Commentary - Leviticus 5:1-13

Bird's-eye view

This section of Leviticus continues to detail the various offerings required under the Mosaic covenant, focusing here on what is often called the guilt offering, or trespass offering. It deals with sins that are not always high-handed rebellion, but are often sins of omission, carelessness, or ignorance. The structure of the passage is straightforward: it identifies several specific instances of sin (vv. 1-4), mandates the required response of confession (v. 5), and then outlines the sacrificial requirements, graciously making provision for the economic realities of the people (vv. 6-13). God is holy, and sin is a defilement that must be dealt with. But God is also merciful, and He provides a way for His people to be cleansed and forgiven, a way that is accessible to all, regardless of their station in life. This entire system, with its blood and altars and priests, is a magnificent audio-visual aid, pointing forward to the one sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The central theme is that all sin creates guilt, and all guilt must be atoned for. There is no such thing as a small sin in the presence of a holy God. Whether it is a failure to speak when one should have, an accidental touching of something unclean, or a rash oath spoken without thought, sin separates. The remedy God provides is substitutionary atonement. An animal dies in the place of the sinner. This is not because God is a cosmic tyrant demanding blood, but because the wages of sin is death, and God, in His mercy, provides a substitute to bear that penalty. The sliding scale of sacrifices, from a lamb to two birds to a measure of flour, demonstrates that access to God's forgiveness is not dependent on wealth, but on a repentant heart that comes to God on His terms.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Coming off the heels of the laws for the sin offering in chapter 4, chapter 5 continues to elaborate on the kinds of offenses that require atonement. While chapter 4 dealt with unintentional sins committed by various members of the covenant community (priest, congregation, leader, common person), chapter 5 seems to focus on more specific, almost mundane, instances of sin. These are the kinds of sins that can easily accumulate, creating a kind of spiritual clutter in a person's life. The placement here underscores a critical theological point: God is concerned with all of life, not just the "big" sins. The holiness He requires of His people is comprehensive. This chapter functions as a bridge, connecting the general principles of the sin offering to the more specific applications found in the laws that follow concerning sins against God and neighbor (Lev. 5:14-6:7).

Key Issues

Commentary

Leviticus 5:1 ‘Now if a person sins after he hears a public oath to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.

The first case is a sin of omission. A public oath, a solemn charge, has been made for witnesses to come forward. This person, this nephesh or soul, has relevant information. He has either seen it with his own eyes or has come to know it through reliable means. But he keeps his mouth shut. This is not neutrality; it is sin. In a court of law, silence is consent to injustice. God has established the civil order, and part of our duty is to uphold it through truthful testimony. To remain silent is to become an accessory after the fact. Notice the consequence: "he will bear his guilt." Sin has weight. It is a burden that a man must carry, and it will crush him unless it is dealt with. This isn't just about legal procedure; it's about the fact that our words, and our silence, have moral gravity before a God who is truth.

Leviticus 5:2 Or a person who touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him, yet he is unclean, will be guilty.

Here we move from the courtroom to the realm of ceremonial purity. The issue is touching something dead and unclean. In the biblical worldview, death is the result of sin, and contact with death brings defilement. The list is comprehensive, wild beasts, domestic animals, and even the small swarming things. Now, the key phrase here is "though it is hidden from him." He didn't know he did it. Maybe he was walking through a field at dusk and brushed against a dead animal without realizing it. It doesn't matter. Objective guilt is incurred regardless of subjective awareness. Sin is a violation of God's holy standard, whether we are aware of it or not. Ignorance is not innocence. Once he becomes aware of his state, "yet he is unclean, will be guilty", he is responsible to deal with it. This teaches us that sin is not just a matter of our intentions; it is a matter of our condition before a holy God.

Leviticus 5:3 Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty.

This verse parallels the previous one, but shifts the source of uncleanness from dead animals to human beings. Human uncleanness could refer to a number of things detailed elsewhere in Leviticus, such as skin diseases or bodily discharges. Again, the contact is inadvertent. It is "hidden from him." But as soon as he "comes to know it," the guilt is established. This is a constant reminder to the Israelite that they live in a fallen world, a world contaminated by sin and its consequences, which include sickness and death. Holiness requires vigilance. It requires them to be mindful of their state before God. You cannot just drift into holiness. But when you inevitably fail, when you are contaminated by the fallenness of the world, God has provided a way back.

Leviticus 5:4 Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with a sworn oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these.

The fourth case deals with the tongue. A man makes a rash oath, speaking "thoughtlessly with his lips." This covers the waterfront, whether the oath was "to do evil or to do good." The issue is not necessarily the content of the oath, but the reckless manner in which it was made. Words are powerful. An oath invokes the name and authority of God, and it is not to be done lightly. James warns us that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. Here, the man blurts out an oath and then forgets about it, "it is hidden from him." But later, the memory surfaces, and he realizes his folly. He is guilty. God takes our words seriously, even when we do not. This is a call to govern our speech, to let our 'yes' be 'yes' and our 'no' be 'no,' because anything more comes from the evil one.

Leviticus 5:5 So it shall be, when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.

This verse is the pivot point. For all the foregoing instances of guilt, there is a required first step before any sacrifice can be made. He must confess. Confession is not simply saying "I'm sorry." The Hebrew word implies an agreement. To confess is to say the same thing about your sin that God says about it. It is to call it what it is: a violation of His law, a defilement, a trespass. You don't rename it, you don't excuse it, you don't minimize it. You own it. Without this honest acknowledgment, the ritual of sacrifice is just an empty form. God is after a broken and contrite heart, not just the blood of goats and bulls. We do the confessing; He does the cleansing. This principle runs straight through to the New Testament: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Leviticus 5:6 He shall also bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.

After confession comes the sacrifice. This is the asham, the guilt offering. The standard offering is a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat. This animal is brought "to Yahweh." The sin was against God, and so the payment must be rendered to Him. The animal serves as a substitute. It dies the death the sinner deserved. And notice who facilitates this: "the priest shall make atonement on his behalf." The sinner cannot atone for himself. He needs a mediator, an authorized representative to stand between him and a holy God. The priest takes the offering and, through the prescribed ritual, makes atonement. The guilt is covered, the debt is paid, and the relationship with God is restored. Every priest, every lamb, every drop of blood was a finger pointing to the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and His once-for-all sacrifice.

Leviticus 5:7 ‘But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to Yahweh his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

Here we see the grace of God in action. What if a man is poor? What if his means do not extend to a lamb? Is he cut off from forgiveness? Not at all. God makes a provision. If a lamb is beyond his reach, he can bring two birds. This is a tremendous comfort. God's standard of holiness is absolute, but His provision for forgiveness is accessible to all. He is not interested in bankrupting His people; He is interested in restoring them. It is worth noting that when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple, this is the offering they made (Luke 2:24), indicating their humble economic status. The Savior of the world was born into a family that would have availed themselves of this very provision.

Leviticus 5:8-10 And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall bring near first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the front of its neck, but he shall not separate it. He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar: it is a sin offering. The second he shall then prepare as a burnt offering according to the legal judgment. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.

The procedure for the two birds is detailed. The first is for the sin offering. The priest kills it, but not by fully severing the head. The blood, which represents the life of the animal, is sprinkled on the altar and the rest poured out at its base. This deals with the sin. The second bird is a burnt offering, offered "according to the legal judgment," or the established rule. The burnt offering was an expression of total dedication and worship to God. So, the sinner is not only cleansed from his defilement (the sin offering) but is also restored to a position of worship and fellowship (the burnt offering). The end result is stated plainly: the priest makes atonement, "and it will be forgiven him." This is the glorious gospel in miniature. Atonement is made, and forgiveness is granted. It is a divine passive, God is the one doing the forgiving.

Leviticus 5:11-13 ‘But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not place oil on it or put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. He shall then bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, with the offerings of Yahweh by fire: it is a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has committed from one of these, and it will be forgiven him; then the rest shall become the priest’s, like the grain offering.’ ”

God's gracious provision extends even further. What about the man who is so impoverished he cannot even afford two pigeons? Is he lost? No. He can bring a measure of fine flour. This is remarkable because the sin offering almost always required the shedding of blood, for "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22). This is the exception that proves the rule. God makes this concession so that no one is excluded. But notice the restrictions: no oil and no frankincense. Oil and frankincense were associated with joy, celebration, and fellowship, and were typical components of the grain offering. But this is a sin offering. It is a solemn occasion, a recognition of offense. It is not a time for festive additions. The priest takes a memorial portion and burns it on the altar, on top of the other sacrifices. This flour offering is accepted "with the offerings of Yahweh by fire," linking it to the bloody sacrifices and thus to the principle of atonement. Once again, the result is the same: atonement is made, and he "will be forgiven." The remainder of the flour belongs to the priest, providing for his sustenance. God's economy is beautiful; in the act of forgiving His people, He also provides for His ministers.

Application

The principles laid out in this ancient text are as relevant today as they were when Moses wrote them. First, we must take all sin seriously. We live in a culture that minimizes sin, renames it, and excuses it. But God's Word shows us that even "hidden" or "thoughtless" sins create real guilt before a holy God. We must cultivate a tender conscience, one that is sensitive to our own failings, whether in word, deed, or omission.

Second, we must embrace the necessity of confession. True forgiveness begins when we stop making excuses and start agreeing with God about the nature of our sin. Honest confession is the pathway to a clear conscience. We are not cleaning ourselves up when we confess; we are coming to the one who can cleanse us. We do the confessing, and He does the forgiving.

Third, and most importantly, we must see that this entire system points to Christ. We no longer bring a lamb, two birds, or a scoop of flour. Why? Because the final, perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice has been made. Jesus is our guilt offering. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The sliding scale of sacrifice showed that God wanted forgiveness to be accessible to all. The cross of Christ is God's ultimate provision, accessible to any and all who will come to Him in faith, regardless of their station in life. The priest made atonement, and the sinner was forgiven. Our great High Priest, Jesus, has made a perfect atonement, and through Him, we are offered a forgiveness that is full, final, and free.