Numbers 5:6

6 Say to the children of Israel, If a man or a woman does any of the sins of men, going against the word of the Lord, and is in the wrong;

Numbers 5:6 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 5:6

Speak unto the children of Israel
Put them in mind of the following law, that they observe it; and which is here repeated, because of two new things in it, as Jarchi observes, the one relates to confession, teaching that there is no fifth part nor trespass offering by witnesses, till a man confesses the thing; and the other is, concerning taking anything away by violence from a proselyte, which is to be given to the priests; see the original law in ( Leviticus 6:1-7 ) ;

when a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit;
or, "any of the sins of men" F5, which are commonly done by men, and men are subject to through the infirmity of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan; or "any sin against man" F6, so some, as this referred to is expressly said to be, ( Numbers 5:7 ) ;

to do a trespass against the Lord;
for every sin against man is also against the Lord, being a breach of his command; as David's sin against Uriah was a sin against the Lord, ( Psalms 51:4 ) ; though the Jews understand it particularly of lying and swearing falsely, appealing to God, and calling him to be a witness to a falsehood; and so the Targum of Onkelos seems to interpret it:

and the person be guilty;
and knows he is so, and even knew it when he took an oath to the contrary; see ( Leviticus 6:3 Leviticus 6:4 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F5 (Mdah tajx lkm) "ex omnibus peccatis hominis", Montanus.
F6 "Ex omnibus peccatis contra hominem", Tigurine version; so Patrick.

Numbers 5:6 In-Context

4 So the children of Israel did as the Lord had said to Moses, and put them outside the tent-circle.
5 And the Lord said to Moses,
6 Say to the children of Israel, If a man or a woman does any of the sins of men, going against the word of the Lord, and is in the wrong;
7 Let them say openly what they have done; and make payment for the wrong done, with the addition of a fifth part, and give it to him to whom the wrong was done.
8 But if the man has no relation to whom the payment may be made, then the payment for sin made to the Lord will be the priest's, in addition to the sheep offered to take away his sin.
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