4 then shall he who offers his offering offer to Yahweh a meal-offering of a tenth part [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil:
5 and wine for the drink-offering, the fourth part of a hin, shall you prepare with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
6 Or for a ram, you shall prepare for a meal-offering two tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil:
7 and for the drink-offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
8 When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace-offerings to Yahweh;
9 then shall he offer with the bull a meal-offering of three tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil:
10 and you shall offer for the drink-offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
11 Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the he-lambs, or of the kids.
12 According to the number that you shall prepare, so shall you do to everyone according to their number.
13 All who are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
14 If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh; as you do, so he shall do.
15 For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner [with you], a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
16 One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.
17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you come into the land where I bring you,
19 then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a heave-offering to Yahweh.
20 Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a heave-offering: as the heave-offering of the threshing floor, so shall you heave it.
21 Of the first of your dough you shall give to Yahweh a heave-offering throughout your generations.
22 When you shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Yahweh has spoken to Moses,
23 even all that Yahweh has commanded you by Moses, from the day that Yahweh gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;
24 then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor to Yahweh, with the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin-offering.
25 The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, and their sin-offering before Yahweh, for their error:
26 and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.
27 If one person sin unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin-offering.
28 The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs, when he sins unwittingly, before Yahweh, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.
29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is home-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.
30 But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is home-born or a foreigner, the same blasphemes Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
31 Because he has despised the word of Yahweh, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Numbers 15
Commentary on Numbers 15 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 15
This chapter, which is mostly concerning sacrifice and offering, comes in between the story of two rebellions (one ch. 14, the other ch. 16), to signify that these legal institutions were typical of the gifts which Christ was to receive even for the rebellious, Ps. 68:18. In the foregoing chapter, upon Israel's provocation, God had determined to destroy them, and in token of his wrath had sentenced them to perish in the wilderness. But, upon Moses' intercession, he said, "I have pardoned;' and, in token of that mercy, in this chapter he repeats and explains some of the laws concerning offerings, to show that he was reconciled to them, notwithstanding the severe dispensation they wee under, and would not unchurch them. Here is,
Num 15:1-21
Here we have,
Num 15:22-29
We have here the laws concerning sacrifices for sins of ignorance; the Jews understand it of idolatry, or false worship, through the error of their teachers. The case here supposed is that they had not observed all these commandments, v. 22, 23. If they had failed in the offerings of their acknowledgment, and had not brought them according to the law, then they must bring an offering of atonement, yea, though the omission had been through forgetfulness or mistake. If they failed in one part of the ceremony, they must make it up by the observance of another part, which was in the nature of a remedial law.
Num 15:30-36
Here is,
Num 15:37-41
Provision had been just now made by the law for the pardon of sins of ignorance and infirmity; now here is an expedient provided for the preventing of such sins. They are ordered to make fringes upon the borders of their garments, which were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they might not sin through forgetfulness.
After the repetition of some ceremonial appointments, the chapter closes with that great and fundamental law of religion, Be holy unto your God, purged from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service; and that great reason for all the commandments is again and again inculcated, I am the Lord your God. Did we more firmly believe, and more frequently and seriously consider, that God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, we should see ourselves bound in duty, interest, and gratitude, to keep all his commandments.