“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.”
Speak to the Israelites and say to them: when anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. The instruction is addressed to anyone among you — the covenant community collectively but approached individually. The offering is not imposed but brought: the Hebrew qorban comes from the root qarav, to draw near. The sacrificial system is framed from the outset as an act of approach, a drawing near to God. Psalm 73:28 says it is good to be near God — the qorban that Israel brings is the liturgical expression of the desire for nearness to the God who called them out of Egypt and now dwells in their midst.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!