← All Chapters The Book of Numbers · Chapter 7

Numbers 7: Gifts for the Dwelling

Israel's leaders bring generous offerings for the tabernacle's service, and God answers from above the mercy seat with his voice.

Coming soon

Numbers 7 (WEB)

1 On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them;

2 the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were numbered:

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

4 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

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

7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service:

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

9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.

10 The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar.

11 Yahweh said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12 He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah,

13 and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

14 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

15 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

16 one male goat for a sin offering;

17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering.

19 He offered for his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

20 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

21 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

22 one male goat for a sin offering;

23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun

25 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

26 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

28 one male goat for a sin offering;

29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben

31 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

32 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

33 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

34 one male goat for a sin offering;

35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon

37 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

38 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

39 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

40 one male goat for a sin offering;

41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

42 On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad

43 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

44 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

45 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

46 one male goat for a sin offering;

47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim

49 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

50 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

51 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

52 one male goat for a sin offering;

53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh

55 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

56 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

57 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

58 one male goat for a sin offering;

59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin

61 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

62 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

63 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

64 one male goat for a sin offering;

65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan

67 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

68 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

69 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

70 one male goat for a sin offering;

71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher

73 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

74 one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense;

75 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

76 one male goat for a sin offering;

77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali

79 gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering;

80 one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

81 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;

82 one male goat for a sin offering;

83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

84 This was the dedication of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles;

85 each silver platter weighing one hundred thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary;

86 the twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the ladles weighed one hundred twenty shekels;

87 all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, and their meal offering; and the male goats for a sin offering twelve;

88 and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed.

89 When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spoke to him.

Summary

On the day Moses finishes setting up the tabernacle and anointing it, the leaders of Israel bring their offerings. First they present carts and oxen for transporting the tabernacle, which Moses distributes to the Gershonites and Merarites according to their service; the Kohathites receive none, because they must carry the holy things on their shoulders. Then, over twelve days, one leader each day brings an offering for the dedication of the altar. The gifts are recorded in full for every tribe, and remarkably they are identical: the same silver dish and basin, the same gold pan of incense, the same animals for burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offerings. Each tribe's contribution is named and counted, so that no leader and no tribe is overlooked. The chapter closes as Moses enters the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord and hears his voice from above the mercy seat, between the cherubim. The lavish, recorded generosity of God's people is met by the gracious, personal voice of God. Worship offered is worship answered.

Main Characters

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who receives Israel's offerings and answers from above the mercy seat, speaking with Moses face to face in the Tent of Meeting.
  • Moses — The leader who sets up and anoints the tabernacle, distributes the carts and oxen, and enters to hear the voice of God.
  • The tribal leaders — The princes of Israel who bring generous, identical offerings over twelve days for the dedication of the altar.
  • The Levite clans — The Gershonites and Merarites who receive carts for their service, while the Kohathites carry the holy things on their shoulders.

Key Verse

Numbers 7:89 (WEB)

When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spoke to him.

Lessons Learned

  • God notices and records the generosity of his people in detail (Numbers 7:84-88).
  • Worship and giving honor God when offered freely and wholeheartedly.
  • Different servants receive different provision suited to their calling (Numbers 7:9).
  • God answers the worship of his people with his own gracious voice (Numbers 7:89).
  • God records every gift. The offerings are listed tribe by tribe, identical and complete (Numbers 7:84-88, WEB). No act of generous worship escapes God's notice or his remembrance.
  • Provision fits the calling. The Kohathites receive no carts, “because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders” (Numbers 7:9, WEB). God equips each servant for the particular work he assigns.
  • Generosity flows from a willing heart. Each leader brings his offering freely on his appointed day (Numbers 7:11, WEB). True worship is given gladly, not grudgingly or for show.
  • God answers worship with his voice. Moses “heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat” (Numbers 7:89, WEB). The God we worship is not silent; he meets his people and speaks.
  1. Why do you think the offering of each tribe is recorded in such detail, even though they are identical?
  2. What does it mean that the Kohathites carried the holy things on their shoulders rather than on carts?
  3. How does this chapter shape a healthy view of giving and generosity toward God?
  4. What is the significance of God speaking to Moses from above the mercy seat?
  5. When you give to God, do you give freely and joyfully? What might grow your generosity?
  1. Recording each identical gift shows that God values every tribe's worship equally and forgets none of it (7:84-88). The repetition is honoring, not redundant. Help the group see that God treasures the seemingly ordinary, faithful giving of his people.
  2. Carrying the holy things on the shoulder (7:9) kept the most sacred objects near and handled with care, fitting the Kohathites' high calling. Provision matched the task. Encourage the group to trust that God equips us for what he calls us to do.
  3. The leaders give willingly, generously, and in an orderly way. Genuine generosity is glad and unforced. Use this to open a gentle conversation about cheerful giving as worship rather than obligation.
  4. God answers from “above the mercy seat,” the place of atonement (7:89). His voice comes from the place where sin is covered, a beautiful picture that fellowship with God rests on mercy. Point ahead to Christ, our mercy seat.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite honest reflection on attitudes toward giving. As leader, avoid pressure; instead encourage growing in joyful generosity as a response to God's own generous mercy toward us.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.