Leviticus 4

Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2"Tell the people of Israel this. When someone sins without meaning to, breaking any of the LORD's commands about things that must not be done, and does one of those things, here is what must happen.

2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:

Note"Without meaning to" translates a Hebrew term for acting in error, sinning by mistake, in ignorance of the rule, or without realizing at the time what one was doing. The chapter deals only with breaches of prohibitions (things that must not be done), not with failures to do something required. Deliberate, defiant wrongdoing is not covered by this ritual at all.

3If it is the anointed priest who sins, and so brings guilt on the people, then for the sin he has committed he must bring the LORD a young bull with nothing wrong with it, as a sin offering.

3If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.

NoteThe "anointed priest" is the chief priest, the one smeared with the sacred oil at his installation (Aaron, and after him his successor). "With nothing wrong with it" means physically unblemished, no injury, defect, or disease. A "sin offering" (Hebrew *chatta't*) is better understood as a purification offering: its function was to cleanse the sanctuary and the worshiper of the contamination the offense had caused, not to pay a fine. The animals required rise with the offender's rank, and this chapter runs down the scale: bull for the chief priest, bull for the whole nation, male goat for a leader, female goat or lamb for an ordinary person.

4He must bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting, in front of the LORD. He must lay his hand on the bull's head and kill the bull in front of the LORD.

4And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.

NoteThe "tent of meeting" is the portable sanctuary the Israelites carried through the wilderness, a curtained enclosure with an altar in its courtyard and a tent at the far end. Laying a hand on the animal's head was a formal gesture of designation, marking this particular animal as the offerer's own and connecting it to him; the offerer, not the priest, killed the animal.

5Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood and bring it into the tent of meeting.

5And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:

6The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in front of the LORD, in front of the curtain of the holy place.

6And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.

NoteThe "curtain" is the inner veil hanging in front of the innermost room of the tent, where the ark stood. Seven was the standard number for a complete ritual act.

7The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for sweet-smelling incense, which stands before the LORD inside the tent of meeting. He shall pour out all the rest of the bull's blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

7And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

NoteThe altar had four projections at its upper corners, shaped like horns, its highest and most prominent points. There were two altars: a small incense altar inside the tent, and the large altar for burnt offerings out in the courtyard by the entrance. Only for the offerings of the chief priest and of the whole nation did blood go inside the tent to the incense altar; for lesser offerings it went no further than the outer altar.

8He shall take off from the bull of the sin offering all its fat: the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that lies on them,

8And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,

9and the two kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove together with the kidneys.

9And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,

NoteThe King James "caul above the liver" is the finger-shaped lobe of the liver. These fatty parts (the fat around the entrails, the kidneys and their fat, the liver lobe) were the portions reserved for burning; Israelites were forbidden to eat this hard fat around the organs.

10This is done just as the fat is taken off the bull of the peace offering. The priest shall burn these pieces on the altar for burnt offerings.

10As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.

NoteThe "peace offering" (Hebrew *shelamim*) was a sacrifice most of which was eaten as a shared meal by the worshipers, with only the fat parts burned. It is used here as the familiar standard for how to butcher the fat.

11But the bull's hide, and all its meat, along with its head, its legs, its inner organs, and its dung

11And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,

12that is, all the rest of the bull: he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it there on a wood fire. It shall be burned where the ashes are poured out.

12Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.

Note"Clean" here means ritually fit, not merely tidy, a place not disqualified by contact with anything unclean. The ash dump outside the encampment was where the altar's ashes were carried; this carcass was burned there entirely, not eaten by anyone.

13If the whole community of Israel sins without meaning to, and the matter is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, so that they have done something against any of the LORD's commands about things that must not be done, and they are guilty,

13And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

Note"Community" and "assembly" both render terms for Israel gathered as a single body. The point is a collective error, the whole nation acting on a wrong ruling or in ignorance of a rule, which only comes to light later.

14then, when the sin they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a young bull as a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting.

14When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

15The elders of the community shall lay their hands on the bull's head before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD.

15And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.

NoteThe elders act on behalf of the entire nation, since the whole community cannot each lay a hand on the animal.

16Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the bull's blood into the tent of meeting.

16And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock’s blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:

17The priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain.

17And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.

18He shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that stands before the LORD inside the tent of meeting. He shall pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

18And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

19He shall take all the fat off it and burn the fat on the altar.

19And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.

20He shall do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering; that is how he shall handle this one. In this way the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

20And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Note"Atonement" translates the Hebrew *kipper*, whose underlying sense is to wipe clean, purge, or cover over. It describes what the ritual accomplishes, the removal of the defilement caused by the offense, rather than a state of mind in the worshiper.

21Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the community.

21And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.

22When a leader sins, doing something without meaning to against any of the commands of the LORD his God about things that must not be done, he is guilty.

22When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;

NoteA "leader" (Hebrew *nasi*) is a chief of a tribe or clan, a civil head of the people, not a priest.

23Or when the sin he has committed becomes known to him, he shall bring as his offering a male goat with nothing wrong with it.

23Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:

NoteThe King James "kid of the goats" simply means a young goat. A male is required of a leader; an ordinary person (verse 28) brings a female, a less valuable animal.

24He shall lay his hand on the goat's head and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering, before the LORD. It is a sin offering.

24And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.

25The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings.

25And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.

26He shall burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offering. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he will be forgiven.

26And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

27If any one of the common people sins without meaning to, doing something against any of the LORD's commands about things that must not be done, he is guilty.

27And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;

Note"Common people" renders a Hebrew phrase meaning literally "the people of the land", ordinary Israelites, as distinct from priests and leaders.

28Or when the sin he has committed becomes known to him, he shall bring as his offering a female goat with nothing wrong with it, for the sin he has committed.

28Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.

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

29And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.

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

30And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.

31He shall take away all its fat, just as the fat is taken away from the peace offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as a pleasing smell to the LORD. In this way the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

31And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

Note"A pleasing smell" (King James "a sweet savour") is a fixed formula in sacrificial law for an offering accepted by God; it is a set phrase rather than a comment on the odor.

32If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female with nothing wrong with it.

32And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.

33He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it as a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

33And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay 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 on his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he shall pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

34And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:

35He shall take away all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the peace offering, and the priest shall burn these pieces on the altar along with the offerings made by fire to the LORD. In this way the priest shall make atonement for the sin the man has committed, and he will be forgiven.

35And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

Note"Offerings made by fire" is the standard term for the class of sacrifices burned on the altar, of which this fat is one portion.