imperative stresses that this is not optional.
- The rhythm of daily worship (vv.3-4): Morning and evening, two lambs, continual (tamid). This is the heartbeat of Israel's life with God.
- Accompanied offerings (v.5): Fine flour mixed with oil, the fruit of the land they will soon possess. Worship involves both animal sacrifice and the produce of human labor.
- Anchored at Sinai (v.6): The offering is 'ordained in Mount Sinai.' It connects the past revelation to the present moment and future land.
- Drink offering of strong drink (v.7): A concession to their wilderness situation, showing that God accepts what his people can bring, as long as it is brought with full hearts.
Illustration hooks
- Moving house: A family settling into a new home establishes new routines, meals, chores, bedtime. The daily sacrifice is Israel's new routine in a new land, grounding life in God.
- The family dinner table: A meal shared at set times becomes a rhythm that holds a family together. The 'bread of God' and the 'pleasant aroma' create a similar bond between Israel and their Lord.
- A wedding ring: The daily offering is like a visible, repeated sign of a covenant. It says, day after day, 'We belong to each other.'
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God need sacrifices at all? Doesn't he already own everything?
- How do these Old Testament rituals relate to our worship today?
- What does it mean for us to offer our lives as a 'living sacrifice' (Romans 12:1) in a regular, daily rhythm?
Leading a Discussion
This passage may feel distant, detailed instructions about lambs, flour and wine. But it reveals something essential: God wants to be at the center of our ordinary days. The daily sacrifice was not just for special occasions. It was for every morning and every evening, grounding Israel's life in the land in God's presence.
Discussion questions
- What does the command 'observe to offer' (v.2) tell us about the attitude required in worship?
- Why do you think God repeats these instructions now, just before Israel enters Canaan?
- The phrase 'pleasant aroma' appears five times in eight verses. What does this anthropomorphism tell us about God's response to worship?
- How did the drink offering of 'strong drink' (shekar) reflect Israel's actual situation in the wilderness? What does this say about God's expectations?
- In what ways does the daily rhythm of morning and evening sacrifice shape Israel's identity as God's people?
- How can we establish regular practices of worship in our daily lives, not just on Sundays?
- The New Testament calls Jesus the 'Lamb of God.' How does this passage help us understand the meaning of that title?
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)
| Genesis 8:21 | Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. |
| Exodus 23:15 | You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. |
| Exodus 29:18 | You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Yahweh; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 1:9 | but he shall wash its innards and its legs with water. The priest shall burn all of it on the altar, for a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 1:13 | but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 1:17 | He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 3:11 | The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 21:6 | They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy. |
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
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke accounts for the repetition of sacrificial laws here by pointing out that the wilderness years disrupted regular service, and the older generation had died off. The new generation entering Canaan needed these ordinances restated so the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings could be established properly from the start.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the elaborate system of offerings could not have been observed in the wilderness; it looks ahead to settled life in Canaan. He also notes the Israelites substituted strong drink for wine in the drink-offering, keeping the spirit of the command when the literal requirement was impossible.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that when God calls the offerings "His bread," He uses deliberately human language to accommodate a primitive people. This crude expression taught Israel that their sacrifices pleased Him as food delights a man, and it pressed them toward obedient, pure worship. Calvin warns that pagan imitations of such rites, lacking God's command, were empty theater.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary notes that the list of offerings in Numbers 28-29 is post-exilic, since the Day of Atonement and the eighth day of the Feast of Booths were not observed before Ezra's time. It also observes that this schedule is more complete and systematic than the parallel lists in Leviticus 23 and Ezekiel 45-46.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that the daily burnt offering was first instituted at Mount Sinai, where the same sacrifice of two lambs with grain and drink offerings was commanded as a sweet savor to the Lord. This continual offering, presented morning and evening, represents the regular worship God requires from His people.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the repetition of sacrificial laws in Numbers was necessary because a new generation had grown up since Sinai, and Moses was about to die. He stresses that these commands were not merely duties but tokens of God's continued favour, accepting their offerings despite Israel's wilderness rebellions.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that the laws are repeated here because a new generation has grown up since they were first given, and Israel is about to settle in the land where these offerings must be observed. The phrase "my offering and my bread" refers simply to the appointed sacrifices, and the command stresses regular, careful observance.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch sees the sacrificial laws in Numbers 28-29 as a unified, graduated system. The daily burnt-offering formed the foundation, to which larger sacrifices were added on Sabbaths and feast days. This cumulative arrangement intensified Israel's consecration at each festival, with the seventh month standing out as a Sabbath month above all others.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees these expanded sacrificial laws as specifically preparing Israel for settled life in Canaan. The feast of tabernacles is the joyful climax, coming immediately after the day of atonement, so the people celebrate with unburdened communion with God. The lavish offerings also train a shepherd people in generosity and raise their pastoral economy.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes these laws are given afresh not because the daily offerings had been entirely abandoned during Israel's wilderness wanderings, but because many other sacrifices had been omitted. He suggests the daily lamb likely continued, morning and evening, even doubled on the Sabbath.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that God repeated sacrifice laws because they had been neglected for thirty-eight years and the original hearers had died. A new generation needed instruction as they prepared to enter the promised land, where these practices would be carried out.