What Does Numbers 5:25 Mean?
Therefore the priest takes the offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and waves the offering before the LORD, and brings it near to the altar.
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
Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:THE KEY
The priest’s act of “offering” is an act of bringing near: what he takes from the woman’s hand is waved before the LORD and brought to the altar.
THE MEANING
The verse moves the woman’s jealousy offering from her hand, before the LORD, and toward the altar. The action translated “offer” carries the sense of bringing near, presenting the gift as an approach into the divine presence. The wording also keeps the power in view: the priest takes and handles what the woman holds.
THE ROOT
וְהִקְרִיב
wehiqriv
GROWS FROM
ק־ר־ב
q-r-b
Come near; approach.
“brings it near” in this verse is wehiqriv. The verb translated “offer” also carries the motion of bringing near. The related words for “near” and “offering” preserve a connection English leaves quiet: the act is both presentation and approach.
ALSO GROWS
qārōv: Near, close
קָרוֹב
The same root makes nearness part of the meaning carried by the priest’s act of offering.
qorbān: Offering; something brought near
קָרְבָּן
This related word names an offering through the same root of approach, making the altar gift a movement toward the divine presence.
THE PATTERN
An offering is framed as an approach into God’s presence: it is brought near, set before the LORD, or named as drawing near.
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If anyone of you brings near a drawing near to the LORD, you shall bring near your drawing near from the cattle, from the herd and from the flock.But for me, drawing near to God is good; I have set my shelter in the Lord LORD, to recount all your works.Let us draw near with a true heart in the fullness of trust, our hearts sprinkled from a burdened shared sight, and our bodies bathed in clean waters.THE THREAD
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If anyone of you brings near a drawing near to the LORD, you shall bring near your drawing near from the cattle, from the herd and from the flock.Leviticus names the offering קָרְבָּן (qorbān, “offering; something brought near”) and uses the same root, ק־ר־ב (q-r-b, “come near”), for bringing it to the LORD. Numbers calls the woman’s gift a מִנְחָה (minḥāh, “gift or offering”), then uses that root for the priest’s act of offering it at the altar.
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