Numbers 7:14

Summary

The verse lists a single ritual object among the tribal-leader offerings in Numbers 7: one gold pan, weighing ten (units of gold), filled with incense. It belongs to a repeated formulaic inventory describing gifts brought to the sanctuary.

Key words

• kaf ("a pan", H3709I) — feminine singular noun in construct state, meaning it is grammatically linked to what follows; it names the vessel itself, distinct from the "silver dish" (qa'arah) mentioned earlier in the same offering list.
• 'achat ("one", H0259) — feminine singular cardinal number agreeing with kaf; it specifies the quantity of pans (just one), not a weight.
• 'asarah ("ten", H6235) — a numeral noun, feminine singular, standing alone before zahav; it indicates a numeric value of gold without stating the unit of measure.
• zahav ("gold", H2091) — masculine singular noun; here it functions as the material/measure associated with the number ten, i.e., "ten [portions] of gold."
• mele'ah ("full", H4392) — feminine singular adjective agreeing with kaf, describing the pan's filled state; it governs qetoret as what fills it.

What the text says

The clause is built as a chain of appositions rather than a full sentence with a verb: kaf 'achat ("one pan"), followed by 'asarah zahav ("ten of gold"), followed by mele'ah qetoret ("full of incense"). The adjective mele'ah agrees in gender and number with kaf, confirming that it is the pan — not the gold or the incense — that is described as "full." Notably, the Hebrew text does not include a word for "shekel" here; the numeral 'asarah ("ten") is placed directly before zahav ("gold"), so the unit of weight is left implicit, to be understood from the wider context of the chapter's offering list, where shekel weights are established.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate renders this implicit weight explicitly, adding "ex decem siclis aureis" ("from ten gold shekels"), inserting the noun siclis ("shekels") that has no direct counterpart in this specific verse's Hebrew wording. The LXX similarly reads δέκα χρυσῶν ("ten of gold"), following the Hebrew's structure of numeral + material without a stated unit. Modern versions such as the BSB and RV1909 supply "shekels" (or "siclos") in translation, making explicit what the Hebrew leaves for the reader to infer from context.