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Leviticus 5:18

in Leviticus 5

He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Leviticus 5

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments

on Leviticus 5:17-19

The last case is a man who has done wrong and cannot say what, since he was unaware. The verse still holds him guilty, and the ram is required as before.

This site's exposition

the wrong he has committed in ignorance

The offering for a sin the man cannot name is the same unblemished ram of proper value required in verse 15. The priest makes atonement, and the man is forgiven for what he did unaware. John Wesley reads this case as covering miscarriages about holy things and holy duties.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

if a soul sin . . . though he wist it not, yet is he guilty--This also refers to holy things, and it differs from the preceding in being one of the doubtful cases,--that is, where conscience suspects, though the understanding be in doubt whether criminality or sin has been committed.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

IT is supposed in our text that men might commit forbidden things without knowing it. No, it is not merely supposed, but it is taken for granted and provided for. The Levitical law had special statutes for sins of ignorance and one of its sections begins with these words, "If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord." If you will, at your leisure, read the 4th and 5th chapters of Leviticus, you will find, first of all, it is supposed that a priest may sin. They knew nothing of infallible priests and infallible popes under the Mosaic Law! It was known and recognized that priests might sin and sin through ignorance, too. "The priest's lips should keep knowledge," but as they were compassed with infirmities, they learned to have compassion on the ignorant by being made, themselves, conscious that they were not perfect in understanding. In the 4th chapter a sacrifice is prescribed for "the priest that is anointed, if he sins according to the sin of the people." The highest in office, who ought to be best read in the things of God, might, nevertheless, err through misunderstanding, forgetfulness, or ignorance. The priests were teachers, but they needed, also, to be taught. As Trapp says, "The sins of teachers are teachers of sins" and, therefore, they were not overlooked but had to be expiated by trespass offerings. Further on in the chapter it is supposed that a ruler may sin (see verse 22). A ruler should be thoroughly acquainted with the Law which he has to dispense, but yet he might not know every point and, therefore, might err. Therefore it is written, "When a ruler has 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.
IT is supposed in our text that men might commit forbidden things without knowing it. No, it is not merely supposed, but it is taken for granted and provided for. The Levitical law had special statutes for sins of ignorance and one of its sections begins with these words, "If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord." If you will, at your leisure, read the 4th and 5th chapters of Leviticus, you will find, first of all, it is supposed that a priest may sin.

The words behind it

21 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְ֠הֵבִיאand he will bring

    vehevi'H935 →2568 times

  • אַ֣יִלa ram

    ʾayilH352 →187 times

  • תָּמִ֧יםunblemished

    tamimH8549 →91 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הַצֹּ֛אןthe flock

    hatzonH6629 →274 times

  • בְּעֶרְכְּךָ֥by valuation your

    beerkekhaH6187 →33 times

  • לְאָשָׁ֖םto a guilt offering

    leashamH817 →46 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • הַכֹּהֵ֑ןthe priest

    hakohenH3548 →750 times

  • וְכִפֶּר֩and he will make atonement

    vekhiperH3722 →102 times

  • עָלָ֨יוon him

    ʾalavH5921 →5755 times

  • הַכֹּהֵ֜ןthe priest

    hakohenH3548 →750 times

  • עַ֣לon

    ʾalH5921 →5755 times

  • שִׁגְגָת֧וֹinadvertence his

    shigatoH7684 →19 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • שָׁגָ֛גhe has gone astray

    shagagH7683 →

  • וְה֥וּאand he

    vehu'H1931 →1879 times

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • יָדַ֖עhe knew

    yada'H3045 →945 times

  • וְנִסְלַ֥חand it will be forgiven

    venislachH5545 →46 times

  • לֽוֹ׃to <the> him

    lo

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

9 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Hebrews 9:22According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.15 worksHebrews 9:7But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.6 worksLeviticus 5:15–16“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.5 worksLeviticus 6:6Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock.3 worksLeviticus 4:20He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.2 worksLeviticus 1:4He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.2 works
The other 3 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Timothy 2:5–6For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,2 worksLeviticus 4:26He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.2 worksLeviticus 6:7In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Leviticus 1:4

    He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 3:8

      He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the…

    • 2 Chronicles 29:23–24

      Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them.

    • Leviticus 3:2

      He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on all…

    • Leviticus 4:26

      He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

    • Exodus 29:15

      Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.

  • Through

    Leviticus 4:20

    He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.

    it leads to

    • Numbers 15:25

      The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD an offering made by…

    • Leviticus 12:8

      But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement…

    • Hebrews 10:10–12

      And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Where this verse is studied

About Leviticus

The Scapegoat, William Holman Hunt, 1854. Public domain.
The Scapegoat, William Holman Hunt, 1854. Public domain.
Leviticus: the study guide →Read Leviticus 5 →

This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1386: “Sins Of Ignorance” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Leviticus 5 →