New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Leviticus 4
1
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
2
"Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, 'Suppose someone sins without meaning to. And that person does something the Lord commands us not to do.
Reference
3
" 'Suppose it is the anointed priest who sins. And suppose he brings guilt on the people. Then he must bring a young bull to the Lord. It must not have any flaws. He must bring it as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.
Reference
4
He must bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting in the sight of the Lord. He must place his hand on its head. He must kill it there in the sight of the Lord.
5
" 'Then the priest must take some of the bull's blood. He must carry it into the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
6
He must dip his finger into the blood. He must sprinkle some of it seven times in the sight of the Lord. He must do it in front of the curtain of the Most Holy Room.
Reference
Blood
Leviticus 16:14
Leviticus 16:19
Parallel theme
Joshua 6:4
Leviticus 26:28
Leviticus 26:24
Leviticus 26:18
References Lord
Joshua 6:8
Leviticus 14:18
7
" 'Then the priest must put some of the blood on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar for burning incense. The incense has a sweet smell. The altar stands in front of the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The priest must pour out the rest of the bull's blood at the bottom of the altar for burnt offerings. That altar stands at the entrance to the tent.
Reference
8
" 'He must remove all of the fat from the bull for the sin offering. It includes the fat that covers the inside parts or is connected to them.
9
It includes both kidneys with the fat on them next to the lower back muscles. It also includes the covering of the liver. He must remove all of it together with the kidneys.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 3:4
10
He must remove it in the same way the fat is removed from an ox that is sacrificed as a friendship offering. Then the priest must burn all of it on the altar for burnt offerings.
11
" 'But the bull's hide must be taken away. So must all of its meat. So must its head and legs. And so must its inside parts and guts.
Reference
12
In other words, all of the rest of the bull must be taken away. The priest must take it outside the camp. He must take it to a place that is "clean." He must take it to the place where the ashes are thrown. There he must burn it in a wood fire on a pile of ashes.
Reference
13
" 'Or suppose the whole community of Israel sins without meaning to. They do something the Lord commands us not to do. Even if they are not aware of what they have done, they are guilty.
Reference
Word
Leviticus 5:17
14
" 'But suppose they become aware of the sin they have committed. Then they must bring a young bull as a sin offering. They must offer it in front of the Tent of Meeting.
Reference
15
The elders of the community must place their hands on the bull's head in the sight of the Lord. The bull must be killed in the sight of the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 1:4
16
" 'Then the anointed priest must take some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting.
17
He must dip his finger into the blood. He must sprinkle it seven times in the sight of the Lord. He must do it in front of the curtain.
18
He must put some of the blood on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar. The altar stands in front of the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The priest must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar for burnt offerings. That altar stands at the entrance to the tent.
19
" 'He must remove all of the fat from the bull. He must burn it on the altar.
20
He must do the same thing with that bull as he did with the bull for the sin offering. When he does, he will pay for the sin of the people. And they will be forgiven.
Reference
21
" 'Then he must take the bull outside the camp. He must burn it just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the whole community.
Reference
Sin
Leviticus 16:15
22
" 'Or suppose a leader sins without meaning to. If he disobeys any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.
Reference
23
" 'But suppose he is made aware of the sin he has committed. Then he must bring an offering. It must be a male goat. It must not have any flaws.
Reference
24
He must place his hand on the goat's head. He must kill it. He must do it at the place where the animals for burnt offerings are killed in the sight of the Lord. His offering is a sin offering.
25
" 'Then the priest must dip his finger into some of the blood of the sin offering. He must put it on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar for burnt offerings. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.
Reference
26
" 'He must burn all of the fat on the altar. He must burn it in the same way he burned the fat of the friendship offering. When he does, he will pay for the sin of the leader. And the leader will be forgiven.
Reference
27
" 'Or suppose someone in the community sins without meaning to. If he disobeys any of the Lord's commands, he is guilty.
Reference
28
" 'But suppose he is made aware of the sin he has committed. Then he must bring an offering for the sin he has committed. It must be a female goat. It must not have any flaws.
Reference
29
He must place his hand on the head of the animal for the sin offering. It must be killed at the place where the animals for burnt offerings are killed.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 4:4
Leviticus 4:15
Sacrifice
Leviticus 1:4
Sin
Leviticus 4:24
Leviticus 4:33
30
" 'Then the priest must dip his finger into some of the blood. He must put it on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar for burnt offerings. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.
Reference
31
" 'He must remove all of the fat in the same way the fat is removed from the friendship offering. He must burn it on the altar. It gives a smell that is pleasant to the Lord. When the priest burns the offering, he will pay for the sin of that person. And he will be forgiven.
Reference
References Lord
Genesis 8:21
Sacrifice
Leviticus 4:26
Leviticus 4:35
Leviticus 1:9
Exodus 29:18
Leviticus 1:13
32
" 'Suppose he brings a lamb as his sin offering. Then he must bring a female animal. It must not have any flaws.
Reference
33
He must place his hand on its head. He must kill it as a sin offering. He must do it at the place where the animals for burnt offerings are killed.
34
" 'Then the priest must dip his finger into some of the blood of the sin offering. He must put it on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar for burnt offerings. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.
Reference
35
" 'He must remove all of the fat in the same way the fat is removed from the lamb for the friendship offering. He must burn it on the altar on top of the offerings that are made to the Lord with fire. When he does, he will pay for the sin that person has committed. And he will be forgiven.
Reference
Summary of Leviticus 4
Leviticus, chapter 4 describes the sin offering and the procedures the Israelites needed to follow when a person sinned unknowingly. The chapter covers various people belonging to the nation that had sinned – the anointed priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person. Though different instructions for bringing the offerings were given, the purpose was the same – the sin had to be addressed and the person could be forgiven through the offering of sin.
The chapter begins with the Lord instructing Moses to explain what should be done when a person sinned regarding the Lord’s commandments. The phrasing is important since the whole of the chapter is devoted to those sins that have been committed without rebellious intent and, perhaps, without a person fully realizing the wrong that they have done. Such an offense could become known at a later time, and the atonement should be made with a sin offering.
The verses then turn to the case of sin offering by the anointed priest. If the priest had sinned and brought upon the people a sin, a young bullock without blemish was to be brought as a sin offering. The priest had to bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle before the Lord, placing his hand upon the bullock’s head and killing the animal.
The priest then had to take part of the bullock’s blood into the tabernacle, dipping his finger into the blood, and sprinkling it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil, inside the tabernacle. The priest then had to place some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense. The rest of the blood had to be poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.
The priest then had to remove the fat of the bullock and burn it upon the altar. The kidneys and the fat that were connected to them were also to be removed and burned, similarly to the portions that had been burned in the peace offering.
The rest of the bullock was to be taken down to a clean place outside the camp, where they were to be burned completely. The sacrifice, therefore, had to be made in terms of blood and the body of the animal.
The next scenario described in the chapter covers the entire congregation of Israel. If the people of Israel had sinned unknowingly and the matter was later discovered, the people of the congregation were to bring a young bullock as a sin offering. The elders of the congregation then placed their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord and killed it.
The priest then brought the blood into the tabernacle, sprinkling it before the veil, seven times. He also placed some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense and poured the remainder of the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering. The fat and certain inward parts were burned on the altar, while the rest of the bullock was taken outside the camp and burned.
The chapter then turns to the case of sin by a ruler. If a ruler sinned unknowingly and later came to learn of his sin, he was to bring a male goat without blemish. The ruler placed his hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priests then placed some of the goat’s blood on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering. The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the bottom of the altar. The fats were to be burned on the altar. After this, the chapter notes that the priest would make atonement for the ruler, and his sin would be forgiven.
The final scenario in the chapter covers one of the people of the land. If a person had sinned unknowningly, they were to be able to bring a female goat without blemish as their offering. They placed their hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priest then took of the blood for use in the manner specified, placing some of it on the horns of the altar and pouring the remainder at the foot of the altar. The fat of the goat was to be burnt on the altar. The chapter again mentions that the priest would make atonement for the person, whose sin would then be forgiven.
A person could also bring a female lamb as a sin offering, instead of the female goat. It had to be without blemish, and the general procedure was similar – placing one’s hand on the animal, killing it, and the priest handling the blood and burning the portions of the animal that had been designated. The verses that describe the sin offerings cover various offerings, the procedures following similar patterns for each.
The different offerings that are mentioned in the chapter illustrate the relationship between an individual and the responsibilities that the person has to God. The sacrifice that was due for the anointed priest and the whole congregation of Israel was different from the sacrifice required for a ruler and of an ordinary person. The priest and the congregation brought a bullock, while a ruler brought a male goat and an ordinary person could bring a female goat or lamb.
The chapter also highlights the fact that the sin committed by the individual could bring guilt upon other people, as was the case with the anointed priest. There was also a separate provision for a sin committed by the whole congregation. This illustrated the responsibility that the nation’s leaders had towards ensuring that the people followed the commandments of God.
A key message that runs through the chapter is the fact that the forgiveness was possible. Following the appropriate procedures for the atonement, the person was forgiven. The offering did not mean that the sin committed by an individual was not acknowledged – the Israelites were provided with a particular procedure that they could use in case they discovered that they had inadvertently violated any of God’s commandments.
Leviticus, chapter 4 draws a clear line between the sins that are deliberately committed as an act of rebellion and the sins that are committed unknowingly. The people were not encouraged to ignore the cases of sin or wrong that had been done without rebellious intent. Once the sin had become known, the individual was expected to acknowledge it and bring the appropriate offering.
The chapter provides a clear picture of the manner in which the sin offering worked – the person (or group) was to bring an animal of the specified type without blemish, identify themselves with the offering by placing their hand on its head, and then the animal was to be killed. The priests handled the blood and burned the required portions of the animal and in some cases the rest of the animal was taken to the part of the camp outside the city, where it was to be burned.
Leviticus, chapter 4 continues the discussion of the offerings by providing further instructions about how the Israelites were to deal with sin. The chapter covers different scenarios – the priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person – and each was expected to know their part in responding to the sin. Through the sacrifice, the person had the opportunity for forgiveness and a restored relationship with God.
The message of the chapter is intrinsically related to responsibility – God’s commandments were not treated as an optional set of rules, even those, perhaps, not followed out of malice but out of ignorance. At the same time, God provided a way for the guilty person to respond, seeking His atonement. The sin offering was the practical opportunity by which the Israelites could recognize the wrong that they had done and atone for it.
The chapter begins with the Lord instructing Moses to explain what should be done when a person sinned regarding the Lord’s commandments. The phrasing is important since the whole of the chapter is devoted to those sins that have been committed without rebellious intent and, perhaps, without a person fully realizing the wrong that they have done. Such an offense could become known at a later time, and the atonement should be made with a sin offering.
The verses then turn to the case of sin offering by the anointed priest. If the priest had sinned and brought upon the people a sin, a young bullock without blemish was to be brought as a sin offering. The priest had to bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle before the Lord, placing his hand upon the bullock’s head and killing the animal.
The priest then had to take part of the bullock’s blood into the tabernacle, dipping his finger into the blood, and sprinkling it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil, inside the tabernacle. The priest then had to place some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense. The rest of the blood had to be poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.
The priest then had to remove the fat of the bullock and burn it upon the altar. The kidneys and the fat that were connected to them were also to be removed and burned, similarly to the portions that had been burned in the peace offering.
The rest of the bullock was to be taken down to a clean place outside the camp, where they were to be burned completely. The sacrifice, therefore, had to be made in terms of blood and the body of the animal.
The next scenario described in the chapter covers the entire congregation of Israel. If the people of Israel had sinned unknowingly and the matter was later discovered, the people of the congregation were to bring a young bullock as a sin offering. The elders of the congregation then placed their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord and killed it.
The priest then brought the blood into the tabernacle, sprinkling it before the veil, seven times. He also placed some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense and poured the remainder of the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering. The fat and certain inward parts were burned on the altar, while the rest of the bullock was taken outside the camp and burned.
The chapter then turns to the case of sin by a ruler. If a ruler sinned unknowingly and later came to learn of his sin, he was to bring a male goat without blemish. The ruler placed his hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priests then placed some of the goat’s blood on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering. The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the bottom of the altar. The fats were to be burned on the altar. After this, the chapter notes that the priest would make atonement for the ruler, and his sin would be forgiven.
The final scenario in the chapter covers one of the people of the land. If a person had sinned unknowningly, they were to be able to bring a female goat without blemish as their offering. They placed their hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priest then took of the blood for use in the manner specified, placing some of it on the horns of the altar and pouring the remainder at the foot of the altar. The fat of the goat was to be burnt on the altar. The chapter again mentions that the priest would make atonement for the person, whose sin would then be forgiven.
A person could also bring a female lamb as a sin offering, instead of the female goat. It had to be without blemish, and the general procedure was similar – placing one’s hand on the animal, killing it, and the priest handling the blood and burning the portions of the animal that had been designated. The verses that describe the sin offerings cover various offerings, the procedures following similar patterns for each.
The different offerings that are mentioned in the chapter illustrate the relationship between an individual and the responsibilities that the person has to God. The sacrifice that was due for the anointed priest and the whole congregation of Israel was different from the sacrifice required for a ruler and of an ordinary person. The priest and the congregation brought a bullock, while a ruler brought a male goat and an ordinary person could bring a female goat or lamb.
The chapter also highlights the fact that the sin committed by the individual could bring guilt upon other people, as was the case with the anointed priest. There was also a separate provision for a sin committed by the whole congregation. This illustrated the responsibility that the nation’s leaders had towards ensuring that the people followed the commandments of God.
A key message that runs through the chapter is the fact that the forgiveness was possible. Following the appropriate procedures for the atonement, the person was forgiven. The offering did not mean that the sin committed by an individual was not acknowledged – the Israelites were provided with a particular procedure that they could use in case they discovered that they had inadvertently violated any of God’s commandments.
Leviticus, chapter 4 draws a clear line between the sins that are deliberately committed as an act of rebellion and the sins that are committed unknowingly. The people were not encouraged to ignore the cases of sin or wrong that had been done without rebellious intent. Once the sin had become known, the individual was expected to acknowledge it and bring the appropriate offering.
The chapter provides a clear picture of the manner in which the sin offering worked – the person (or group) was to bring an animal of the specified type without blemish, identify themselves with the offering by placing their hand on its head, and then the animal was to be killed. The priests handled the blood and burned the required portions of the animal and in some cases the rest of the animal was taken to the part of the camp outside the city, where it was to be burned.
Leviticus, chapter 4 continues the discussion of the offerings by providing further instructions about how the Israelites were to deal with sin. The chapter covers different scenarios – the priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person – and each was expected to know their part in responding to the sin. Through the sacrifice, the person had the opportunity for forgiveness and a restored relationship with God.
The message of the chapter is intrinsically related to responsibility – God’s commandments were not treated as an optional set of rules, even those, perhaps, not followed out of malice but out of ignorance. At the same time, God provided a way for the guilty person to respond, seeking His atonement. The sin offering was the practical opportunity by which the Israelites could recognize the wrong that they had done and atone for it.