Leviticus
Summary
Leviticus Chapter 5 extends the laws of the sin offering to include various moral and ceremonial failures, such as withholding testimony, touching something unclean, or making a rash oath. It also introduces the guilt offering for cases involving "holy things" or property rights. For those of modest means, God graciously provided for less expensive sacrifices, such as birds or even flour. This demonstrated that access to divine forgiveness was available to all, regardless of their wealth, and that every transgression against God or another person required honest restitution.
‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up after hearing a public call to testify about something they have seen or learned, they will be held responsible.
‘If anyone touches something ceremonially unclean, whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal, livestock, or a small crawling creature, even if they are unaware of it, they become unclean and guilty.
‘Or if they touch human uncleanness, anything that would make a person unclean, even if they are unaware of it, they are guilty when they realize what has happened.
‘Or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil, in any matter one might swear about, even if they are unaware of it, they are guilty when they realize it.
‘When anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these ways, they must confess the sin they have committed.
As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a guilt offering [1]; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.
‘If they cannot afford a lamb, they must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for their sin, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, without severing it completely.
He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.
The priest shall then offer the second bird as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.
‘If, however, they cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.
They shall bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made by fire to the LORD. It is a sin offering.
In this way, the priest will make atonement for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as with the grain offering.’
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
"When anyone is unfaithful to the LORD by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the LORD’s holy things, they are to bring to the LORD as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering.
They must make restitution for what they have failed to do regarding the holy things, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.
"If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even if they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible.
They are to bring to the priest a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value, as a guilt offering. In this way, the priest will make atonement for them for the error they committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.
It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the LORD."