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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
4:1-5:13 The Sin Offering. Cf. 6:24-30. In this section the focus of the sin offering (Hb. khatta't) is on making amends for one's broken relationship with the Lord, caused either by unintentionally violating one of the Lord's prohibitive commandments (4:1-35) or by failing to do something that one was required to do (5:1-13). (In other places the focus will be on addressing severe cases of uncleanness; e.g., 12:6; 14:19; 15:15, 30.) The sin offering is distinguished from other offerings in that the ritual can vary according to the sinner's position before the Lord (e.g., the type of animal required or what the priest does with the blood). In ch. 4 the ritual for the sin of the anointed priest and that of the whole congregation is basically the same, while the ritual for a leader and a common individual is the same. A core part of the ritual is the sprinkling of blood (4:6, 17). Since this is a purifying act (cf. 16:19), it implies that the holy objects are considered to be defiled by the sins of the people. Because of this--and the fact that this offering occurs to address uncleanness as well--some have preferred to call the offering a "purification offering" instead of a "sin offering." In either case, the offering deals with the sin or impurity of the offerer, culminating in the Day of Atonement ritual in ch. 16. In this regard it foreshadows the essence of the Messiah's atoning work on the cross.
4:1-21 This section prescribes how to deal with the sins of the anointed priest and the whole congregation. Blood is sprinkled in front of the veil that separates the outer and inner parts of the tabernacle, indicating that their sins have defiled the Most Holy Place. But since this is a regular occasion, and not the Day of Atonement ritual (ch. 16), the blood cannot be brought into the Most Holy Place. The ritual here shows that the priest and congregation as a corporate entity bear heavier responsibility before the Lord than an individual leader or layperson (so that a more costly animal is required for them to make atonement).
4:3 the anointed priest. Opinion is divided over whether this phrase refers to "the high priest" or to just any priest, though the former option is commonly favored.
4:13 If the whole congregation . . . sins unintentionally. For a possible biblical example, see Josh. 9:15, where Israel makes a covenant with the Gibeonites (who deceived the Israelites by hiding relevant facts from them). realize their guilt. The Hebrew term ’asham is often translated "be guilty," but since sinners bring their animal only after they come to know their sin, it is more likely that the word refers to sinners "realizing their guilt" or "suffering for their guilt" (and hence realizing it; see ESV footnote) (cf. Lev. 4:22, 27; 5:2, 3, 4, 5).
4:22-35 The priest atones for the sin of a leader or an individual by what he does with the blood at the altar of the burnt offering (v. 25) and by burning the fat on it (v. 26). The meat is not burned outside the camp, since it will be eaten by the priests (6:24-30).
5:1-6 The common element in the following four cases is that sinners either deliberately (v. 1) or unknowingly (vv. 2-4) fail to do something that is required. They might fail to give testimony (v. 1), which could prevent justice from being carried out. They might fail to deal properly with ritual uncleanness (vv. 2-3), which could lead to the Lord's tabernacle being defiled. Or they might fail to fulfill an oath (v. 4), which would result in the Lord's name being profaned (see note on 19:11-12). In any of these cases, once they realized their guilt, they were to confess their sin (5:5) and bring a sin offering so that the priest could make atonement for them (v. 6).
5:7-13 The provision of three possibilities for the sin offering, adjusted according to the sinner's economic situation, would ensure that all Israelites have the ability to present an atoning sacrifice, no matter how poor they might be.
