Leviticus 4:1-21

The Law of Sin Offerings

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a person sins ¹unintentionally in any of the ^[a]things which the LORD has ²commanded not to be done, and commits any of them,

3 ³if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a ^[b]bull * * without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

4 'He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and ⁴he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the LORD.

5 'Then the ⁵anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting,

6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of ⁶the veil of the sanctuary.

7 'The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of ⁷the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

8 '⁸He shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails,

9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove ⁹with the kidneys

10 (just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings ), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

11 'But ¹⁰the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse,

12 that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to ¹¹a clean place outside * the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 '¹²Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty;

14 ¹³when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer ¹⁴a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.

15 'Then ¹⁵the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be slain ¹⁶before the LORD.

16 'Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting;

17 and ¹⁷the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil.

18 'He shall put some of the blood on the horns of ¹⁸the altar which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

19 '¹⁹He shall remove all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

20 'He shall also do with the bull just as he did with ²⁰the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So ²¹the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

21 'Then he is to bring out the bull to a place outside * the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is ²²the sin offering for the assembly.

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Leviticus 4:1-21 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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 22

1. Leviticus 4:22, 27; Leviticus 5:15-18; Leviticus 22:14
2. Leviticus 4:13
3. Lev 4:14, 23, 28
4. Leviticus 1:4; Leviticus 4:15; Numbers 8:12
5. Leviticus 4:3, 17
6. Exodus 40:21, 26
7. Lev 4:18, 25, 30, 34; Leviticus 8:15; Leviticus 9:9; Leviticus 16:18
8. Leviticus 3:3, 4
9. Leviticus 3:4
10. Leviticus 9:11; Numbers 19:5
11. Leviticus 4:21; Leviticus 6:10, 11; Leviticus 16:27
12. Numbers 15:24-26
13. Leviticus 4:3
14. Lev 4:3, 23, 28
15. Lev 8:14, 18, 22; Numbers 8:10, 12
16. Leviticus 1:3
17. Leviticus 4:6
18. Lev 4:7, 25, 30, 34
19. Leviticus 4:8
20. Leviticus 4:8, 21
21. Numbers 15:25, 28
22. Leviticus 4:13; Leviticus 16:15-17; Numbers 15:24-26

Footnotes 13

[a]. Lit "commands of the LORD which are not to be done"
[b]. Or "bull of the herd"
[c]. Lit "sinned"
[d]. Or "appendage on"
[e]. Lit "and"
[f]. Or "fat ashes are"
[g]. Or "fat ashes are"
[h]. Lit "is hidden from the eyes of"
[i]. Lit "commands of the LORD which are not to be done"
[j]. Lit "concerning which"
[k]. Lit "sinned"
[l]. Lit "son of the herd"
[m]. Lit "which is in"