1.
And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
soul = a person. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .
sin. Hebrew. chata. App-44 .
and hear = because he heard.
swearing = adjuration. is = "he [is]".
iniquity = perverseness. Hebrew. 'avail. App-44 . Put here by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause) for the punishment due to it. App-6 .
2.
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
be hidden: i.e. if he forget his uncleanness. This clause "and if", &c, is omitted in the Septuagint and included in Leviticus 5:3 .
3.
Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
man. Hebrew. 'adam. See App-14 .
4.
Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.
pronouncing with his lips = speaking heedlessly.
evil. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .
evil . . . good. Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Whole), to include all human actions. Compare Genesis 24:50 ; Genesis 31:29 . Numbers 24:13 .
5.
And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:
sinned. Hebrew. chata. App-44 .
6.
And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
his trespass offering = as his trespass offering. Hebrew. 'asham.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
sin. Hebrew. chata. App-44 .
make an atonement. See note on Exodus 26:33 .
7.
And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
trespass. Hebrew. 'asham. App-44 .
8.
And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:
9.
And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.
10.
And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.
manner. See note on Leviticus 1:14 , &c.
11.
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.
offering. Hebrew. korban. App-43 . For the poor only a little flour. Compare Leviticus 4:23 ; Leviticus 4:28 . All equally forgiven. Compare Leviticus 4:26 , Leviticus 4:31 and Leviticus 5:13 .
sin offering: and not a minchah, Leviticus 2:11 .
12.
Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it is a sin offering.
a memorial thereof = a memorial portion.
burn = burn as incense. Hebrew. katar. App-43 .
according to = upon.
offerings made by fire. Hebrew. ishsheh. App-43 .
13.
And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering.
one of these. Specified in verses: Leviticus 5:1-4 above. Compare Leviticus 5:5 .
and the remnant: better "and it shall belong to the priest".
14.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
spake. This formula denotes another communication made at a different time, and gives a further development of the laws of the trespass offering. Note that in this book Jehovah "spake" at thirty-five "sundry times", and in ten "divers manners" (see App-10 ):
(1) To Moses alone (Leviticus 5:14 ; Leviticus 6:1 , Leviticus 6:19 ; Leviticus 8:1 ; Leviticus 14:1 ; Leviticus 22:26 ; Leviticus 23:26 ). (2) To Moses, to speak to Aaron alone (Leviticus 16:1 ). (3) To Moses, to speak to "Aaron and his sons" (Leviticus 6:8 , Leviticus 6:24 ; Leviticus 22:1 ). (4) To Moses, to speak to "the priests, the sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 21:1 ). (5) To Moses, to speak to "Aaron and his sons, and in all the children of Israel" (Leviticus 17:1 ; Leviticus 21:16 (Compare Lev 5:24 ); Leviticus 22:17 ). (6) To Moses, to speak to "the children of Israel" (Leviticus 1:1 ; Leviticus 4:1 ; Leviticus 7:22 , Leviticus 7:28 ; Leviticus 12:1 ; Leviticus 18:1 ; Leviticus 20:1 ; Leviticus 23:1 , Leviticus 23:9 , Leviticus 23:23 ; Leviticus 24:1 , Leviticus 24:13 ; Leviticus 25:1 ; Leviticus 27:1 ). (7) To Moses, to speak "to all the congregation of the children of Israel" (Leviticus 19:1 ). (8) To Moses and Aaron conjointly (Leviticus 13:1 ; Leviticus 14:33 ). (9) To Moses and Aaron, to speak to "the children of Israel" (Leviticus 11:1 ; Leviticus 15:1 ). (10) To Aaron alone (Leviticus 10:8 ).
The reasons for these distinctions will be seen from the respective contexts.
15.
If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
trespass. Hebrew. ma'al, to act covertly; to be faithless, especially in covenant matters, either with God (Leviticus 26:40 . Numbers 31:16 . Deuteronomy 32:51 , &c.) or between husband and wife (Numbers 5:12 , Numbers 5:27 ). Not the same word as in verses: Leviticus 5:6 , Leviticus 5:7 , Leviticus 5:15 , Leviticus 6:16 , and below in this verse.
holy things, &c., such as firstfruits, firstborn, &c. Exodus 28:38 . See note on Exodus 3:5 .
estimation = valuation. Made here by Moses, transferred by him to the priests. See Leviticus 27:8 , Leviticus 27:12 .Numbers 18:16 .
16.
And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.
harm that he hath done. Hebrew. chat'a. App-44 .
add. In trespass in holy things sacrifice comes first (Leviticus 5:15 ) and addition afterwards. In human affairs the addition comes first (Leviticus 6:5 ) and sacrifice follows (Leviticus 6:7 ).
17.
And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
any = any one of these things specified in Leviticus 5:15 .
wist it not = knew it not. This effectually disposes of the fallacy that it is only sincerity that matters. Note the repetition of the words in verses: Leviticus 5:17-19 to emphasize this.
iniquity. Hebrew. 'avah. App-44 .
18.
And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
erred. Hebrew. shagag. App-44 .
19.
It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
trespassed. Hebrew. 'asham. App-44 . Compare Leviticus 5:17 .