Leviticus 4:3-21

3 “ ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering[a] for the sin he has committed.
4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the LORD.
5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting.
6 He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
8 He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs,
9 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys—
10 just as the fat is removed from the ox[b] sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.
11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines—
12 that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it there in a wood fire on the ash heap.
13 “ ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt
14 and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting.
15 The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD.
16 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting.
17 He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the LORD seven times in front of the curtain.
18 He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
19 He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar,
20 and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven.
21 Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.

Leviticus 4:3-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 4

This chapter contains the law of the sin offering, which was offered for sins committed through ignorance, error, and mistake, Le 4:1,2 and gives an account of the matter of them, and the rites belonging thereunto, which were different according to the persons for whom it was made, as for the anointed priest, Le 4:3-12 for the whole congregation, Le 4:13-21 and for the ruler, Le 4:22-26 and for any of the common people, Le 4:27-35.

Cross References 44

  • 1. S Exodus 28:41
  • 2. S Genesis 18:23
  • 3. ver 14; Leviticus 3:12; Leviticus 8:14; Leviticus 10:16; Leviticus 16:3,5; Numbers 15:27; Psalms 66:15; Ezekiel 43:19,23
  • 4. S Exodus 12:5
  • 5. S ver 24; S Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 5:6-13; Leviticus 9:2-22; Hebrews 9:13-14
  • 6. ver 32
  • 7. ver 15,24; Leviticus 1:3; Numbers 8:12
  • 8. ver 16; Leviticus 16:14
  • 9. Exodus 24:8
  • 10. ver 17; Leviticus 16:14,19
  • 11. S Exodus 25:8
  • 12. S Exodus 27:2
  • 13. ver 34; S Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 8:15
  • 14. ver 18,30; Leviticus 5:9; Leviticus 9:9; Leviticus 16:18
  • 15. ver 19; Leviticus 3:3-5
  • 16. S Leviticus 3:4
  • 17. Leviticus 9:4
  • 18. S Exodus 32:6
  • 19. S Exodus 29:13
  • 20. Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 8:17; Leviticus 9:11; Numbers 19:5
  • 21. S Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 8:17; Leviticus 9:11; Hebrews 13:11
  • 22. Leviticus 6:11; Leviticus 10:14; Numbers 19:9
  • 23. S Leviticus 1:16
  • 24. Leviticus 6:30
  • 25. Leviticus 16:3
  • 26. S ver 2; Lev 5:2-4,17; Numbers 15:24-26
  • 27. S ver 3
  • 28. Numbers 15:24; ver 23,28
  • 29. S Exodus 3:16; S Exodus 19:7
  • 30. 2 Chronicles 29:23
  • 31. S Exodus 29:10; Leviticus 1:4; Leviticus 8:14,22; Numbers 8:10
  • 32. S ver 4
  • 33. S ver 5
  • 34. Numbers 19:4,18
  • 35. S ver 6
  • 36. Leviticus 8:15; Leviticus 17:6; 2 Chronicles 29:22
  • 37. ver 7; Leviticus 6:30; Leviticus 10:18
  • 38. Leviticus 5:9
  • 39. ver 8
  • 40. ver 26
  • 41. S Exodus 29:36; S Exodus 32:30; S Romans 3:25; Hebrews 10:10-12
  • 42. ver 26,31,35; Numbers 15:25
  • 43. S ver 12
  • 44. Leviticus 16:5,15; 2 Chronicles 29:21

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or "purification offering" ; here and throughout this chapter
  • [b]. The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
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