🔢WEB · Numbers 7:20
What does Numbers 7:20 mean?
"one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;"
— Numbers 7:20 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering.
He offered for his offering: 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;
and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
Explanation
Numbers 7:20 describes a single item within a much larger offering: a golden dish or ladle, weighing ten shekels, filled with incense. This small vessel of fragrant incense was part of a set of gifts brought to the newly completed tabernacle by the leader of one of Israel's tribes. Read on its own, the verse is easy to overlook, but it belongs to a longer, repeated list describing identical gifts brought by each of the twelve tribal leaders over twelve consecutive days.
The book of Numbers was written by Moses, recording Israel's experiences as they organized themselves after the exodus from Egypt and prepared to journey toward the Promised Land. Numbers 7 recounts the dedication of the altar of the tabernacle, the tent-sanctuary where God's presence dwelt among his people. Once the tabernacle
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