Numbers 28:21 — Word Study
WLCעִשָּׂר֤וֹן עִשָּׂרוֹן֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה לַכֶּ֖בֶשׂ הָאֶחָ֑ד לְשִׁבְעַ֖ת הַכְּבָשִֽׂים׃
BSAandʻâsâh▸ a tenth [of an ephah]ʻissârôwn [separate, tenth part, about two quarts or liters] with eachʼechâd [one, individual] of the sevenshebaʻ lambskebes [young rams, sacrificial animals]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עִשָּׂר֤וֹן | a tenth | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| עִשָּׂרוֹן֙ | a tenth | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה | you will offer | Verb, Qal, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| לַכֶּ֖בֶשׂ | for the lamb | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| הָאֶחָ֑ד | one | Particle |
| לְשִׁבְעַ֖ת | for [the] seven | Preposition |
| הַכְּבָשִֽׂים׃ | the lambs | Particle, noun common masculine plural absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs. |
| KJV | A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs: |
| ASV | a tenth part shalt thou offer for every lamb of the seven lambs; |
| YLT | a several tenth deal thou preparest for the one lamb, for the seven lambs, |
| WEB | You shall offer one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs; |
| BBE | And a separate tenth part for every one of the seven lambs; |
Where they part company is עִשָּׂרוֹן — see How Translations Differ.
One main verb governs the offering, with details following that specify the measure and the context of the lambs involved.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge, Whedon & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָשָׂה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Numbers 28:21
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Instructions for Offeringsgenerated
Numbers 28:21 is part of a larger section detailing the offerings that the Israelites are to present to God. This particular verse emphasizes the specific measure of grain to be offered with each lamb, highlighting the importance of precision in worship and sacrifice. The surrounding verses outline other offerings, creating a comprehensive guide for the sacrificial system established for the community.
Cross References
The Key Word — עִשָּׂרוֹן, i.sa.Rongenerated
The word עִשָּׂרוֹן (i.sa.Ron) means a tenth part, derived from a root that conveys the idea of division. It is used in the context of offerings and tithes, indicating a fractional measure, specifically a tenth of an ephah, as seen in other passages like Leviticus 14:10.
In this verse, it specifies the quantity of grain to be offered, emphasizing that worship requires careful adherence to God's instructions. The parsing as a masculine singular noun indicates its role as a specific measure in the sacrificial system.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb that governs the verse is תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה, you will offer, which is the action being commanded. The structure includes a noun phrase indicating the measure of grain, followed by prepositional and noun phrases that specify the lambs involved.
The word order in Hebrew places emphasis on the offering itself, with the verb leading the sentence, followed by the specifics of what is to be offered, indicating the importance of the instructions given.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, עִשָּׂרוֹן is rendered as δέκατον (dekaton), which means 'tenth'. This choice reflects a direct translation of the Hebrew concept of a fractional measure, maintaining the significance of the offering's quantity.
The use of δέκατον emphasizes the importance of precision in the offerings, similar to the Hebrew text, and shows that the translators recognized the significance of the tenth in the sacrificial system.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 28:21 instructs that a tenth of an ephah should be offered with each of the seven lambs. This means that for every lamb, a specific measure of grain is required, showing the importance of following God's instructions in offerings.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
A tenth of an ephah is a specific measure of grain, approximately two quarts or liters, used in the context of offerings.
The measure is specified to ensure that the offerings are made according to God's instructions, emphasizing precision in worship.
This verse is part of a larger system of offerings that includes various measures and types of sacrifices, all intended to honor God.
Lambs are often seen as symbols of innocence and are used in sacrifices to atone for the people's sins.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I apply the principle of giving a 'tenth' in my own life?
- What does it mean to me to follow God's instructions carefully?
- In what ways can I ensure that my offerings to God are done with the right heart and measure?
- How does understanding the significance of sacrificial offerings deepen my faith?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 28:21 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. In the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover.
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 28 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and CollegesChapters 28, 29. P The amounts of public offerings at the sacred seasons The following are the seasons for which offerings are enjoined:—(1) every morning and evening (Numbers 28:3-8), (2) the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9 f.), (3) the first day of each month (Numbers 28:11-15) [the Passover is mentioned Numbers 28:16), but no offering is commanded], (4) the seven days of Unleavened Cakes (Numbers 28:17-25), (5) the Feast of Weeks (Numbers 28:26-31), (6) the first day of the sacred seventh month, i.e. the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1-6), (7) the tenth day of the seventh month, i.e. the Day of Atonement (Numbers 29:7-11), (8) the fifteenth to the twenty-first day of the seventh month, i.e. the…
Read Cambridge on Numbers 28 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible19-21. Ye shall offer — The same sacrifices, meat and drink offerings, as were required at the new moons. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 45:22-24) predicts a change in these.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Numbers 28 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs.
You shall offer one tenth for every lamb of the seven lambs;
and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs.
For each of the seven lambs you are to offer one-tenth of an ephah,
Tyndale line
A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
a tenth part shalt thou offer for every lamb of the seven lambs;
a several tenth part shalt thou offer for every lamb of the seven lambs;
A several tenth-part shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
One tenth deale shalt thou prepare for euery lambe, euen for the seuen lambes.
Strictly literal
one tenth part shalt thou offer for each lamb, of the seven lambs;
a several tenth deal thou preparest for the one lamb, for the seven lambs,
you prepare a tenth—a tenth part for one lamb, for the seven lambs,
A tenth part each shalt thou offer for every sheep, of the seven sheep;
With each of the seven lambs, you must offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil,
From the Latin
And the tenth of a tenth, to every lamb, that is to say, to all the seven lambs:
Simplified
and one tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs.
And a separate tenth part for every one of the seven lambs;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in the main content of this verse, with a word-for-word correspondence. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly by including an additional conjunction, but the essential meaning remains consistent across these texts.
עִשָּׂר֤וֹן עִשָּׂרוֹן֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה לַכֶּ֖בֶשׂ הָאֶחָ֑ד לְשִׁבְעַ֖ת הַכְּבָשִֽׂים׃
7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ועשׂרון עשׂרון לכבשׂ האחד לשׁבעת הכבשׂים
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: ו (and)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Numbers 28:21
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עִשָּׂרוֹן (issarown) refers to a fractional measure, specifically a tenth part or tithe. It is derived from the root meaning to divide, and is used in contexts such as Leviticus 14:10, where it denotes a tenth of an ephah. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning related to a tenth.
H6241 עִשָּׂרוֹן
6241 `issarown is-saw-rone'
or oissaron {is-saw-rone'}; from 6235; (fractional) a tenth
part:--tenth deal.
see HEBREW for 06235
עִשָּׂרוֹן (is.sa.ron) — tenth.
tenth part, tithe
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
See TITHE.
עִשָּׂרוֹן (issarown) refers to a fractional measure, specifically a tenth part or tithe. It is derived from the root meaning to divide, and is used in contexts such as Leviticus 14:10, where it denotes a tenth of an ephah. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning related to a tenth.
H6241 עִשָּׂרוֹן
6241 `issarown is-saw-rone'
or oissaron {is-saw-rone'}; from 6235; (fractional) a tenth
part:--tenth deal.
see HEBREW for 06235
עִשָּׂרוֹן (is.sa.ron) — tenth.
tenth part, tithe
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
See TITHE.
עָשָׂה (asah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to do or make, encompassing a wide range of actions such as producing, preparing, and observing. It can refer to both concrete and abstract activities, including making offerings and attending to tasks. The verb also has forms indicating passive meanings, such as being made or offered. Notably, the Piel form refers to pressing or squeezing.
עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make
Qal 2524
do (1560 t.)
deal with
oft. in phr. do kindness with
abs. act, act with effect
make (670 t.)
produce, yield
prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food
make offering
attend to, put in order
observe, celebrate, religious festival
acquire property of various kinds
appoint priests
bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance
use
spend, pass, days of life
Niph.
97be done
be made, of concr. things
be produced from vine
be prepared, of food
be offered
be observed, passover
be used
Pu. I was made
base
[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze
base
H6213a עָשָׂה do, make .. . do (1560 + t.)
. deal with
. oft. in phr. do kindness with
. abs. act, act with effect
. . make (670 + t.)
. produce, yield
. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food
. make offering
. attend to, put in order
. observe, celebrate, religious festival
. acquire property of various kinds
. appoint priests
. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance
. use
. spend, pass, days of life
. . be done
. . be made, of concr. things
. be produced from vine
. be prepared, of food
. be offered
. be observed, passover
. be used
. I was made
H6213b עָשָׂה Pi. press, squeeze
6213 `asah aw-saw'
a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and
widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance,
appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth,
bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal
(with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in)
execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, +
finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go
about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X
indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain,
make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare,
bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure,
provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin,
spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be
(warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make: do.
: do/perform
1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to do, work, make, produce
1a1a) to do
1a1b) to work
1a1c) to deal (with)
1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect
1a2) to make
1a2a) to make
1a2b) to produce
1a2c) to prepare
1a2d) to make (an offering)
1a2e) to attend to, put in order
1a2f) to observe, celebrate
1a2g) to acquire (property)
1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute
1a2i) to bring about
1a2j) to use
1a2k) to spend, pass
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be done
1b2) to be made
1b3) to be produced
1b4) to be offered
1b5) to be observed
1b6) to be used
1c) (Pual) to be made
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to press.
(Piel) to press, squeeze
עָשָׂה (a.sah) — to make.
: make(OBJECT)
1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to do, work, make, produce
1a1a) to do
1a1b) to work
1a1c) to deal (with)
1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect
1a2) to make
1a2a) to make
1a2b) to produce
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singularHVqi2ms
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ (*kebes*) means 'lamb' and can also refer to a young ram or sheep. The word is derived from an unused root suggesting a meaning related to dominance. It appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, primarily denoting young sheep.
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ 107 n.m. lamb
base
H3532 כֶּ֫בֶשׂ lamb
3532 kebes keh-bes'
from an unused root meaning to dominate; a ram (just old
enough to butt):--lamb, sheep.
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ (ke.ve.s) — lamb.
lamb, sheep, young ram
Art | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
Lamb
(1.) Heb. kebes, a male lamb from the first to the third year. Offered daily at the morning and the evening sacrifice (Ex. 29:38-42), on the Sabbath day (Num. 28:9), at the feast of the New Moon (28:11), of Trumpets (29:2), of Tabernacles (13-40), of Pentecost (Lev. 23:18-20), and of the Passover (Ex. 12:5), and on many other occasions (1 Chr. 29:21; 2 Chr. 29:21; Lev. 9:3; 14:10-25).
The young of the sheep, and also the kid of the goat, Ex 12:5, Christ is the Lamb of God, Joh 1:29, as being the accepted sacrifice for human sin. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were an ordained and perpetual foreshadowing not only of his spotless holiness and his unresisting meekness, Isa 53:4-9. He is described in Re 5:6 12:11, as wearing the form of a sacrificial lamb in heaven itself. See PASSOVER and SACRIFICES.
→ Offering of Ex 29:38-41; Le 3:7; 4:32; 5:6; 22:23; 23:12; Nu 6:12; 7:15,21; 28:3-8
→ Not to be seethed (boiled) in its own mother's milk Ex 23:19
אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.
אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one
one
= each, every
= a certain
= indef. art.
only, & (fem.) once
one … another, one … the other
as ordinal first
in combin.
base
H259 אֶחָד one . one
. = each, every
. = a certain
. = indef. art.
. only, & (fem.) once
. one … another, one … the other
. as ordinal first
. in combin.
259 'echad ekh-awd'
a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an
ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,
any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +
eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,
other, some, together,
see HEBREW for 0258
אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Acfsa
wun.
See NUMBER.
שֶׁ֫בַע (sheba`) means 'seven' and is a cardinal number. It can also imply 'seven times' or refer to a week. The term appears in various contexts, including combinations like 17 or 700. Its Aramaic equivalent is שִׁבְעָה (shiv.ah), also meaning 'seven'.
שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven
base
H7651 שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה seven
7651 sheba` sheh'-bah
or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive
cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also
(adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by
extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s,
(-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
see HEBREW for 07650
see HEBREW for 07658
שֶׁ֫בַע (she.va) — seven.
1) seven (cardinal number)
1a) as ordinal number
1b) in combination-17, 700 etc
Aramaic equivalent: shiv.ah (שִׁבְעָה "seven" H7655)
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Acbsc
sev'-'-n (shebha`; hepta).
See NUMBER.
Seven
This number occurs frequently in Scripture, and in such connections as lead to the supposition that it has some typical meaning. On the seventh day God rested, and hallowed it (Gen. 2:2, 3). The division of time into weeks of seven days each accounts for many instances of the occurrence of this number. This number has been called the symbol of perfection, and also the symbol of rest. “Jacob’s seven years’ service to Laban; Pharaoh’s seven fat oxen and seven lean ones; the seven branches of the golden candlestick; the seven trumpets and the seven priests who sounded them; the seven days’ siege of Jericho; the seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven vials, and many others, sufficiently prove the importance of this sacred number” (see Lev. 25:4;
The frequent recurrence of certain numbers in the sacred literature of the Hebrews is obvious to the most superficial reader, but seven so far surpasses the rest, both in the frequency with which it recurs and in the importance of the objects with which it is associated, that it may fairly be termed the representative symbolic number. The influence of the number seven was not restricted to the Hebrews; it prevailed among the Persians, ancient Indians, Greeks and Romans. The peculiarity of the Hebrew view consists in the special dignity of the seventh, and not simply in that of seen. The Sabbath being the seventh day suggested the adoption of seven as the coefficient, so to say, for their appointment of all sacred periods; and we thus find the 7th month ushered in by the Feast of Trumpets, and signalized by the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Great Day of Atonement; 7…
As from the beginning this was the number of days in the week, so it often has in Scripture a sort of emphasis attached to it, and is very generally used as a round or perfect number. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens, Ge 7:1-24. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt were marked by sevens, Ge 41:1-57. With the Jews, not only was there a seventh day Sabbath, but every seventh year was a Sabbath, and after every seven times seven years came a jubilee. Their great feasts of unleavened bread and of tabernacles were observed for seven days; the number of animals in many of their sacrifices was limited to seven. The golden candlestick had seven branches. Seven priests with seven trumpets went around the walls of Jericho seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. In…
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ (*kebes*) means 'lamb' and can also refer to a young ram or sheep. The word is derived from an unused root suggesting a meaning related to dominance. It appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, primarily denoting young sheep.
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ 107 n.m. lamb
base
H3532 כֶּ֫בֶשׂ lamb
3532 kebes keh-bes'
from an unused root meaning to dominate; a ram (just old
enough to butt):--lamb, sheep.
כֶּ֫בֶשׂ (ke.ve.s) — lamb.
lamb, sheep, young ram
HTd/Ncmpa — Particle · noun common masculine plural absoluteHTd/Ncmpa
are the young of sheep, but originally included also the young of goats. They formed an important part of almost every sacrifice. (Exodus 29:38-41; Numbers 28:9,11; 29:2,13-40) etc. [On the paschal lamb see PASSOVER]