Numbers 15:21-31

21 From now on offer to the Lord the first part of your grain.

22 "'Now what if you forget to obey any of these commands the Lord gave Moses?

23 These are the Lord's commands given to you through Moses, which began the day the Lord gave them to you and will continue from now on.

24 If the people forget to obey one of these commands, all the people must offer a young bull as a burnt offering, a smell pleasing to the Lord. By law you must also give the grain offering and the drink offering with it, and you must bring a male goat as a sin offering.

25 "'The priest will remove that sin for all the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord. They are forgiven, because they didn't know they were sinning. For the wrong they did they brought offerings to the Lord, an offering by fire and a sin offering.

26 So all of the people of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven. No one meant to do wrong.

27 "'If just one person sins without meaning to, a year-old female goat must be brought for a sin offering.

28 The priest will remove the sin of the person who sinned accidentally. He will remove it before the Lord, and the person will be forgiven.

29 The same teaching is for everyone who sins accidentally -- for those born Israelites and for foreigners living among you.

30 "'But anyone who sins on purpose is against the Lord and must be cut off from the people, whether it is someone born among you or a foreigner.

31 That person has turned against the Lord's word and has not obeyed his commands. Such a person must surely be cut off from the others. He is guilty.'"

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.