Leviticus 5:14-19

Laws for Guilt Offerings

14 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

15 "When a person {displays infidelity} and he sins in an unintentional wrong {in any of} Yahweh's holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock as a guilt offering by your valuation [in] silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel.

16 And he shall make restitution [for] what he sinned {because of} a holy thing and shall add one-fifth of {its value} onto it and shall give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

17 "If a person when he sins {violates} one from all of Yahweh's commands that should not {be violated}, but he did not know, then he is guilty and he shall bear his guilt.

18 He shall bring to the priest a ram without defect from the flock as a guilt offering by your valuation, and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his unintentional wrong (although he himself did not know), and he will be forgiven.

19 It is a guilt offering; he certainly was guilty before Yahweh."

Leviticus 5:14-19 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 "And"
• [b]. Or "a soul"
• [c]. Literally "acts unfaithfully infidelity" or "is unfaithful [in] unfaithfulness"
• [d]. Literally "from"
• [e]. Or "and"
• [f]. Or "for"
• [g]. The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
• [h]. Or "convertible into silver shekels" (NET, NRSV, TNK), "of the proper value in silver" (NIV; cp. ESV "valued in silver shekels," CSB), or "or you may buy one of equal value with silver" (NLT)
• [i]. Literally "from" (see HALOT 598)
• [j]. Literally "it"
• [k]. Or "And the priest"
• [l]. Or "And if"
• [m]. Or "a soul"
• [n]. Literally "and she/it does"
• [o]. Literally "they are to be done"
• [p]. Or "and"
• [q]. Or "and"
• [r]. Or "And he shall bring"
• [s]. The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
• [t]. Or "and"