What Does Numbers 7:11 Mean in the King James?
And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.
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 Hebrew word for “offering” carries the motion of drawing near, so dedication takes shape as approach made visible.
THE MEANING
Dedication unfolds through a shared rhythm: one leader, one day, one offering. The Hebrew name for the offering also carries the sense of drawing near, so what is brought forward becomes an act of nearness. The verse presents dedication as something enacted in particular moments, not left abstract.
THE ROOT
קָרְבָּן
qorbān
GROWS FROM
ק־ר־ב
q-r-b
Approach, draw near
English “offering” can sound like an object placed before God; the Hebrew word carries approach within it. Gift and nearness occupy one word.
ALSO GROWS
qārab: To approach or draw near
קָרַב
This verbal form makes the offering’s movement audible: what is presented comes near.
qārōb: Near
קָרוֹב
The same root names nearness as a state, linking the act of bringing an offering with the closeness it expresses.
חֲנֻכַּת
ḥănukkat
GROWS FROM
ח־נ־ך
ḥ-n-kh
Initiate, inaugurate, dedicate
“dedicating” in this verse is ḥănukkat. The altar’s dedication is its inauguration into use. This root also speaks of initiating or training, so dedication carries the sense of beginning something in its appointed function.
ALSO GROWS
ḥănukkāh: Dedication or inauguration
חֲנֻכָּה
This related noun names the altar’s dedication as the start of its use.
ḥănōkh: To train or initiate
חֲנֹךְ
The same root connects dedicating a structure with initiating someone into a way.
מֹשֶׁה
Mōšeh
GROWS FROM
מ־ש־ה
m-š-h
Draw out
Moses’ name is linked in Exodus 2:10 to being drawn out of the water. Here, the instruction about drawing near through an offering is spoken to someone whose name carries the movement of being drawn out.
ALSO GROWS
māšāh: To draw out
מָשָׁה
This verb gives the name Moses its stated connection to being drawn from the water.
məšîtihû: I drew him out
מְשִׁיתִהוּ
This form of the root appears in the explanation of Moses’ name, making the name itself a compressed account of being drawn out.
THE PATTERN
Approach to God becomes tangible through what is brought near.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.THE THREAD
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.Psalm 73:28 uses קִרְבַת (qirvat, “nearness”), from the same ק־ר־ב (q-r-b, “approach, draw near”) root carried by קָרְבָּן (qorbān, “offering”). Numbers names the offering through the same movement Psalm states directly: nearness.
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