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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
L E V I T C U S
CHAP. V.
This chapter, and part of the next, concern the trespass-offering. The
difference between this and the sin-offering lay not so much in the
sacrifices themselves, and the management of them, as in the occasions
of the offering of them. They were both intended to make atonement for
sin; but the former was more general, this applied to some particular
instances. Observe what is here said,
I. Concerning the trespass. If a man sin,
1. In concealing his knowledge, when he is adjured,
2. In touching an unclean thing,
3. In swearing,
4. In embezzling the holy things,
5. In any sin of infirmity,
Some other cases there are, in which these offerings were to be offered,
xiv. 12; xix. 21; Num. vi. 12.
II. Concerning the trespass-offerings,
1. Of the flock,
2. Of fowls,
3. Of flour,
but chiefly a ram without blemish,
&c.
| Law of the Sin-Offering. | B. C. 1490. |
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1 And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a
witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not
utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a
carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or
the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden
from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness
it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from
him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.
4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil,
or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with
an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he
shall be guilty in one of these.
5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these
things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that
thing:
6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for
his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or
a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make
an atonement for him concerning his sin.
I. The offences here supposed are,
1. A man’s concealing the truth when he was sworn as a witness to speak
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Judges among the
Jews had power to adjure not only the witnesses, as with us, but the
person suspected (contrary to a rule of our law, that no man is bound
to accuse himself), as appears by the high priest adjuring our Saviour,
who thereupon answered, though before he stood silent,
Now
(v. 1),
If a soul sin (that is, a person, for the soul is the man), if
he hear the voice of swearing (that is, if he be adjured to
testify what he knows, by an oath of the Lord upon him,
if in such a case, for fear of offending one that either has been his
friend or may be his enemy, he refuses to give evidence, or gives it
but in part, he shall bear his iniquity. And that is a heavy
burden, which, if some course be not taken to get it removed, will sink
a man to the lowest hell. He that heareth cursing (that is, that
is thus adjured) and betrayeth it not (that is, stifles his evidence,
and does not utter it), he is a partner with the sinner, and hateth
his own soul; see
Let all that are called out at any time to bear testimony think of this
law, and be free and open in their evidence, and take heed of
prevaricating. An oath of the Lord is a sacred thing, and not to be
dallied with.
2. A man’s touching any thing that was ceremonially unclean,
If a man, polluted by such touch, came into the sanctuary
inconsiderately, or if he neglected to wash himself according to the
law, then he was to look upon himself as under guilt, and must bring
his offering. Though his touching the unclean thing contracted only a
ceremonial defilement, yet his neglect to wash himself according to the
law was such an instance either of carelessness or contempt as
contracted a moral guilt. If at first it be hidden from him, yet
when he knows it he shall be guilty. Note, As soon as ever God
by his Spirit convinces our consciences of any sin or duty we must
immediately set in with the conviction, and prosecute it, as those that
are not ashamed to own our former mistake.
3. Rash swearing. If a man binds himself by an oath that he will do or
not do such a thing, and the performance of his oath afterwards proves
either unlawful or impracticable, by which he is discharged from the
obligation, yet he must bring an offering to atone for his fully in
swearing so rashly, as David that he would kill Nabal. And then it was
that he must say before the angel that it was an error,
Eccl. v. 6.
He shall be guilty in one of these
(ch. v. 4),
guilty if he do not perform his oath, and yet, if the matter of it were
evil, guilty if he do. Such wretched dilemmas as these do some men
bring themselves into by their own rashness and folly; go which way
they will their consciences are wounded, sin stares them in the face,
so sadly are they snared in the words of their mouth. A more sad
dilemma this is than that of the lepers, “If we sit still, we die; if
we stir, we die.” Wisdom and watchfulness beforehand would prevent
these straits.
II. Now in these cases,
1. The offender must confess his sin and bring his offering
(v. 5, 6);
and the offering was not accepted unless it was accompanied with a
penitential confession and a humble prayer for pardon. Observe, The
confession must be particular, that he hath sinned in that
thing; such was David’s confession
(Ps. li. 4),
I have done this evil; and Achan’s
Thus and thus have I done. Deceit lies in generals; many will
own in general they have sinned, for that all must own, so that it is
not any particular reproach to them; but that they have sinned in
this thing they stand too much upon their honour to acknowledge:
but the way to be well assured of pardon, and to be well armed against
sin for the future, is to be particular in our penitent confessions.
2. The priest must make atonement for him. As the atonement was
not accepted without his repentance, so his repentance would not
justify him without the atonement. Thus, in our reconciliation to God,
Christ’s part and ours are both needful.
7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring
for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or
two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the
other for a burnt offering.
8 And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer
that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his
head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:
9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon
the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung
out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.
10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering,
according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement
for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be
forgiven him.
11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young
pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the
tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall
put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense
thereon: for it is a sin offering.
12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall
take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it
on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the
LORD: it is a sin offering.
13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching
his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be
forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as a meat
offering.
Provision is here made for the poor of God’s people, and the pacifying
of their consciences under the sense of guilt. Those that were not able
to bring a lamb might bring for a sin-offering a pair of
turtle-doves or two young pigeons; nay, if any were so
extremely poor that they were not able to procure these so often as
they would have occasion, they might bring a pottle of fine flour, and
this should be accepted. Thus the expense of the sin-offering was
brought lower than that of any other offering, to teach us that no
man’s poverty shall ever be a bar in the way of his pardon. The poorest
of all may have atonement made for them, if it be not their own fault.
Thus the poor are evangelized; and no man shall say that he had not
wherewithal to bear the charges of a journey to heaven. Now,
I. If the sinner brought two doves, one was to be offered for a
sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering,
v. 7.
Observe,
1. Before he offered the burnt-offering, which was for the honour and
praise of God, he must offer the sin-offering, to make atonement. We
must first see to it that our peace be made with God, and then we may
expect that our services for his glory will be accepted. The
sin-offering must make way for the burnt-offering.
2. After the sin-offering, which made atonement, came the
burnt-offering, as an acknowledgment of the great mercy of God in
appointing and accepting the atonement.
II. If he brought fine flour, a handful of it was to be offered, but
without either oil or frankincense
(v. 11),
not only because this would make it too costly for the poor, for whose
comfort this sacrifice was appointed, but because it was a
sin-offering, and therefore, to show the loathsomeness of the sin for
which it was offered, it must not be made grateful either to the taste
by oil or to the smell by frankincense. The unsavouriness of the
offering was to intimate that the sinner must never relish his sin
again as he had done. God by these sacrifices did speak,
1. Comfort to those that had offended, that they might not despair, nor
pine away in their iniquity; but, peace being thus made for them with
God, they might have peace in him.
2. Caution likewise not to offend any more, remembering what an
expensive troublesome thing it was to make atonement.
| Law of the Trespass-Offering. | B. C. 1490. |
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14 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in
the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass
unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy
estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the
sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in
the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it
unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him
with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven
him.
17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are
forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he
wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock,
with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his
ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be
forgiven him.
19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed
against the LORD.
Hitherto in this chapter orders were given concerning those sacrifices
that were both sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, for they go by
both names,
v. 6.
Here we have the law concerning those that were properly and peculiarly
trespass-offerings, which were offered to atone for trespasses
done against a neighbour, those sins we commonly call trespasses. Now
injuries done to another may be either in holy things or in common
things; of the former we have the law in these verses; of the latter in
the beginning of the next chapter. If a man did harm (as it is
in the holy things of the Lord, he thereby committed a trespass
against the priests, the Lord’s ministers, who were entrusted with the
care of these holy things, and had the benefit of them. Now if a man
did alienate or convert to his own use any thing that was dedicated to
God, unwittingly, he was to bring this sacrifice; as suppose he had
ignorantly made use of the tithes, or first-fruits, or first-born of
his cattle, or (which, it should seem by
is principally meant here) had eaten any of those parts of the
sacrifices which were appropriated to the priests; this was a trespass.
It is supposed to be done through mistake, or forgetfulness, for want
either of care or zeal; for if it was done presumptuously, and in
contempt of the law, the offender died without mercy,
But in case of negligence and ignorance this sacrifice was appointed;
and Moses is told,
1. What must be done in case the trespass appeared to be certain. The
trespasser must bring an offering to the Lord, which, in all those that
were purely trespass-offerings, must be a ram without blemish,
“of the second year,” say the Jewish doctors. He must likewise make
restitution to the priest, according to a just estimation of the thing
which he had so alienated, adding a fifth part to it, that he might
learn to take more heed next time of embezzling what was sacred to God,
finding to his cost that there was nothing got by it, and that he paid
dearly for his oversights.
2. What must be done in case it were doubtful whether he had trespassed
or no; he had cause to suspect it, but he wist it not
(v. 17),
that is, he was not very certain; in this case, because it is good to
be sure, he must bring his trespass-offering, and the value of that
which he feared he had embezzled, only he was not to add the fifth part
to it. Now this was designed to show the very great evil there is in
sacrilege. Achan, that was guilty of it presumptuously, died for it; so
did Ananias and Sapphira. But this goes further to show the evil of it,
that if a man had, through mere ignorance, and unwittingly, alienated
the holy things, nay, if he did but suspect that he had done so, he
must be at the expense, not only of a full restitution with interest,
but of an offering, with the trouble of bringing it, and must take
shame to himself, by making confession of it; so bad a thing is it to
invade God’s property, and so cautious should we be to abstain from all
appearances of this evil. We are also taught here to be jealous over
ourselves with a godly jealousy, to ask pardon for the sin, and make
satisfaction for the wrong, which we do but suspect ourselves guilty
of. In doubtful cases we should take and keep the safer side.
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