Leviticus 4

Leviticus

*Worship the *LORD in the Beauty of *Holiness

Leviticus

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible, except for the words in brackets (…).

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:1 to 5:13

The *Sin Offering

Chapter 4 v1 The *LORD said to Moses,

v2 ‘Say (this) to the *Israelites. The *LORD’s commands forbid you to do certain things. If anyone does any of those things, he has *sinned. If he has done it by accident, (he shall bring a *sin offering).

v3 If the chief priest *sins, this would make (all) the people guilty. He must bring to the *LORD a perfect young *bull. It is a *sin offering, for the *sin that he has done.

v4 He must bring the *bull to the entrance of the *meeting tent, in front of the *LORD. He must press his hand on its head and he must kill it in front of the *LORD.

v5 Then the chief priest must take some of the *bull’s blood and he must carry it into the *meeting tent.

v6 He must put his finger into the blood. He must splash some of it 7 times in front of the *LORD. (He must do this) in front of the curtain between the holy place (and the most holy place).

v7 The priest must then put some of the blood onto the *horns of the *incense *altar. This is in front of the *LORD in the *meeting tent. He must pour away the rest of the *bull’s blood at the base of the (other) *altar. This is where (the priests) burn the *whole offering. It is at the entrance of the *meeting tent.

v8 He must remove all the *fat from the *bull (which is) the *sin offering. This *fat covers the parts inside (the animal), or is on these parts.

v9 He must remove both (the animal’s) *kidneys, with the *fat on them (which is) near (the animal’s) legs. He must also (remove), with the *kidneys, (the *fat which) covers the *liver.

v10 He must (do it in the same way) as he removes the *fat from the cow. (He does that when) he kills (the cow) as a *peace offering. Then the priest must burn all these things on the *altar (where he burns) the *whole offering.

v11-12 The rest of the *bull includes its skin, its meat, its head and legs, the inside parts and the dirt. He must take all the rest of the *bull outside the camp. He must take it to a place that his religion considers to be *clean. They throw the ashes there (from the *altars). He must burn everything on a fire of wood on the ashes.’

Notes

What is the difference between *sin and *guilt offerings in Leviticus 4:1-6? Bible students explain it in different ways. Here are two of them. Most Bible students agree with the second one.

• One way to understand it is this. The *sin offering refers to original *sin. The *guilt offering refers to actual *sin. When we are born, we all have original *sin. It is a result of Adam’s original *sin in Genesis chapter 3. So, we *sin without thought about what we are doing. We *sin ‘by accident’. We may not even realise that we have not obeyed God’s commands. Actual *sin is when we choose to *sin. We know that we are doing something wrong. The *guilt offering in Leviticus 5:14-6 is for actual *sin. The *sin offering in chapter 4:1 to 5:13 is for original *sin. Notice that the *offerings in Leviticus Chapter s 1, 2 and 3 are not about *sin. They bring the offerer into *fellowship with God. As a result, he or she is able to *worship God. But if the offerer worries about *sin, these two *offerings in Leviticus Chapter s 4, 5 and 6 will comfort him or her. (From ‘The Law of the *Offerings’, by Andrew Jukes.)

• Another way to understand it is this. The *sin offering is for something that does not hurt people. But the *guilt offering is different. It is for *sins that have hurt people. This is true even if the *sinner did not intend to hurt people. So the *guilt offering includes money to pay to the person that the *sinner has hurt. (From Bible *Commentary by Fausset.)

Verse 2 In the *Hebrew Bible, the last part of the verse is a sentence without an end. We could translate it as: ‘If anyone *sins by accident, and does not obey the *LORD’s commands …’ Then, from verse 3, there are several sections. Each says what various *sinners must do. These *sinners include:

• The chief priest, verses 3-12.

• All the *Israelites, verses 13-21.

• A leader of the people, verses 22-26.

• One person among the people, verses 27-35 and 5:1-13.

The *Hebrew word for ‘anyone’, here and in Leviticus 4:27; Leviticus 5:1; Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 5:17 and Leviticus 6:2 is ‘nephesh’. It means ‘*soul’. This is the part of us that lives when our body dies. This emphasises the importance of *sin.

Verses 3-12 These verses explain what happened if the chief priest *sinned by accident. He was the leader of the *Jewish religion, so his *sin affected everybody in the nation.

The priest may have done something in the wrong way, accidentally, in the *meeting tent. If he intended to do it, the punishment was death, Numbers 15:30; Hebrews 10:28. *Sins by accident like this were probably very rare.

We do not know how he might realise about his *sin. Perhaps he might read about his error in God’s law. Perhaps God would show the priest that he had *sinned. Or perhaps troubles, for example, poor harvests, would affect the nation because of his *sin.

The *Hebrew word for ‘chief priest’ really means ‘*anointed priest’. Ellicott’s Bible *Commentary says that the *Jews only *anointed chief priests. This was probably true when Moses was alive. They *anointed people when they poured olive *oil onto them. So we have translated ‘*anointed priest’ as ‘chief priest’. The *Hebrew word for ‘*anointed’ is (in English) ‘messiahed’! In English, the word ‘messiah’ is a translation of Christ! That is interesting, because Hebrews 8:26-27 describes Jesus as the ideal chief priest. And Hebrews 4:15 says that he was without any *sin.

There is a map near the start of this Commentary. That map shows where the *meeting tent, the holy place, the most holy place and the two *altars were. There were 4 *horns on both *altars. Animals like cows and *bulls had *horns on their heads. The 4 *horns were at the corners of the *altar. The *horns pointed upwards, to where God lives in heaven.

The chief priest put the *bull’s blood on the *horns of the *incense *altar and in various other places. By this means, he asked God to forgive his *sin. Remember this. God only forgives *sin when someone or something has died. The *bull had died instead of the chief priest, so that God could forgive the chief priest’s *sin.

When the chief priest *sinned, even by accident, it was a serious matter. It meant that the *meeting tent was not *clean. God would not answer his people’s prayers there. He could not forgive his people! So it was important that the chief priest made the *meeting tent ‘*clean’ again. When it was *clean, God could again meet with his people.

The chief priest burned the *bull’s *fat on the *altar, as he would burn the *fat of a *peace offering. And now the chief priest and the people could have *fellowship with God again.

Notice that, apart from *kidneys, *liver and *fat of the *bull, they burned the rest of the animal ‘outside the camp’. It was *unclean until the fire had burnt it completely. Hebrews 13:11-13 tells us that Jesus died ‘outside the camp’. The city of Jerusalem was ‘the camp’ and Calvary was ‘outside the camp’. Calvary was the hill where Jesus died.

v13 The people in *Israel must not do anything that the *LORD’s commands forbid. If all (the people in *Israel) *sin by accident, then they are (all) guilty. This is so even if the people do not know about it.

v14 When they become aware of their *sin, the people must bring a young *bull as a *sin offering. They must give it (to the *LORD) in front of the *meeting tent.

v15 The leaders of the people must press their hands on the *bull’s head in front of the *LORD. Then they must kill the *bull in front of the *LORD.

v16 Then the chief priest must take some of the *bull’s blood into the *meeting tent.

v17 He must put his finger into the blood. He must splash it 7 times in front of the *LORD. (He must do this) in front of the curtain (between the holy place and the most holy place).

v18 He must put some of the blood on the *horns of the *altar. This is the *altar which is in front of the *LORD in the *meeting tent. He must pour away the rest of the (*bull’s) blood at the base of the (other) *altar. This is where they burn the *whole offering. It is at the entrance of the *meeting tent.

v19 He must remove all the *fat from (the *bull) and he must burn the *fat on the *altar.

v20 He must do with this *bull what he did with the *bull for the *sin offering. So the priest will make *atonement for (the people) and (the *LORD) will forgive them.

v21 Then (the priest) must take the *bull outside the camp. He must burn it as he burned the first *bull. This is the *sin offering for all the people.’

Notes

Verses 13-15 This seems to refer to the situation where everybody *sins in the same incident. They did not intend to *sin, but they did not obey God’s law. This was a very serious matter. Perhaps the chief priest had given wrong advice to the people. Then all the people *sinned. The leaders must press their hands on the head of the *bull. This transfers their *sin to the *bull. It reminds us that God transferred our *sin to Jesus on the *cross.

Verses 16-21 Again, it was necessary to use the *bull’s blood to make the *meeting tent ‘*clean’. Again, the priest had to burn the *fat, as he burned the *fat of a *peace offering. When the *meeting tent was *clean, God could again meet with his people. And they could have *fellowship with him.

Notice that nobody eats any part of this *offering. They burned parts of the *bull on the *altar. They burned the rest outside the camp.

v22 ‘A leader must not do anything that the commands of the *LORD his God forbid. When a leader *sins by accident, he is guilty.

v23 When he becomes aware of his *sin, he must bring a perfect male goat as his *offering.

v24 He must press his hand on the goat’s head and he must kill it. (He must do this) in the place where they kill the *whole offering in front of the *LORD. It is a *sin offering.

v25 Then the priest must put some of the blood of the *sin offering onto his finger. He must put it onto the *horns of the *altar where they burn the *whole offering. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the *altar.

v26 He must burn all the *fat on the *altar, as he burned the *fat of the *peace offering. So the priest will make *atonement for the man’s *sin. (God will) forgive the man.’

Notes

Verses 22-26 ‘Becomes aware’ (verse 23) probably means that someone told the leader about his *sin. There are some differences from the *offerings in verses 1-21.

• The *offering is a goat.

• One of the priests offers the goat, not the chief priest.

• The priest puts the blood on the *horns of the other *altar. This is not the one inside the *meeting tent, as in verses 1-21. It is the one that is outside it.

• The priest does not burn the animal outside the camp. Bible students say that he probably ate its meat himself. It was part of his wages.

The priest burned the *fat as he burned the *fat of a *peace offering.

v27 If one of the people *sins by accident, he is guilty. He has done something that one of the *LORD’s commands forbids.

v28 When he becomes aware of his *sin, he must bring a perfect female goat. It is his *offering for his *sin.

v29 He must press his hand on the head of the *sin offering. Then he must kill it where (the priests) offer the *whole offering.

v30 Then the priest must put some of the blood onto his finger. He must put it on the *horns of the *altar where they offer the *whole offering. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the *altar.

v31 He must remove all the *fat as they remove the *fat from the *peace offering. Then the priest must burn it on the *altar. Its smell will please the *LORD. So the priest will make *atonement for him and God will forgive him.

v32 If anyone brings a *lamb as his *sin offering, he must bring a perfect female *lamb.

v33 He must press his hand on its head. Then he must kill it as a *sin offering in the place where people kill the *whole offering.

v34 Then the priest must put some of the blood of the *sin offering on his finger. He must put it on the *horns of the *altar where they offer the *whole offering. Then he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the *altar.

v35 He must remove all the *fat as they remove the *fat from the *lamb for the *peace offering. Then the priest must burn it on the *altar. He must put it onto the other *offerings that he gives to the *LORD by fire. So the priest will make *atonement for the *sin that he has done. Then (God) will forgive him.’

Notes

Verses 27-35 The *Hebrew word for ‘one of’ (in verse 27) is ‘nephesh’. It means ‘*soul’. Our *soul is the part of us that lives when our body dies. This emphasises the importance of *sin. This passage uses the word in several places. We have usually translated it as ‘he’ (that is, the offerer).

These are the rules for the *sin offering when an ordinary member of the public *sins by accident. They are like the rules for the leader (verses 22-26). The main differences are:

• A leader must offer a male animal. But a member of the public gives a female animal.

• A leader must offer a goat. But a member of the public may offer a *lamb instead.

These differences are probably because a leader is responsible for other people. So his *sin affects other people too. (Compare James 3:1.)

Chapter 5 v1 ‘A person may *sin (like this). He may hear (a judge) warn the public (to speak the truth). That person may have seen (the incident), or he may have learned about it. Although he is a witness, he does not tell anyone. But he is responsible.

v2 Or a person may touch something that is *unclean. It may be the dead body of an *unclean wild animal or an *unclean tame (animal). It may be the dead body of an *unclean animal that slides on the ground. But he does not realise that he has done it. Yet he becomes *unclean and so he is guilty.

v3 Or he may touch something *unclean that is of human origin. It may be anything that makes people *unclean. He may not be aware of it. But when he realises it, he is guilty.

v4 Or a person may make a quick promise (in front of God) to do something either good or bad. It is the sort of quick promise that many people make. Then he forgets about it. But afterwards he becomes aware of it. And then he will be guilty. This is true for any of these promises.

v5 When a person is guilty of any of these *sins, he must confess his *sin.

v6 He must bring his *sin offering to the *LORD for the wrong thing that he has done. He must bring a female *lamb or a female goat for a *sin offering. Then the priest will make *atonement for him because of his *sin.

v7 If he cannot afford a *lamb, then he must bring to the *LORD two *doves or two young *pigeons. This is what he must offer (to the *LORD. He must offer these birds) for the *sin that he has done. One is for a *sin offering and the other one is for a *whole offering.

v8 He must bring them to the priest, who will offer the first one for the *sin offering. The priest will screw its head round, but he will not cut it off completely.

v9 Then he must splash some of the *sin offering’s blood against the sides of the *altar. He must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the *altar. It is a *sin offering.

v10 The priest shall then offer the other (bird) as a *whole offering. The priest must follow the rules (for the *whole offering). So (the priest) will make *atonement for what (the *sinner) has done. Then (the *LORD) will forgive (the *sinner).

v11 However, if he cannot afford two *doves or two young *pigeons, he must bring *finest flour as a *sin offering. His *sin offering must be one tenth of an *ephah of flour. He must not put *oil or *incense on it, because it is a *sin offering.

v12 He must bring it to the priest. The priest must take out of it what he can hold in one hand. It is a reminder. The priest will burn it on the *altar. He will put it on top of other gifts that (people) give to the *LORD by fire. It is a *sin offering.

v13 So the priest will make *atonement for (the *sinner), for any of these *sins that he has done. And (the *LORD) will forgive him. The rest (of the flour) is for the priest, as it is for the *corn offering.’

Notes

Verse 1 Bible students are not sure what this verse means.

Here is one possibility. A judge has ordered all the witnesses to give evidence in a court of law. This person is a witness, but he did not speak in the court. He has said nothing, but he is still guilty of *sin. Probably, like the people in verses 2-4, he is unaware of his *sin. For example, he did not realise the importance of something that he saw. Or he misunderstood what the judge was ordering people to do.

That person is guilty because he did not speak the whole truth. But the *LORD will accept a *sin offering on his behalf.

Verse 2 The word ‘*unclean’ means something that separates you from God. Here, it is a *religious word. It does not mean that our bodies are dirty! ‘*Religious’ means ‘about religion’. Bible students are not sure why some of these animals make a person *unclean.

It was not normally a *sin if a person became *unclean. But it was a *sin for an *unclean person to join in with public *worship. This person joined in with public *worship although he was *unclean. He did not know that he was *unclean. But he was still guilty of *sin. However, the *LORD will accept a *sin offering on his behalf.

Verse 3 Again, this verse is a puzzle for Bible students. In other parts of the Bible, this fault does not make a person guilty. Or there are other rules that make the person *clean again. So maybe there is something more here than we can understand.

Probably, as in verse 2, the person joined in with public *worship while he was still *unclean. He did not intend to carry out this *sin. But he was not aware that he was *unclean until later. Again, the person is guilty. But the *LORD accepts a *sin offering on his behalf.

Verse 4 The quick promise means one that he does not think properly about. In English, we call this a ‘rash’ promise. This person promised to do something, then he forgot about it. He could not perform his promise, until he remembered it again. And when he remembered, it was too late. He has *sinned, but the *LORD accepts a *sin offering on his behalf.

Verse 5 The person must confess his *sin to God in public. By this means, the person gives honour to God. The person humbly agrees that God is right.

Verse 6 ‘Make *atonement’ means ‘make *clean again’. Therefore, the *sinner and God can come together again.

Verse 7 *Doves and *pigeons are similar birds. They are about 1 foot (0.3 metres) long and people often keep them as tame birds. People think that they are gentle birds. This is why the *dove is often a sign of the Holy Spirit of God. However, they are not a sign of the Holy Spirit in this verse. Instead, they *point to Jesus, who offered himself for us.

Verses 11-12 One tenth of an *ephah is about 8 cups full of flour. There must be no *oil or *incense because it is not a ‘good smell *offering’, see Leviticus 2:6. Read the note on Leviticus 2:2 to explain ‘reminder’.

Verse 13 What the priest does not burn he can keep for himself. It is his wage. Probably, part of the *lamb, goat and birds are as well, but Leviticus does not say so.

Something to do

1. In the Bible, the number 7 means ‘complete’. Here are some verses for you to read. In each passage, decide what is complete. Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 25:37; Leviticus 4:6; Leviticus 8:11; Leviticus 8:35; Leviticus 12:2, and 16:14; Numbers 19:19; 2 Kings 5:10-14; Joshua chapter 6; Revelation 5:6 and Revelation 5:15.

2. Study Hebrews 13:11-13 carefully. Compare these verses with Leviticus 4:3-12.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
holiness ~ the quality of somebody who is holy, or very, very good.

holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. Or, a description of something that belongs to God.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.
sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
bull ~ the male animal of the same kind as a cow.'meeting tent ~ the special tent where God met with Moses. The priests could enter it to worship; they burnt sacrifices on the altar in front of it.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
horn ~ hard material that grows on the heads of some animals like cows and goats. Or, the points that were on the corners of the altars.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.

'whole offering ~ an offering that the priests burned completely on the altar. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

offering ~ gift.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
fat ~ part of an animal’s body that is not red meat, nor skin, nor bone. Fat is an oily substance.
kidney ~ an important inner part of an animal’s body.
liver ~ an important inner part of an animal’s body.
peace ~ absence of war. Or, the calm and content attitude that one receives because of a right relationship with God and with other people.
clean ~ suitable for God or for God’s people. A clean person could go to God’s house to worship him.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.

'guilt offering ~ an offering by someone who is responsible for certain wrong acts. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

offering ~ gift.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.
offering ~ gift.
fellowship ~ a special type of friendship between God and his people. Or, the special type of friendship that God’s people have with each other.
worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
offering ~ gift.
sinner ~ a person who sins.

sin ~ to do wrong things; not to obey God’s rules. Or, the things we do when we sin. Evil thoughts, words and deeds are all sin, whether we do them on purpose or not.
commentary ~ notes about a book in the Bible.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
soul ~ the part of us that lives when our body dies.
Jewish ~ a word that describes Jews and what they do.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
anointed ~ the past form of the word ‘anoint’; also, a description of someone whom people have appointed to do a special task by a ceremony with oil.

anoint ~ to pour oil onto someone in order to appoint that person for a special task. The Jews did this when they made someone into a priest or king.

oil ~ a type of oil that comes from an oily fruit called the olive. People used this oil in their food and they burnt it in lamps.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
oil ~ a type of oil that comes from an oily fruit called the olive. People used this oil in their food and they burnt it in lamps.
unclean ~ unsuitable for God or for God’s people. When someone was unclean, that person was unable to worship at God’s house.

worship ~ to praise someone (usually God). You tell him that you believe him to be very, very great. Also, you love him and you will obey him.
Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
atonement ~ another word for what happens when God forgives us. After God forgives us, we are ‘at one’ with him. In other words, we are united as friends (or have friendly relations) with him.
cross ~ the wooden object on which Jesus died.
lamb ~ a young sheep.
dove ~ a type of bird that has a gentle character.
pigeon ~ a type of bird which has a gentle character.'finest flour ~ in Leviticus, the best quality flour. People put it through the mill until it was like powder.
ephah ~ 8 cups full of flour.'corn offering ~ a gift of grain to the LORD. See the explanation in the note called ‘The 5 sacrifices’ near the beginning of this commentary.

LORD ~ a special name for God. In the Hebrew Bible it translates YHWH. YHWH probably means ‘he is always alive’. So the word LORD (which means ‘master’) is not a proper translation.

sacrifice ~ something that people burned on an altar for God; or to burn on an altar for God. People also gave sacrifices to false gods.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

altar ~ a special table where the priests burned incense, grain and animals.

Jews ~ another word for the Israelites.

incense ~ a material that gives a good smell when people burn it.

Israelites ~ the LORD’s people whom Moses led out of Egypt. Afterwards, they lived in the countries called Judah and Israel.

Judah ~ the name of the southern part of the country where the Jews went to live.

Israel ~ the name of the country where the Jews went to live, especially the northern part of that country.
religious ~ about religion.
religious ~ about religion.
dove ~ a type of bird that has a gentle character.'point to ~ describe.