And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

NUMBERS 29:26KJV
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Numbers 29:26 (KJV)

What does Numbers 29:26 mean?

Numbers 29:26 gives instructions for the offerings to be made on the fifth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, specifying that nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen year-old lambs without blemish are to be sacrificed. This verse is part of a detailed list of daily sacrifices required during this festival.

In this passage, God is speaking to Moses, who is to relay these instructions to the Israelites. The context is the wilderness period, where God gives Moses precise directions for worship and sacrifice. The verse highlights the careful organization and increasing or decreasing number of animals offered each day, showing the importance of order and obedience in Israel’s worship practices.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 29:26

  • "bullocks" (פָּרִים, parim): This word refers specifically to young bulls, which were considered valuable and significant offerings. The number of bulls changes each day during the festival, which is a notable pattern in this section.
  • "without spot" (תָּמִים, tamim): This word means "without blemish" or "perfect," emphasizing that only animals without defects were acceptable for sacrifice. This requirement points to the idea of giving the best to God.

Why Numbers 29:26 matters

  • Numbers 29:26 helps clarify that the sacrifices during the Feast of Tabernacles were not random but carefully structured, with specific numbers and types of animals each day.
  • The verse shows the emphasis on offering animals "without spot," underscoring the importance of purity and wholeheartedness in worship.
  • This verse connects to the broader passage by showing the progression and variation in sacrifices throughout the festival, which may symbolize Israel’s ongoing relationship and dedication to God.

Where else these words appear

“fifth” Hebrew H2549 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
  • Numbers 33:38 And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
  • 1 Chronicles 26:4 Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth,

“nine” Hebrew H8672 · used in 57 verses

  • Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
  • Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
  • 2 Kings 25:8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

“spot” Hebrew H8549 · used in 85 verses

  • Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
  • Numbers 28:9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
  • Psalms 18:23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

“lambs” Hebrew H3532 · used in 100 verses

  • Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
  • Numbers 7:53 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.
  • Numbers 29:17 And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: