Numbers 7:28

Summary

Numbers 7:28 lists one item among the tribal offerings brought to the tabernacle: a male goat designated as a purification offering. The verse consists of a noun phrase specifying the animal, a numeral confirming the quantity, and a prepositional phrase stating its cultic purpose.

Key words

• se'ir ("a male goat of", H8163B) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be joined to the following word rather than standing alone.
• 'izzim ("goats", H5795) — masculine plural noun, the absolute form completing the construct chain; together se'ir-'izzim forms the idiom for "a male goat" (literally "goat of goats").
• 'echad ("one", H0259) — cardinal number, here tagged as feminine singular in the morphological data, specifying that a single animal is meant.
• le- ("to", H9005) — prefixed preposition attached to the following noun, marking purpose or destination ("for/toward").
• chattat ("a sin offering", H2403H) — feminine singular noun naming the offering category to which the animal is assigned.

What the text says

The verse opens with a construct chain, se'ir-'izzim, literally "a goat of goats." This construction does not mean "a goat belonging to other goats" but functions idiomatically to specify a male goat drawn from the flock category — the repetition of the root for "goat" in two grammatical forms (construct singular + absolute plural) is a common Hebrew way of designating a specific male animal within its species group. The numeral 'echad ("one") follows immediately, confirming that exactly one such animal is in view, reinforcing the singular sense already implicit in the construct noun.

The final element, le-chattat, attaches the preposition le- directly to chattat ("sin offering" or "purification offering"), indicating the ritual function assigned to the animal — it is designated for this category of offering rather than for general sacrifice. The verse has no verb; it is a nominal fragment, one clause in a longer list (Numbers 7's catalogue of tribal gifts), where each offering item is simply named in sequence without narrative connectors.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the construct chain as χίμαρον ἐξ αἰγῶν ("a young goat from goats"), using a prepositional phrase (ἐξ, "from") where the Hebrew uses a construct chain, and choosing χίμαρον ("young goat") rather than a direct equivalent of se'ir ("male goat"). The Vulgate's hircumque ("and a he-goat") compresses the construct phrase into a single noun without an explicit equivalent of 'izzim ("goats") or a separate word for 'echad ("one"), the numeral being left implicit. Both versions render chattat with terms centered on "sin" (ἁμαρτίας, peccato) rather than the broader "purification" nuance the Hebrew term can carry.