Numbers 15:19 (KJV)

What does Numbers 15:19 mean?

Numbers 15:19 tells the Israelites to set aside a portion for the LORD when they begin eating food made from the produce of the land they are entering. The gift is connected to the food they will make there, rather than to an animal sacrifice.

The LORD gives this instruction through Moses to the Israelites, as the passage begins in verses 17–18. The phrase “bread of the land” points to food made from its grain. The instruction looks ahead to life in the land, before the people have entered it.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 15:19

• “bread” — לֶחֶם (leḥem): This word can mean bread or food more broadly. Here, the following verse’s mention of dough helps show that grain-based food is in view.
• “offering” — תְּרוּמָה (terumah): This word refers to a contribution set aside as a gift. The KJV calls it a “heave offering,” but the word itself does not settle exactly how the gift was presented.

Why Numbers 15:19 matters

• The gift comes from prepared dough, not simply from the harvested grain. Verse 20 describes the portion as a cake from the first of their dough, giving a more precise picture of what is to be offered.
• The instruction includes those who join Israel from outside. Verse 16 speaks of one rule for both the Israelites and the foreigner living among them; verse 26 continues to include the whole community and the foreigner.
• The gift is to continue beyond the first arrival. Verse 21 says the people are to give from the first of their dough throughout their generations.