Leviticus 4:15

15 and the elders of the assembly shall lay their hands on the head of the bullock before Jehovah; and one shall slaughter the bullock before Jehovah.

Leviticus 4:15 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 4:15

And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands
upon the head of the bullock before the Lord
These must be two at least, some say three, and some say five ^F8; the more generally received notion is, that they were three of the sanhedrim ^F9; though the Targum of Jonathan makes them to be the twelve rulers of the twelve tribes:

and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord;
in the court near the altar of burnt offering, either by a priest, or Levite, or by a butcher, as the above Targum expresses it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Misn. Sotah, c. 9. sect. 1.
F9 Maimon & Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 9. sect. 7. Maimon. Hilchot Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 3. sect. 10.

Leviticus 4:15 In-Context

13 And if the whole assembly of Israel sin inadvertently, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the congregation, and they do [somewhat against] any of all the commandments of Jehovah [in things] which should not be done, and are guilty;

14 and the sin wherewith they have sinned against it have become known; then the congregation shall present a young bullock for the sin-offering, and shall bring it before the tent of meeting;

15 and the elders of the assembly shall lay their hands on the head of the bullock before Jehovah; and one shall slaughter the bullock before Jehovah.

16 And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood into the tent of meeting;

17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil;

Footnotes

• [a]. The expression 'one shall slaughter' has interest in respect of the point where self-offering and mediatorial work begins. It was not the priest who slaughtered, unless he were the guilty one (ver. 4), and then it is not as priest. I do not know that it is more precise in vers. 4 and 24.