What is the meaning of Numbers 7:40?

one

• The text specifies “one,” highlighting a single, complete, and sufficient sacrifice for Shelumiel’s tribe on the fifth day (Numbers 7:36–40).

• Scripture often stresses the power of a solitary, God-appointed offering: “By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).

• The principle reaches back to Passover—“each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb for the household” (Exodus 12:3)—showing how a lone sacrifice can cover an entire group.

• This “one” points ahead to the final, singular atonement accomplished by Christ: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

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male goat

• A goat was an acceptable animal for sin offerings (Leviticus 4:23–28). Its selection underscores obedience to God’s specific instructions rather than human preference.

• The male goat also connects to the Day of Atonement pattern, where “Aaron shall take two male goats for a sin offering” (Leviticus 16:5), one of which symbolically carried Israel’s sins into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:10).

• Goats represent substitution: the innocent life dies in place of the guilty. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

• The sex of the animal (male) anticipates the representative headship fulfilled in Christ, “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

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for a sin offering

• The purpose is explicit: atonement. “He shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:20).

• Sin offerings acknowledged both individual and corporate guilt; here, the tribe of Simeon confesses its need for cleansing even amid joyful dedication.

• The sacrifice pointed forward to the ultimate Sin Offering: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

• The altar dedication in Numbers 7 mirrors the future dedication of hearts under the new covenant, secured by Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:11-14).

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summary

Numbers 7:40’s brief line, “one male goat for a sin offering,” packs rich meaning. A single, specified animal shows God’s orderly provision and anticipates the sufficiency of Christ. The male goat embodies substitutionary atonement, echoing Levitical patterns and culminating in the cross. In this small detail, God reaffirms that fellowship with Him always rests on a blood-bought covering, flawlessly fulfilled in the Savior.