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Texts -- Numbers 15:1-40 (NET)

Context
Sacrificial Rulings
15:1 The Lord spoke to Moses : 15:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land where you are to live , which I am giving you, 15:3 and you make an offering by fire to the Lord from the herd or from the flock (whether a burnt offering or a sacrifice for discharging a vow or as a freewill offering or in your solemn feasts ) to create a pleasing aroma to the Lord , 15:4 then the one who presents his offering to the Lord must bring a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of olive oil . 15:5 You must also prepare one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with the burnt offering or the sacrifice for each lamb . 15:6 Or for a ram , you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one-third of a hin of olive oil , 15:7 and for a drink offering you must offer one-third of a hin of wine as a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 15:8 And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice for discharging a vow or as a peace offering to the Lord , 15:9 then a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil must be presented with the young bull , 15:10 and you must present as the drink offering half a hin of wine with the fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 15:11 This is what is to be done for each ox , or each ram , or each of the male lambs or the goats . 15:12 You must do so for each one according to the number that you prepare . 15:13 “‘Every native-born person must do these things in this way to present an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 15:14 If a resident foreigner is living with you – or whoever is among you in future generations – and prepares an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord , he must do it the same way you are to do it. 15:15 One statute must apply to you who belong to the congregation and to the resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent statute for your future generations . You and the resident foreigner will be alike before the Lord . 15:16 One law and one custom must apply to you and to the resident foreigner who lives alongside you.’”
Rules for First Fruits
15:17 The Lord spoke to Moses : 15:18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land to which I am bringing you 15:19 and you eat some of the food of the land , you must offer up a raised offering to the Lord . 15:20 You must offer up a cake of the first of your finely ground flour as a raised offering ; as you offer the raised offering of the threshing floor , so you must offer it up . 15:21 You must give to the Lord some of the first of your finely ground flour as a raised offering in your future generations .
Rules for Unintentional Offenses
15:22 “‘If you sin unintentionally and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses – 15:23 all that the Lord has commanded you by the authority of Moses , from the day that the Lord commanded Moses and continuing through your future generations – 15:24 then if anything is done unintentionally without the knowledge of the community , the whole community must prepare one young bull for a burnt offering – for a pleasing aroma to the Lord – along with its grain offering and its customary drink offering , and one male goat for a purification offering. 15:25 And the priest is to make atonement for the whole community of the Israelites , and they will be forgiven , because it was unintentional and they have brought their offering , an offering made by fire to the Lord , and their purification offering before the Lord , for their unintentional offense. 15:26 And the whole community of the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them will be forgiven , since all the people were involved in the unintentional offense. 15:27 “‘If any person sins unintentionally , then he must bring a yearling female goat for a purification offering . 15:28 And the priest must make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally – when he sins unintentionally before the Lord – to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven . 15:29 You must have one law for the person who sins unintentionally , both for the native-born among the Israelites and for the resident foreigner who lives among them.
Deliberate Sin
15:30 “‘But the person who acts defiantly , whether native-born or a resident foreigner , insults the Lord . That person must be cut off from among his people . 15:31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment , that person must be completely cut off . His iniquity will be on him.’” 15:32 When the Israelites were in the wilderness they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day . 15:33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community . 15:34 They put him in custody , because there was no clear instruction about what should be done to him. 15:35 Then the Lord said to Moses , “The man must surely be put to death ; the whole community must stone him with stones outside the camp .” 15:36 So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death , just as the Lord commanded Moses .
Rules for Tassels
15:37 The Lord spoke to Moses : 15:38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make tassels for themselves on the corners of their garments throughout their generations , and put a blue thread on the tassel of the corners . 15:39 You must have this tassel so that you may look at it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and obey them and so that you do not follow after your own heart and your own eyes that lead you to unfaithfulness . 15:40 Thus you will remember and obey all my commandments and be holy to your God .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Exodus

    [ebd] the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundre...

  • Offerings

    [nave] OFFERINGS Offered at the door of the tabernacle, Lev. 1:3; 3:2; 17:4, 8, 9; of the temple, 2 Chr. 7:12; 1 Kin. 8:62; 12:27. All animal sacrifices must be eight days old or over, Lev. 22:27. Must be salted, Lev. 2:13; Ezek....

  • Vows

    [nave] VOWS Mosaic laws concerning, Lev. 23:37, 38; Num. 29:39. Must be voluntary, see below. Must be performed, see below. Estimation of the redemption price of things offered in vows, to be made by the priest, according to age a...

  • Sabbath

    [isbe] SABBATH - sab'-ath (shabbath, shabbathon; sabbaton, ta sabbata; the root shabhath in Hebrew means "to desist," "cease," "rest"): I. ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 1. The Biblical Account 2. Critical Theories II. HISTORY OF THE SABBAT...
    [smith] (shabbath), "a day of rest," from shabath "to cease to do to," "to rest"). The name is applied to divers great festivals, but principally and usually to the seventh day of the week, the strict observance of which is enforced ...
    [nave] SABBATH Signifying a rest period, Gen. 2:2, 3; Lev. 23; 25; 26:34, 35. Preparations for, Ex. 16:22; Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31. Religious usages on, Gen. 2:3; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:6; 13:10; Acts ...

  • SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2

    [isbe] SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 - V. The Mosaic Sacrificial System. 1. The Covenant Sacrifice: The fundamental function of Moses' work was to establish the covenant between Israel and God. This important transaction took ...

  • PUNISHMENTS

    [isbe] PUNISHMENTS - pun'-ish-ments ('awon, "fault," "iniquity," "punishment for iniquity," "sin" (Gen 4:13; Lev 26:41; Job 19:29; Ps 149:7; Lam 4:22; Ezek 14:10 margin; Am 1:3,6,9,11,13; 2:1,4,6), `onesh, "tribute," "fine," "punis...
    [smith] The earliest theory of punishment current among mankind is doubtless the one of simple retaliation, "blood for blood." Viewed historically, the first case of punishment for crime mentioned in Scripture, next to the Fall itsel...

  • STRANGER AND SOJOURNER (IN THE OLD TESTAMENT)

    [isbe] STRANGER AND SOJOURNER (IN THE OLD TESTAMENT) - stranj'-er: I. THE GER 1. Legal provisions (1) Principles (2) Rules 2. Relation to Sacrifice and Ritual 3. Historical Circumstances II. THE TOSHABH III. THE NOKHRI OR BEN NEKHA...

  • Flour

    [ebd] Grain reduced to the form of meal is spoken of in the time of Abraham (Gen. 18:6). As baking was a daily necessity, grain was also ground daily at the mills (Jer. 25:10). The flour mingled with water was kneaded in kneading-...

  • Ignorance

    [isbe] IGNORANCE - ig'-no-rans (sheghaghah; agnoia): "Ignorance" is the translation of sheghaghah, "wandering," "going astray" (Lev 4:2, etc., "if a soul sin through ignorance," the Revised Version (British and American) "unwitting...
    [nave] IGNORANCE. Job 8:9; Job 11:7, 8, 12; Job 28:12, 13, 20, 21; Job 36:26, 29; Job 37:5, 15, 16, 19, 23 Job 38; 39. Psa. 139:6; Prov. 7:6-23; Prov. 8:5; Prov. 9:14-18; Prov. 19:2; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 22:3 Prov. 27:12. Prov. 27:1...

  • Measure

    [nave] MEASURE The following modern equivalents of ancient measurements are based upon the latest researches, and are probably as nearly correct as is possible at this time: Dry 1. Bushel, about a peck, Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luk...

  • Fringes

    [isbe] FRINGES - frin'-jis (tsitsith, "tassel, lock" (Nu 15:38,39), gedhilim, "twisted threads," "festoons" (Dt 22:12)): Tassels worn by the Israelites on the four corners of their garments as reminders of "all the commandments of ...
    [nave] FRINGES Prescribed for vesture worn by the Israelites, Num. 15:38-41; Deut. 22:12. Made broad by the Pharisees, Matt. 23:5.

  • Atonement

    [nave] ATONEMENT For tabernacle and furniture, Lev. 16:15-20, 33. In consecration of the Levites, Num. 8:21. For those defiled by the dead, Num. 6:11. Made for houses, Lev. 14:53. For sin, see below. By meat offerings, Lev. 5:...

  • LORD'S SUPPER; (EUCHARIST)

    [isbe] LORD'S SUPPER; (EUCHARIST) - u'-ka-rist GENERAL || I. DEFINITION II. NEW TESTAMENT SOURCES 1. Textual Considerations 2. Narratives Compared (1) Mark (2) Matthew (3) Pauline (4) Luke 3. Other Pauline Data III. PREPARATION FO...

  • FIRST-FRUITS

    [ebd] The first-fruits of the ground were offered unto God just as the first-born of man and animals. The law required, (1.) That on the morrow after the Passover Sabbath a sheaf of new corn should be waved by the priest before th...
    [isbe] FIRST-FRUITS - furst'-froots (re'shith, bikkurim; aparche. Septuagint translates re'shith by aparche, but for bikkurim it uses the word protogennemata; compare Philo 22 33): In acknowledgment of the fact that the land and al...

  • FIRE

    [ebd] (1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the dedication of Solomon's templ...
    [isbe] FIRE - fir ('esh; pur): These are the common words for fire, occurring very frequently. 'Ur, "light" (Isa 24:15 the King James Version; compare the Revised Version (British and American); 31:9, and see FIRES), nur (Aramaic) ...

  • Legislation

    [nave] LEGISLATION, class, forbidden, Ex. 12:49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 9:14; 15:15, 29; Gal. 3:28. Supplemental, concerning Sabbath-breaking, Num. 15:32-35; inheritance, Num. 27:1-11. See: Government; Law.

  • Wine

    [ebd] The common Hebrew word for wine is yayin, from a root meaning "to boil up," "to be in a ferment." Others derive it from a root meaning "to tread out," and hence the juice of the grape trodden out. The Greek word for wine is ...
    [smith] The manufacture of wine is carried back in the Bible to the age of Noah, (Genesis 9:20,21) to whom the discovery of the process is apparently, though not explicitly, attributed. The natural history and culture of the vine are...
    [nave] WINE Made from grapes, Gen. 40:11; 49:11; Isa. 25:6; Jer. 40:10, 12; from pomegranates, Song 8:2. Kept in jars, Jer. 13:12; 48:12; in skins, Josh. 9:4, 13; Job 32:19; Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:37, 38; in bottles, Josh. 9:4, 13; Jo...

  • NUMBERS, BOOK OF

    [isbe] NUMBERS, BOOK OF - num'-berz: I. TITLE AND CONTENTS 1. Title 2. Contents II. LITERARY STRUCTURE 1. Alleged Grounds of Distribution 2. Objections to Same (1) Hypothesis Unproved (2) Written Record Not Impossible (3) No Book E...

  • Punishment

    [nave] PUNISHMENT. Death Penalty Shall not be remitted, Num. 35:31. In the Mosaic law the death penalty was inflicted for murder, Gen. 9:5, 6; Num. 35:16-21, 30-33; Deut. 17:6; adultery, Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:24; incest, Lev. 20:...

  • JOSHUA (2)

    [isbe] JOSHUA (2) - || I. FORM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NAME II. HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF JOSHUA 1. First Appearance 2. The Minister of Moses 3. One of the Spies 4. The Head of the People (1) His First Act--Sending of the Spies (2) Crossi...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The meal (grain, cereal) offering was also an offering of worship. It evidently symbolized the sacrifice and commitment of one's person and works to God as well as the worshipper's willingness to keep the law (cf. Rom. 12:1-2...
  • Keil and Delitzsch pointed out that ancient Near Easterners offered certain offerings before God incorporated these into the Mosaic Law. Moses previously mentioned burnt offerings in Genesis 12:7; 13:4, 18; 22; 26:25; 33:20; ...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
  • Having received their sentence from the Lord, the people then presumptuously proceeded to go up on their own to take the land (vv. 40-42)."They are like children who had broken a valuable vase and decided to make it better' b...
  • "Chapter 15 is another collection of texts designed to prepare the people for their life in the land. Hence this chapter is one of promise. Though a great deal has happened, and the results are overwhelming for the adult popu...
  • This incident illustrates the fate of the Israelite or foreigner in Israel who deliberately violated the law of Sabbath observance. It clarifies the meaning of defiant sin as well as what it means to be "cut off from among hi...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • Here the actual exposition of the Decalogue begins with an explanation and implications of the first commandment. In short, Moses presented Yahweh as the one true God who requires complete devotion."With this chapter we come ...
  • Adultery involves mixing people in a way that they should not mix, so the antithesis is keeping things properly apart separate. The prohibitions against mixing seed, animals in yoke, and fibers in clothing (vv. 9-11) seem to ...
  • At Jericho, Israel learned God's strength. At Ai, she learned her own weakness. She could only conquer her enemies as she remained faithful to God's covenant."We are never in greater danger than right after we have won a grea...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The sons of Eli followed the example of Canaanite worship rather than the instruction of the Mosaic Law. Ritual prostitution was part of Canaanite worship, and Eli's sons seem to have adopted this custom. Even when their fath...
  • 51:13 The promises David made in this section of verses gave God reasons to grant forgiveness so they were indirect requests for pardon. If forgiven, David would show others how God deals with penitent sinners. He would do th...
  • 20:27-28 The Lord instructed Ezekiel to continue speaking for Him. The Israelites' forefathers had blasphemed (slandered) the Lord with further covenant unfaithfulness (cf. Num. 15:30-31). After He had brought them into the P...
  • The emphasis on the holiness of God that has marked this vision continues strong in this pericope and the next. God's holiness will determine who serves as priests and how they serve.44:4 The guide proceeded to take Ezekiel t...
  • 9:1-2 The Lord told Israel not to rejoice like other nations at the prospect of an abundant harvest; that would not be her experience. He promised to remove her grain and wine. These were threatened curses for covenant unfait...
  • Joel called on four different entities to mourn the results of the locust invasion: drunkards (vv. 5-7), the land (vv. 8-10), farmers (vv. 11-12), and priests (v. 13). In each section there is a call to mourn followed by reas...
  • 1:7 In view of the inevitability of coming judgment for idolatry, it was appropriate for the Judeans to be quiet before sovereign Yahweh (cf. Hab. 2:20)."This is a call to the people of Judah to cease every manner of oppositi...
  • 5:27-28 Jesus proceeded to clarify God's intended meaning in the seventh commandment (Exod. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). The rabbis in Jesus' day tended to look at adultery as wrong because it involved stealing another man's wife. The...
  • 9:18-19 This incident evidently happened shortly after Jesus and His disciples returned from Gadara on the east side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:21-22; Luke 8:40-41). The name of this Capernium synagogue ruler was Jairus (Mark 5:...
  • 23:1 As we have seen, there were three groups of people present in the temple courtyard. These were the disciples of Jesus, His critics, namely the various groups of Israel's leaders, and the crowds of ordinary Israelites. Je...
  • Matthew's emphasis in his account of Jesus' crucifixion was on the mocking of the onlookers.27:32 Jesus was able to carry the crosspiece of His cross until He passed through the city gate (cf. Mark 15:21 John 19:17). Normally...
  • 12:42 Jesus answered Peter's question with one of His own. The answer to it gave Peter the answer to his question. Obviously the faithful and sensible steward pictures a disciple. Jesus' question also taught that He would giv...
  • Paul continued dealing with the subject of going to idol temples to participate in pagan feasts in this section. In it he gave a warning to the believer who considered himself strong, the one who knew there were really no god...
  • 2:17 The prospect that Paul might receive a death sentence soon arose again in his thinking. He described his present life as the pouring out of a drink offering in Israel's worship (cf. 2 Tim. 4:6; Num. 15:1-10; Num. 28:4-7)...
  • Paul revealed that he was about to die to impress on Timothy further the importance of remaining faithful to the Lord.4:6 Paul believed that he would die very soon. He used two euphemistic expressions to describe his death. F...
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