Numbers 15:15-25

15 One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.

16 One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.' "

17 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

18 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land to which I bring you,

19 then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the Lord.

20 You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up.

21 Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations.

22 'If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses--

23 all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward throughout your generations--

24 then it will be, if it is unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering.

25 So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unintended sin.

Numbers 15:15-25 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Compare Exodus 12:49