Numbers 29 lays out the sacrifices Israel was to offer during the seventh month, the month of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. These questions are for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and they walk through the chapter in the order it unfolds. Each question includes a note to help a leader guide the discussion.
Numbers 29 at a Glance
The chapter opens on the first day of the seventh month, a day of trumpet blasts and a holy convocation with a set of burnt, grain and sin offerings. It then moves to the tenth day, the day of atonement, when the people were to afflict their souls and bring a sacrifice that covered sin for the whole community.
From the fifteenth to the twenty-first day the text lists the Feast of Booths day by day, with the number of bulls falling each day from thirteen to seven. The chapter closes with an eighth-day solemn assembly and a summary sentence: Moses told the people everything the LORD had commanded him. A leader can use the questions below without a separate summary, since the answers point back to these movements.
Observation Questions
Use these questions to look closely at what the text says before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the words on the page, read the verse aloud, and answer from the text itself. Keep the discussion focused on details such as numbers, days, and repeated phrases.
Numbers 29:1
“‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no regular work: it is a day of blowing of trumpets to you.
(WEB)
This opening verse introduces the holy convocation and the trumpet day, setting the tone for the whole chapter. Reading it aloud first helps the group hear how the season begins with gathering and rest. It also gives a natural starting point for the observation questions.
Numbers 29:7
“‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls. You shall do no kind of work…
(WEB)
The phrase “You shall afflict your souls” is the emotional center of the Day of Atonement. Reading it slowly allows the group to feel the weight of the day before moving on to the sacrifices. It is a good verse to pause on before a discussion of confession.
Numbers 29:11
One male goat for a sin offering; besides the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink offerings.
(WEB)
This verse names the sin offering of atonement and places it alongside the continual offerings. Reading it aloud reminds the group that the community’s worship was always anchored in God’s provision for sin. It pairs well with a conversation about why cleansing comes before celebration.
Numbers 29:12-16
12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work. You shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. 13 You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; all without defect; 14 and their meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each ram of the two rams, 15 and one tenth for every lamb of the fourteen lambs; 16 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its drink offering.
(WEB)
This short range shows the opening of the seven-day feast and the large number of animals on its first day. Reading it together gives the group a sense of the scale and joy of the festival. It also prepares them for the daily countdown that follows.
Numbers 29:39-40
39 “‘You shall offer these to the LORD in your set feasts, besides your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meal offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.’” 40 Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the LORD commanded Moses.
(WEB)
These closing verses sum up the feasts and end with Moses faithfully reporting everything the LORD commanded. Reading them aloud gives the study a clear conclusion and a model of faithful obedience. It is a fitting way to transition into the closing prayer.
Memory Verse for Numbers 29
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the rhythms of rest, gathering and worship that you gave your people, and we ask that you teach us to honor you in our own time. Search our hearts as you searched Israel’s, and help us to be honest about the sin we carry and quick to receive your mercy. Give us a joy in worship that is like a pleasing aroma to you, offered freely and with a whole heart. Shape the way we work, rest, and give, so that our lives reflect the faithfulness of Moses and the holiness of your name. Amen.
