Numbers 15:14-31

Law of the Sojourner

14 'If an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do so he shall do.

15 'As for the assembly, there shall be ¹one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the LORD.

16 'There is to be ²one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.' "

17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

18 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land where * I bring you,

19 then it shall be, that when you eat of the ³food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.

20 '⁴Of the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering; as ⁵the offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up.

21 'From the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations.

22 'But when you ⁶unwittingly fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses,

23 even all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses, from the day when the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations,

24 then it shall be, if it is done ⁷unintentionally, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one bull * * for a burnt offering, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, ⁸with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.

25 'Then ⁹the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error.

26 'So all the congregation of the sons of Israel will be forgiven, with the alien who sojourns among them, for it happened to all the people through ¹⁰error.

27 'Also if one person sins ¹¹unintentionally, then he shall offer a one year old female goat for a sin offering.

28 '¹²The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven.

29 'You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them.

30 'But the person who does anything ¹³defiantly *, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

31 'Because he has ¹⁴despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; ¹⁵his guilt will be on him.' "

Read Chapter Compare

Numbers 15:14-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 15

In this chapter the children of Israel are instructed about the meat offerings and drink offerings, and the quantities of them, which were always to go along with their burnt offerings and peace offerings they should offer when they came into the land of Canaan, Nu 15:1-12; and they are told that the same laws and ordinances would be binding equally on them that were of the country, and on the strangers in it, Nu 15:13-16; and an order is given them to offer a cake of the first dough for an heave offering, Nu 15:17-21; and they are directed what sacrifices to offer for sins of ignorance, both of the congregation and particular persons, Nu 14:22-29; but as for presumptuous sinners, they were to be cut off, Nu 14:30,31; and an instance is recorded of stoning a sabbath breaker, Nu 14:32-36; and the chapter is concluded with a law for wearing fringes on the borders of their garments, the use of which is expressed, Nu 14:35-41.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 15

1. Numbers 9:14; Numbers 15:29
2. Leviticus 24:22
3. Joshua 5:11, 12
4. Exodus 34:26; Leviticus 23:14
5. Deuteronomy 14:22, 23; Deuteronomy 16:13
6. Leviticus 4:2
7. Lev 4:2, 22, 27; Leviticus 5:15, 18
8. Numbers 15:8-10
9. Leviticus 4:20; Hebrews 2:17
10. Numbers 15:24
11. Leviticus 4:27-31; Luke 12:48
12. Leviticus 4:35
13. Numbers 14:40-44; Deuteronomy 1:43; Deuteronomy 17:12, 13
14. 2 Samuel 12:9; Proverbs 13:13
15. Ezekiel 18:20

Footnotes 11

[a]. Lit "bread"
[b]. Or "a heave offering"
[c]. Or "coarse meal"
[d]. Or "heave offering"
[e]. Or "heave offering"
[f]. Or "coarse meal"
[g]. Or "offering lifted up"
[h]. Lit "by the hand of"
[i]. Lit "from the eyes of the congregation"
[j]. Or "and he shall"
[k]. Or "iniquity"