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.

Introduction to the Sin Offering

1
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them: ​

Offering for the Anointed Priest

3
if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without defect to the LORD for a sin offering. ​
4
He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the LORD. ​
5
The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull, and bring it to the Tent of Meeting.
6
The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the veil of the sanctuary. ​
7
The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out all of rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. ​
8
He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering off of it; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,
9
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away,
10
as it is taken off of the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.
11
The bull’s skin, all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung,
12
he shall carry the whole bull outside of the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire. Where the ashes are poured out, it shall be burned. ​

Offering for the Whole Congregation

13
“‘If the whole congregation of Israel sins, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and are guilty; ​
14
when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting.
15
The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD; and the bull shall be killed before the LORD. ​
16
The anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bull to the Tent of Meeting:
17
and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, before the veil.
18
He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
19
All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar.
20
Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. ​
21
He shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

Offering for a Leader or Ruler

22
“‘When a ruler sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty; ​
23
if his sin, in which he has sinned, is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without defect. ​
24
He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
25
The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
26
All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven. ​

Offering for the Common Person

27
“‘If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and is guilty; ​
28
if his sin, which he has sinned, is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned.
29
He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.
30
The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
31
All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from off of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. ​
32
“‘If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect. ​
33
He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34
The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
35
All its fat he shall take away, like the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of the LORD made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, 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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