Numbers 15:22

Rules for Unintentional Offenses

15:22 “‘If you sin unintentionally and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses –

Numbers 18:22

18:22 No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will bear their sin and die.

sn These regulations supplement what was already ruled on in the Levitical code for the purification and reparation offerings. See those rulings in Lev 4-7 for all the details. Some biblical scholars view the rules in Leviticus as more elaborate and therefore later. However, this probably represents a misunderstanding of the purpose of each collection.

tn The verb is the plural imperfect; the sin discussed here is a sin committed by the community, or the larger part of the community.

tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive construct of the verb “to bear” with the lamed (ל) preposition to express the result of such an action. “To bear their sin” would mean that they would have to suffer the consequences of their sin.