Leviticus 5

Chapters 1–7 of Leviticus contain the regulations for sacrifice. Chapter 5 continues the sin offering regulations of Leviticus 4. Verses 1–13 address specific cases that require a sin offering and the offerings permitted according to a person's means, while verses 14–19 introduce the guilt offering, a sacrifice with the character of restitution.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The chapter lists cases that require atonement: a witness who is put under oath but does not declare what he has seen; a person who unknowingly touches the carcass of an unclean animal or human uncleanness; and a person who thoughtlessly swears an oath with his lips. Such acts become guilt once the person becomes aware of them.
• Verses 5–6 The guilty person confesses the sin and brings a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering.
• Verses 7–10 If the person cannot afford a lamb, he brings two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
• Verses 11–13 If even that is beyond his means, he brings a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour, with no oil or frankincense placed on it. The priest burns a handful on the altar, and the remainder belongs to the priest.
• Verses 14–16 A person who sins unintentionally regarding the holy things of the LORD brings as a guilt offering a ram without blemish, of the value set in shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary. He also makes restitution to the priest for the loss, adding a fifth part.
• Verses 17–19 A person who unknowingly violates any of the LORD's commandments likewise brings a ram without blemish as a guilt offering.

Key Verses

• Leviticus 5:5 "he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing" — This verse explicitly requires the sin to be confessed aloud before the offering is presented.
• Leviticus 5:11 "But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons" — This provision ensures that the poor are not excluded from atonement.
• Leviticus 5:16 "and shall add the fifth part thereto" — This shows that the guilt offering is accompanied by restitution for the loss in addition to the sacrifice.

People and Places

• Moses — Receives the word of the LORD in verse 14.
• Priest — Receives and presents the offerings and makes atonement for the one who has sinned.
• Tabernacle — Appears in the text as "the sanctuary" and "the altar"; it is the place where sacrifices are offered.

Points for Reflection

• Chapter division — In the Hebrew Masoretic Text, this chapter continues through verse 26. Leviticus 6:1–7 in Korean and English Bibles corresponds to 5:20–26 in the Hebrew Bible.
• The boundary between the sin offering and the guilt offering — Verse 6 uses both the terms "guilt offering" (KJV "trespass offering") and "sin offering." The Hebrew word asham, translated "guilt offering," can also mean "guilt" or "restitution." For this reason some scholars regard verses 1–13 as sin offering regulations and interpret asham in verse 6 as "the penalty for sin."
• A sin offering without blood — The grain offering of verses 11–13 is frequently discussed in comparison with Hebrews 9:22 ("without shedding of blood is no remission"). It is commonly explained as an exception made for the poor.
• Connection to the New Testament — On the basis of Hebrews 10 and other passages, Christian tradition reads these sacrifices as fulfilled once for all on the cross of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:10–12 speaks of the Suffering Servant offering his soul as a guilt offering. The confession in verse 5 is often read alongside the confession of sin in 1 John 1:7–10. Judaism, for its part, is known to teach that since the destruction of the Temple, prayer and repentance take the place of sacrifice.