Commentary - Leviticus 5:14-19

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Leviticus, we come to the statutes concerning the guilt offering, or what has sometimes been called the trespass offering. The offerings we have seen thus far have dealt with sin in various ways, but this one has a particular emphasis. The guilt offering deals with sins that incur a debt, sins that require not just atonement but also restitution. It addresses violations against God's holy things and, by extension, against one's neighbor. This is a profoundly practical part of God's law, for it teaches us that true repentance is never just a matter of feeling sorry. It involves making things right. Sin always has consequences, and God in His wisdom has provided a way to deal with both the vertical offense against Him and the horizontal damage done to others.

The passage distinguishes two scenarios. The first (vv. 15-16) deals with unintentional sins against "the holy things of Yahweh," which would include things like tithes, offerings, or other sanctified items. The second (vv. 17-19) addresses a broader category of unintentional sin, where someone violates one of God's commands without realizing it at the time. In both cases, ignorance is no excuse. Guilt is incurred, and a sacrifice is required. This drives home a crucial theological point: sin is an objective reality, defined by God's holy standard, not by our subjective awareness. The remedy for this objective guilt is a substitutionary sacrifice and, where applicable, a tangible act of restitution, pointing us forward to the one who would be our ultimate guilt offering and make the ultimate restitution.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus 5:14-19 concludes the section on the purification (or sin) offering and introduces the guilt (or reparation) offering. These two offerings are closely related, both dealing with specific sins rather than the general state of sinfulness addressed by the ascension offering. However, the guilt offering is distinct in its emphasis on sins that require restitution. It deals with trespasses that violate God's holy property or defraud a neighbor. This focus on making amends is a critical part of the Torah's ethical framework.

Coming after the detailed instructions for the sin offering in chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5, this passage reinforces the pervasive holiness of God. His holiness is not confined to the Tabernacle but extends to all that belongs to Him. Therefore, even unintentional mismanagement of "holy things" is a serious offense. This sets the stage for the laws in chapter 6, which further detail how these offerings are to be handled by the priests, reminding Israel that worship is not a casual affair but a structured encounter with a holy God, governed by His gracious provisions.

Key Issues

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

v. 14 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

As always, we begin with the ultimate source of this instruction. This is not Moses's idea of good religious practice. This is not a committee finding from the elders of Israel. This is the direct, authoritative word of Yahweh, the covenant Lord. The entire sacrificial system is a divine revelation, a gift from God showing His people how they might approach Him despite their sin. Every detail that follows is grounded in His character and His authority. He is the one who was wronged by the sin, and so He is the one who dictates the terms of reconciliation.

v. 15 "If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the holy things of Yahweh, then he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh: a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation in silver by shekels, in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering."

Here we have the first case. The sin is described as acting "unfaithfully." This is covenant language. It's a breach of trust. The sin is against "the holy things of Yahweh." This could refer to tithes that were neglected, firstfruits that were consumed, or portions of a sacrifice that were mishandled. These things belonged to God in a special sense, and to misuse them was to defraud God Himself. Notice the sin is "unintentional." This is not for the man who defiantly shakes his fist at heaven and robs the temple. This is for the man who was careless, forgetful, or ignorant. And yet, his lack of intent does not erase the offense. An objective wrong has been committed. God's property was violated.

The prescribed sacrifice is a ram without blemish. The ram, a male sheep, represents strength and substitution. It must be "without blemish," a constant reminder that the substitute for the sinner must be perfect. This is a drumbeat throughout Leviticus, and it pounds a path straight to the Lamb of God who was truly without spot or blemish. The ram also had a specific monetary value, assessed in silver shekels according to the sanctuary standard. This underscores the reality of the debt. A real loss was incurred, and a real payment is required. This is not just symbolic; it is transactional. Sin creates a debt, and that debt must be paid.

v. 16 "And he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and he shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest. The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him."

Here is the heart of the guilt offering. The sacrifice of the ram deals with the guilt before God, but it does not negate the need for restitution. The offender must repay what he took or misused. But he doesn't just pay it back. He must add a fifth part, or twenty percent. This is a penalty, a tangible acknowledgment of the wrong. It ensures the offender feels the weight of his carelessness and it more than compensates for the loss. This principle is foundational to biblical justice: repentance bears fruit, and that fruit includes making things right with the one you have wronged. You can't just say "sorry" to God and continue to benefit from your sin against your neighbor, or in this case, against God's sanctuary.

Once restitution is made, the priest makes atonement with the ram. The blood is shed, the debt to God's justice is paid by the substitute, and the result is glorious: "it will be forgiven him." Forgiveness is not automatic. It is not cheap. It is secured through blood and accompanied by repentance that makes amends. This is the pattern of the gospel.

v. 17 "Now if a person sins and does any one of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, but he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment."

This second case broadens the scope. This isn't just about holy things; it's about any of God's commands. A man might violate a dietary law, or a rule about Sabbath observance, or any number of other statutes, and not even know he did it. He was "unaware." Our modern sensibilities might want to excuse him. "He didn't know! How can he be guilty?" But God's standard is not our subjective awareness. His law is an objective reality. If you break it, you have broken it, whether you knew it or not. The law reflects God's holy character, and any deviation from it incurs guilt.

The text is emphatic: "still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment." This is a severe mercy. It teaches Israel, and it teaches us, that sin is not a light thing. It is not defined by our intentions but by God's commands. This should cultivate in us a deep humility and a profound sense of our need for a savior, because who among us can even know the full extent of his errors?

v. 18 "He is then to bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him."

The moment the person becomes aware of his sin, he must act. He brings the same kind of sacrifice: a ram without blemish, valued appropriately. The priest makes atonement for his "error." The sin was committed in ignorance, but it was still sin, and it still required the shedding of blood. The promise is the same beautiful refrain: "and it will be forgiven him." God has made a way. Even for the sins we don't know we've committed, there is a provision. This points powerfully to the cross of Christ, which covers not only our known sins but also the vast, uncharted territory of our unknown transgressions. His blood is sufficient for them all.

v. 19 "It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before Yahweh."

The chapter concludes with this stark, unambiguous declaration. Let there be no confusion. Let there be no excuse-making. The reason a guilt offering is necessary is because the person is actually, factually, objectively guilty. The Hebrew is emphatic. The guilt is real, and it is "before Yahweh." This is the ultimate court of appeal. Human courts may debate levels of intent, but before the face of a holy God, any infraction against His perfect law renders us guilty. This is the bad news that makes the good news so glorious. We are all "certainly guilty before Yahweh." And for this certain guilt, God has provided a certain remedy in His Son, our true and final guilt offering.

Application

First, we must abandon the modern notion that sin is only what we do on purpose with malice in our hearts. God's law is an objective standard. Ignorance does not equal innocence. We are guilty of sins of omission, sins of carelessness, and sins we are not even aware of. This should not lead us to despair, but rather to a profound gratitude for the cross. Christ's atonement is so complete that it covers the sins we confess and the sins we are blind to. Our righteousness is in Him, not in our own spotty record of obedience.

Second, true repentance involves restitution. When our sin has caused a tangible loss to another person, saying "I'm sorry" is only the beginning. We have a duty to make it right, to restore what was lost, and then some. This applies to financial debts, broken property, a damaged reputation, or stolen time. The principle of adding a fifth is a good one; our restitution should be generous, demonstrating the sincerity of our repentance. Christ did not just apologize for our sin; He paid our debt in full, and our lives should reflect that same restorative justice.

Finally, this passage reveals the immense grace of God. For every kind of sin, He provided a sacrifice. He did not leave His people without a way back to Him. He knew they would fail, even unintentionally, and so He established a system of grace, all of it pointing to the final sacrifice of Jesus. We are certainly guilty, but in Christ, we are certainly forgiven. Let us, therefore, walk in humility, confess our sins honestly, make amends where we can, and above all, cling to Christ, our perfect guilt offering.