Numbers 7

WHEN MOSES FINISHED setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. 2Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. 3They brought as their gifts before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.

4The LORD said to Moses, 5“Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.”

6So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, 8and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 9But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.

10When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11For the LORD had said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.”

12The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.

13His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 14one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 15one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 16one male goat for a sin offering; 17and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

18On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering.

19The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 20one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 21one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 22one male goat for a sin offering; 23and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

24On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, brought his offering.

25His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 26one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 27one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 28one male goat for a sin offering; 29and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

30On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering.

31His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 32one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 33one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 34one male goat for a sin offering; 35and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

36On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering.

37His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 38one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 39one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 40one male goat for a sin offering; 41and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

42On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering.

43His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 44one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 45one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 46one male goat for a sin offering; 47and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

48On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering.

49His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 50one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 51one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 52one male goat for a sin offering; 53and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

54On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering.

55His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 56one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 57one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 58one male goat for a sin offering; 59and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

60On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering.

61His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 62one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 63one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 64one male goat for a sin offering; 65and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

66On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering.

67His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 68one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 69one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 70one male goat for a sin offering; 71and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

72On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering.

73His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 74one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 75one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 76one male goat for a sin offering; 77and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

78On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering.

79His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; 80one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 81one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 82one male goat for a sin offering; 83and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

84These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. 85Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 86The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. 87The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. 88The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

89When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

Original Meaning

A NEW HOUSE calls for celebration, including “house-warming gifts.” So just as modern neighbors may shower recently installed residents with presents, ancient Israelites gave useful items to the Owner of the freshly completed “Mansion” at the center of their neighborhood. It was the chieftains, representing their tribes (not including Levi), who brought their gifts to the sanctuary when Moses anointed and thereby consecrated it (Num. 7:1–2; cf. Lev. 8). This narrative continues the theme of the sanctuary (Num. 3–4) and contributions to it (5:8–10, 15, 25–26; 6:10–21).

The chiefs give six wagons and twelve oxen, two for each wagon, which logically go to the Gershonite and Merarite Levites for transporting the sanctuary (7:3–8). This helps to explain why the present archival account is placed here in the book of Numbers. The gifts meet needs created by the Levite job descriptions (ch. 4).

The Kohathites do not need wagons because they transport the sacred furniture on their shoulders by poles (7:9). This requires manpower, but it protects the precious items from the kind of jolting that later cost Uzzah his life when he reached out to steady the ark of the covenant on its cart (2 Sam. 6:3–7). In the Hittite ninth year festival of the god Telipinu, a cart similarly transported sancta, consisting of idols and a cult pedestal, but a priest rode in the cart to protect the objects.1 The same approach will not work for the Levites, who are responsible for transporting the sacred furniture but are not permitted to touch it (Num. 4:15).

Having introduced the twelve tribal chieftains in chapter 7 because of the relevance of their gifts to the Levite duties, the rest of this chapter (except for v. 89) continues with an inventory of their other offerings, even though they brought them earlier for the service of the outer altar when it was initiated/inaugurated, shortly after it was anointed (7:10–88; cf. v. 1). Although this inventory belongs between Leviticus 8 and 9 from a chronological perspective, its present location maintains thematic cohesion by avoiding interruption of the grand consecration-inauguration process in Leviticus and by keeping the chiefs’ presents to the sanctuary together.2

The word for “initiation” (NIV “dedication”) of the altar is ḥanukkah (vv. 10, 11, 84, 88). This noun, or the verb from the same root (ḥnk), denotes the first use of a structure for the purpose for which it was intended.3 Thus a house (Deut. 20:5), city wall (Neh. 12:27), or image (Dan. 3:2–3) could be initiated, as was Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:63; 2 Chron. 7:5) and its altar (2 Chron. 7:9). Later ḥanukkah appears in Aramaic for the initiation of the Second Temple (Ezra 6:16–17). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in December celebrates the initiation of a new altar when the Maccabees purified and reconsecrated the Second Temple after its desecration by the persecuting forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1 Macc. 4:52–59).

Unlike the gifts of “my true love” on “the twelve days of Christmas,” the offerings of the Israelite chieftains over twelve days are all the same. The list of items is fully repeated twelve times, sacrificing the economy of “ditto” to the grand impact of an archival record in which each chieftain is given his moment in the spotlight.

At first glance, the last verse of Numbers 7 (v. 89) looks isolated.4 But it harks back to the beginning of the chapter, which refers to Moses’ setting up and consecrating the sanctuary. As the Lord promised when he provided directions for constructing the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:22), Moses heard the Lord’s voice “speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony” (Num. 7:89).

The initial occasion when Moses could enter the tabernacle after its consecration and encounter the divine glory like this was at the conclusion of the public inauguration service (Lev. 9:23; cf. v. 6), for which sacrificial victims and other materials (vv. 1–5) undoubtedly had been provided by the chieftains. At that time Moses and Aaron blessed the people (vv. 22–23; cf. Num. 6:22–27). So Numbers 6:22–7:89 contains a cluster of connections to the founding events of Israelite worship, on which any progress would be based.

Bridging Contexts

SUPPLIES, CELEBRATION, AND SOVEREIGNTY. The tribal emphasis of Numbers 7, featuring the same chieftains who (later) represented their tribes in the military census and war camp (chs. 1–2), helps to further explain why the description of initiation offerings appears in Numbers 7 rather than in Leviticus, which recounts the consecration/dedication (Lev. 8) and inauguration/initiation (Lev. 9) of the sanctuary and its altar. At this point the organization of biblical material is based primarily on thematic rather than chronological criteria.

The presents of the chieftains serve three important functions. (1) They contribute to an important stage of setting up the sanctuary infrastructure by providing it with vehicles for transportation, vessels, and sacrificial materials, and victims for public offerings.

(2) The gifts celebrate the initial public use of the Lord’s outer altar (cf. Lev. 9), following its dedication (Lev. 8). This altar in the courtyard is central to the corporate worship of ancient Israel. While God’s Presence resides in and over the Most Holy Place, it is to the outer altar that the people bring their sacrifices for all kinds of reasons and watch the smoke ascend for divine acceptance.

(3) The offerings of the chieftains, who represent the political and military structure of Israel, acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty over their nation. The tribes are unified because their leaders give homage to the same ruler: the divine King of Israel. Verse 89 highlights the Lord’s sovereignty by reporting that Moses receives communication from him (cf. Ex. 25:22).

The gifts are large and expensive, are provided by tribes, and are mandatory because God has commanded that they be brought (v. 11). If God were a foreign ruler, we would say that the chieftains are bringing “tribute” (cf. Judg. 3:15, 17–18; 2 Kings 17:3), but he is their own King. As such, he has the right to require resources of materials (Num. 7) and manpower (ch. 8—Levites) from his people.5

Contemporary Significance

HOMAGE TO THE ABSOLUTE LORD. To those of us who live in democratic nations, kingship is a foreign concept. We tend to associate it with the glamour of modern constitutional monarchs (e.g., that of Britain), who are largely figureheads, or with dictatorial despots who use their absolute powers to enrich themselves and their families at the expense of their citizens. But whether we encounter members of royalty through tabloids or a tourist trip, we are generally content to have them maintain distance from us. As the rabbi in Fiddler On the Roof replied when asked to formulate an appropriate prayer for the czar: “A blessing for the czar? Of course. May God bless and keep the czar—far away from us!”6

Indeed, the history of monarchy is not a pretty one. For every Catherine the Great or Richard the Lionhearted there lurks an Ivan the Terrible or Ibrahim the Mad. In the Old Testament, kings like Jeroboam I, Ahab, and Ahaz greatly outnumbered those like Hezekiah and Josiah. Absolute power tends to absolutely corrupt.

If we feel uncomfortable associating God with kingship, should we start thinking about him as our President? This creates more problems than it solves. For one thing, in some parts of the world a person called “president” can be a dictator, so we gain nothing. For another, the idea of a democratically elected president fails to do justice to the absolute nature of God’s sovereignty. Biblical Israel was not a democracy; it was a theocracy.

If anything, God wields far greater power than any human totalitarian regime. Even the technologically sophisticated “Big Brother” superstate of George Orwell’s 1984 would covet the Lord’s powers of surveillance (e.g. Num. 12:2; Ps. 94:11; 139:1–24; Luke 16:15) and capability to instantly destroy his enemies and detractors (Gen. 19; Num. 16, 25).

So why do we pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10; emphasis supplied)? Do we really want his sovereignty here, over our lives, with the same total power that he wields in heaven (cf. Isa. 6; Dan. 7:9–10; Rev. 4–5)? Only if we believe the first part of the same prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matt. 6:9). The fact that he is our Father means that he has a vested interest in us as members of his royal family (cf. 1 Peter 2:9)! Moreover, his name is holy. Since his name represents his character and a holy character is one of love (e.g., Lev. 19:2, 18; 1 Thess. 3:12–13), he is the God of love (1 John 4:8). We can feel safe and happy with him only because the absoluteness of his love matches that of his power.

Like the Israelite chieftains, who brought gifts to the Lord at the sanctuary (Num. 7), and the Magi, who paid rich homage to the newborn King (Matt. 2:11), we have the privilege of joyfully acknowledging him with tangible gifts as well as prayers, songs, and testimonies. When modern people initiate the use of a church and provide it with a van, kitchen utensils, and food for God’s work in their community, they are following in the worthy footsteps of Nahshon, Nethanel, Eliab, and their fellow leaders.