Numbers 15:4-15

15:4 then the one who presents his offering to the Lord must bring ¹  a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of olive oil. ²  15:5 You must also prepare one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering ³  with the burnt offering or the sacrifice for each lamb. ⁴  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 ⁵  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 ⁶  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 ⁷  with you – or whoever is among you ⁸  in future generations ⁹  – 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. ¹⁰  15:15 One statute must apply ¹¹  to you who belong to the congregation and to the resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent ¹²  statute for your future generations. You and the resident foreigner will be alike ¹³  before the Lord.

[15:4]  ¹ tn The three words at the beginning of this verse are all etymologically related: “the one who offers his offering shall offer.”

[15:4]  ² sn Obviously, as the wording of the text affirms, this kind of offering would be made after they were in the land and able to produce the grain and oil for the sacrifices. The instructions anticipated their ability to do this, and this would give hope to them. The amounts are difficult to determine, but it may be that they were to bring 4.5 liters of flour and 1.8 liters each of oil and wine.

[15:5]  ³ sn The drink-offering was an ancient custom, mentioned in the Ugaritic tablets of Ras Shamra (14th century b.c.). The drink offering was poured out at the base of the altar (see Sir 50:15 and Josephus, Ant. 3.9.4 [3.234]).

[15:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “for the one lamb,” but it clearly means “for each lamb.”

[15:9]  ⁵ tn The text changes from direct address here to the third person form of the verb. If the MT is correct, then to make a smooth translation it would need to be made a passive (in view of the fact that no subject is expressed).

[15:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to thus shall it be done.”

[15:14]  ⁷ tn The word גּוּר (gur) was traditionally translated “to sojourn,” i.e., to live temporarily in a land. Here the two words are from the root: “if a sojourner sojourns.”

[15:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “in your midst.”

[15:14]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text just has “to your generations,” but it means in the future.

[15:14]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect tenses must reflect the responsibility to comply with the law, and so the classifications of instruction or obligation may be applied.

[15:15]  ¹¹ tn The word “apply” is supplied in the translation.

[15:15]  ¹² tn Or “a statute forever.”

[15:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “as you, as [so] the alien.”