One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This simple command establishes a rhythm of daily worship, implying that our relationship with God isn't just for special occasions, but a constant engagement from the start to the end of each day. These sacrifices also served as a daily reminder of their ongoing need for atonement and God's faithfulness to meet them in their worship.
One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following the instructions for the consecration of the priests and the tabernacle, God institutes a perpetual burnt offering. This daily sacrifice, a lamb offered each morning and another each evening, is to be a constant reminder and atonement for Israel's sins throughout the day and night. This ongoing ritual is tied to God's promise to meet His people at the tabernacle and dwell among them, sanctifying the place and Himself through His glory.
Imagine starting and ending each day with a clear path to God's presence. This verse shows a daily rhythm of atonement that speaks volumes about our ongoing need for forgiveness.
The command to offer two lambs daily, one in the morning and one in the evening, wasn't just a ritual; it was a profound statement about the nature of sin and God's provision.
Atonement for Every Moment
This constant, twice-daily offering highlights that our need for God's forgiveness isn't occasional but continuous. It points to a deeper truth: that one perfect sacrifice would eventually cover all of life's moments, from sunrise to sunset.
Why would God desire the 'sweet savor' of these daily sacrifices? It wasn't about the smell, but about what the sacrifice represented.
The sacrifices were offered 'for a sweet savor unto the Lord.' This phrase doesn't mean God was literally pleased by the aroma of burning meat. Instead, it points to the acceptance and pleasure God found in the and the it represented.
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More Than Just Ritual
This concept reminds us that true worship involves both submission to God's will and faith in the atoning work that makes us acceptable to Him.
These daily sacrifices weren't offered in just any place. They were central to the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among His people.
The placement of the daily sacrifices at the 'door of the tabernacle of the congregation' is crucial. This was the designated meeting place between God and Israel.
A Place of Encounter
This teaches us that our access to God is always through His appointed means. Just as the daily sacrifice at the Tabernacle was the way into God's presence, Christ is our way to the Father, allowing us to meet with God daily.
This passage speaks of the cessation of the 'continual sacrifice' at the coming of the Messiah, directly connecting to the daily offering described in Exodus. It highlights the prophetic significance of the daily lambs pointing forward to Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
Hebrews 10:11This verse contrasts the Levitical sacrifices, which could never take away sins, with Christ's single, perfect offering. It reinforces the idea that the daily lambs, while important, were only temporary measures pointing to a greater, final atonement.
Psalm 55:17The psalmist prays 'at evening and morning and at noon,' mirroring the pattern of daily prayer established by the morning and evening sacrifices. This shows how the sacrificial times became fixed points for personal devotion and communion with God.
Luke 1:10This verse describes the incense offering happening 'outside the time of incense,' referring to the time of the evening sacrifice. It illustrates the ongoing, daily practice of worship connected to these specific times.
clarkeExodus 29:39: "The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:"
One lamb thou shalt offer in the morning - These two lambs, one in the morning, and the other in the evening, were generally termed the morning and evening daily sacrifices, and were offered from the time of their settlement in the promised land to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. The use of these sacrifices according to the Jews was this: "The morning sacrifice made atonement f…
calvinExodus 29:38-46: "Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually."
And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Agnum alterum facies inter duas vesperas sicut minha matutino, et sicut libamini ejus facies ei in odorem quietis, oblationem ignitam Jehovae.
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This simple command establishes a rhythm of daily worship, implying that our relationship with God isn't just for special occasions, but a constant engagement from the start to the end of each day. These sacrifices also served as a daily reminder of their ongoing need for atonement and God's faithfulness to meet them in their worship.
Following the instructions for the consecration of the priests and the tabernacle, God institutes a perpetual burnt offering. This daily sacrifice, a lamb offered each morning and another each evening, is to be a constant reminder and atonement for Israel's sins throughout the day and night. This ongoing ritual is tied to God's promise to meet His people at the tabernacle and dwell among them, sanctifying the place and Himself through His glory.
Following the instructions for the consecration of the priests and the tabernacle, God institutes a perpetual burnt offering. This daily sacrifice, a lamb offered each morning and another each evening, is to be a constant reminder and atonement for Israel's sins throughout the day and night. This ongoing ritual is tied to God's promise to meet His people at the tabernacle and dwell among them, sanctifying the place and Himself through His glory.
"One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight." — This simple command establishes a rhythm of daily worship, implying that our relationship with God isn't just for special occasions, but a constant engagement from the start to the end of each day. T…
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Last reviewed October 2026