Numbers 15:27-37

27 'Also if one person sins ¹unintentionally, then he shall offer a one year old female goat for a sin offering.

28 '²The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven.

29 'You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them.

30 'But the person who does anything ³defiantly *, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

31 'Because he has ⁴despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; ⁵his guilt will be on him.' "

Sabbath-breaking Punished

32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man ⁶gathering wood on the sabbath day.

33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation;

34 and they put him in custody ⁷because it had not been declared what should be done to him.

35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall surely be put to death; ⁸all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside * the camp."

36 So all the congregation brought him outside * * the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

37 The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying,

Numbers 15:27-37 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.

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 4:27-31; Luke 12:48
• 2. Leviticus 4:35
• 3. Numbers 14:40-44; Deuteronomy 1:43; Deuteronomy 17:12, 13
• 4. 2 Samuel 12:9; Proverbs 13:13
• 5. Ezekiel 18:20
• 6. Exodus 31:14, 15; Exodus 35:2, 3
• 7. Numbers 9:8
• 8. Leviticus 20:2, 27; Leviticus 24:14-23; Deuteronomy 21:21

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "and he shall"
• [b]. Or "iniquity"
• [c]. Or "prison"
• [d]. Lit "declared distinctly"
• [e]. Lit "with stones and he died"