And the priest shall take of the blood ,.... So that all the preceding actions, the bringing the offering, the putting the hand upon the head of it, and slaying it, were done by the man that sinned; of this and what follows here and in the next verse Leviticus 4:31 ; see Gill on Leviticus 4:25 , Leviticus 4:26 . read more
The sin offering signifies and ceremonially effects propitiation and expiation. Its characteristic feature, therefore, is the presentation of the blood of the victim, which in this sacrifice alone (when it was offered for the high priest or the whole congregation) was carried into the tabernacle and solemnly sprinkled before the vail which covered God's presence. I. WHEN IT WAS TO BE OFFERED . On certain solemn public occasions, and whenever the conscience of an individual... read more
Atonement for the penitent, as illustrated in the sin offering. Le Leviticus 5:1-13 ; cf. Psalms 19:12 ; Galatians 6:1 ; 1 Timothy 1:13 , etc. The offerings already considered, viz. the burnt offering, the meat offering, and the peace offering, have respectively emphasized the ideas of personal consecration, consecrated life-work, and fellowship. Moreover, they are to be regarded as voluntary offerings, depending upon the impulse of the heart for their celebration. Special... read more
The sin offering of the rider and of any of the people. As in the preceding paragraph we have lessons from the relation of sin offering to communities, here we are reminded— I. THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE RESPONSIBLE TO GOD . We have: 1 . The responsibility of the ruler. 2 . The responsibility of the private person. II. THAT SIN OFFERING IS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUALS . 1 . It is appointed for the ruler ( Leviticus 4:22-26 ). 2 . It is... read more
The case of a common man. He is to offer a kid of the goats, or rather a she-goat. The ritual is to be the same as in the previous case. read more
The sins of the common people. The idea of the distinction is that those who, by their distance from the sanctuary and their lack of education, are more exposed to the possibility of offense, are less guilty, and therefore require a somewhat lower sacrifice. A female kid or a lamb would suffice; but the same ceremonies were indispensable—the laying on of hands, the touching of the horns of the altar of burnt offering with blood, the pouring out of the blood at the bottom of the altar, the... read more
The sin offering: regulations (4:1-35)Burnt offerings, cereal offerings and peace offerings were not compulsory; people made them voluntarily to express their devotion. The sin offering, however, was compulsory whenever people realized they had committed some (accidental) sin that broke their fellowship with God. In the other offerings there was an element of atonement (for sin affects everything that people do), but in the sin offering, atonement was the central issue.The animal was killed in... read more
The Sin Offering (4:1-5:13) and the Guilt Offering (5:14-6:7)These are later and specialised forms of the Burnt Offering. They presuppose a state of matters in which the good relationship between God and the offerer has been interrupted by sin, and the purpose of both is to make atonement for, or cover, the sin of the guilty person or persons. The difference between the two seems to be that while the sin offering is provided for those offences which could not be undone or repaired, the guilt... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 4:27-35
I. Here is the law of the sin-offering for a common person, which differs from that for a ruler only in this, that a private person might bring either a kid or a lamb, a ruler only a kid; and that for a ruler must be a male, for the other a female: in all the circumstances of the management of the offering they agreed. Observe, 1. The case supposed: If any one of the common people sin through ignorance, Lev. 4:27. The prophet supposes that they were not so likely as the great men to know the... read more