What is the meaning of Numbers 29:5?

Include

Numbers 29:5, begins with the simple directive, “Include.”

• Worship in Israel was not left to personal creativity; every act and element was to be “included” exactly as God prescribed (Numbers 28:2).

• This reminds us that all true worship today still rests on divine instruction, not human preference (John 4:23–24; Hebrews 12:28).

• By inserting the sin offering into the larger list for the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:2–6), God ensures that the people remember their need for cleansing even while celebrating.

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one male goat

• The singular “one” underscores sufficiency: one representative sacrifice for the whole nation (cf. Leviticus 16:5).

• A male goat was frequently used when leaders or the congregation sinned (Leviticus 4:23–26; 4:27–31).

• Goats reappear on the Day of Atonement—one slain, one released—prefiguring Christ, who both dies for sin and bears it away (Leviticus 16:21–22; Hebrews 9:26).

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as a sin offering

• A sin offering dealt specifically with guilt before God; its blood was applied for purification (Leviticus 4:20).

• It highlighted that sin is not merely a mistake but an offense requiring substitutionary death (Leviticus 17:11; Romans 6:23).

• Isaiah later speaks of the Messiah as a “guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10), fulfilled when Jesus “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14).

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to make atonement for you

• “Atonement” means covering; the sacrificed life covers the sinner, restoring fellowship (Leviticus 16:30).

• The phrase “for you” makes it personal; God provides the means, but each worshiper must identify with it (Leviticus 1:4; Acts 3:19).

• New Testament writers echo this truth: “He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 2:2), and “by His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

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summary

Numbers 29:5 folds a single male goat into the joyous offerings of the Feast of Trumpets to proclaim an unchanging message: celebration without cleansing is empty. God insists we “include” atonement, providing a sin-bearing substitute so His people may draw near. Every detail points ahead to Christ, the flawless, sufficient sacrifice who makes permanent atonement for all who trust in Him.