Old Testament · Law

Numbers 29

The Fall Festivals

Trumpets, atonement, tabernacles — the final feasts of the year. Each one carries meaning that deepens with time.

King James Version BSB KJV

1And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

2And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

3And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

4And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

5And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:

6Beside 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.

7And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

8But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:

9And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,

10A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

11One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.

12And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:

13And 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:

14And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams,

15And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs:

16And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

17And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

18And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

19And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings.

20And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish;

21And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

22And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

23And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

24Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

25And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

26And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot:

27And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

28And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

29And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

30And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

31And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

32And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:

33And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

34And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering.

35On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:

36But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

37Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner:

38And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.

39These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

40And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Understand This

Numbers 29, explained

What Numbers 29 is saying

The festival calendar continues with the autumn festivals: the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the extensive seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) with its eighth-day assembly. The Feast of Tabernacles requires the largest number of offerings in the entire liturgical year, totaling seventy bulls over seven days.

The background behind it

The seventy bulls offered during Sukkot were interpreted in rabbinic tradition as corresponding to the seventy nations of the world (Genesis 10), giving the feast a universalistic significance. The eighth-day assembly (Shemini Atzeret) was understood as God's intimate gathering with Israel alone after the nations' bulls had been offered.

Themes running underneath

The escalating sacrificial demands of Sukkot point to both the abundance of harvest thanksgiving and the expansive scope of God's concern beyond Israel alone. The Day of Atonement stands as the liturgical center of gravity—the annual reset that makes all other worship possible.

Why it still matters

The autumn festivals move from awakening (Trumpets) through atonement to joyful dwelling with God (Tabernacles)—a progression that mirrors the spiritual life. True celebration is grounded in repentance and reconciliation.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.