Numbers 7:10

Summary

The verse describes the leaders (nesi'im) bringing forward offerings connected to the dedication of the altar, on the day it was anointed. The action is repeated with a second verb, this time specifying that the leaders brought their own individual offerings before the altar.

Key words

• yaqrivu ("they brought near", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) narrative verb, repeated twice, marking two sequential actions of "bringing near/presenting."
• nesi'im ("leaders", H5387A) — masculine plural noun, the subject of both verbs, appearing twice (spelled slightly differently: נְּשִׂאִים and נְּשִׂיאִם).
• chanukat ("dedication of", H2598) — feminine singular noun in construct state, linking to "the altar" (ha-mizbeach).
• himmashach ("was anointed", H4886) — niphal (passive) infinitive form, indicating the altar underwent anointing without naming an agent.
• qorbanam ("their offering", H7133A) — masculine singular noun in construct with the pronominal suffix "their," distinguishing this general "offering" from the specific "dedication" (chanukat) of the first clause.

What the text says

The Hebrew structure presents two parallel clauses joined by narrative vav ("and then"), both using the same causative verb yaqrivu ("they brought near," H7126H). The repetition of this verb creates a two-step sequence: first the leaders bring forward chanukat ha-mizbeach ("the dedication of the altar," H2598 + H4196), then they bring forward qorbanam ("their offering," H7133A) specifically "before the altar" (li-fnei ha-mizbeach).

The niphal infinitive himmashach ("was anointed," H4886) is passive/reflexive in form, describing the altar's anointing without identifying who performed the action — the grammatical focus stays on the altar as the object of the ritual, not on an actor.

The direct object marker 'et (H0853) appears three times (before "dedication," before "offering," and with the suffix "it" in 'oto), marking each noun phrase as the grammatical object of "brought near" without itself carrying independent meaning. The construct chains chanukat ha-mizbeach and qorbanam + li-fnei ha-mizbeach show how Hebrew links nouns directly (X of Y) rather than using a preposition like "for."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the first clause with προσήνεγκαν... εἰς τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν ("brought... for the dedication"), using a preposition (εἰς) where the Hebrew uses a construct chain (chanukat ha-mizbeach, "dedication-of-the-altar") without a preposition. The Vulgate similarly uses in dedicationem ("for/into the dedication"), also inserting a preposition absent from the Hebrew construct form. The BSB restructures the verse's order, placing "the altar was anointed" first and merging both Hebrew verbs into a single English clause ("approached with... and presented them"), whereas the Hebrew keeps two distinct verb repetitions (yaqrivu... yaqrivu).