Leviticus 5 Study Notes

5:11 Although the sin offering presented by the very poor was similar to the grain offering by the use of wheat flour, it is identified as a sin offering, not a grain offering (“a fire offering,” 2:16). Oil and incense that characterized the grain offering (see note at 2:1) were omitted from the sin offering since these elements signified the joy of worship. The amount of flour was small enough that the very poor could afford it. Rich (e.g., a leader) and poor alike were guilty of sin, but by God’s gracious provision all could be purified.

5:12 The burning of the memorial portion (2:2) corresponded to the burning of the sacrificial animal’s entrails in the regular offering procedure.

5:13 The remainder of the flour customarily belonged to the officiating priest (6:26); although this was a minimal amount, its consumption by the priest symbolized to the poor man that his offering had been accepted by God and that he had received forgiveness. It was the grace of the Lord, not the value of the offering, that procured forgiveness.

5:14-6:7 The penalty for guilt or guilt offering (5:15), sometimes translated “trespass” offering, remedied the sins of defrauding God’s “holy things” (5:14-19) or defrauding a person, which involved offending the Lord through a false oath (6:1-7). This offering addressed the damage of depriving someone of his rightful due; thus, monetary reparations were required. The precise shade of meaning for the word “guilt” is uncertain, meaning either the fact of guilt or the feelings of guilt.

The offering involved an assessment by the priest of the damages plus a surcharge payment of twenty percent. The restitution ritual varied for compensating damages against God and against a person. In addition to those listed here, the offering was required for the purification of a leper (14:12), payment for a sexual crime against a slave woman (19:20), and the purification ritual of a Nazirite (Nm 6:12).

5:15 The term offends (Hb ma‘al) means “acts treacherously,” which can describe sacrilege against God (Jos 7:1) or betrayal of another person (Nm 5:6). On sins committed unintentionally, see note at 4:1-2. Holy things refers broadly to any of those things that were consecrated to the Lord, such as unlawfully eating food dedicated to the Lord (22:14) and a Nazirite who became defiled (Nm 6:9-12). The ritual required compensation to the Lord by bringing the sacrificial animal to his representative, the priest. The ritual was like the sin offering (4:1-5:13; 7:7). The offender slaughtered the sacrificial animal at the main altar; the priest sprinkled blood on all its sides and burned up the fat, leaving the meat for the officiating priest to eat (7:2-7). The guilt offering included additional steps. The offender had to pay for the damages, as evaluated by the priest (27:12), according to the standard sanctuary shekel (27:3), with an additional twenty percent charge (5:16).

5:16 The payment was to the priest since the offense was against the Lord. On the word forgiven, see note at 4:20-21.

5:17 The second case was a transgression in which the person had desecrated something holy without knowing it. This distinguished the guilt offering from the sin offering, which described an offender who later came to realize his crime (4:2,22,27).

5:19 Before the Lord here means “against the Lord.”