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Texts -- Leviticus 4:1-35 (NET)

Context
Sin Offering Regulations
4:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses : 4:2 “Tell the Israelites , ‘When a person sins by straying unintentionally from any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated , and violates any one of them –
For the Priest
4:3 “‘If the high priest sins so that the people are guilty , on account of the sin he has committed he must present a flawless young bull to the Lord for a sin offering . 4:4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord , lay his hand on the head of the bull , and slaughter the bull before the Lord . 4:5 Then that high priest must take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the Meeting Tent . 4:6 The priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord toward the front of the veil-canopy of the sanctuary . 4:7 The priest must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent , and all the rest of the bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent . 4:8 “‘Then he must take up all the fat from the sin offering bull : the fat covering the entrails and all the fat surrounding the entrails , 4:9 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews , and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys ) 4:10 –just as it is taken from the ox of the peace offering sacrifice – and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering . 4:11 But the hide of the bull , all its flesh along with its head and its legs , its entrails , and its dung – 4:12 all the rest of the bull – he must bring outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place , to the fatty ash pile , and he must burn it on a wood fire ; it must be burned on the fatty ash pile .
For the Whole Congregation
4:13 “‘If the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter is not noticed by the assembly , and they violate one of the Lord’s commandments , which must not be violated , so they become guilty , 4:14 the assembly must present a young bull for a sin offering when the sin they have committed becomes known . They must bring it before the Meeting Tent , 4:15 the elders of the congregation must lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord , and someone must slaughter the bull before the Lord . 4:16 Then the high priest must bring some of the blood of the bull to the Meeting Tent , 4:17 and that priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord toward the front of the veil-canopy . 4:18 He must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent , and all the rest of the blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent . 4:19 “‘Then the priest must take all its fat and offer the fat up in smoke on the altar . 4:20 He must do with the rest of the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering ; this is what he must do with it. So the priest will make atonement on their behalf and they will be forgiven . 4:21 He must bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull – it is the sin offering of the assembly .
For the Leader
4:22 “‘Whenever a leader , by straying unintentionally , sins and violates one of the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be violated , and he pleads guilty , 4:23 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless male goat as his offering . 4:24 He must lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord – it is a sin offering . 4:25 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering , and he must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering . 4:26 Then the priest must offer all of its fat up in smoke on the altar like the fat of the peace offering sacrifice . So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin and he will be forgiven .
For the Common Person
4:27 “‘If an ordinary individual sins by straying unintentionally when he violates one of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated , and he pleads guilty 4:28 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless female goat as his offering for the sin that he committed . 4:29 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 4:30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering , and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar . 4:31 Then he must remove all of its fat (just as fat was removed from the peace offering sacrifice ) and the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord . So the priest will make atonement on his behalf and he will be forgiven . 4:32 “‘But if he brings a sheep as his offering , for a sin offering , he must bring a flawless female . 4:33 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered . 4:34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering , and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar . 4:35 Then the one who brought the offering must remove all its fat (just as the fat of the sheep is removed from the peace offering sacrifice ) and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord . So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed and he will be forgiven .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Ignorance

    [isbe] IGNORANCE - ig'-no-rans (sheghaghah; agnoia): "Ignorance" is the translation of sheghaghah, "wandering," "going astray" (Lev 4:2, etc., "if a soul sin through ignorance," the Revised Version (British and American) "unwitting...
    [nave] IGNORANCE. Job 8:9; Job 11:7, 8, 12; Job 28:12, 13, 20, 21; Job 36:26, 29; Job 37:5, 15, 16, 19, 23 Job 38; 39. Psa. 139:6; Prov. 7:6-23; Prov. 8:5; Prov. 9:14-18; Prov. 19:2; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 22:3 Prov. 27:12. Prov. 27:1...

  • Offerings

    [nave] OFFERINGS Offered at the door of the tabernacle, Lev. 1:3; 3:2; 17:4, 8, 9; of the temple, 2 Chr. 7:12; 1 Kin. 8:62; 12:27. All animal sacrifices must be eight days old or over, Lev. 22:27. Must be salted, Lev. 2:13; Ezek....

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • EZEKIEL, 2

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 2 - II. Significance of Ezekiel in Israel's Religious History. Under the first head we will consider the formal characteristics and significance of the book; and the examination of its contents will form the subject...

  • Revelation

    [nave] REVELATION God reveals himself to Moses, Ex. 3:1-6, 14; 6:1-3. The law is revealed, Ex. 20-35; Lev. 1-7; the pattern of the temple, 1 Chr. 28:11-19. The sonship of Jesus, Matt. 3:17; 16:17; 17:5. See: Inspiration; Prophec...

  • Sin-offering

    [ebd] (Heb. hattath), the law of, is given in detail in Lev. 4-6:13; 9:7-11, 22-24; 12:6-8; 15:2, 14, 25-30; 14:19, 31; Num. 6:10-14. On the day of Atonement it was made with special solemnity (Lev. 16:5, 11, 15). The blood was th...

  • SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2

    [isbe] SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 - V. The Mosaic Sacrificial System. 1. The Covenant Sacrifice: The fundamental function of Moses' work was to establish the covenant between Israel and God. This important transaction took ...

  • Atonement

    [ebd] This word does not occur in the Authorized Version of the New Testament except in Rom. 5:11, where in the Revised Version the word "reconciliation" is used. In the Old Testament it is of frequent occurrence. The meaning of t...
    [isbe] ATONEMENT - a-ton'-ment: Translates kaphar; chaTa'; ratsah, the last employed only of human relations (1 Sam 29:4); translates the following Greek stems hilas-, simple and compounded with various prepositions; allag- in comp...
    [nave] ATONEMENT For tabernacle and furniture, Lev. 16:15-20, 33. In consecration of the Levites, Num. 8:21. For those defiled by the dead, Num. 6:11. Made for houses, Lev. 14:53. For sin, see below. By meat offerings, Lev. 5:...

  • Priest

    [isbe] PRIEST - prest (kohen, "priest," "prince," "minister"; hiereus archiereus; for hiereus megas, of Heb 10:21, see Thayer's Lexicon, under the word hiereus: I. NATURE OF THE PRIESTLY OFFICE 1. Implies Divine Choice 2. Implies R...
    [nave] PRIEST. Before Moses Melchizedek, Gen. 14:18; Heb. 5:6, 10, 11; 6:20; 7:1-21. Jethro, Ex. 2:16. Priests in Israel before the giving of the law, Ex. 19:22, 24. Called angel, Eccl. 5:6. Mosaic Ex. 28:1-4; 29:9, 44; Num....

  • HORN

    [ebd] Trumpets were at first horns perforated at the tip, used for various purposes (Josh. 6:4,5). Flasks or vessels were made of horn (1 Sam. 16:1, 13; 1 Kings 1:39). But the word is used also metaphorically to denote the project...
    [isbe] HORN - horn (Hebrew and Aramaic qeren; keras; for the "ram's horn" (yobhel) of Josh 6 see MUSIC, and for the "inkhorn" of Ezek 9 (qeceth) see separate article): (1) Qeren and keras represent the English "horn" exactly, wheth...

  • Blood

    [ebd] (1.) As food, prohibited in Gen. 9:4, where the use of animal food is first allowed. Comp. Deut. 12:23; Lev. 3:17; 7:26; 17:10-14. The injunction to abstain from blood is renewed in the decree of the council of Jerusalem (Ac...
    [nave] BLOOD Is the life, Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11, 14; 19:16; Deut. 12:23; Matt. 27:4, 24. Forbidden to be used as food, Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 7:26, 27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23; Ezek. 33:25; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25. Pla...

  • CONGREGATION

    [isbe] CONGREGATION - kon-gre-ga'-shun (qahal, `edhah). 1. Terms Employed: These two words rendered by "congregation" or "assembly" are used apparently without any difference of sense. They appear to include an assembly of the whol...

  • LORD'S SUPPER; (EUCHARIST)

    [isbe] LORD'S SUPPER; (EUCHARIST) - u'-ka-rist GENERAL || I. DEFINITION II. NEW TESTAMENT SOURCES 1. Textual Considerations 2. Narratives Compared (1) Mark (2) Matthew (3) Pauline (4) Luke 3. Other Pauline Data III. PREPARATION FO...

  • GUILT

    [isbe] GUILT - gilt: The Christian idea of guilt involves three elements: responsibility (Greek aitia, "cause," depending upon a man's real freedom), blameworthiness (Latin reatus culpae, depending upon a man's knowledge and purpos...

  • BASE

    [isbe] BASE - bas: (1) Substantive from Latin basis, Greek basis, a foundation. (a) (mekhonah): the fixed resting-place on which the lavers in Solomon's temple were set (1 Ki 7:27-43; 2 Ki 16:17; 25:13,16; 2 Ch 4:14; Jer 27:19; 52:...

  • HEIFER, RED

    [isbe] HEIFER, RED - In Nu 19 a rite is described in which the ashes of a "red heifer" and of certain objects are mixed with running water to obtain the so-called "water for impurity." (Such is the correct translation of the Americ...

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • HEAD

    [isbe] HEAD - hed (ro'-sh, Aramaic re'sh, and in special sense gulgoleth, literally, "skull," "cut-off head" (1 Ch 10:10), whence Golgotha (Mt 27:33; Mk 15:22; Jn 19:17); mera'ashah, literally, "head-rest," "pillow," "bolster" (1 K...

  • Fat

    [ebd] (Heb. heleb) denotes the richest part of the animal, or the fattest of the flock, in the account of Abel's sacrifice (Gen. 4:4). It sometimes denotes the best of any production (Gen. 45:18; Num. 18:12; Ps. 81:16; 147:47). Th...
    [nave] FAT Offered in sacrifice, Ex. 23:18; 29:13, 22; Lev. 1:8; 3:3-5, 9-11, 14-16; 4:8-10; 7:3-5; 8:16, 25, 26; 10:15; 17:6; 1 Sam. 2:15, 16; Isa. 43:24. Belonged to the Lord, Lev. 3:16. Forbidden as food, Lev. 3:16, 17; 7:23. ...

  • GOAT

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'ez, the she-goat (Gen. 15:9; 30:35; 31:38). This Hebrew word is also used for the he-goat (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 4:23; Num. 28:15), and to denote a kid (Gen. 38:17, 20). Hence it may be regarded as the generic name of th...
    [isbe] GOAT - got: 1. Names: The common generic word for "goat" is `ez (compare Arabic `anz, "she-goat"; aix), used often for "she-goat" (Gen 15:9; Nu 15:27), also with gedhi, "kid," as gedhi `izzim, "kid of the goats" (Gen 38:17),...
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  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses revealed God's purpose for giving the Mosaic Covenant in this chapter.19:1-6 The Israelites arrived at the base of the mountain where God gave them the law about three months after they had left Egypt, in May-June (v. 1...
  • "At first sight the book of Leviticus might appear to be a haphazard, even repetitious arrangement of enactments involving the future life in Canaan of the Israelite people. Closer examination will reveal, however, that quite...
  • Leviticus continues revelation concerning the second of three elements necessary for any nation to exist, namely, a people (Gen. 12:10--Exod. 19), their law (Exod. 20--Num. 10:10), and their land (Num. 10:11--Josh. 24).Leviti...
  • God designed the offerings to teach the Israelites as well as to enable them to worship Him. They taught the people what was necessary to maintain and restore the believer's communion with God."The servant, therefore, had to ...
  • Keil and Delitzsch pointed out that ancient Near Easterners offered certain offerings before God incorporated these into the Mosaic Law. Moses previously mentioned burnt offerings in Genesis 12:7; 13:4, 18; 22; 26:25; 33:20; ...
  • The structure of 4:1-6:7 indicates that this offering has a close relationship to the sin offering. This offering removed the guilt of certain sins that involved trespassing against God. Trespassing means going beyond the lim...
  • "The five basic sacrifices are . . . introduced twice, each sacrifice being treated both in the main section addressed to the people [1:1-6:7] and in the supplementary section addressed to the priests [6:8-7:38]."62The main t...
  • Here we have more detail concerning the ritual involved in this offering than we read formerly (ch. 5). The procedures for slaughtering the trespass offering and sprinkling its blood were the same as for the burnt offering (1...
  • The account of the consecration of the priests and the priesthood (chs. 8-10) follows the regulations concerning offerings. We have a change in literary genre here from legal to narrative material. The legal material in chapt...
  • Following the judgment on Nadab and Abihu, Moses instructed Aaron and his other sons to finish eating the rest of their portion of the sacrifices that they had offered for the nation."When the P [Priestly] code prescribed tha...
  • God dealt with 21 different cases of skin diseases in this pericope. Some of these may have included measles, smallpox, scarlet fever, and other diseases characterized by skin rash.141Some authorities believe that exact ident...
  • The sacrifices and offerings that Moses described thus far in the law were not sufficient to cleanse all the defilement that the sins of the people created. Much sinfulness still needed covering. Therefore God appointed a yea...
  • We move from public regulations in chapter 16 to intimate regulations in chapter 18 with chapter 17 providing the transition. In contrast to the first sixteen chapters, chapter 17 says very little about the role of the priest...
  • Genesis reveals how people can have a relationship with God. This comes through trust in God and obedience to Him. Faith is the key word in Genesis. God proves Himself faithful in this book.Exodus reveals that God is also sov...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell, The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pelican Archaeology series. H...
  • "Chapter 15 is another collection of texts designed to prepare the people for their life in the land. Hence this chapter is one of promise. Though a great deal has happened, and the results are overwhelming for the adult popu...
  • God sent a young Judahite prophet to Bethel to announce a prophecy that God would judge Jeroboam for his apostasy. When he arrived, the king was exercising his priestly function at the Bethel altar (v. 1). The prophet predict...
  • The exiles had begun their journey on the first day of the first month (7:9), but they had camped by the Ahava waterway for 12 days (8:31). They arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month (7:9). God kept them sa...
  • This poem depicts the effects of Yahweh's wrath on the self-exalting nations. His judgment will be universal (vv. 1-4). Isaiah particularized it with reference to Edom, a representative nation (vv. 5-17; cf. 25:10-12)."Here w...
  • 52:13 "Behold, My Servant"marks a new section in the development of Isaiah's argument, but it also calls the reader to fix his or her attention carefully on the Servant (cf. 42:1). The Servant would prosper in the sense of fu...
  • This section and the first two verses of chapter 6 constitute the crux of Paul's exposition of the apostolic office (2:14-7:4) and of the entire letter.1895:18-19 The basis of this total change (new attitudes, v. 16, and new ...
  • The writer proceeded to explain what the community of Christians that he addressed should do to rectify its dangerous condition.6:1 Since they needed stretching mentally they should with the writer "press on to maturity."That...
  • 7:26 In view of His superior ministry it is only fitting that our High Priest should be a superior Person. "Holy"(Gr. hosios) stresses blamelessness.230"Innocent"means without guile or malice. "Undefiled"looks at His absolute...
  • In this pericope the writer concentrated on the tabernacle and its provisions for cultic worship.254The word "first"(Gr. prote) links this section with the former one (cf. 8:13). The writer introduced two subjects in the firs...
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