Exodus 29:38 sets out a simple instruction: two one-year-old lambs are to be offered on the altar every day, without interruption. The point is that Israel’s worship was to be regular, continual and ordered, with the daily sacrifice standing as a constant reminder that the people approached God through a provided way of atonement. The verse is spoken by the LORD to Moses, who is receiving detailed instructions for ordaining Aaron and his sons as priests and for setting up the altar at the tent of meeting.
“Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
Exodus 29:38 (WEB)
What Exodus 29:38 Means
The phrase “Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar” introduces what follows as a specific, binding command. The word “this” points back to the preceding instructions about consecration and the altar, so the verse marks the transition from ordaining the priests to describing the ongoing service they will perform. Moses is being told exactly what goes on the altar, not offered a general suggestion.
“Two lambs a year old” identifies the offering: two young, unblemished animals, the kind of sacrifice that was affordable and accessible to ordinary households. “Day by day continually” makes the frequency clear. The offering was not occasional or tied only to festivals. It was a rhythm that ran through every day of Israel’s life with God, morning and evening.
The verse does not promise anything directly to the worshipper, nor does it explain every theological detail of how the sacrifice works. It establishes a practice and its regularity. What it does show is that God chose to make approach to himself a daily matter, grounded in a mediated way of atonement rather than left to chance or human invention.
The Context of Exodus 29:38
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses and was written for the people of Israel as they came out of Egypt and were forming their identity as a covenant community. The book moves from the story of deliverance into the giving of the law and then the building of the tabernacle, where God would dwell among his people. Chapter 29 belongs to the section describing how the priesthood and the sanctuary are to be set apart for that service.
Verses 35 to 37 prepare the ground by describing the seven-day consecration of Aaron and his sons and the daily bull offering for sin, along with the cleansing and sanctifying of the altar itself. Verse 38 then begins the description of the regular offerings. Verses 39 to 41 complete the picture with the morning and evening lamb, the grain offering and the drink offering. Read in this setting, verse 38 is less an isolated rule than the heading of a daily liturgy in which atonement and thanksgiving were woven together.
Key Phrases in Exodus 29:38
Hebrews 10:11
Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins…
(WEB)
This passage reflects on the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant and contrasts them with the single offering of Christ. Reading it alongside Exodus 29:38 helps show why the daily offerings pointed forward to something more complete.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
(WEB)
These verses speak of mercies that are new every morning, which echoes the morning rhythm of the daily offering. They remind the reader that God’s faithfulness is steady and renewed from day to day.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 29:38
Lord, you gave your people a regular way to come near to you, and you did not leave them guessing about what that meant. Teach me to find a steady place for you in my ordinary days, in the mornings when I am tired and the evenings when I am spent. Where I have been careless or inconsistent, receive my honest return to you, and let my small daily faithfulness be pleasing to you. Thank you that you make a way for us to draw near. Amen.
