Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
Parallel translations
- WEB When God helped the Levites who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
- KJV And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.
- BSB And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
- NKJV And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams.
- NLT And because God was clearly helping the Levites as they carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Because God helped the Levites carrying the ark, they offered seven bulls and seven rams in sacrifice. They acknowledged that success came from God's enabling.
Overview
The sacrifices express gratitude and worship, recognizing that the safe transport of the ark was God's gracious help, not human strength alone. The contrast with the earlier disaster is pointed: now the Levites bear the ark as the Law commanded, and God blesses obedience. The atoning offerings point forward to Christ, whose once-for-all sacrifice grants believers safe access into God's presence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Num 23:29Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
- Ps 66:13–15I will come into your temple with burnt offerings. I will pay my vows to you,
- 1 Chr 29:14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
- Job 42:8Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.”
- 2 Sam 6:13When those who bore Yahweh’s ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
- 2 Cor 3:5not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
- Num 29:32“‘On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without defect;
- Ezek 45:23The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Yahweh, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering.
- Acts 26:22Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,
- 2 Cor 2:16to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
- Num 23:1–4Balaam said to Balak, “Build here seven altars for me, and prepare here seven bulls and seven rams for me.”
- 1 Sam 7:12Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Yahweh helped us until now.”
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