Translation commentary on Numbers 15:6 - 15:7

Or for a ram: A ram is a male sheep (see 6.14).

You shall prepare for a cereal offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil; and for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine: See verses 4-5. Since a ram is larger than a lamb, the portions of the added agricultural offerings have to be larger. It should be clear in the translation that these additional offerings are not separate from the main animal sacrifices, but supplementary to them. The Hebrew pronouns for you are singular, referring to each Israelite who sacrifices a ram. This pronoun may be rendered “he” as in verse 4. Good News Translation uses passive verbs here (“is offered” and “are to be presented”), but some languages will require active verbs. For two tenths of an ephah, Good News Translation has “4 pounds” and Bible en français courant says “six kilos.” A third of a hin is equivalent to about 1.5 liters or “3 pints” (Good News Translation).

A pleasing odor to the LORD: See verse 3.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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