What Does Numbers 29:13 Mean in the King James?
And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The offering is both brought near and made to rise, so nearness to God is pictured as ascent.
THE MEANING
The verse places before you an exact count, thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen first-year lambs, brought to the LORD as an offering by fire, each without defect. Its picture of nearness is physical and costly: the offering rises, and its aroma is called pleasing to the LORD.
THE ROOT
וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם
wehiqravtem
GROWS FROM
קרב
qarab
to draw near, approach
The verb translated “offer” names the act of drawing near. The same root forms קָרְבָּן (qorbān, an offering brought near), so the gift is named by its approach toward the LORD.
ALSO GROWS
qārōḇ: near, close
קָרוֹב
The same root makes nearness part of the word family behind the offering.
qorbān: offering, something brought near
קָרְבָּן
This branch names an offering through the act of bringing it near.
עֹלָה
olah
GROWS FROM
עלה
alah
to ascend, go up
Under the English phrase “burnt offering,” the Hebrew name carries the sense of rising. Together with the verb for bringing near, it pictures the offering as both approaching the LORD and ascending.
ALSO GROWS
aliyah: ascent, going up
עֲלִיָּה
This branch makes the upward movement in olah visible.
maʿalah: step, ascent, degree
מַעֲלָה
This branch also carries the sense of rising or moving upward.
תְּמִימִם
temimim
GROWS FROM
תמם
tamam
to be complete, whole
Here “without blemish” carries the sense of being complete and sound. The same seed also names integrity, so the animal’s physical condition and its wholeness belong to one image.
ALSO GROWS
tam: whole, blameless, upright
תָּם
This branch shows the root’s reach from physical completeness to integrity.
tom: integrity, completeness
תֹּם
This noun carries the same idea of wholeness into a quality of character.
THE PATTERN
An offering approaches God as an embodied gift presented whole.
If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.THE THREAD
If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.Leviticus uses the same Hebrew roots for bringing an offering near, for the burnt offering’s ascent, and for the animal’s wholeness. The shared wording shows the movement in Numbers: the gift comes near to the LORD as it rises, with its completeness part of the presentation.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us