🔢WEB · Numbers 15:13
What does Numbers 15:13 mean?
"“‘All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh."
— Numbers 15:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.
According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.
“‘All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; as you do, so he shall do.
For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations. As you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.’”
Explanation
Numbers 15:13 comes in the middle of a set of instructions God gave Moses regarding grain and drink offerings that were to accompany animal sacrifices once the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. In plain language, the verse simply states that every native-born Israelite was required to follow this same prescribed method whenever presenting a burnt offering or sacrifice to the Lord — the offering was to be made "by fire," and it was to produce a "pleasant aroma" to Yahweh, meaning it was accepted and pleasing to him.
The context matters here. Numbers 15 comes right after the account in Numbers 13–14, where the Israelites rebelled by refusing to enter Canaan after hearing the report of the spies, resulting in God's judgment that the current generation would die in the wilderness. Despite this severe judgment, chapter 15 opens with God giving instructions for worship "when you have come into the land" — a striking reminder that God's covenant promises still stood. The instructions were given through Moses to the whole assembly of Israel, laying out how grain offerings (fine flour mixed with oil) and drink offerings (wine) were to accompany burnt offerings and sacrifices, with the amounts scaled according to the type of animal offered. Verse 13 functions as a summary statement applying these detailed instructions specifically to native-born Israelites, setting up the following verses (14-16) which extend the very same law to any foreigner living among them.
Theologically, the verse emphasizes uniformity, order, and reverence in worship. God is
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