▼ The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 4:2 through 5:13, and encompasses all the sin offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1 above, and 5:14 and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.

▼ Heb “And a person, when he sins in straying.” The English translation of “by straying” (בִּשְׁגָגָה [bishgagah] literally, “in going astray; in making an error”) varies greatly, but almost all suggest that this term refers to sins that were committed by mistake or done not knowing that the particular act was sinful (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:228–29). See, e.g., LXX “involuntarily”; Tg. Onq. “by neglect”; KJV “through ignorance”; ASV, RSV, NJPS “unwittingly”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “unintentionally”; NAB, NEB “inadvertently”; NCV “by accident.” However, we know from Num 15:27–31 that committing a sin “by straying” is the opposite of committing a sin “defiantly” (i.e., בְּיַד רָמָה [b^eyad ramah] “with a raised hand,” v. 30). In the latter case the person, as it were, raises his fist in presumptuous defiance against the Lord. Thus, he “blasphemes” the Lord and has “despised” his word, for which he should be “cut off from among his people” (Num 15:30–31). One could not bring an offering for such a sin. The expression here in Lev 4:2 combines “by straying” with the preposition “from” which fits naturally with “straying” (i.e., “straying from” the Lord’s commandments). For sins committed “by straying” from the commandments (Lev 4 throughout) or other types of transgressions (Lev 5:1–6) there was indeed forgiveness available through the sin offering. See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:94–95.

▼ This is an emphatic use of the preposition מִן (min; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 56–57, #325).

▼ The “when” clause (כִּי, ki) breaks off here before its resolution, thus creating an open-ended introduction to the following subsections, which are introduced by “if” (אִם [’im] vv. 3, 13, 27, 32). Also, the last part of the verse reads literally, “which must not be done and does from one from them.”

▼ Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

▼ Heb “to the guilt of the people”; NRSV “thus bringing guilt on the people.”

▼ Heb “and he shall offer on his sin which he sinned, a bull, a son of the herd, flawless.”

▼ The word for “sin offering” (sometimes translated “purification offering”) is the same as the word for “sin” earlier in the verse. One can tell which rendering is intended only by the context. The primary purpose of the “sin offering” (חַטָּאת, khatta’t) was to “purge” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see 4:20, 26, 31, 35, and the notes on Lev 1:4 and esp. Lev 16:20, 33) the sanctuary or its furniture in order to cleanse it from any impurities and/or (re)consecrate it for holy purposes (see, e.g., Lev 8:15; 16:19). By making this atonement the impurities of the person or community were cleansed and the people became clean. See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:93–103.

▼ Heb “from the blood of the bull” (and similarly throughout this chapter).

▼ The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (v^ehizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb meaning “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).

▼ Heb “of the blood.” The relative pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

▼ The particle here translated “toward” usually serves as a direct object indicator or a preposition meaning “with.” With the verb of motion it probably means “toward,” “in the direction of” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:234; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 60); cf. NAB, CEV.

▼ The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB) or “curtain” (e.g., NIV, NRSV), but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687–89).

▼ Heb “all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take up from it.”

▼ The MT has here the preposition עַל (’al, “on, upon” [i.e., “which covers on the entrails,” as awkward in Hebrew as it is in English]), but Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums read אֶת (’et), which is what would be expected (i.e., “which covers the entrails”; cf. Lev 3:3, 9, 14). It may have been mistakenly inserted here under the influence of “on (עַל) the entrails” at the end of the verse.

▼ Heb “and all the fat on the entrails.” The fat layer that covers the entrails as a whole (i.e., “that covers the entrails”) is different from the fat that surrounds and adheres to the various organs (“on the entrails,” i.e., surrounding them; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:205–7).

▼ Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”

▼ Heb “taken up from”; KJV, ASV “taken off from”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “removed.” See the notes on Lev 3:3–4 above (cf. also 3:9–10, 14–15).

▼ All of v. 11 is a so-called casus pendens (also known as an extraposition or a nominative absolute), which means that it anticipates the next verse, being the full description of “all (the rest of) the bull” (lit. “all the bull”) at the beginning of v. 12 (actually after the first verb of the verse; see the next note below).

▼ Heb “And he (the offerer) shall bring out all the bull to from outside to the camp to a clean place.”

▼ Heb “a clean place,” but referring to a place that is ceremonially clean. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

▼ Heb “the pouring out [place] of fatty ash.”

▼ Heb “burn with fire.” This expression is somewhat redundant in English, so the translation collocates “fire” with “wood,” thus “a wood fire.”

▼ Heb “strays”; KJV “sin through ignorance.” The verb “strays” here is the verbal form of the noun in the expression “by straying” (see the note on Lev 4:2 above).

▼ Heb “is concealed from the eyes of”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “escapes the notice of.”

▼ Heb “and they do one from all the commandments of the Lord which must not be done” (cf. v. 2).

▼ Heb “and the sin which they committed on it becomes known”; KJV “which they have sinned against it.” The Hebrew עָלֶיהָ (’aleha, “on it”) probably refers back to “one of the commandments” in v. 13 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:243).

▼ Heb “and he shall slaughter.” The singular verb seems to refer to an individual who represents the whole congregation, perhaps one of the elders referred to at the beginning of the verse, or the officiating priest (cf. v. 21). The LXX and Syriac make the verb plural, referring to “the elders of the congregation.”

▼ Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV).

▼ The words “in the blood” are not repeated in the Hebrew text at this point, but must be supplied in the English translation for clarity.

▼ The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (v^ehizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb translated “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).

▼ The MT reads literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger from the blood and sprinkle seven times.” This is awkward. Compare v. 6, which has literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle from the blood seven times.” The MT appears to be corrupt by haplography (i.e., assuming v. 6 to be the correct form, in v. 17 the scribe skipped from “his finger” to “from the blood,” thus missing “in the blood”) and metathesis (i.e., this also resulted in a text where “from the blood” stands before “sprinkle” rather than after it; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 47).

▼ See the note on v. 6 above.

▼ See the note on v. 6 above.

▼ See v. 7, where this altar is identified as the altar of fragrant incense.

▼ Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statement in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.

▼ Heb “take up all its fat from it”; NASB “shall remove all its fat from it.”

▼ See the full discussion of the fat regulations in Lev 4:8–9 above.

▼ Heb “it”; the referent (the fat) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Only the fat is meant here, since the “rest” of the bull is mentioned in v. 21.

▼ Cf. Lev 4:11–12 above for the disposition of “the [rest of] the bull.”

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to them” or “it shall be forgiven to them.”

▼ See the note on the word “slaughter” in v. 15.

▼ Heb “And he shall bring out the bull to from outside to the camp.”

▼ This section begins with the relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר (’asher) which usually means “who” or “which,” but here means “whenever.”

▼ See the Lev 4:2 note on “straying.”

▼ Heb “and does one from all the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be done”; cf. NRSV “ought not to be done”; NIV “does what is forbidden in any of the commands.”

▼ Heb “or his sin which he sinned in it is made known to him”; NAB “if he learns of the sin he committed.”

▼ Lev 4:22b–23a is difficult. The present translation suggests that there are two possible legal situations envisioned, separated by the Hebrew אוֹ (’o, “or”) at the beginning of v. 23. Lev 4:22b refers to any case in which the leader readily admits his guilt (i.e., “pleads guilty”), whereas v. 23a refers to cases where the leader is convicted of his guilt by legal action (“his sin…is made known to him”). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:95–96; Lev 4:27–28; and esp. the notes on Lev 5:1 below.

▼ Heb “a he-goat of goats, a male without defect”; cf. NLT “with no physical defects.”

▼ The LXX has a plural form here and also for the same verb later in the verse. See the note on Lev 1:5a.

▼ Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statements in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ Heb “from.” In this phrase the preposition מִן (min) may be referring to the reason or cause (“on account of, because of”; GKC 383 #119.z). As J. E. Hartley (Leviticus [WBC], 47) points out, “from” may refer to the removal of the sin, but is an awkward expression. Hartley also suggests that the phrasing might be “an elliptical expression for יְכַפֵּר עַל־לְטַהֵר אֶת־מִן, ‘he will make expiation for…to cleanse…from…,’ as in 16:30.”

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

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

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

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

▼ Heb “or his sin which he sinned is made known to him”; cf. NCV “when that person learns about his sin.”

▼ Lev 4:27b–28a is essentially the same as 4:22b–23a (see the notes there).

▼ Heb “a she-goat of goats, a female without defect”; NAB “an unblemished she-goat.”

▼ Heb “on his sin.”

▼ The LXX has a plural form here (see v. 24 above and the note on Lev 1:5a).

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here “he” refers to the offerer rather than the priest (contrast the clauses before and after).

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “And a person when he sins.” Most English versions translate this as the protasis of a conditional clause: “if a person sins” (NASB, NIV).

▼ The same expression occurs in Lev 4:2 where it introduces sins done “by straying unintentionally from any of the commandments of the Lord which must not be done” (see the notes there). Lev 5:1–13 is an additional section of sin offering regulations directed at violations other than those referred to by this expression in Lev 4:2 (see esp. 5:1–6), and expanding on the offering regulations for the common person in Lev 4:27–35 with concessions to the poor common person (5:7–13).

▼ The words “against one who fails to testify” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to make sense of the remark about the “curse” (“imprecation” or “oath”; cf. ASV “adjuration”; NIV “public charge”) for the modern reader. For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292–97.

▼ The words “what had happened” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

▼ Heb “and hears a voice of curse, and he is a witness or he saw or he knew, if he does not declare.”

▼ Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment (for the iniquity)” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity (cf. NRSV, NLT “subject to punishment”). It is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).

▼ The insertion of the words “when there is” is a reflection of the few Hebrew mss, Smr, and LXX that have כִּי (ki, “when, if”; cf. vv. 3 and esp. 4) rather than the MT’s אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who”). Many English versions render this as a conditional clause (“if”).

▼ The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

▼ Heb “and it is hidden from him,” meaning that the person who contracted the ceremonial uncleanness was not aware at the time what had happened, but later found out that he had become ceremonially unclean. This same phrase occurs again in both vv. 3 and 4.

▼ Lev 5:2–3 are parallel laws of uncleanness (contracted from animals and people, respectively), and both seem to assume that the contraction of uncleanness was originally unknown to the person (vv. 2 and 3) but became known to him or her at a later time (v. 3; i.e., “has come to know” in v. 3 is to be assumed for v. 2 as well). Uncleanness itself did not make a person “guilty” unless he or she failed to handle it according to the normal purification regulations (see, e.g., “wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening,” Lev 15:5 NIV; cf. Lev 11:39–40; 15:5–12, 16–24; Num 19, etc.). The problem here in Lev 5:2–3 is that, because the person had not been aware of his or her uncleanness, he or she had incurred guilt for not carrying out these regular procedures, and it would now be too late for that. Thus, the unclean person needs to bring a sin offering to atone for the contamination caused by his or her neglect of the purity regulations.

▼ Heb “or if he touches uncleanness of mankind to any of his uncleanness which he becomes unclean in it.”

▼ Heb “to speak thoughtlessly”; cf. NAB “rashly utters an oath.”

▼ Heb “and is guilty to one from these,” probably referring here to any of “these” things about which one might swear a thoughtless oath (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 45), with the word “oath” supplied in the translation for clarity. Another possibility is that “to one from these” is a dittography from v. 5 (cf. the note on v. 5a), and that v. 4 ends with “and is guilty” like vv. 2 and 3 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:300).

▼ Heb “and it shall happen when he becomes guilty to one from these,” referring to any of “these” possible transgressions in Lev 5:1–4. Tg. Onq., the original Greek translation, and the Latin Vulgate omit this clause, possibly due to homoioteleuton because of the repetition of “to one from these” from the end of v. 4 in v. 5a (cf. the note on v. 4b).

▼ What all the transgressions in Lev 5:1–4 have in common is that the time is past for handling the original situation properly (i.e., testifying in court, following purity regulations, or fulfilling an oath), so now the person has become guilty and needs to follow corrective sacrificial procedures.

▼ Heb “which he sinned on it”; cf. ASV “confess that wherein he hath sinned”; NCV “must tell how he sinned.”

▼ In this context the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential אָשָׁם (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303; cf. the note on Lev 5:1).

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ See the note on 4:26 regarding the use of מִן (min).

▼ Heb “and if his hand does not reach enough of a flock animal” (see the note on v. 11 below). The term translated “animal from the flock” (שֶׂה, seh) is often translated “lamb” (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NCV) or “sheep” (e.g., NRSV, TEV, NLT), but it clearly includes either a sheep or a goat here (cf. v. 6), referring to the smaller pasture animals as opposed to the larger ones (i.e., cattle; cf. 4:3). Some English versions use the more generic “animal” (e.g., NAB, CEV).

▼ Heb “and he shall bring his guilt which he sinned,” which is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the Lord for his sin which he committed.” The words “for his sin” have been left out in v. 7, and “to the Lord” has been moved so that it follows the mention of the birds.

▼ See the note on Lev 1:14 above.

▼ Heb “he.” The subject (“he”) refers to the priest here, not the offerer who presented the birds to the priest (cf. v. 8a).

▼ The action seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin, but in this case not severing the head from the main body (note the rest of this verse).

▼ Heb “he shall not divide [it]” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:305).

▼ The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (v^ehizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter” (cf. Lev 4:6, 17). Contrast “splash” in Lev 1:5, etc. (זָרָק, zaraq).

▼ Heb “the remainder in the blood.” The Heb. preposition “in” (בְּ, b^e) is used here to mean “some among” a whole collection of something.

▼ The word “bird” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

▼ The term “[standard] regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishppat) here refers to the set of regulations for burnt offering birds in Lev 1:14–17.

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ See the note on 4:26 with regard to מִן, min.

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “and if his hand does not reach [or is not sufficient] to”; cf. NASB “if his means are insufficient for.” The expression is the same as that in Lev 5:7 above except for the verb: נָשַׂג (nasag, “to collect, to reach, to be sufficient”) is used here, but נָגַע (nagah, “to touch, to reach”) is used in v. 7. Smr has the former in both v. 7 and 11.

▼ See the note on Lev 1:14 above (cf. also 5:7).

▼ Heb “and he shall bring his offering which he sinned.” Like the similar expression in v. 7 above (see the note there), this is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the Lord for his sin which he committed.” Here the words “to the Lord for his sin” have been left out, and “his [penalty for] guilt” has been changed to “his offering.”

▼ A tenth of an ephah would be about 2.3 liters, one day’s ration for a single person (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:306). English versions handle the amount somewhat differently, cf. NCV “about two quarts”; TEV “one kilogramme”; CEV “two pounds.”

▼ See the note on Lev 2:1 above.

▼ The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָּרָה, ’azkkarah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (Lev 2:2), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14–23 [6:7–16 HT]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the Lord the reason for the presentation of the particular offering (see the remarks in R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:335–39).

▼ The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

▼ Heb “from one from these,” referring to the four kinds of violations of the law delineated in Lev 5:1–4 (see the note on Lev 5:5 above and cf. Lev 4:27).

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “and it”; the referent (the remaining portion of the offering) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

▼ Heb “and it shall be to the priest like the grain offering,” referring to the rest of the grain that was not offered on the altar (cf. the regulations in Lev 2:3, 10).

▼ The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 5:14 through 5:19, encompassing the first main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 6:1 [5:20 HT].

▼ Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root, מַעַל, ma’al); cf. NIV “commits a violation.” The word refers to some kind of overstepping of the boundary between that which is common (i.e., available for common use by common people) and that which is holy (i.e., to be used only for holy purposes because it has been consecrated to the Lord, see further below). See the note on Lev 10:10.

▼ See Lev 4:2 above for a note on “straying.”

▼ Heb “from the holy things of the Lord.” The Hebrew expression here has the same structure as Lev 4:2, “from any of the commandments of the Lord.” The latter introduces the sin offering regulations and the former the guilt offering regulations. The sin offering deals with violations of “any of the commandments,” whereas the guilt offering focuses specifically on violations of regulations regarding “holy things” (i.e., things that have been consecrated to the Lord; see the full discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:320–27).

▼ Here the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential use of אָשָׁם (’asham; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303).

▼ Heb “in your valuation, silver of shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary.” The translation offered here suggests that, instead of a ram, the guilt offering could be presented in the form of money (see, e.g., NRSV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:326–27). Others still maintain the view that it refers to the value of the ram that was offered (see, e.g., NIV “of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel”; also NAB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 72-73, 81).

▼ The sanctuary shekel was about 10 grams (= ca. two fifths of an ounce; J. E. Shepherd, NIDOTTE 4:237–38).

▼ The word for “guilt offering” (sometimes translated “reparation offering”) is the same as “guilt” earlier in the verse (rendered there “[penalty for] guilt”). One can tell which is intended only by the context.

▼ The primary purpose of the guilt offering was to “atone” (see the note on Lev 1:4 above) for “trespassing” on the Lord’s “holy things” (see later in this verse) or the property of others in the community (Lev 6:1–7 [5:20–26 HT]; 19:20–22; Num 5:5–10). It was closely associated with reconsecration of the Lord’s sacred things or his sacred people (see, e.g., Lev 14:12–18; Num 6:11b–12). Moreover, there was usually an associated reparation made for the trespass, including restitution of that which was violated plus one fifth of its value as a fine (Lev 5:16; 6:5 [5:24 HT]). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:557–66.

▼ Heb “and which he sinned from the holy thing.”

▼ Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “and does one from all of the commandments of the Lord which must not be done.”

▼ The words “at the time” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

▼ Heb “and he did not know, and he shall be guilty and he shall bear his iniquity” (for the rendering “bear his punishment [for iniquity]”) see the note on Lev 5:1.) This portion of v. 17 is especially difficult. The translation offered here suggests (as in many other English versions) that the offender did not originally know that he had violated the Lord’s commandments, but then came to know it and dealt with it accordingly (cf. the corresponding sin offering section in Lev 5:1–4). Another possibility is that it refers to a situation where a person suspects that he violated something although he does not recollect it. Thus, he brings a guilt offering for his suspected violation (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:331–34, 361–63). See also R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:561–62.

▼ The statement here is condensed. See the full expression in 5:15 and the note there.

▼ Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

▼ Heb “on his straying which he strayed.” See the note on Lev 4:2.

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV and NASB both similar).

▼ Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.

▼ This paragraph is Lev 6:1–7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20–26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.

▼ Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root מַעַל, ma’al). See the note on 5:15.

▼ Or “neighbor” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NASB “companion”; TEV “a fellow-Israelite.”

▼ Heb “has extorted his neighbor”; ASV “oppressed”; NRSV “defrauded.”

▼ Heb “and swears on falsehood”; cf. CEV “deny something while under oath.”

▼ Heb “on one from all which the man shall do to sin in them.”

▼ Heb “and it shall happen, when he sins and becomes guilty,” which is both resumptive of the previous (vv. 2–3) and the conclusion to the protasis (cf. “then” introducing the next clause as the apodosis). In this case, “becomes guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV) probably refers to his legal status as one who has been convicted of a crime in court; thus the translation “he is found guilty.” See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:559–61.

▼ Heb “that had been held in trust with him.”

▼ Heb “or from all which he swears on it to falsehood.”

▼ Heb “in its head.” This refers “the full amount” in terms of the “principal,” the original item or amount obtained illegally (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:338; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 84).

▼ Heb “to whom it is to him he shall give it in the day of his being guilty.” The present translation is based on the view that he has been found guilty through the legal process (see the note on v. 4 above; cf., e.g., TEV and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 33–34). Others translate the latter part as “in the day he offers his guilt [reparation] offering” (e.g., NIV and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73, 84), or “in the day he realizes his guilt” (e.g., NRSV and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:319, 338).

▼ The words “into silver shekels” are supplied here. See the full expression in Lev 5:15, and compare 5:18. Cf. NRSV “or its equivalent”; NLT “or the animal’s equivalent value in silver.”

▼ Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

▼ Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

▼ Heb “on one from all which he does to become guilty in it”; NAB “whatever guilt he may have incurred.”

▼ Lev 6:8 in the English Bible = 6:1 in the Hebrew text. See also the note on 6:1.

▼ The following paragraphs are Lev 6:8–30 in the English Bible but 6:1–23 in the Hebrew text. This initial verse makes the special priestly regulations for the people’s burnt and grain offerings into a single unit (i.e., Lev 6:8–18 [6:1–11 HT]; cf. Lev 1–2 above). Note also the separate introductions for various priestly regulations in Lev 6:19 [12 HT], 24 [17 HT], and for the common people in Lev 7:22, 28 below.

▼ Heb “It is the burnt offering on the hearth.”

▼ Heb “in it.” In this context “in it” apparently refers to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar.

▼ The exact nature of this article of the priest’s clothing is difficult to determine. Cf. KJV, ASV “breeches”; NAB “drawers”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “undergarments”; NCV “underclothes”; CEV “underwear”; TEV “shorts.”

▼ Heb “he shall lift up the fatty ashes which the fire shall consume the burnt offering on the altar.”

▼ Heb “it,” referring the “fatty ashes” as a single unit.

▼ The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness of the place involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

▼ Heb “in it,” apparently referring to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar (cf. the note on v. 9).

▼ Heb “offering it, the sons of Aaron.” The verb is a Hiphil infinitive absolute, which is used here in place of the finite verb as either a jussive (GKC 346 #113.cc, “let the sons of Aaron offer”) or more likely an injunctive in light of the verbs that follow (Joüon 2:430 #123.v, “the sons of Aaron shall/must offer”).

▼ Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The “he” refers to the officiating priest. A similar shift between singular and plural occurs in Lev 1:7–9, but see the note on Lev 1:7 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 89 for the possibility of textual corruption.

▼ Heb “shall take up from it with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering.”

▼ See the note on Lev 2:2.

▼ Smr reading, which includes the locative ה (hey, translated “on” the altar), is preferred here. This is the normal construction with the verb “offer up in smoke” in Lev 1–7 (see the note on Lev 1:9).

▼ Heb “and he shall offer up in smoke [on] the altar a soothing aroma, its memorial portion, to the Lord.”

▼ Heb “It must not be baked leavened” (cf. Lev 2:11). The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.

▼ Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; cf. NAB “most sacred.”

▼ Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “a permanent ordinance”; NRSV “as their perpetual due.”

▼ Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come.”

▼ Heb “touches them”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In this context “them” must refer to the “gifts” of the Lord.

▼ Or “anyone/anything that touches them shall become holy” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:443–56). The question is whether this refers to the contagious nature of holy objects (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or whether it simply sets forth a demand that anyone who touches the holy gifts of the Lord must be a holy person (cf. CEV). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:900–902.

▼ See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT] above.

▼ A tenth of an ephah is about 2.3 liters, one day’s ration for a single person (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:306).

▼ For the rendering “choice wheat flour” see the note on Lev 2:1.

▼ The term rendered here “well soaked” (see, e.g., NRSV; the Hebrew term is מֻרְבֶּכֶת, murbbekhet) occurs only three times (here; 7:12, and 1 Chr 23:29), and is sometimes translated “well-mixed” (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT; NASB “well stirred”; NAB “well kneaded”). The meaning is uncertain (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:399–400), but in Lev 7:12 it stands parallel to already prepared grain offerings either “mixed” (the Hebrew term is בְּלוּלֹת (b^elulot), not מֻרְבֶּכֶת as in Lev 6:21 [6:14 HT]) or anointed with oil.

▼ Heb “broken bits [?] of a grain offering of pieces,” but the meaning of the Hebrew term rendered here “broken bits” (תֻּפִינֵי, tufiney) is quite uncertain. Some take it from the Hebrew verb “to break up, to crumble” (פַּת [pat]; e.g., the Syriac, NAB, NIV, NLT “broken” pieces) and others from “to bake” (אָפַה, ’afah; e.g., NRSV “baked pieces”). For a good summary of other proposed options, see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 90. Compare Lev 2:5–6 for the general regulations regarding this manner of grain offering. Similar but less problematic terminology is used there.

▼ Heb “And the anointed priest under him.”

▼ See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT].

▼ Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is.” Cf. NAB “most sacred”; CEV “very sacred”; TEV “very holy.”

▼ Heb “on the garment”; NCV “on any clothes”; CEV “on the clothes of the priest.”

▼ The translation “you must wash” is based on the MT as it stands (cf. NASB, NIV). Smr, LXX, Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J., and the Vulgate have a third person masculine singular passive form (Pual), “[the garment] must be washed” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). This could also be supported from the verbs in the following verse, and it requires only a repointing of the Hebrew text with no change in consonants. See the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 90 and J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:404.

▼ Heb “it”; the words “that vessel” are supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

▼ Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is” (also in 7:1).

▼ Heb “burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely.”

▼ Heb “he”; the referent (the officiating priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This priest was responsible for any actions involving direct contact with the altar (e.g., the splashing of the blood).

▼ See the note on Lev 1:5.

▼ Heb “then he.” This pronoun refers to the offerer, who was responsible for slaughtering the animal. Contrast v. 2 above and v. 5 below.

▼ See the notes on Lev 3:3–4.

▼ See the note on Lev 1:9 above.

▼ Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; NAB “most sacred”; TEV “very holy.”

▼ Heb “like the sin offering like the guilt offering, one law to them.”

▼ Heb “and” rather than “or” (cf. also the next “or”).

▼ Heb “and all made in the pan”; cf. KJV “fryingpan”; NAB “deep-fried in a pot.”

▼ Heb “a man like his brother.”

▼ This “he” pronoun refers to the offerer. Smr and LXX have plural “they.”

▼ Or “for a thank offering.”

▼ See the notes on Lev 2:4.

▼ See the note on Lev 6:21 [6:14 HT].

▼ Heb “choice wheat flour well soaked ring-shaped loaves.” See the note on Lev 2:1.

▼ The rendering “this [grain] offering” is more literally “his offering,” but it refers to the series of grain offerings listed just previously in v. 12.

▼ The words “which regularly accompany” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity.

▼ The translation “[which regularly accompany]…” is based on the practice of bringing bread (and wine) to eat with the portions of the peace offering meat eaten by the priests and worshipers (see v. 14 and Num 15:1–13). This was in addition to the memorial portion of the unleavened bread that was offered to the Lord on the altar (cf. Lev 2:2, 9, and the note on 7:12).

▼ Here the Hebrew text reads “offering” (קָרְבָּן, qorbban), not “grain offering” (מִנְחָה, minkhah), but in this context the term refers once again to the list in 7:12.

▼ The term rendered “contribution offering” is תְּרוּמָה (t^erumah), which generally refers to that which is set aside from the offerings to the Lord as prebends for the officiating priests (cf. esp. Lev 7:28–34 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335–37). Cf. TEV “as a special contribution.”

▼ In the verse “his” refers to the offerer.

▼ For the distinction between votive and freewill offerings see the note on Lev 22:23 and the literature cited there.

▼ Heb “and on the next day and the left over from it shall be eaten.”

▼ Heb “burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely” (likewise in v. 19).

▼ Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422. Cf. NIV “it is impure”; NCV “it will become unclean”; NLT “will be contaminated.”

▼ Heb “his iniquity he shall bear” (cf. Lev 5:1); NIV “will be held responsible”; NRSV “shall incur guilt”; TEV “will suffer the consequences.”

▼ The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation both here and in the following sentence to clarify that the uncleanness involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

▼ The Hebrew has simply “the flesh,” but this certainly refers to “clean” flesh in contrast to the unclean flesh in the first half of the verse.

▼ Heb “and his unclean condition is on him.”

▼ The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits (cf. TEV, CEV), or his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation), etc. See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 100; J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:457–60; and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 241–42 for further discussion.

▼ For these categories of unclean animals see Lev 11.

▼ For the interpretation of this last clause see the note on Lev 7:20.

▼ See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT] above.

▼ Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB, TEV “that has died a natural death.”

▼ Heb “shall be used for any work”; cf. NIV, NLT “may be used for any other purpose.”

▼ See the note on Lev 7:20.

▼ Heb “and any blood you must not eat in any of your dwelling places, to the bird and to the animal.”

▼ See the note on Lev 7:20.

▼ See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT].

▼ Heb “on the breast.”

▼ Many Hebrew mss and some versions (esp. the LXX) limit the offerings in the last part of this verse to the fat portions, specifically, the fat and the fat lobe of the liver (see the BHS footnote). The verse is somewhat awkward in Hebrew but nevertheless correct.

▼ Heb “the breast to wave it, a wave offering before the Lord.” Other possible translations are “to elevate the breast [as] an elevation offering before the Lord” (cf. NRSV) or “to present the breast [as] a presentation offering before the Lord.” See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 91, J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:430–31, 461–72, and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:63–67.

▼ Older English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV) translate this Hebrew term (תְּרוּמָה, t^erumah) “heave offering,” derived from the idea of “to raise, to lift” found in the verbal root (cf. NAB “a raised offering”). “Contribution offering” is a better English rendering because it refers to something “taken out from” (i.e., “lifted up from”; cf. the Hebrew term הֵרִים (herim) in, e.g., Lev 2:9; 4:8, etc.) the offering as a special contribution to the specific priest who presided over the offering procedures in any particular instance (see the next verse and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335–37). Cf. TEV “as a special contribution”; NCV, NLT “as a gift.”

▼ Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “as their due forever”; NRSV “as a perpetual due”; NLT “their regular share.”

▼ Heb “the day he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

▼ Heb “in the day of he presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.” The grammar here is relatively unusual. First, the verb “presented” appears to be in the perfect rather than the infinitive (but see GKC 531), the latter being normal in such temporal expressions. Second, the active verb form appears to be used as a passive plural (“they were presented”). However, if it is translated active and singular then Moses would be the subject: “on the day he [Moses] offered them [Aaron and his sons].”

▼ Heb “the day he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

▼ Heb “which the Lord commanded to give to them in the day he anointed them from the children of Israel.” Thus v. 36 is tied syntactically to v. 35 (see the note there).

▼ Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come”; TEV “for all time to come.”

▼ The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה [torah]) occurs up to this point in the book only in Lev 6:9 [6:2 HT], 14 [7 HT], 25 [18 HT], 7:1, 7, 11, and here in 7:37. This suggests that Lev 7:37–38 is a summary of only this section of the book (i.e., Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT]-7:36), not all of Lev 1–7.

▼ In the MT only “the grain offering” lacks a connecting ו (vav). However, many Hebrew , Smr, LXX, Syriac, and some mss of Tg. Onq. have the ו (vav) on “the grain offering” as well.

▼ The inclusion of the “ordination offering” (מִלּוּאִים, milu’im; the term apparently comes from the notion of “filling [of the hand],” cf. Lev 8:33) here anticipates Lev 8. It is a kind of peace offering, as the regulations in Lev 8:22–32 will show (cf. Exod 29:19–34). In the context of the ordination ritual for the priests it fits into the sequence of offerings as a peace offering would: sin offering (Lev 8:14–17), burnt and grain offering (Lev 8:18–21), and finally peace (i.e., ordination) offering (Lev 8:22–32). Moreover, in this case, Moses received the breast of the ordination offering as his due since he was the presiding priest over the sacrificial procedures (Lev 8:29; cf. Lev 7:30–31), while Aaron and his sons ate the portions that would have been consumed by the common worshipers in a regular peace offering procedure (Exod 29:31–34; cf. Lev 7:15–18). For a general introduction to the peace offering see the note on Lev 3:1.