Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 7:1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them, and sanctified them, (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them who were numbered, made an offering.

The past many chapters and posts, since Leviticus 10 till this one, have dealt with laws and numbers.  I have been following a chronologically ordered study of the Bible set forth by Skip Andrews.  As far as historical activities and events, Biblical scholars agree that the events in this chapter took place (or began to take place) on the second day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and the proper place of this account is immediately after the tenth chapter of Leviticus.  However, it makes perfect logical sense that all the laws and numbers be linked together in sequence and placed conveniently where they were in the Bible.

Numbers 7:1 begins on the day after Moses had fully set up the tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), and after he had anointed and sanctified it and all its furnishings (Lev. 8:10-11).  Obviously, all these things took time, and it is not to be taken literally that the events of Numbers 7 began on the exact day that Moses had set up the tabernacle, etc., but after all these things were completed.  It was at that time that the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel who had been named in Numbers 1, made an offering.

(3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they brought them before the tabernacle.

The princes brought six covered wagons, which scholars agree were actually covered litters, a litter being a type of wagon carried upon people or animals rather than on wheels.  Each wagon was carried upon two oxen, and as there were twelve princes, it made one wagon for two princes and one ox for each prince.  They brought them to the tabernacle.

(4) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (5) "Take it from them, that they may be used to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

The Lord told Moses to take the offerings of wagons and oxen from the princes to use in service of the tabernacle.  They were to be distributed to the Levites according to each one's need for his particular service.

(6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.

Moses did as the Lord had instructed him and he took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them to the Levites as follows:

(7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.

Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites who were in charge of transporting the curtains, coverings, and hangings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25).

(8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Moses gave the other four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites whose service was the carrying of all the boards, bars, pillars, etc. (Numbers 4:31-32).  As their burden was the heaviest, they were given more wagons and oxen.  Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was in charge of direction and oversight of the Gershonites (Numbers 4:28) and the Merarites (Numbers 4:33).

(9) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that which they should bear on their shoulders.

Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites because they had charge of the ark and other holy furnishings (Numbers 4:4, 15), and those were to be carried on their shoulders.  It makes sense that those sacred things must never be carried by beasts.

(10) And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed; the princes offered their offering before the altar.

The princes of the tribes also made offerings for the dedication of the altar.  There is some discrepancy among the commentaries I study as to whether this referred back to the time when Moses first anointed the altar (Lev. 8:10), or if, like in Numbers 7:1 above, it meant once the anointing had been done, they offered their offerings for the dedicating of the altar.  I tend to believe the latter as this appears to be a formal dedication after the time Moses first anointed and sanctified the altar.

(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one prince each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

The Lord instructed Moses that the princes were to offer their offerings one day at a time, one prince offering on the first day, then another the next, etc., for what would be twelve days, for this dedication of the altar.

(12) And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.

The prince who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, who had been named in Numbers 2:3 as the captain (prince) of the tribe of Judah.

(13) And his offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that weighed 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel.  Exactly what the sanctuary shekel was varies among Biblical scholars, but as discussed in previous posts, as in the most recent post discussing this, a shekel was twenty gerahs, a gerah being a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin.  This doesn't seem to be much value, but then again, who's to say what silver was worth in Biblical times, or what the rate of inflation might do to that value.  Both of the silver items offered were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

(14) One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; (15) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (16) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (17) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

In addition, Nahshon offered a spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense.  Once again, no one seems to know exactly what the sanctuary shekel of gold weighed, but this article in Got Questions gives us one idea.  According to those calculations, this spoon would have weighed about 4 ounces or 120 grams of gold, worth over $5500 in today's market.  Nahshon also offered a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering; a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(18) On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.

On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, who had been named captain or prince of the tribe of Issachar in Numbers 2:5, presented an offering.

(19) He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (20) One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense; (21) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (22) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (23) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

Nethanel also offered a silver charger weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.  He also offered a gold spoon of ten shekels full of incense, and a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.  He also offered a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(24) On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer.  (25) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (26) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (27) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (28) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (29) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

On the third day Eliab, son of Helon, prince of the tribe of Zebulun, made his offering.  He offered a silver charger and a silver bowl of the same weight as offered by the first two princes, also full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering.  He also offered a golden spoon of the same weight as the spoons given before, also full of incense.  He also offered a young bull, a ram, a lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering, a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(30) On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer. (31) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering; (32) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (33) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (34) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (35) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering which consisted of the same items offered by the princes before him on the previous three days.  The offerings which the princes brought were very rich and valuable, and were surely not their own personal freewill offerings, but were the offerings of the people of their tribes.  The princes of the tribes of the children of Israel would not have been so much richer than the common people of their tribes at this point.

(36) On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer. (37) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (38) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (39) One young bullock, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; (40) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (41) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering which was exactly the same as the princes before him.

(42) On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered. (43) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (44) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (45) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (46) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (47) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered the same large rich offering as the princes in the days before him.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and all of the names are important in Numbers 7, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:

Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 2