Numbers 15:25-35

25 And the priest shall pray for all the multitude of the sons of Israel, and it shall be forgiven to them, for they sinned not willfully. And nevertheless they shall offer incense to the Lord for themselves, and for their sin, and their error; (And the priest shall make amends for all the multitude of the Israelites, and it shall be forgiven to them, for they did not sin willfully, or intentionally. And they have now offered incense to the Lord for themselves, yea, a sin offering for their error;)
26 and it shall be forgiven to all the people of the sons of Israel, and to the comelings that be pilgrims among them, for it is the sin of all the multitude by ignorance. (and so it shall be forgiven to all the people of the Israelites, and to the foreigners who be newcomers among them, for it is a sin of ignorance by all the multitude.)
27 That if a soul sinneth unwittingly, it shall offer a [she] goat of one year for his sin; (And if someone sinneth unwittingly, he shall offer a one-year-old she goat, for his sin offering;)
28 and the priest shall pray for that soul, for it sinned unwittingly before the Lord; and the priest shall get forgiveness to it, and the sin shall be forgiven to him. (and the priest shall make amends for that person, for he sinned unwittingly before the Lord; and so the priest shall get forgiveness for him, and his sin shall be forgiven.)
29 As well to men born in the land, as to comelings, one law shall be of all that sin unwittingly. (Yea, for men born in the land, as well as for newcomers, one law shall be for all who sin unwittingly, or unintentionally.)
30 Forsooth a man that doeth any sin by pride, shall perish from the people, whether he be a citizen, either a pilgrim, for he was rebel against the Lord; (But anyone who doeth any sin by pride, shall be cut off from the people/shall be put to death, whether he is a citizen, or a foreigner, for he rebelled against the Lord;)
31 for he despised the word of the Lord, and made void his commandment; therefore he shall be done away (and so he shall be cut off/and so he shall be put to death), and shall bear his own wickedness.
32 Soothly it was done, when the sons of Israel were in wilderness, and they had found a man gathering wood in the sabbath day, (And it was done, when the Israelites were still in the wilderness, and they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day,)
33 they brought him to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the multitude;
34 the which closed, or put, him into prison, and they knew not what they should do to him. (and they enclosed him in prison, and they did not know what they should do with him.)
35 And the Lord said to Moses, This man die by death; all the company oppress him with stones without the tents. (And the Lord said to Moses, This man must be put to death; take him away from the tents, and have all the people kill him with stones.)

Numbers 15:25-35 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.