Interpretation of Numbers 15:10 and "Sweet Smelling Savior"
Interpretation of Numbers 15:10 and "Sweet Smelling Savior"
Numbers 15:10 instructs the Israelites to offer wine as a libation, "for an offering of most sweet savour to the Lord" [1]. The phrase "sweet savour" is a translation of the Hebrew term that appears frequently in the context of sacrifices in the Old Testament.
The concept of a "sweet savour" is closely tied to the idea of a pleasing or acceptable offering to God. In the context of Numbers 15, the sweet savour is associated with the burnt offerings and libations that accompany them. The idea is that the sacrifice is a fragrant aroma that ascends to God, signifying the devotion and worship of the offerer.
The New Testament picks up this imagery in 2 Corinthians 2:15, where Paul writes that believers are "a sweet savour of Christ unto God" [2]. Here, the phrase is applied to the lives of believers, suggesting that their presence and witness are a pleasing aroma to God. John Gill interprets this passage as indicating that believers are a sweet savour "not that they are so in themselves, for they have the same corrupt hearts and natures, and complain of them as other men; but as having the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God" [6].
The "sweet savour" motif is also linked to Christ himself. In Ephesians 5:2, Paul writes that Christ "gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" [3]. This establishes Christ as the ultimate sacrifice that is pleasing to God, and believers are seen as participating in this sweet savour through their union with him.
The imagery of the "sweet savour" has been interpreted in various ways throughout Christian tradition. Some see it as a symbol of the pleasing nature of Christ's sacrifice, while others understand it as a reference to the fragrant aroma of the gifts and graces of the Spirit [4, 6]. The concept remains a powerful metaphor for the relationship between God and his people, highlighting the themes of worship, devotion, and the pleasing nature of a life lived in union with Christ.
The use of this imagery in Christian theology underscores the significance of Christ's sacrifice as a central aspect of the Christian faith. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note, "we are the sweet savour itself" [5], emphasizing the intimate connection between Christ and his followers.
The historical and cultural context of the "sweet savour" imagery is rooted in the Old Testament sacrificial system, where the aroma of the sacrifices was seen as a symbol of worship and devotion. This imagery is then reinterpreted in the New Testament in light of Christ's sacrifice, highlighting the continuity and discontinuity between the old and new covenants.
The "sweet savour" remains a rich and complex symbol in Christian theology, inviting believers to reflect on the nature of their relationship with God and the significance of Christ's sacrifice.
Sources
- Numbers “Numbers 15:10 (DRC) — And wine for libations of the same measure, for an offering of most sweet savour to the Lord.”
- King James Version “[KJV] 2 Corinthians 2:15 — For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 5:10 (ASV) — proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;”
- Ezekiel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ezekiel 20:40: I will accept you with your sweet savour,.... Their sins being expiated by the sacrifice of Christ, which is unto God for a sweet smelling savour; and their persons being, clothed with the robe of his righteousness, and the garments of his salvation, all whose garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia; the Gospel being the savour of life unto life unto them; and the savour of the knowledge of Christ being communicated to them by it; and also the savour of his good ointments, the graces of the Spirit, being imparted to them: when I bring you out of the people, and”
- 2 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Corinthians 2:15: The order is in Greek, "For (it is) of Christ (that) we are a sweet savor unto God"; thus, the "for" justifies his previous words (Co2 2:14), "the savor of HIS (Christ's) knowledge." We not only scatter the savor; but "we are the sweet savor" itself (Sol 1:3; compare Joh 1:14, Joh 1:16; Eph 5:2; Jo1 2:27). in them that are saved--rather, "that are being saved . . . that are perishing" (see on Co1 1:18). As the light, though it blinds in darkness the weak, is for all that still light; and honey, though it taste bitter to the sick, is in itself ”
- 2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 2:15: For we are unto God a sweet savour,.... Here a reason is given, why the savour of the knowledge of God in Christ is made manifest by the ministers of the Gospel, because they themselves are a sweet savour; not that they are so in themselves, for they have the same corrupt hearts and natures, and complain of them as other men; but as having the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, comparable to fragrant and sweet smelling ointments, Sol 1:3, by which they are enabled to preach the savoury doctrines of the Gospel, and to adorn and recommend them by their exempl”