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Leviticus 4: The Sin Offering

When anyone sins unintentionally, from priest to common person, a sacrifice makes atonement, and they are forgiven.

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Leviticus 4 (WEB)

1 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:

3 if 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.

4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before Yahweh.

5 The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull, and bring it to the Tent of Meeting.

6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.

7 The 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; and he shall pour out all of 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.

8 He 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,

9 and 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,

10 as it is taken off of the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.

11 The bull’s skin, all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung,

12 he shall carry the whole bull outside of 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, 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;

14 when the sin in 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.

15 The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh; and the bull shall be killed before Yahweh.

16 The anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bull to the Tent of Meeting:

17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the veil.

18 He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

19 All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar.

20 Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

21 He 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;

23 if his sin, in which he has sinned, is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without defect.

24 He 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.

25 The 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.

26 All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 “‘If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and is guilty;

28 if his sin, which he has sinned, is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned.

29 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.

30 The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

31 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from off of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; and 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.

33 He 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.

34 The 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; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

35 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.

Summary

Yahweh now addresses the problem of sin itself, even sin committed unintentionally, in things God has commanded not to be done. The chapter moves through the community in order: the anointed priest, the whole congregation, a ruler, and finally a common person, each with a fitting offering. For the priest and the congregation, the most serious cases, a young bull is brought, blood is sprinkled seven times before the veil and placed on the horns of the altar of incense, and the body is burned outside the camp. For a ruler a male goat is brought, and for a common person a female goat or lamb, with blood placed on the altar of burnt offering. In every case the worshiper lays a hand on the animal's head, the fat is burned, and the priest makes atonement so that the offender is forgiven. The repeated refrain, that the priest makes atonement and the sinner is forgiven, reveals God's mercy even toward sins done in ignorance. The bull burned outside the camp foreshadows Jesus, who suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people through his own blood.

Key Figures

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The holy God who takes even unintentional sin seriously, yet graciously provides atonement so that his people may be forgiven.
  • The anointed priest — The high priest whose sin brings guilt on the people and who must bring a young bull, with its blood carried into the Tent of Meeting.
  • The ruler and the common person — Leaders and ordinary Israelites who sin unintentionally and bring a goat or lamb so that atonement may be made for them.
  • The whole congregation — The assembly of Israel, whose corporate sin is covered when the elders lay their hands on a bull offered for the community.

Key Verse

Leviticus 4:20 (WEB)

Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

Lessons Learned

  • Even sins committed unintentionally are real and require atonement before a holy God.
  • Greater responsibility brings greater accountability; the priest and congregation bring the costliest offering.
  • God graciously provides forgiveness, repeating the promise that the sinner shall be forgiven.
  • The burning of the sin offering outside the camp points ahead to Christ's suffering outside the gate.
  • Sin is serious even when unintended. Atonement is needed “if anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done” (Leviticus 4:2, WEB). Ignorance does not erase guilt before a holy God.
  • Leadership carries weight. When “the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people” (Leviticus 4:3, WEB), the costliest offering is required. Those who lead are held to greater account.
  • Atonement brings forgiveness. “The priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:20, WEB). God's gracious aim in the sacrifice is real pardon.
  • The sin offering is borne outside the camp. The bull is carried “outside of the camp” to be burned (Leviticus 4:12, WEB), foreshadowing Jesus who “suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12) to make his people holy.
  1. Why does God provide a sin offering even for sins committed unintentionally?
  2. Why do the priest and the congregation bring more costly offerings than a ruler or common person?
  3. What does the repeated promise “they shall be forgiven” reveal about God's heart?
  4. How does burning the sin offering outside the camp point forward to Jesus (see Hebrews 13:11-12)?
  5. How does knowing that even hidden, unintended sins are covered by atonement free and humble you before God?
  1. Unintentional sin still violates God's holiness and damages relationship with him, so it must be atoned for. God's provision shows that he takes sin seriously and yet makes a way for sinners to be forgiven.
  2. The greater a person's spiritual responsibility, the wider the damage of their sin; the priest's sin brings guilt on the people, and the congregation represents all Israel. Greater influence means greater accountability.
  3. The refrain reveals a God whose purpose in sacrifice is mercy. He does not merely demand offerings; he grants real forgiveness, anticipating the full pardon secured in Christ.
  4. Hebrews points to this very pattern: as the sin offering was burned outside the camp, Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify his people by his blood. The chapter quietly prepares us for the cross.
  5. This is a gentle personal-application question. Reassure the group that even sins we are unaware of are covered by Christ's atonement. Invite humble confidence rather than anxious scrupulosity.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.