And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights that the daily lambs must be "without blemish," a detail often overlooked. This wasn't just about ritual purity; it pointed towards the perfect, unblemished sacrifice of Jesus, emphasizing the immense value and perfection God required.
And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger section detailing various offerings and festivals throughout the year. It follows instructions for specific offerings like those for the new moon and Passover. This specific instruction for a daily burnt offering sets the foundation for all other sacrifices, emphasizing consistent devotion and remembrance of God each morning and evening, which would have been a regular practice for the Israelites.
Imagine a world without clocks or calendars as we know them. How do you keep time and remember important moments? For ancient Israel, God ordained a constant, daily reminder of His presence and their covenant with Him.
Numbers 28:3 introduces the concept of the 'continual burnt offering.' This wasn't just a suggestion; it was a non-negotiable, daily ritual: two male lambs, offered without blemish, every single day. This regular offering served several vital purposes:
When we bring an offering, what do we tend to give? The leftovers? The slightly damaged item? God's instructions for the daily lambs were very specific about perfection.
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The lambs offered were to be "without spot" or blemish. This wasn't about God being overly picky; it reflected His perfect holiness and the seriousness of sin.
Understand the original words
tamim · Hebrew Adjective
An animal without physical defects or illness, symbolizing the requirement that what is offered to God must be the best and most complete available.
tamid · Hebrew Adverb/Noun
A sacrifice offered continually or perpetually, representing the ongoing obligation and relationship between God and His people, regardless of specific occasions.
The daily sacrifice, described in Numbers 28:3, wasn't just a ritual; it was a foundational element of Israel's covenant relationship with God, established at Sinai and continuing through the Tabernacle and Temple periods until its cessation with the Temple's destruction.
c. 1440 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, initiating their journey to the Promised Land and establishing His covenant with them.
c. 1440 BC
The Law Given at Mount Sinai
God gave the Law, including detailed instructions for sacrifices and festivals, to Moses on Mount Sinai, forming the basis of Israel's worship.
c. 1440 BC
The Tabernacle Constructed
The Israelites built the Tabernacle according to God's design, serving as the central place of worship and sacrifice in the wilderness.
c. 1440 BC— this verse
The Daily Burnt Offering Instituted
The continual burnt offering of two lambs each day was first mandated as part of the Tabernacle's daily worship, symbolizing constant devotion.
c. 1000 BC
The Temple Built in Jerusalem
King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem, replacing the Tabernacle and becoming the focal point for Israelite worship and sacrifice.
587 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, ending the daily sacrifices and leading to the Babylonian exile.
This passage in Exodus lays the groundwork for the daily burnt offering, establishing the practice and specifying many of the same details found in Numbers 28:3.
Hebrews 10:11-14The New Testament highlights how the continual sacrifices, like the daily lambs, were a foreshadowing of Christ's one-time perfect sacrifice that truly cleanses sin.
Psalm 141:1-2This psalm shows how the ancient Israelites connected their personal prayers and worship, particularly in the morning and evening, to the practice of the daily sacrifices.
Daniel 8:11-12This passage in Daniel speaks of the 'continual burnt offering' being taken away, illustrating its ongoing significance and the profound impact of its cessation before Christ's coming.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26The Lord's Supper is presented as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice, echoing the perpetual remembrance initiated by the daily sacrifices, though in a new covenant.
gillNumbers 28:3: "And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering."
And thou shalt say unto them,.... Having directed Moses to command the people of Israel to observe to offer all the sacrifices of God in general, the Lord proceeds to order him to speak of them to them particularly and distinctly; this, according to Jarchi, is an admonition to the sanhedrim: this…
calvinNumbers 28:1-15: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
Haec autem libamina eorum e vino: dimidium hin etiam in singulos juvencos, et tertia pars hin in arietem, et quarta pars hin in singulos agnos. Hoc est holocaustum singulorum mensium per singulos menses…
This verse highlights that the daily lambs must be "without blemish," a detail often overlooked. This wasn't just about ritual purity; it pointed towards the perfect, unblemished sacrifice of Jesus, emphasizing the immense value and perfection God required.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing various offerings and festivals throughout the year. It follows instructions for specific offerings like those for the new moon and Passover. This specific instruction for a daily burnt offering sets the foundation for all other sacrifices, emphasizing consistent devotion and remembrance of God each morning and evening, which would have been a regular practice for the Israelites.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing various offerings and festivals throughout the year. It follows instructions for specific offerings like those for the new moon and Passover. This specific instruction for a daily burnt offering sets the foundation for all other sacrifices, emphasizing consistent devotion and remembrance of God each morning and evening, which would have been a regular practice for the Israelites.
"And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering." — This verse highlights that the daily lambs must be "without blemish," a detail often overlooked. This wasn't just about ritual purity; it pointed towards the perfect, unblemished sacrifice of Jesus,…
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Last reviewed October 2026