for the bulls, rams, and lambs
Bulls, rams, and lambs were common sacrificial animals in the Israelite sacrificial system. Each animal had specific symbolic meanings and purposes. Bulls often represented strength and were used in significant offerings, such as sin offerings for the community. Rams, associated with leadership and authority, were used in consecration and guilt offerings. Lambs, symbolizing innocence and purity, were frequently used in daily offerings and Passover sacrifices. These animals prefigure Christ, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, who embodies strength, leadership, and purity, fulfilling the sacrificial system's requirements once and for all.

according to the number prescribed
The phrase "according to the number prescribed" indicates the detailed and specific nature of the sacrificial system. Each festival or occasion had a set number of sacrifices, reflecting order and obedience in worship. This precision underscores the importance of following God's commands exactly as given, emphasizing the holiness and sovereignty of God. The prescribed numbers also ensured that the community participated in a unified act of worship, fostering a sense of collective identity and purpose. This meticulous attention to detail in worship points to the New Testament call for believers to offer their lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, in accordance with His will.

Numbers 29 sets out the offerings for the Feast of Tabernacles. Verse 21 falls on the sixth day of the feast, following the listing of eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs without defect (Numbers 29:20). Leviticus 23:34-36 originally instituted this feast, calling Israel to celebrate God’s provision in the wilderness—an event Jesus later embraced when He cried out in the temple on “the last and greatest day of the feast” (John 7:37). The verse we are studying ties every animal sacrifice to its complementary grain and drink offering, underscoring that worship is complete only when everything God prescribes is lovingly obeyed.

• Eight bulls are required on this day. Bulls, the most valuable herd animals, symbolized strength and wealth (Psalm 22:12).

• Their sheer number—diminishing by one each day of the feast (Numbers 29:13-32)—signals a daily, conscious surrender of earthly power to God.

• As Hebrews 10:3-4 reminds, these sacrifices pointed forward to Christ, whose once-for-all offering would truly remove sin.

• Two rams accompany the bulls. Ever since Abraham offered a ram in Isaac’s place (Genesis 22:13), the ram has pictured substitutionary atonement.

• Rams were also used in ordination (Leviticus 8:18-21), marking wholehearted dedication to God’s service.

• Including them here teaches that festival rejoicing must remain anchored in consecration and substitution—a truth fulfilled in Jesus, “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29) who also functions as our greater Ram of consecration (Hebrews 7:26-27).

• Fourteen male lambs round out the animal list—twice the covenant number seven, pointing to completeness (Revelation 5:6).

• Each lamb had to be “a year old…and without defect,” mirroring the Passover requirement (Exodus 12:5).

• Daily presentation of spotless lambs reminds us that only perfect innocence can cover sin, preparing hearts for Christ, the flawless Lamb (1 Peter 1:18-19).

“With the grain and drink offerings” (v. 21) pairs every animal with a tangible gift from field and vineyard.

• Grain offering (Leviticus 2) expressed gratitude for daily bread; a drink offering of wine (Numbers 15:5-7) celebrated God’s joy-giving bounty.

• Together they confessed, “All we possess—food, work, celebration—flows from Your hand” (Psalm 104:14-15).

• Paul later applied the drink offering metaphor to his own life poured out in service (Philippians 2:17), showing the enduring relevance of this picture.

The phrase stresses precision. Israel could not improvise; every measure of flour, oil, and wine followed God’s chart (Numbers 15:4-10).

• Obedience in details shapes hearts to trust a God of order, not chaos (1 Corinthians 14:33).

• It also foreshadows the fullness of time when Christ would die exactly on Passover (Matthew 26:2), rise on Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23), and send the Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)—all “according to the number prescribed” in God’s calendar.

• We honor the principle of costly surrender when we yield our best resources—time, talent, treasure—to the Lord (Romans 12:1).

• We embrace substitutionary grace by trusting Jesus alone for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• We return everyday provision through thankful giving (2 Corinthians 9:10-11).

• And we cultivate ordered obedience by letting Scripture, not impulse, guide worship and life (John 14:15).

Numbers 29:21 ties every animal sacrifice of Tabernacles to its grain and drink counterparts, showing worship as a holistic offering of strength (bulls), devotion (rams), innocence (lambs), and daily provision (grain and wine). The exact “number prescribed” highlights God’s order. Altogether the verse invites believers to surrender their best, live under Christ’s substitution, and pour out daily resources in grateful, precise obedience.

Parallel Commentaries ...