And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Continued to speak to him, or, after some pause made, proceeded to speak to him, and give things in commandment concerning the sin offering, what it should be, and for whom, as follows. read more
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying ,.... For this law concerning the sin offering, as the rest, only belonged to them, and such as were proselyted to them: if a soul should sin through ignorance ; sin is from the soul, though committed by the body; it is the soul that sins, Ezekiel 18:4 it includes, as Aben Ezra observes, both Israelites and proselytes; who sinned through ignorance either of the law, that such things were forbidden, or of having committed them, they being done... read more
If the priest that is anointed do sin ,.... That is, the high priest, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and the Septuagint version, render it; who in after times was only anointed, though at first Aaron's sons were anointed with him; so an high priest is described in Leviticus 21:10 and such an one was liable to sin, and often did; which shows not only that the greatest and best of men are not without sin, but proves what the apostle observes, that the law made men high priests which... read more
And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord ,.... As the bullock of the burnt offering; See Gill on Leviticus 1:3 , and shall lay his hand on the bullock's head ; the Targum of Jonathan says his right hand; See Gill on Leviticus 1:4 , and kill the bullock before the Lord ; at the door of the tabernacle, that is, in the court, as Gersom observes; according to the above Targum, the butcher killed it, and not the priest: See... read more
And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood ,.... Let out and received into a basin; this he did himself, and not another, for he offered for himself, and the blood was to make atonement for him: and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation ; out of the court where the bullock was slain, into the holy place, where were the vail that divided between the holy of holies, and the altar of sweet incense, after mentioned. read more
And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood ,.... The finger of his right hand, as Gersom observes, and so Maimonides F18 Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 5. sect. 7. Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 3. sect. 4. ; for blood was always taken and sprinkled with the right hand, if done with the left it was wrong, according to the Jewish canons F19 Misn. Zebachim, c. 2. sect. 1. & Bartenora in ib. and though it is only said the priest, and not that is anointed, as before, yet it seems... read more
And the priest shall put some of the blood ,.... With his finger, which he dipped into it: upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation ; this was the golden altar on which incense was offered: it was placed before the vail, on the outside of it, in the holy place, see Exodus 30:1 and the priest, when he put the blood on the horns of it, began at the northeast horn, so to the northwest, then to the southwest, and last to... read more
And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering ,.... When the priest had killed the bullock, and sprinkled and poured the blood, as before commanded; he then cut up the bullock, and took out its inwards, and put them in a vessel, and salted them, and strowed them on the fires F26 Maimon. ib. (Maasch Hakorbanot) c. 7. sect. 2. , and burnt them, and the fat of them, as he did with the sacrifice of the peace offerings; so that what is here said, and in the... read more
And the skin of the bullock ,.... Not taken off; for the sin offerings that were burnt were not flayed at all, but were cut in pieces with their skins on them F1 Ib. (Maasch Hakoranot) c. 5. sect. 18. & 7. 2. ; in other burnt offerings the skin was taken off, and was a perquisite of the priest, Leviticus 7:8 but this being an offering for the priest, the skin was burnt with the rest: and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung ; the... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 4:1-12
The laws contained in the first three chapters seem to have been delivered to Moses at one time. Here begin the statutes of another session, another day. From the throne of glory between the cherubim God delivered these orders. And he enters now upon a subject more strictly new than those before. Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and peace-offerings, it should seem, had been offered before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai; those sacrifices the patriarchs had not been altogether... read more