🔢WEB · Numbers 7:13
What does Numbers 7:13 mean?
"and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;"
— Numbers 7:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar.
Yahweh said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”
He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah,
and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;
one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;
one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
one male goat for a sin offering;
Explanation
Numbers 7:13 records the very first gift brought during the dedication of the tabernacle, given by Nahshon, the leader of the tribe of Judah. In plain language, the verse describes two silver vessels—a platter weighing 130 shekels and a bowl weighing 70 shekels, both measured by the official "shekel of the sanctuary" standard—filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil, intended as a grain (or meal) offering to the Lord.
The context is found in Numbers 7, which takes place shortly after Moses finished setting up the tabernacle and anointing it along with its furnishings (Numbers 7:1). Once the tabernacle was consecrated, the leaders of Israel's twelve tribes brought offerings to mark this significant occasion. Moses, traditionally credited as the author of Numbers, records these events as they happened in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Nahshon's offering, described in verse 13, is the first of twelve nearly identical offerings, one from each tribal leader, listed in careful, repetitive detail across the chapter (verses 12–83). This precise repetition itself is meaningful—it shows that each tribe, regardless of size or prominence, was treated with equal honor before God.
Theologically, the offering reflects the instructions given earlier in Leviticus 2 for the grain offering, which used fine flour, oil, and sometimes
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