What Does Numbers 29:6 Mean?
Beside the new-moon ascending offering, and the gift, and the unbroken ascending offering, and the gift, and their poured offerings, according to the judgment, for a scent of rest, an offering of fire unto the LORD.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.THE KEY
The daily and monthly offerings rise together, and what English calls a “sweet savour” is described in Hebrew as an aroma of rest.
THE MEANING
This verse holds sacred time in layers: the month’s offering stands beside the daily one, with grain and drink offerings each in their appointed manner. The whole arrangement rises as a pleasing, restful aroma before the LORD.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the idea that a special sacred moment replaces the daily rhythm: here the month’s offering is added alongside it.
THE ROOT
נִיחֹחַ
nichoach
GROWS FROM
נוח
To rest, settle, or come to rest.
“a scent of rest” in this verse is nichoach. English “sweet savour” can sound like simple pleasantness, but נִיחֹחַ is associated with נוח, the language of rest and settling. The offering is pictured as a pleasing aroma of rest before the LORD.
ALSO GROWS
nuach: To rest, settle, or come to rest.
נוּחַ
This verb carries the same root idea that gives the aroma its restful quality.
menuchah: Rest or a resting place.
מְנוּחָה
The same root can name a place of rest, bringing out the sense of settledness beneath “savour.”
עֹלָה
olah
GROWS FROM
עלה
To ascend or go up.
“new-moon ascending offering” in this verse is olah. The offering’s Hebrew name belongs to the language of ascent. Because the monthly and daily offerings are both עֹלָה, the verse presents the appointed feast as another ascent alongside the daily one.
ALSO GROWS
alah: To ascend or go up.
עָלָה
This verb makes the upward image within עֹלָה visible.
maalah: An ascent, step, or degree.
מַעֲלָה
This noun from the same root names an upward movement, echoing the offering’s ascent-language.
THE PATTERN
Scripture portrays offerings placed before God as rising and becoming a pleasing aroma.
And the LORD smelled the fragrance of rest, and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground for man's sake, for the shaping of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will not again strike down every living thing, as I have done.And its inward parts and its legs he shall wash in water, and the priest shall send all of it up in smoke upon the altar, a rising offering, an offering of fire, a fragrance that settles to the LORD.But I hold everything in full, and I overflow; I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a fragrance of sweetness, a sacrifice welcomed, well pleasing to God.THE THREAD
And the LORD smelled the fragrance of rest, and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground for man's sake, for the shaping of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will not again strike down every living thing, as I have done.Genesis uses the same Hebrew phrase רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ (reiach ha-nichoach, pleasing aroma) after Noah’s burnt offering. The aroma’s root-language of rest also echoes Noah’s name, נֹחַ (Noach, rest), gathering the offering, the aroma, and the name around one image.
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