Leviticus 5:1-13

More Laws Regarding Sin Offerings

1 " 'When a person sins in that he hears [the] utterance of a curse and he [is] a witness or he sees or he knows, if he does not make [it] known, then he shall bear his guilt.

2 Or if a person touches anything unclean, {whether} an unclean [wild] animal's dead body or an unclean domestic animal's dead body or an unclean swarmer's dead body, but {he is unaware of it}, he [is] unclean and he is guilty.

3 Or when he touches human uncleanness, {namely} any uncleanness of his by which he might become unclean, but {he is unaware of it}, and he himself finds out, then he will be guilty.

4 Or when a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with [his] lips, to do evil or to do good {with regard to} anything that {the person} in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but {he is unaware of it}, he will be guilty {in any of} these.

5 When he becomes guilty {in any of} these, he shall confess what he has sinned {regarding} it,

6 and he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin that he has {committed}: a female from the flock, a ewe-lamb or {a she-goat}, as a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

7 " 'If {he cannot afford a sheep}, he shall bring [as] his guilt offering [for] what he sinned two turtledoves or two {young doves} for Yahweh, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

8 He shall bring them to the priest, and he shall present that which [is] for the sin offering first, and [the priest] shall wring its head off {at the back of its neck}, but he must not sever [it],

9 and he shall spatter {some of} the sin offering's blood on the altar's side, and the leftover blood must be drained out on the altar's base; it [is] a sin offering.

10 The second [bird] he must prepare [as] a burnt offering according to the regulation, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin that he has {committed}, and he shall be forgiven.

11 " 'But if {he cannot afford} two turtledoves or two {young doves}, then, because he has sinned, he shall bring [as] his offering a tenth of an ephah [of] finely milled flour as a sin offering. He must not put oil on it, nor should he put frankincense on it, because it [is] a sin offering.

12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest {shall take a handful of it} [for] its token portion, and he shall turn it to smoke on the altar {in addition to} the offerings made by fire [to] Yahweh; it [is] a sin offering.

13 Thus the priest shall make atonement for him because of the sin that he has {committed} {in any of these}, and he shall be forgiven. It shall be for the priest, like the grain offering.'"

Leviticus 5:1-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 5

This chapter treats of the trespass offering, points at the sins for which it was to be made, and the matter of it; it was for secret sins, and sins of ignorance, such as refusing to bear witness in a known case, Le 5:1 touching unclean things and false swearing, Le 5:2-4 the things directed to in such cases are confession, Le 5:5 sacrifice of a lamb, or kid of the goats, Le 5:6 and in case of poverty, two turtle doves, or two young pigeons; concerning the offering of which instructions are given, Le 5:7-10 and if not able to bring them, then a meat offering of fine flour, about which rules are laid down, Le 5:11-13 and for sins committed through ignorance in holy things or sacrileges, the sacrifice of a ram is enjoined, and satisfaction ordered to be made for the injury done in the holy thing, by adding a fifth part to it, Le 5:14-16 and for sins committed ignorantly against negative precepts, only a ram is appointed for the trespass offering, Le 5:17-19.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "a soul"
• [b]. Or "and"
• [c]. Or "and"
• [d]. Or "a soul"
• [e]. Literally "or"
• [f]. Implied by the following phrase specifying domestic animals
• [g]. Or "and"
• [h]. Literally "it is concealed from him"
• [i]. Literally "for" or "to" (see HALOT 510)
• [j]. Or "and"
• [k]. Literally "it is concealed from him"
• [l]. Or "and"
• [m]. Or "a soul"
• [n]. Literally "for" or "to" (see HALOT 510)
• [o]. Literally "the man"
• [p]. Or "and"
• [q]. Literally "it is concealed from him"
• [r]. Literally "for one of"
• [s]. Literally "for one of"
• [t]. Or "and he shall confess"
• [u]. Literally "upon" or "against"
• [v]. Or "for"
• [w]. Literally "sinned"
• [x]. The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
• [y]. Literally "a she-goat of goats"
• [z]. Hebrew "from"
• [aa]. Or "And if"
• [ab]. Literally "his hand does not touch enough of small livestock"
• [ac]. Literally "sons of dove" or "children of dove"
• [ad]. Or "And he shall bring"
• [ae]. Required by the previous action (see NET)
• [af]. Literally "from opposite its neck"
• [ag]. Or "and"
• [ah]. Literally "from"
• [ai]. Or "And the second"
• [aj]. Literally "sinned"
• [ak]. Or "And"
• [al]. Literally "his hand cannot produce for"
• [am]. Literally "sons of dove" or "children of dove"
• [an]. Or "and"
• [ao]. Hebrew "the"
• [ap]. Or "And he must not put"
• [aq]. Or "And he shall bring"
• [ar]. Literally "shall scoop up from it the fullness of his handful"
• [as]. Literally "on" or "upon"
• [at]. Or "And"
• [au]. Literally "sinned"
• [av]. Literally "from one from these"
• [aw]. Or "And it shall be"