Leviticus 4
DOYLY— a clean place.] Set apart in decency, and out of reverence to religion: and implying that the very ashes that were there laid were not to be converted to any human use. Biblioth. Bibl.
Chap. V. ver. 1. — if a soul sin, &c.] If a person be adjured in the name of God to speak the truth, when he is called to be a witness in any cause, “whether he hath seen or known of it,” that is, whether he can speak to the matter either from his own knowledge or from the information of credible witnesses, and do not “utter it,” then he shall “bear his iniquity,” or be deemed guilty and liable to punishment. Bps. Patrick and Kidder.
It was the custom in those times and countries, for judges and magistrates to demand of accused persons, or witnesses in any cause, in the name of God, to speak the truth. And this laid the same obligations on them that the administering of an oath in our country does now. See instances in 1 Kings xxii. 16; 2 Chron. xviii. 15, &c. Pyle.
Leviticus 4:2
- — If a soul shall sin] Here are three conditions of the description of sin: 1st, It was to be done ignorantly, unadvisedly, through surprise. 2dly, It was to be against negative precepts, or those which forbade something to be done. 3dly, It was not a sin of words or thoughts, but of actions—“shall do against any.” Bps. Kidder and Patrick.
The Hebrew word for sin offering includes the sense of cleansing, expiating, and making satisfaction: hence it denotes an offering for sin, whereby pardon is pro-
Leviticus 4:3
- If the priest—do sin according to the sin of the people.] If the high priest sin like one of the common people. The high priest being a publick person, might by his sin and evil example involve the whole people in guilt and misery, chap. x. 6; 1 Sam. ii. 17, 24. Bp. Kidder.
The sacredness of his office was an aggravation of his sin, beyond that of others, and his dignity rendered his example in doing evil more hurtful than their’s: for which reason a more solemn sacrifice was appointed to be offered for his sins, even of ignorance, than for those of the common people. Dr. Jennings.
Leviticus 4:4
- — and kill the bullock] Among the Gentiles, the alaying of beasts for sacrifice was not thought to be be-
The sin offering of ignorance for the congregation, Before CHRIST 1490.
Leviticus 4:12
- — the whole bullock] It was to be carried, skin and all, without being dissected, out of the camp, and there to be burnt in a fire on the ground. This was to signify that the offerer was in a perfect state of guilt, unfit to communicate with God; and that, like the offering itself, he deserved to be excluded from the society of his people, till he was reconciled by this sacrifice made in his stead: and thus Christ, who was made a sin offering for us, suffered “without the camp,” that is, “without the gate” of Jerusalem, of whose expiation for us this offering was a type and figure, Hebr. xiii. 11, 12. Pyle.
— without the camp] The burning of these sacrifices “without the camp” is to be understood as typical not only of Christ’s suffering “without the gate” of Jerusalem, but probably also of His suffering for the salvation of the Gentiles, (who were without the camp of Israel,) as well as for the Jews: as the bringing the blood of those sacrifices into the Holy place was a figure
ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
Leviticus 4:13
- — if the whole congregation—sin] The Jewish writers are of different opinions concerning the nature of this sin: some by the whole congregation understand the Sanhedrim, and imagine their sin to be, that they had mistaken in judgment, and by that means misled the people. Others interpret it of any general popular defection from the law of God, which through their ignorance of the law was not presently attended to. Thus, when Hezekiah restored the true worship of God after the temple had been shut up, he offered “a sin offering for the kingdom,” 2 Chron. xxix. 21. Dr. Jennings.
— and the thing be hid] That is, if they be not sensible of their error at the time of commission, but afterwards discover it, either by themselves or their rulers. Bp. Patrick.
Before CHRIST 1490. d Chap. 5. 2. 5. 4. for the ruler, and for the people. for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
Leviticus 4:20
- — it shall be forgiven them.] It is observable that we find no express promise of pardon to the priest himself, when he should sacrifice for himself, to the end that he might be so much the more cautious of sinning; or, in case he did sin, of relapsing. But forgiveness is here most expressly promised to the people, on the priest’s intercession, to the end that the people might repose the stronger confidence in the mercy of God, provided they complied with His appointed ordinances. Biblioth. Biol.
Leviticus 4:22
- — a ruler] Any person possessing eminence and authority over the people, as the Hebrew name imports. Bishop Kidder
Leviticus 4:26
- — it shall be forgiven him.] That is, his sin shall not be imputed to him: but then this forgiveness is not
the fruit of the sacrifice barely considered, but an effect of God’s mercy. As the sacrifice was a token of the offerer’s repentance, as well as the institution of God, and a type of our Saviour’s death, it was accepted by God, and procured pardon to the offerer who had sinned. Bp. Kidder.
It should be well remembered, that none of these sacrifices had in themselves any value sufficient to clear the sinner, and procure his forgiveness from God: they were only, by the mercy of God, instituted and accepted as a sign of the offender’s repentance, and designed as figurative representations of a more full and perfect expiation to be hereafter made by Christ the Messiah, for the sins of mankind. Pyle.
The trespass offering of a man for concealing his knowledge,
AND if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.