Leviticus4

Leviticus chapter 4 details the laws for sin offerings when an individual or the congregation sins through ignorance. It prescribes specific rituals and animal sacrifices for the anointed priest, the whole congregation, a ruler, and common people. Each offering involves the laying on of hands, the shedding of blood, and the burning of fat on the altar, with the aim of atonement and forgiveness.

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Introduction to the Sin Offering

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any one shall sin unwittingly, in any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them:

Offering for the Anointed Priest

if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto Jehovah for a sin-offering.

And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the bullock, and kill the bullock before Jehovah.

And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to the tent of meeting:

and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before Jehovah, before the veil of the sanctuary.

And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Jehovah, which is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.

And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he take away,

as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace-offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt-offering.

And the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung,

even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt.

Offering for the Whole Congregation

And if the whole congregation of Israel err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty;

when the sin wherein they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin-offering, and bring it before the tent of meeting.

And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before Jehovah; and the bullock shall be killed before Jehovah.

And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting:

and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil.

And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before Jehovah, that is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.

And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, and burn it upon the altar.

Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock: it is the sin-offering for the assembly.

Offering for a Leader or Ruler

When a ruler sinneth, and doeth unwittingly any one of all the things which Jehovah his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty;

if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a male without blemish.

And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt-offering before Jehovah: it is a sin-offering.

And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering.

And all the fat thereof shall he burn upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

Offering for the Common Person

And if any one of the common people sin unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty;

if his sin, which he hath sinned, be made known to him, then he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.

And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill the sin-offering in the place of burnt-offering.

And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar.

And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor unto Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

And if he bring a lamb as his oblation for a sin-offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.

And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill it for a sin-offering in the place where they kill the burnt-offering.

And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar.

And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, upon the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven.

Study Notes for Leviticus 4

Verse 2

The sin offering (Hebrew: *hattat*) addresses unintentional sins committed through ignorance or mistake, contrasting with defiant, high-handed sins which usually carried stricter penalties (Numbers 15:30-31).

Verse 3

The priest's sin is the most serious, as his impurity jeopardizes the sanctity of the Tabernacle and affects the entire community. Therefore, he requires the most expensive sacrifice, a young bullock.

Verse 4

Laying hands on the animal signifies the transfer of sin and guilt from the worshiper (the priest) onto the innocent substitute, a crucial step in the substitutionary atonement ritual.

Verse 6

Sprinkling the blood seven times before the veil (the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place) emphasizes the gravity of the sin, which has defiled the inner sanctuary, requiring complete purification.

Verse 7

Applying blood to the horns of the Altar of Incense (the inner Golden Altar) purifies the elements of worship itself, which were corrupted by the high priest’s sin.

Verse 12

Burning the carcass outside the camp is unique to the priestly and congregational sin offerings. This act signifies the complete removal of the most serious defilement from the holy area and the community (cf. Hebrews 13:11-12).

Verse 13

Corporate guilt required a corporate sacrifice. If the sin was committed by the group unknowingly, the remedy was identical to that required for the high priest, using a bullock.

Verse 15

The elders act as the representatives of the entire community, laying hands on the bullock to transfer the collective guilt of Israel.

Verse 20

Atonement (*kipur*) means 'to cover' or 'to cleanse.' The ritual cleanses the sanctuary from the defilement caused by sin, thereby restoring God’s presence among the people and resulting in forgiveness.

Verse 22

A ruler (such as a tribal chief or magistrate) held a position of public responsibility. His sin was treated more seriously than a common person’s, but less seriously than the high priest’s or the nation’s.

Verse 23

The required sacrifice is a male goat, less valuable than the bullock, reflecting the limited scope of the ruler’s influence compared to the high priest or the whole nation.

Verse 26

For the ruler and the common person, the blood was applied only to the outer Bronze Altar, not the inner Golden Altar, reflecting that the impurity did not affect the inner sanctuary.

Verse 27

This addresses the unintentional sin of the individual Israelite, requiring the least costly animals—a female goat or a female lamb, depending on the person's economic means (compare with 5:7-11).

Verse 31

Like the peace offering, the fat is burned as a 'sweet savour' to the LORD, signifying that while the primary purpose is purification, the offering also restores fellowship with God.

Verse 32

A lamb is presented as an alternative to the goat for the common person, provided it is female and without blemish, maintaining the standards of quality required for sacrifice.

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Leviticus4

Introduction to the Sin Offering

Offering for the Anointed Priest

Offering for the Whole Congregation

Offering for a Leader or Ruler

Offering for the Common Person

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