🔢WEB · Numbers 7:65
What does Numbers 7:65 mean?
"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 Abidan the son of Gideoni."
— Numbers 7:65 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
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, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan
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;
Explanation
Numbers 7:65 records part of a long, detailed list describing the gifts brought by the leaders of Israel's twelve tribes at the dedication of the tabernacle. This particular verse names the peace offering brought by Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the tribe of Benjamin: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs, each a year old. On the surface, it is simply an inventory entry, but its placement within a much longer chapter gives it significance beyond the numbers themselves.
The context is found in Numbers 7, which describes the events following the completion and anointing of the tabernacle in the wilderness (around the time of the Exodus, under Moses' leadership). Once the tabernacle was set up, the twelve tribal leaders each brought identical offerings over twelve consecutive days—one leader per day—to dedicate the altar for use. Moses, traditionally credited as the author of Numbers, recorded each leader's contribution separately, even though every offering was exactly the same in content and quantity. Abidan was the appointed leader of Benjamin (see Numbers 1:11), and this verse is simply his day's entry in that sequence, following the offerings of the leaders of Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad who came before him.
Theologically, the repetition of the same offering twelve times, tribe by tribe, name by name, emphas
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