Leviticus 5:15
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“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.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
This chapter, and part of the next, concern the trespass-offering. The difference between this and the sin-offering lay not so much in the sacrifices themselves, and the management of them, as in the occasions of the offering of them. They were both intended to make atonement for sin; but the former was more general, this applied to some particular instances. Observe what is here said, I. Concerning the trespass. If a man sin, 1. In concealing his knowledge, when he is adjured (Lev 5:1). 2. In touching an unclean thing (Lev 5:2, Lev 5:3). 3. In swearing (Lev 5:4). 4. In embezzling the holy things (Lev 5:14-16). 5. In any sin of infirmity (Lev 5:17-19). Some other cases there are, in which these offerings were to be offered (Lev 6:2-4; Lev 14:12; Lev 19:21; Num 6:12). II. Concerning the trespass-offerings, 1. Of the flock (Lev 5:5, Lev 5:6). 2. Of fowls (Lev 5:7-10). 3. Of flour (Lev 5:11-13; but chiefly a ram without blemish (Lev 5:15, etc.).
Open source ↗5:15 unintentionally defiling: Damage to sacred property was distinguished from damage to secular property. The sacrifice was effective only if the damage to sacred property had been committed accidentally. Deliberate damage, such as vandalism, to something sacred was blasphemous. As with other deliberate sins (Num 15:30-31), no means was specified for its atonement. No devout believer would defiantly continue in sin (see 1 Jn 3:9). • The sanctuary shekel was not a coin but a standardized unit for measuring weight. It was used to evaluate the ram being offered. Some scholars suggest that this text permits the substitution of the appropriate amount of silver for the ram.
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
“Tell the Israelites to do as follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They pledged to send their wives away, and for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
“Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy:
Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock.
Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
But if the man has no relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest along with the ram of atonement, by which the atonement is made for him.
But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose.
Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
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.