Leviticus 4 · WEB
The Sin Offering
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them:
3if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without defect to Yahweh for a sin offering.
4He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh. He shall lay his hand on the bull's head, and kill the bull before Yahweh.
5The anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood, and bring it to the Tent of Meeting.
6The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.
7The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Yahweh, which is in the Tent of Meeting. He shall pour out all the rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
8He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering off of it: the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,
9and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away,
10as it is taken off from the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.
11The bull's skin, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung,
12even the whole bull shall he carry outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire. Where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.
13"'If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and are guilty;
14when the sin which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting.
15The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh. The bull shall be killed before Yahweh.
16The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull's blood to the Tent of Meeting.
17The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the veil.
18He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting. He shall pour out all the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
19All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar.
20He shall do with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin offering; he shall do the same with this. The priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.
21He shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.
22"'When a ruler sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty:
23if his sin, in which he has sinned, is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without defect.
24He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Yahweh. It is a sin offering.
25The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
26All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven.
27"'If any one of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and is guilty;
28if his sin, which he has sinned, is made known to him, then he shall bring as his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned.
29He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.
30The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
31All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
32"'If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without defect.
33He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
35All its fat he shall take away, like the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.
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Summary
Chapter 4 introduces the sin offering (*chatat*), designed to deal with unintentional sins — violations of God's commands committed without full awareness or deliberate intent. God provides four separate procedures based on who sinned: the anointed high priest, the entire congregation, a ruler (leader), or a common person. In each case, blood is applied to the altar and atonement is made, resulting in forgiveness. The greater the responsibility of the sinner, the more elaborate and costly the required offering.
Themes
- Unintentional sin is still sin and requires atonement
- Leadership carries greater moral responsibility before God
- Atonement is God's gracious provision for human failure
- The blood of the sacrifice effects forgiveness before a holy God
Key verses
- Lev 4:2 — “If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them...”
- Lev 4:20 — “The priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.”
- Lev 4:35 — “The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.”
Context & background
The sin offering represents one of the most theologically significant sacrifices in Leviticus. The distinction between intentional and unintentional sin was important in ancient Israelite law — intentional, defiant sin ("with a high hand," Num 15:30) carried no sacrificial remedy and resulted in being "cut off" from the community. The graduated nature of the offering (priest and congregation require a bull; ruler and common person may bring a goat or lamb) reflects the principle that greater access to God and greater authority entail greater accountability. These instructions were given at Sinai (modern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt) before Israel entered Canaan.
Cross-references
- 2 Cor 5:21 — "Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf" — the ultimate sin offering language
- Heb 13:11-12 — Christ suffered "outside the camp" as the sin offering animals were burned outside the camp
- Heb 9:13-14 — The blood of bulls and goats in the sin offering foreshadowed Christ's blood that purifies the conscience
- Num 15:27-29 — Reaffirms that the sin offering covers unintentional sin for native and foreigner alike
- Ps 51:1-4 — David's prayer of repentance acknowledges intentional sin and calls for God's mercy beyond the sacrificial system