Numbers 7:1-89

VIII. PRINCES.-' OFFERINGS AT THE DEDICATION
(Numbers 7)

TEXT

Numbers 7:1. And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them: 2. that the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: 3. And they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. 4. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 5. Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. 6. And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7. Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: 8. And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9. But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

10. And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11. And the Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.
12. And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: 13. And his offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 14. One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense: 15. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 16. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 17. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
18. On the second, day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: 19. He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 20. One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense: 21. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 22. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 23. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
24. On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer: 25. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil, for a meat offering: 26. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 27. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 28. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 29. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
30. On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer: 31. His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 32. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 33. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 34. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 35. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
36. On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer: 37. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 38. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 39. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 40. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 41. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
42. On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered: 43. His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 44. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 45. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 46. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 47. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
48. One the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered: 49. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 50. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 51. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 52. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 53. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
54. On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh: 55. His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 56. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 57. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 58. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 59. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
60. On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered: 61. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 62. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 63, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 64. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 65. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
66. One the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered: 67. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 68. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 69. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 70. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 71; And for a sacrifice of peace offerjng|, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
72. On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered: 73. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering; 74. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 75. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 76. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 77. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.
78. On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered: 79. His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 80. One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 81. One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 82. One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 83. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
84. This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: 85. Each charger of silver weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 86. The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the spoons was a hundred and twenty shekels. 87. All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve. 88. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89. And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 7:1. Now it happened on the day that Moses had finished erecting the tabernacle, and had anointed and sanctified it with all its furnishings, both the altar and its utensils, and had anointed and sanctified them, 12. that the princes of Israel, heads of their fathers-' households, who were princes of the tribes and were over those who were counted, offered. 3. They brought their offerings unto the Lord: six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two princes, and an ox for each one; and they brought them before the tabernacle. 4. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 5. Accept the offering from them, that they may be used in serving the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service. 6. And Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7. He gave two carts and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; 8. and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service under the supervision of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 9. But he gave none to the sons of Kohath because the service of the sanctuary was theirs: they bore it upon their shoulders.

10. And the princes offered the dedication offering for the altar on the day it was anointed, and the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11. And the Lord said to Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince, on his day, for the dedication of the altar.
12. The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; 13. his offering was one silver dish, weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering: 14. one spoon weighing ten gold shekels, full of incense; 15. one young bullock, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 16. one male goat for a sin offering; 17. and for a peace offering sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five year-old lambs: this was the offering of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

18. On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered. [From this point forward, through the eighty-third verse of chapter seven, the account of the offerings of the twelve princes proceeds from man to man virtually verbatim, differing only as the names themselves change, and briefly in the introductory formula of Numbers 7:19, as noted in the comments. We are not reproducing the text excepting only those verses which show the order of the princes-' offerings.] 24. On the third day Eliab, the son of Helon, prince of the sons of Zebulun, offered..

30. On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the sons of Reuben, offered..
36. On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the sons of Simeon, offered..
42. On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the sons of Gad, offered..
48. On the seventh day, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, prince of the sons of Manasseh, offered..
54. On the eighth day Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, prince of the sons of Manasseh, offered..
60. On the ninth day Abidan, the son of Gideoni, prince of the sons of Benjamin, offered..
66. On the tenth day Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the sons of Dan, offered..
72. On the eleventh day, Pagiel, the son of Ochran, prince of the sons of Asher, offered..
78. On the twelfth day Ahira, the son of Enan, prince of the sons of Naphtali, offered..
84. This was the dedication of the altar, on the day it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, 85. twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons; each silver dish weighed one hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: altogether the silver vessels weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. The gold of all the spoons was one hundred and twenty shekels. 87. Altogether there were twelve oxen, bullocks, for the burnt offerings, and twelve rams, twelve year-old lambs with their meal offering, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. 88. The total number of oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings was 24 bulls; of the rams, 60; of the male goats, 60; of the year-old lambs, 60. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed. 89. Now when Moses had gone into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the Voice speaking to him from the covering that was on the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim: and it spoke to him.

COMMENTARY

Although this portion might seem needlessly redundant to the contemporary reader, what with the detailed repetition of the twelve identical offerings of the princes of the twelve tribes, it would not have been considered so by Moses, nor by the people. The great point being established is that, regardless of the size of the tribe, the status of the prince, the wealth held personally or by his tribe, or any other factor, all were to bring precisely the same elementsnothing more, and nothing less. Before God, all were equal.

When all things were ready, it was appropriate that the initial offerings be made by the leaders of the people themselves. So, following the consecration of the Tabernacle, the initiatory rites of the priests, and the census, at which time the princes were selected, a twelve-day period was set aside for the sacrificial gifts to be presented formally. The phrase on the day has troubled some. If it be taken literally, this would be the first day of the first month of the second year (see Exodus 40:17); but the account makes it clear that the census had been finished and duties assigned to the Levitical families. Further, the same phrase occurs in Numbers 7:10, at which time, if taken literally, all princes would have made their offerings on the same day. Therefore it is wise to understand the phrase as meaning at the time; it is so translated in Genesis 2:4.

When the chosen leaders are called princes, we must understand the term in its use. Alternate translations would allow elders or leaders, which are better understood today. The men clearly were those of eminence who stood as representatives of their entire tribes. The Septuagint uses episkopes, overseers, suggesting a similarity to the leadership ordained for the New Testament church.

Using the six wagons provided, the offerings were brought to the east side of the Tabernacleits only entrance. PC, after discussing the type of vehicle others have suggested for this duty, concludes that, after the nature of the terrain and the small number of oxen assigned to each, the wagons may have had no wheels, but were carried by one ox at the front with another at the rear, with the load on a bed supported by shafts between the animals, (p. 58).

Two wagons and four oxen are assigned the Gershonites for transporting their burdens when the Tabernacle was moved; four wagons and eight oxen are assigned to the Merarites for a similar purpose, while none are given the Kohathites: they must bear their burdens on their shoulders. The purpose is well summarized in IB: More than ever in this mechanical age we need to realize that there are some things which call for personal handling, and with the utmost care, (p. 175). This suggests both a greater honor and a weightier responsibility to Kohath. PC adds that Uzzah's death is an instance of the disregard of such a rule (cf. 2 Samuel 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:7 and 1 Chronicles 15:13), p. 58.

With Numbers 7:10 begins the dedication of the altar in a second sense, since it had previously been consecrated by the sacred oil and stipulated sacrifices (Leviticus 8:10; Leviticus 8:15). Now it is being designated for use of the people through their legates, the princes. The twelve identical gifts are brought to the place of offering, although the actual sacrifices are made over a period of twelve days, as the Lord instructed (Numbers 7:11). The order in which they present their gifts coincides with the order of march established when the census was taken (Numbers 1:5-15). Sheer weight of numbers of the sacrificial animals would make it impossible to accept, as ICC proposes (p. 76) that all the presentations were made on the same day. KD shows, that there was not room in the court of the Tabernacle for the 252 bulls, rams and sheep to have been received, slaughtered, and prepared for sacrificing all at once, or on the same day; and it would have been also impossible to burn 36 whole animals (oxen, rams, and sheep), and the fat portions of 216 animals upon the altar, (p. 44).

The gifts are first detailed as each individual brought them; them a summary follows. Each prince brought one silver charger, or dish, of 130 sacred shekels eachthe equivalent of about 4½ pounds avoirdupois. He also gave a silver basin, used for pouring, 70 shekels, This was filled with fine flour mingled with oil, perhaps serving not only as a meal offering and receptacle for the princes, but being designated to similar uses in the future. The spoon, perhaps a small cup with a handle, and made of gold, weighed about four ounces, but would have been most valuable; it was filled with the prescribed incense.

Next are named the animals given for sacrificing: one young bull, one ram and one lamball representing the animals given for a burnt offering, (Leviticus 1:2). The single goat, or shaggy one, was a sin offering. It was followed by a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five he goats and five yearling lambs. Thus the three kinds of offerings expressed dedication, expiation and fellowship with God.

One slight, insignificant variation may be seen as the offering of Nethaneel is described. Numbers 7:19 says, He offered for his offering, whereas in all other instances the princes-' actions are described, And his offering was (cf. Numbers 7:13; Numbers 7:25, etc.).

When the summary is given in Numbers 7:84-86, the totals are most impressive: the twelve silver dishes together with the silver basins, came to 2400 shekels; the golden spoon-cups weighed 120 shekels. However, they were quite conservative when compared with the extravagance of the offerings when Solomon's temple was dedicated (cf. 1 Kings 8:63).

The final verse, Numbers 7:89, is not an isolated, disjointed afterthought, as suggested in IB p. 180. Moses goes into the Tent of Meeting as was his custom, and is engaged in conversation with the Lord. It seems quite natural to suppose that the message at this time related to the actions just ended: the Lord expressed His approval of the manner in which the princes had fully complied with His instructions, and their offerings were acceptable.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

131.

Why does Moses repeat in such detail every offering of each of the princes?

132.

Were the princes-' offerings for themselves only, or were they acting in behalf of their tribes and families?

133.

Why is it unlikely that all of the offerings occurred on a single day? If the offerings were spread over twelve days, how can we understand the meaning of on the day, which suggests that the offerings occurred within a one-day period?

134.

Discuss the significance of the term prince as it is used in reference to the leaders of the twelve tribes.

135.

Why were no wagons provided for the Kohathites to carry their assigned burdens of the Tabernacle? Why should the Gershonites need only half as many wagons as did the Merarites?

136.

Compute the value of the gifts of silver and gold which each prince brought as his offering. Add this for the combined total.

137.

What special attitudes and purposes were expressed through the three kinds of offerings?

138.

In what sense does the final verse (Numbers 7:89) fit the previous thrust of chapter seven?

139.

Compare the offerings of the twelve princes with those of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. Why is the latter so much greater than the former?

140.

Suggest some valuable lessons Christians may appropriate from this chapter.

141.

How is it that Moses, who was not designated a high priest, could enter the Tent of Meeting to converse with the Lord?