Leviticus 4:27

For the Common Person

4:27 “‘If an ordinary individual ¹  sins by straying unintentionally ²  when he violates one of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, ³  and he pleads guilty

Genesis 20:9

20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? ⁴  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁵ 

James 3:10

3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. ⁶ 

¹ tn Heb “an individual from the people of the land”; cf. NASB “anyone of the common people” (KJV, ASV both similar); NAB “a private person.”

² tn Heb “If one person sins by straying, from the people of the land.” See Lev 4:2 for a note on “straying.”

³ tn Heb “by doing it, one from the commandments of the Lord which must not be done.”

⁴ tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.

⁵ tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.

⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.