Read & explore together
Daily and Festival Offerings
This passage gives ordered instructions for offerings at daily, weekly, monthly, and festival times. It shows worship arranged by set occasions, with regular sacrifices and added offerings for special days.
Understanding the passage
Understanding the setting
Yahweh speaks to Moses and tells him to command the children of Israel about offerings presented “in their due season”. The instructions move through daily offerings, Sabbath, the beginnings of months, Passover and Unleavened Bread, the feast of weeks, and the appointed occasions of the seventh month. The passage ends with Moses telling Israel all that Yahweh commanded.
Numbers 28:1–29:40Main takeaway
This passage presents Israel’s worship as carefully ordered, with continual offerings and added sacrifices for set times before Yahweh.
Explore the instructions
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Daily worship came firstThe pattern begins with the continual burnt offering: two year-old male lambs without defect, one in the morning and one at evening.
Explanation
The pattern begins with the continual burnt offering: two year-old male lambs without defect, one in the morning and one at evening. Each lamb is offered with fine flour mixed with oil and a drink offering. The repeated phrase “pleasant aroma” shows these offerings were presented to Yahweh regularly and reverently.
02Special days added to the daily offeringThe Sabbath and the beginning of each month both have added offerings. On the Sabbath, extra lambs are brought in addition to the continual burnt offering.
Explanation
The Sabbath and the beginning of each month both have added offerings. On the Sabbath, extra lambs are brought in addition to the continual burnt offering. At the start of each month, bulls, a ram, lambs, and a male goat for a sin offering are listed. The text keeps saying these are “in addition to” the continual pattern.
03Passover, Unleavened Bread, and first fruitsIn the first month, Yahweh’s Passover is named on the fourteenth day, followed by a seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread.
Explanation
In the first month, Yahweh’s Passover is named on the fourteenth day, followed by a seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread. The first and seventh days are holy convocations with no regular work. During these days, offerings continue daily. The feast of weeks also includes a holy convocation, no regular work, and sacrifices with a goat for atonement.
04The seventh month had several set gatheringsThe seventh month includes a day of blowing of trumpets, a day when the people are to “afflict your souls”, and a seven-day feast with an eighth-day solemn assembly.
Explanation
The seventh month includes a day of blowing of trumpets, a day when the people are to “afflict your souls”, and a seven-day feast with an eighth-day solemn assembly. Here “afflict your souls” is part of the command for that day. The feast offerings are extensive, with the number of bulls decreasing day by day, while the continual burnt offering still remains.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What details show that the daily offering was meant to be continual rather than occasional?
Look for the words about timing and repetition, especially the morning and evening pattern and the word “continual.”
02How does the passage show that Sabbath and monthly offerings did not replace the daily offering?
Notice the repeated phrase saying these offerings were given “in addition to” the continual burnt offering.
03Which days in this passage are called holy convocations with no regular work?
Trace the feast instructions and list each occasion where both descriptions appear together.
Read the Bible passages
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Numbers 28:1–31
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.
9“ ‘On the Sabbath day, you shall offer two male lambs a year old without defect, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, and its drink offering:
10this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
11“ ‘In the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect,
12and three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenth parts of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with oil, for the one ram;
13and one tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb, as a burnt offering of a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
14Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth part of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
15Also, one male goat for a sin offering to Yahweh shall be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
16“ ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Yahweh’s Passover.
17On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days.
18In the first day shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work,
19but you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. They shall be without defect,
20with their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil. You shall offer three tenths for a bull, and two tenths for the ram.
21You shall offer one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs;
22and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
23You shall offer these in addition to the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.
24In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. It shall be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
25On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.
26“ ‘Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work;
27but you shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
28and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for each bull, two tenths for the one ram,
29one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs;
30and one male goat, to make atonement for you.
31Besides the continual burnt offering and its meal offering, you shall offer them and their drink offerings. See that they are without defect.
Numbers 29:1–40
1“ ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no regular work. It is a day of blowing of trumpets to you.
2You shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect;
3and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the ram,
4and one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs;
5and one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you;
6in addition to the burnt offering of the new moon with its meal offering, and the continual burnt offering with its meal offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
7“ ‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls. You shall do no kind of work;
8but you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh for a pleasant aroma: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old, all without defect;
9and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the one ram,
10one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs;
11one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink offerings.
12“ ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. You shall keep a feast to Yahweh seven days.
13You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect;
14and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three tenths for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each ram of the two rams,
15and one tenth for every lamb of the fourteen lambs;
16and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering.
17“ ‘On the second day you shall offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
18and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance;
19and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, with its meal offering and their drink offerings.
20“ ‘On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
21and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance;
22and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and its drink offering.
23“ ‘On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
24their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance;
25and one male goat for a sin offering; in addition to the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering.
26“ ‘On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
27and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance,
28and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and its drink offering.
29“ ‘On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
30and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance,
31and one male goat for a sin offering; in addition to the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and the drink offerings of it.
32“ ‘On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
33and their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, after the ordinance,
34and one male goat for a sin offering; in addition to the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering.
35“ ‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall do no regular work;
36but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasant aroma to Yahweh: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without defect;
37their meal offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance,
38and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, with its meal offering, and its drink offering.
39“ ‘You shall offer these to Yahweh in your set feasts—in addition to your vows and your free will offerings—for your burnt offerings, your meal offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’ ”
40Moses told the children of Israel according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses.