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.
"Tell the people of Isra'el: 'If anyone sins inadvertently against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, if he does any one of them,
then, if it is the anointed cohen who sinned and thus brought guilt on the people, he is to offer ADONAI a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he committed.
He must bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before ADONAI, lay his hand on the bull's head and slaughter the bull in the presence of ADONAI.
The cohen is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the presence of ADONAI in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
The cohen is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense before ADONAI there in the tent of meeting. All the remaining blood of the bull he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
in other words, the entire bull -he is to bring outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are emptied out. There he is to burn it on wood with fire; there, where the ashes are emptied out, it is to be burned up.
"'If the entire community of Isra'el inadvertently makes a mistake, with the assembly being unaware of the matter, and they do something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, they are guilty.
He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar before ADONAI, there in the tent of meeting. All the remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
This is what he is to do with the bull - he must do the same with this bull as he does with the one for the sin offering. Thus the cohen will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.
lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering in the presence of ADONAI ; it is a sin offering.
The cohen is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. Its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings.
All its fat he is to make go up in smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice for peace offerings; thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.
"'If an individual among the people commits a sin inadvertently, doing something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, he is guilty.
The cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar.
All its fat he is to remove, as the fat is removed from the sacrifice for peace offerings; and the cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI. Thus the cohen will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
The cohen is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar.
All its fat he is to remove, as the fat of a lamb is removed from the sacrifice for peace offerings; and the cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar on top of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire. Thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to the sin he committed, and he will 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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