Leviticus 4:13

13 ¹"If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally^[a] and ²the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,^[b]

Leviticus 4:13 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 4:13

And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through
ignorance
That is, all Israel, or the greatest part of them, as Gersom interprets it, through the ignorant teaching of the judges, who by their instruction cause the people to err, and commit sins of ignorance, as Baal Hatturim on the place observes, and Maimonides elsewhere ^F7; wherefore Jarchi, and some others, by the congregation of Israel understand the sanhedrim, or the bench of judges, consisting of seventy one. Ainsworth remarks on the words, that the church may err:

and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly;
congregation or church, so that they do not know that it is a sin which they have committed:

and they have done [somewhat against] any of the commandments of
the Lord, [concerning things] which should not be done;
transgressed negative precepts:

and are guilty;
of sin, though as yet they know it not.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Hilchot Shegagot, c. 12. sect. 1.

Leviticus 4:13 In-Context

11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung--

12 all the rest of the bull--he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up.

13 "If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,

14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting.

15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 15:24-26
• 2. Leviticus 5:2-4

Footnotes

• [a]. Or makes a mistake
• [b]. Or suffer for their guilt, or are guilty; also verses 22, 27, and chapter 5