Leviticus 5
Summary for Lev 5:1-6: 5:1-6 a These verses list examples of sins covered by the sin offering (4:2 b). When a person realized he or she had committed an offense, the next step was to make it right by admitting guilt and bringing a sin offering. 5:1 c The first infraction was the failure to testify when called as a witness before a court. Failure to testify was not a passive act because it actively aided the criminal.• you will be punished (literally you become guilty or you realize your guilt): Anticipating God’s punishment for the sin, the guilty party offered the sacrifice to remove the guilt and escape the punishment.
5:2 d ceremonially unclean: “Clean” and “unclean” did not pertain to hygiene (see 11:1–15:33 e) but to suitability for participating in worship or, in the case of animals, suitability for sacrifice or human consumption. A list of clean and unclean animals is found in 11:1-47 f. The requirement for becoming clean after touching an unclean animal was merely to wash one’s clothes and remain apart from the community until evening (11:25 g). Most likely, therefore, the requirement of this sin offering indicates that the person had failed to follow the prescription for cleansing (11:27-28 h).
5:3 i Any bodily discharge, even blood, would render a person temporarily unclean (chs 11–15 j). The uncleanness itself was not sin, but it was a sin to neglect the uncleanness, allowing it to spread. Once people became aware of their unclean state, they were guilty if they neglected it.
5:4 k Oaths could be taken in the name of the Lord. However, a foolish vow, one thoughtlessly made, was a blasphemous misuse of the Lord’s name (Exod 20:7 l). Accordingly, vows must be fulfilled (see Num 30:2 m; Deut 23:21-23 n; Eccl 5:4-6 o).
5:5 p When you become aware of your guilt: All the situations that required a sin offering assumed guilt by accident or ignorance. As soon as a person became aware of having done something improper, he or she became guilty and was required to attend to it. Known sins were to be dealt with; it was a sin in itself to know what was right and not do it (see 5:17 q; Jas 4:17 r).
• confess: Sacrifice for sin without admission of guilt would be a meaningless ritual. When the sacrificial animal was presented to the priest, the worshiper likely told the priest why it was being offered.
5:6 s The penalty was apparently fulfilled by the required sacrifice (see study note on 4:1–5:13).
• The actions described in 5:1-5 t best fit those of a layperson, so a female offering was permitted, in keeping with the principle demonstrated in 4:28 u, 32 v.
Summary for Lev 5:7-13: 5:7-13 w The poor also needed to secure atonement and reconciliation. Birds (5:7 x) were permitted for those too poor to afford a lamb (cp. 1:14-17 y). Although an animal offering was typically required for atonement (17:11 z), God in his grace allowed the bloodless offering of flour if the worshiper could not even afford two birds (5:11 aa). 5:7 ab The sin offerings included both a portion as a burnt offering and a portion that was first offered, then given to the priests (cp. 4:22-35 ac; 6:24-30 ad). Because of their small size, two birds were required—one for each type of offering.
5:11 ae The sin offering was not to be adorned with olive oil or ... frankincense. These were required for the grain offering, which was the individual’s gift to the Lord (see 2:1 af), given to express worship. The sin offering made atonement; its purpose was to obtain forgiveness, requiring that the offering be completely unadorned.
5:13 ag making them right: See study notes on 1:4; 4:20.
• rest of the flour: See study note on 2:3.
Summary for Lev 5:14-6:7: 5:14–6:7 ah The guilt offering (Hebrew ’asham, “guilt”) dealt with property loss and damages, whether sacred (5:14-16 ai) or secular (6:1-7 aj). It involved restitution as well as compensation for the loss (5:16 ak; 6:5 al). It could be called a “penalty offering,” because the ram was a penalty, or perhaps a “restitution offering,” because of the need to make restitution for the loss before the ram was offered. In the guilt offering (5:14–6:7 am), the loss involved was not only a failure in God’s sight, as with the sin offering, but also a loss of property to another person or to the sanctuary. Cp. Matt 5:23-24 an.
5:15 ao unintentionally defiling: Damage to sacred property was distinguished from damage to secular property. The sacrifice was effective only if the damage to sacred property had been committed accidentally. Deliberate damage, such as vandalism, to something sacred was blasphemous. As with other deliberate sins (Num 15:30-31 ap), no means was specified for its atonement. No devout believer would defiantly continue in sin (see 1 Jn 3:9 aq).
• The sanctuary shekel was not a coin but a standardized unit for measuring weight. It was used to evaluate the ram being offered. Some scholars suggest that this text permits the substitution of the appropriate amount of silver for the ram.
5:16 ar The surcharge of an additional 20 percent provided compensation to the owner for loss or damage to property. The surcharge for sacred property was paid directly to the priests. Accidental damage to sacred property occurred when a person unintentionally ate the sacred offerings (22:14 as) or omitted the tithe (27:31 at). A similar surcharge was involved in redeeming an animal (27:13 au, 27 av).
Summary for Lev 5:17-19: 5:17-19 aw This paragraph provides general principles for the guilt offering. Even if unaware of the infraction, an individual was guilty and had to provide the appropriate guilt offering. This applied to both sacred and secular property (5:14-16 ax; 6:1-7 ay).
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