Definition: And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

Explanation: Okay, let’s break down this verse from Ezra 6:17. It’s a really significant detail in the Old Testament about how God was setting up his temple in Jerusalem. Here’s what it means, explained simply: The Basic Idea: This verse describes a massive offering to God when they were building the Temple. It's essentially a huge sacrifice to show God’s commitment and acknowledge their sins. Let’s look at each part: “And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs…” This tells us what they were giving – livestock. "An hundred bullocks" means 100 bulls (male cattle). “Two hundred rams” means 200 ram heads (male goats). “Four hundred lambs” means 400 newborn lambs. “…and for a sin offering for all Israel…” This is the crucial part. They were making a single, enormous offering specifically to make up for a past transgression – a sin. "For all Israel" means everyone in the entire nation of Israel was being addressed. “Twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.” This is where it gets really important. They were giving twelve goats, and each goat represented a tribe (a group of people) within Israel. This was a way of saying that they had broken a covenant or agreement with God. In simpler terms: They were making a huge sacrifice to apologize for a big mistake that had happened in the past, and to show that they were acknowledging their responsibility and seeking forgiveness. Why is this important? This act wasn't just a random offering. It was a deliberate demonstration of repentance and a promise to be faithful to God. It shows that they understood the seriousness of their sin and were committed to making things right. --- Do you want me to: Explain why this verse is significant in biblical history? Discuss what it might symbolize (like a covenant being broken)? Give you an analogy to help understand it better?