32 And if he bring H935 a lamb H3532 for a sin H2403 offering, H7133 he shall bring H935 it a female H5347 without blemish. H8549
And G2532 when G3753 he had taken G2983 the book, G975 the four G5064 beasts G2226 and G2532 four G5064 and twenty G1501 elders G4245 fell down G4098 before G1799 the Lamb, G721 having G2192 every one of them G1538 harps, G2788 and G2532 golden G5552 vials G5357 full G1073 of odours, G2368 which G3739 are G1526 the prayers G4335 of saints. G40 And G2532 they sung G103 a new G2537 song, G5603 saying, G3004 Thou art G1488 worthy G514 to take G2983 the book, G975 and G2532 to open G455 the seals G4973 thereof: G846 for G3754 thou wast slain, G4969 and G2532 hast redeemed G59 us G2248 to God G2316 by G1722 thy G4675 blood G129 out of G1537 every G3956 kindred, G5443 and G2532 tongue, G1100 and G2532 people, G2992 and G2532 nation; G1484
Forasmuch as ye know G1492 that G3754 ye were G3084 not G3756 redeemed G3084 with corruptible things, G5349 as silver G694 and G2228 gold, G5553 from G1537 your G5216 vain G3152 conversation G391 received by tradition from your fathers; G3970 But G235 with the precious G5093 blood G129 of Christ, G5547 as G5613 of a lamb G286 without blemish G299 and G2532 without spot: G784 Who verily G3303 was foreordained G4267 before G4253 the foundation G2602 of the world, G2889 but G1161 was manifest G5319 in G1909 these last G2078 times G5550 for G1223 you, G5209
And if his offering H7133 for a sacrifice H2077 of peace offering H8002 unto the LORD H3068 be of the flock; H6629 male H2145 or female, H5347 he shall offer H7126 it without blemish. H8549 If he offer H7126 a lamb H3775 for his offering, H7133 then shall he offer H7126 it before H6440 the LORD. H3068
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 4
Commentary on Leviticus 4 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 4
Le 4:1, 2. Sin Offering of Ignorance.
2. If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord—a soul—an individual. All sins may be considered, in a certain sense, as committed "through ignorance," error, or misapprehension of one's true interests. The sins, however, referred to in this law were unintentional violations of the ceremonial laws,—breaches made through haste, or inadvertency of some negative precepts, which, if done knowingly and wilfully, would have involved a capital punishment.
do against any of them—To bring out the meaning, it is necessary to supply, "he shall bring a sin offering."
Le 4:3-35. Sin Offering for the Priest.
3. If the priest that is anointed do sin—that is, the high priest, in whom, considering his character as typical mediator, and his exalted office, the people had the deepest interest; and whose transgression of any part of the divine law, therefore, whether done unconsciously or heedlessly, was a very serious offense, both as regarded himself individually, and the influence of his example. He is the person principally meant, though the common order of the priesthood was included.
according to the sin of the people—that is, bring guilt on the people. He was to take a young bullock (the age and sex being expressly mentioned), and having killed it according to the form prescribed for the burnt offerings, he was to take it into the holy place and sprinkle the atoning blood seven times before the veil, and tip with the crimson fluid the horns of the golden altar of incense, on his way to the court of the priests,—a solemn ceremonial appointed only for very grave and heinous offenses, and which betokened that his sin, though done in ignorance, had vitiated all his services; nor could any official duty he engaged in be beneficial either to himself or the people, unless it were atoned for by blood.
11. the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh—In ordinary circumstances, these were perquisites of the priests. But in the expiation necessary for a sin of the high priest, after the fat of the sacrifice was offered on the altar, the carcass was carried without the camp [Le 4:12], in order that the total combustion of it in the place of ashes might the more strikingly indicate the enormity of the transgression, and the horror with which he regarded it (compare Heb 13:12, 13).
13-21. if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance—In consequence of some culpable neglect or misapprehension of the law, the people might contract national guilt, and then national expiation was necessary. The same sacrifice was to be offered as in the former case, but with this difference in the ceremonial, that the elders or heads of the tribes, as representing the people and being the principal aggressors in misleading the congregation, laid their hands on the head of the victim. The priest then took the blood into the holy place, where, after dipping his finger in it seven times, he sprinkled the drops seven times before the veil. This done, he returned to the court of the priests, and ascending the altar, put some portion upon its horns; then he poured it out at the foot of the altar. The fat was the only part of the animal which was offered on the altar; for the carcass, with its appurtenances and offals, was carried without the camp, into the place where the ashes were deposited, and there consumed with fire.
22-26. When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments—Whatever was the form of government, the king, judge, or subordinate, was the party concerned in this law. The trespass of such a civil functionary being less serious in its character and consequences than that either of the high priest or the congregation, a sin offering of inferior value was required—"a kid of the goats"; and neither was the blood carried into the sanctuary, but applied only to the altar of burnt offering; nor was the carcass taken without the camp; it was eaten by the priests-in-waiting.
27-34. if any one of the common people sin through ignorance—In this case the expiatory offering appointed was a female kid, or a ewe-lamb without blemish; and the ceremonies were exactly the same as those observed in the case of the offending ruler [Le 4:22-26]. In these two latter instances, the blood of the sin offering was applied to the altar of burnt offering—the place where bloody sacrifices were appointed to be immolated. But the transgression of a high priest, or of the whole congregation, entailing a general taint on the ritual of the tabernacle, and vitiating its services, required a further expiation; and therefore, in these cases, the blood of the sin offering was applied to the altar of incense [Le 4:6, 17].
35. it shall be forgiven him—None of these sacrifices possessed any intrinsic value sufficient to free the conscience of the sinner from the pollution of guilt, or to obtain his pardon from God; but they gave a formal deliverance from a secular penalty (Heb 9:13, 14); and they were figurative representations of the full and perfect sin offering which was to be made by Christ.