Numbers 15:21-31

21 Down through the future generations make this offering to God from each first batch of dough.

22 "But if you should get off the beaten track and not keep the commands which God spoke to Moses,

23 any of the things that God commanded you under the authority of Moses from the time that God first commanded you right up to this present time,

24 and if it happened more or less by mistake, with the congregation unaware of it, then the whole congregation is to sacrifice one young bull as a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a pleasing fragrance to God, accompanied by its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering as stipulated in the rules, and a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering.

25 The priest is to atone for the entire community of the People of Israel and they will stand forgiven. The sin was not deliberate, and they offered to God the Fire-Gift and Absolution-Offering for their inadvertence.

26 The whole community of Israel including the foreigners living there will be absolved, because everyone was involved in the error.

27 "But if it's just one person who sins by mistake, not realizing what he's doing, he is to bring a yearling she-goat as an Absolution-Offering.

28 The priest then is to atone for the person who accidentally sinned, to make atonement before God so that it won't be held against him.

29 "The same standard holds for everyone who sins by mistake; the native-born Israelites and the foreigners go by the same rules.

30 "But the person, native or foreigner, who sins defiantly, deliberately blaspheming God, must be cut off from his people:

31 He has despised God's word, he has violated God's command; that person must be kicked out of the community, ostracized, left alone in his wrongdoing."

Numbers 15:21-31 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.