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Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Leviticus 4:2

Verse Leviticus 4:2. If a soul shall sin through ignorance] That is, if any man shall do what God has forbidden, or leave undone what God has commanded, through ignorance of the law relative to these points; as soon as the transgression or omission comes to his knowledge, he shall offer the sacrifice here prescribed, and shall not suppose that his ignorance is an excuse for his sin. He who, when his iniquity comes to his knowledge, refuses to offer such a sacrifice, sins obstinately and wilfully, and to him there remains no other sacrifice for sin - no other mode by which he can be reconciled to God, but he has a certain fearful looking for of judgment - which shall devour such adversaries; and this seems the case to which the apostle alludes, Hebrews 10:26, c., in the words above quoted. There have been a great number of subtle questions started on this subject, both by Jews and Christians, but the above I believe to be the sense and spirit of the law.

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See also Leviticus 4:2 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    AND THE LORD SPAKE ... ISRAEL - This formula is the commencement of a distinct section of the Law. Leviticus 4:2 IF A SOUL SHALL SIN - The sin-offering was a new thing, instituted by the Law. The old...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    4. THE SIN OFFERING Chapter S 4-5:13 _ 1. The second utterance of Jehovah (Leviticus 4:1)_ 2. The sin offering for the high priest (Leviticus 4:3) 3. The sin offering for the congregation (Levitic...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    LEVITICUS 4:1 TO LEVITICUS 5:13. THE SIN OFFERING. This, and the guilt offering, whose ritual follows, are unknown before the Exile, save as fines (2 Kings 12:16;...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    LEVITICUS 4:1 F. GENERAL STATEMENT. These sins are committed through error (RVm), when the sinner thinks that he is doing something else, or does not know that what he is doing is wrong; _i.e._ to us,...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    CHILDREN. Hebrew sons. SOUL. Hebrew. _nephesh._ See App-13. Not as in the burnt offering; no voluntary offering here. IGNORANCE. If man cannot _know_ what sin is, how can he know how to put it away?...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Leviticus 4:1. A general introduction like that in Leviticus 1:1-2. From here to Leviticus 6:7 a new class of sacrifices are prescribed, the Sin-Offerings and Guilt-Offerings, and the _occasions_on wh...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    IF A SOUL SHALL SIN THROUGH IGNORANCE, &C.— Sacrifices, called _sin-offerings,_ are next appointed for such involuntary transgressions, as men might ignorantly and unknowingly be guilty of. And as suc...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    E. THE SIN OFFERING 4:15:13 (1) ITS APPLICATION Leviticus 4:1 (2) ITS GRADES (a) FOR THE HIGH PRIEST 4:2-12 TEXT 4:1-12 1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Is...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _SPEAK 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...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    4:2 sin (b-12) _ Chata_ , to sin. so also vers 3,14,22,27. and elsewhere. See Note b, ch. 5.1. 'Sin' and 'sin offering' here are from the same root in Hebrew. see Note h, Genesis 4:7 ....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SIN OFFERING (4:1-5:13) AND THE GUILT OFFERING (5:14-6:7) These are later and specialised forms of the Burnt Offering. They presuppose a state of matters in which the good relationship between God...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THROUGH IGNORANCE] RV 'unwittingly.' The word applies to sins not only of ignorance but also of weakness and rashness. It must, however, be observed that the Levitical law provides no sacrifice for de...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    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 i...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל ־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לֵ אמֹר֒ נֶ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE SIN OFFERING Leviticus 4:1 BOTH in the burnt offering and in the peace offering, Israel was taught, as we are, that all consecration and all fellowship with God must begin with, and ever depends...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    SIN-OFFERINGS FOR PRIESTS AND CONGREGATION Leviticus 4:1 The sweet savor offerings have now been considered. They are all concerned with consecration and communion. We now approach the sacrifices for...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    We come now to the consideration of the sin offering. In the light of the divine holiness sin is seen, whether it be willful or not, and provisions must be made for its expiation. In the instructions,...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through (a) ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which ought not to be done, and shall do against an...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Ignorance. To be ignorant of what we are bound to know is sinful: and for such culpable ignorance, these sacrifices, prescribed in this and the following chapter, were appointed. (Challoner) --- Not t...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Observe the expression, If a soul shall sin; meaning no doubt that all sin is the sin of the soul. Micah 6:7. And it is the soul that is hurt by it. Proverbs 8:36. And it is the soul that is liable to...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The book of Leviticus has its own character quite as manifestly as Genesis or Exodus. Its peculiar feature is that from its very starting-point it is the revelation of what God saw in Jesus Christ our...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 4, 5, 6, AND 7. We come now to the sacrifices which were not sacrifices of sweet savour-the sin and trespass-offerings, alike in the great principle, though d...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, [SAYING],.... For this law concerning the sin offering, as the rest, only belonged to them, and such as were proselyted to them: IF A SOUL SHOULD SIN THROUGH IGNORA...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Speak 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...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _If a soul sin through ignorance_ The next kind of sacrifices appointed were for the expiation of particular sins, and are therefore called _sin-offerings._ The first sort of these were for sins of ig...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The sinne offering of ignorance, 3 for the Priest, 13 for the Congregation, 22 for the Ruler, 27 for any of the people. [OFFERINGS FOR SINNES OF IGNORANCE.] 1 AND the LORD spake vnto Moses, sa...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, if a soul shall sin through ignorance, in an unintentional offense, AGAINST ANY OF THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD CONCERNING THINGS WHICH OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    FOR A PRIEST...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SIN OFFERING FOR CASES OF IGNORANCE (vv. 1-2) The sin offering was for sins of ignorance, or inadvertence. These are things that we do not realize are sin and we easily fall into such things unin...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-12 Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and peace-offerings, had been offered before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai; and in these the patriarchs had respect to sin, to make atonement for it. Bu...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    This must necessarily be understood of more than common sins and daily infirmities; for if every such sin had required an offering, it had not been possible either for most sinners to bear such a char...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    Having Considered the "sweet savour" Offerings, We now approach the "sacrifices for sin." These were divided into two classes, namely, sin offerings and trespass offerings. Of the former, there were t...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Leviticus 4:2 Speak H1696 (H8761) children H1121 Israel H3478 saying H559 (H8800) person H5315 sins H2398 ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying, If any one shall sin unwittingly, in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them.' Here we have a general introd...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Sin offering laws. CHARACTERS: God, Moses. CONCLUSION: Even sins done in ignorance need to be atoned for by sacrifice. To plead ignorance when charged with sin will not deliver. Our only h...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Leviticus 4:2. _Sin through ignorance._ Ignorance is itself a crime, for all men ought to know the scriptures; or in doubtful cases, they should ask advice. Error and negligence are therefore without...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _If a soul shall sin through ignorance._ THE SIN AND TRESPASS-OFFERINGS I. There are, then, some lingering defilements and trespasses adhering to man, even though he be justified, consecrated, and in...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 4:1__ The SIN OFFERING (see also Leviticus 6:24) is for restoring one’s broken relationship with the Lord, whether that was cause

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    Sacrifices for Sins SUGGESTIVE READINGS Leviticus 4:2.—If a soul shall sin. Be it noted that the foregoing sacrifices are specified as sacrifices already _familiar_ to the Hebrew people. In distincti...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THE SIN OFFERING (Leviticus 4:1, Leviticus 5:1). At the time of the Mosaic legislation, burnt offerings and meat offerings were already in existence, and had existed from the time of the Fa...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now as we get into chapter four, we get in now to the sin offerings. First of all, God said, "if a soul should sin through ignorance against any of the commandments" (Leviticus 4:2)-It is interesting...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 14:27; 1 Timothy 1:13; Deuteronomy 19:4; Genesis 20:9; H

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    If a soul sin — This must necessarily be understood of more than common daily infirmities; for if every such sin had required an offering, it had not been possible either for most sinners to bear such...

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