How are the princes’ gifts divided between tabernacle transport and the altar’s dedication?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The wagons and oxen go to Gerson and Merari according to their service; Caath receives none because its men carry the sanctuary burdens on their own shoulders. For the altar’s dedication, twelve princes each bring the same listed offering on a separate day.

Chapter breakdown

Numbers 7 records the princes’ offerings at the tabernacle’s dedication and God’s speech from the propitiatory, the place over the ark. Moses finishes setting up the tabernacle and anoints and sanctifies it, all its vessels, and the altar with all its vessels. The princes of Israel, heads of families in each tribe and rulers of those counted, bring gifts before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, with a wagon for every two princes and an ox from each. They present them before the tabernacle. The Lord tells Moses to receive them for the tabernacle’s ministry and give them to the Levites according to their service. Moses gives Gerson’s sons two wagons and four oxen according to their need. He gives Merari’s sons four wagons and eight oxen according to their duties, under Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. Caath’s sons receive no wagons or oxen because they serve in the sanctuary and carry its burdens on their own shoulders. The princes also offer for the altar’s dedication on the day it is anointed. The Lord tells Moses that one prince must bring his offering each day, one after another.

On the first day Nahasson son of Aminadab, of Juda’s tribe, brings a silver dish weighing 130 sicles and a silver bowl weighing 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight. Both are full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. He brings a little gold mortar of ten sicles full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five he goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Nahasson’s offering.

On the second day Nathanael son of Suar, prince of Issachar’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Nathanael’s offering.

On the third day Eliab son of Helon, prince of Zabulon’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Eliab’s offering.

On the fourth day Elisur son of Sedeur, prince of Ruben’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Elisur’s offering.

On the fifth day Salamiel son of Surisaddai, prince of Simeon’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Salamiel’s offering.

On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Duel, prince of Gad’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Eliasaph’s offering.

On the seventh day Elisama son of Ammiud, prince of Ephraim’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Elisama’s offering.

On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Phadassur, prince of Manasses’ tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Gamaliel’s offering.

On the ninth day Abidan son of Gedeon, prince of Benjamin’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Abidan’s offering.

On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammisaddai, prince of Dan’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Ahiezer’s offering.

On the eleventh day Phegiel son of Ochran, prince of Aser’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Phegiel’s offering.

On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, prince of Nephtali’s tribe, brings a silver dish of 130 sicles and a silver bowl of 70 sicles by the sanctuary’s weight, both full of flour mixed with oil for sacrifice. His little gold mortar weighs ten sicles and is full of incense. For a whole burnt offering he brings an ox of the herd, a ram and a one-year-old lamb; for sin, a buck goat. For peace he brings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats and five one-year-old lambs. This is Ahira’s offering.

The princes’ offerings for the altar’s dedication when it is anointed total twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls and twelve little gold mortars. Each dish weighs 130 sicles and each bowl 70, making 2,400 sicles of silver by the sanctuary’s weight. Each gold mortar weighs ten sicles by the sanctuary’s weight and is full of incense, making 120 sicles of gold. The whole burnt offerings total twelve oxen, twelve rams and twelve one-year-old lambs, with their drink offerings. The sin offerings are twelve buck goats. For peace there are twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty buck goats and sixty one-year-old lambs. These are the offerings at the altar’s dedication when it is anointed.

When Moses enters the tabernacle of the covenant to consult the oracle, he hears the voice speaking to him from the propitiatory over the ark, between the two cherubims. It speaks to him from that place.

The story inside

The transport gifts are distributed differently even though the princes contribute them together. Gerson receives two wagons and four oxen; Merari receives four wagons and eight oxen. Caath receives none, and the text supplies the reason: its men carry the sanctuary burdens on their own shoulders. The altar gifts follow a different pattern. Each prince has a separate day, yet the listed vessels, weights and animals match. The totals collect those repeated offerings without erasing the individual names and days. Thus the chapter records both a division by service and repeated gifts for dedication. It does not say the different wagon shares express different dignity or give a reason for the equal altar gifts.

Lessons worth keeping

1
A common gift need not be divided into equal shares. The wagon allocation follows the Levites’ service, and Caath’s shoulder-carrying duty explains its exclusion from that allocation.
2
The daily entries preserve individual responsibility. Each donor, father, tribe and day is named alongside the full gift, even though the offerings repeat.
3
The closing totals keep the gift categories distinct. Silver and gold have separate weights, and burnt, sin and peace offerings have separate counts; merging them would lose what each total measures.

Test your recall

Why do Caath’s sons receive none of the wagons and oxen given for tabernacle service?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 14733–14773
Numbers Chapter 7 The offerings of the princes at the dedication of the tabernacle. God speaketh to Moses from the propitiatory. 7:1. And it came to pass in the day that Moses had finished the tabernacle, and set it up, and had anointed and sanctified it with all its vessels, the altar likewise and all the vessels thereof, 7:2. The princes of Israel and the heads of the families, in every tribe, who were the rulers of them who had been numbered, offered 7:3. Their gifts before the Lord, six wagons covered, and twelve oxen. Two princes offered one wagon, and each one an ox, and they offered them before the tabernacle. 7:4. And the Lord said to Moses: 7:5. Receive them from them to serve in the ministry of the tabernacle, and thou shalt deliver them to the Levites according to the order of their ministry. 7:6. Moses therefore receiving the wagons and the oxen, delivered them to the Levites. 7:7. Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gerson, according to their necessity. 7:8. The other four wagons, and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their offices and service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 7:9. But to the sons of Caath he gave no wagons or oxen: because they serve in the sanctuary and carry their burdens upon their own shoulders. 7:10. And the princes offered for the dedication of the altar on the day when it was anointed, their oblation before the altar. 7:11. And the Lord said to Moses: Let each of the princes one day after another offer their gifts for the dedication of the altar.
Lines 14775–14791
7:12. The first day Nahasson the son of Aminadab of the tribe of Juda offered his offering: 7:13. And his offering was a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:14. A little mortar of ten sicles of gold full of incense: 7:15. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:16. And a buck goat for sin: 7:17. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Nahasson the son of Aminadab.
Lines 14793–14809
7:18. The second day Nathanael the son of Suar, prince of the tribe of Issachar, made his offering, 7:19. A silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:20. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:21. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:22. And a buck goat for sin: 7:23. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Nathanael the son of Suar.
Lines 14811–14827
7:24. The third day the prince of the sons of Zabulon, Eliab the son of Helon, 7:25. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:26. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:27. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:28. And a buck goat for sin: 7:29. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This is the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon.
Lines 14829–14845
7:30. The fourth day the prince of the sons of Ruben, Elisur the son of Sedeur, 7:31. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:32. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:33. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old, for a holocaust: 7:34. And a buck goat for sin: 7:35. And for victims of peace offerings two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Elisur the son of Sedeur.
Lines 14847–14863
7:36. The fifth day the prince of the sons of Simeon, Salamiel the son of Surisaddai, 7:37. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles after the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:38. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:39. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:40. And a buck goat for sin: 7:41. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Salamiel the son of Surisaddai.
Lines 14865–14881
7:42. The sixth day the prince of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Duel, 7:43. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:44. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:45. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:46. And a buck goat for sin: 7:47. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Duel.
Lines 14883–14899
7:48. The seventh day the prince of the sons of Ephraim, Elisama the son of Ammiud, 7:49. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:50. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:51. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:52. And a buck goat for sin: 7:53. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Elisama the son of Ammiud.
Lines 14901–14917
7:54. The eighth day the prince of the sons of Manasses, Gamaliel the son of Phadassur, 7:55. Offered a silver dish, weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:56. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:57. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:58. And a buck goat for sin: 7:59. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Phadassur.
Lines 14919–14935
7:60. The ninth day the prince of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gedeon, 7:61. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:62. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:63. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:64. And a buck goat for sin: 7:65. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gedeon.
Lines 14937–14953
7:66. The tenth day the princes of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammisaddai, 7:67. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:68. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:69. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:70. And a buck goat for sin: 7:71. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammisaddai.
Lines 14955–14971
7:72. The eleventh day the prince of the sons of Aser, Phegiel the son of Ochran, 7:73. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:74. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:75. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:76. And a buck goat for sin: 7:77. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Phegiel the son of Ochran.
Lines 14973–14989
7:78. The twelfth day the prince of the sons of Nephtali, Ahira the son of Enan, 7:79. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice: 7:80. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense: 7:81. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a holocaust: 7:82. And a buck goat for sin: 7:83. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
Lines 14991–15009
7:84. These were the offerings made by the princes of Israel in the dedication of the altar, in the day wherein it was consecrated. Twelve dishes of silver: twelve silver bowls: twelve little mortars of gold: 7:85. Each dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles of silver, and each bowl seventy sicles: that is, putting all the vessels of silver together, two thousand four hundred sicles, by the weight of the sanctuary. 7:86. Twelve little mortars of gold full of incense, weighing ten sicles apiece, by the weight of the sanctuary: that is, in all a hundred and twenty sicles of gold. 7:87. Twelve oxen out of the herd for a holocaust, twelve rams, twelve lambs of a year old, and their libations: twelve buck goats for sin. 7:88. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, oxen twenty-four, rams sixty, buck goats sixty, lambs of a year old sixty. These things were offered in the dedication of the altar, when it was anointed.
Lines 15011–15016
7:89. And when Moses entered into the tabernacle of the covenant, to consult the oracle, he heard the voice of one speaking to him from the propitiatory, that is over the ark between the two cherubims, and from this place he spoke to him.