🔢WEB · Numbers 7:61
What does Numbers 7:61 mean?
"gave 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;"
— Numbers 7:61 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
one male goat for a sin offering;
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 Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin
gave 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;
Explanation
This verse falls within a lengthy, repetitive section of Numbers 7 that records the dedication offerings brought by the leaders of Israel's twelve tribes when the tabernacle was set up and anointed. In plain language, the verse simply describes the physical gifts brought by one particular leader: a silver platter weighing 130 shekels, a silver bowl weighing 70 shekels (both measured by the official sanctuary standard of weight), and both vessels filled with fine flour mixed with olive oil to be used as a grain offering. This is part of a nearly identical formula repeated twelve times throughout the chapter, once for each tribal leader.
The book of Numbers was written to record Israel's journey from Sinai toward the Promised Land, and this section falls right after the tabernacle has been completed and consecrated (Numbers 7:1). Moses records the gifts given by the "princes" or leaders of each tribe on twelve consecutive days, one leader per day, as part of the dedication ceremony for the altar. This particular verse describes the gift of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the tribe of Simeon, whose full account begins in verse
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