Discovery BoxLeviticus 5:14--6:7 
Context5:14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 1 5:15 “When a person commits a trespass 2 and sins by straying unintentionally 3 from the regulations about the Lord’s holy things, 4 then he must bring his penalty for guilt 5 to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel, 6 for a guilt offering. 7 5:16 And whatever holy thing he violated 8 he must restore and must add one fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest will make atonement 9 on his behalf with the guilt offering ram and he will be forgiven.” 10
5:17 “If a person sins and violates any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated 11 (although he did not know it at the time, 12 but later realizes he is guilty), then he will bear his punishment for iniquity 13 5:18 and must bring a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, 14 for a guilt offering to the priest. So the priest will make atonement 15 on his behalf for his error which he committed 16 (although he himself had not known it) and he will be forgiven. 17 5:19 It is a guilt offering; he was surely guilty before the Lord.”
6:1 (5:20) 18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 19 6:2 “When a person sins and commits a trespass 20 against the Lord by deceiving his fellow citizen 21 in regard to something held in trust, or a pledge, or something stolen, or by extorting something from his fellow citizen, 22 6:3 or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely 23 concerning any one of the things that someone might do to sin 24 – 6:4 when it happens that he sins and he is found guilty, 25 then he must return whatever he had stolen, or whatever he had extorted, or the thing that he had held in trust, 26 or the lost thing that he had found, 6:5 or anything about which he swears falsely. 27 He must restore it in full 28 and add one fifth to it; he must give it to its owner when he is found guilty. 29 6:6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, 30 for a guilt offering to the priest. 6:7 So the priest will make atonement 31 on his behalf before the Lord and he will be forgiven 32 for whatever he has done to become guilty.” 33
1 sn The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 5:14 through 5:19, encompassing the first main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 6:1 [5:20 HT].
2 tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root, מַעַל, ma’al); cf. NIV “commits a violation.” The word refers to some kind of overstepping of the boundary between that which is common (i.e., available for common use by common people) and that which is holy (i.e., to be used only for holy purposes because it has been consecrated to the
3 tn See Lev 4:2 above for a note on “straying.”
4 sn Heb “from the holy things of the
5 tn Here the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential use of אָשָׁם (’asham; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303).
6 tn Heb “in your valuation, silver of shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary.” The translation offered here suggests that, instead of a ram, the guilt offering could be presented in the form of money (see, e.g., NRSV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:326-27). Others still maintain the view that it refers to the value of the ram that was offered (see, e.g., NIV “of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel”; also NAB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 72-73, 81).
sn The sanctuary shekel was about 10 grams (= ca. two fifths of an ounce; J. E. Shepherd, NIDOTTE 4:237-38).
7 tn The word for “guilt offering” (sometimes translated “reparation offering”) is the same as “guilt” earlier in the verse (rendered there “[penalty for] guilt”). One can tell which is intended only by the context.
sn The primary purpose of the guilt offering was to “atone” (see the note on Lev 1:4 above) for “trespassing” on the
8 tn Heb “and which he sinned from the holy thing.”
9 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
10 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
11 tn Heb “and does one from all of the commandments of the
12 tn The words “at the time” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
13 tn Heb “and he did not know, and he shall be guilty and he shall bear his iniquity” (for the rendering “bear his punishment [for iniquity]”) see the note on Lev 5:1.) This portion of v. 17 is especially difficult. The translation offered here suggests (as in many other English versions) that the offender did not originally know that he had violated the
14 tn The statement here is condensed. See the full expression in 5:15 and the note there.
15 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
16 tn Heb “on his straying which he strayed.” See the note on Lev 4:2.
17 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV and NASB both similar).
18 sn Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.
19 sn This paragraph is Lev 6:1-7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20-26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.
20 tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root מַעַל, ma’al). See the note on 5:15.
21 tn Or “neighbor” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NASB “companion”; TEV “a fellow-Israelite.”
22 tn Heb “has extorted his neighbor”; ASV “oppressed”; NRSV “defrauded.”
23 tn Heb “and swears on falsehood”; cf. CEV “deny something while under oath.”
24 tn Heb “on one from all which the man shall do to sin in them.”
25 tn Heb “and it shall happen, when he sins and becomes guilty,” which is both resumptive of the previous (vv. 2-3) and the conclusion to the protasis (cf. “then” introducing the next clause as the apodosis). In this case, “becomes guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV) probably refers to his legal status as one who has been convicted of a crime in court; thus the translation “he is found guilty.” See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:559-61.
26 tn Heb “that had been held in trust with him.”
27 tn Heb “or from all which he swears on it to falsehood.”
28 tn Heb “in its head.” This refers “the full amount” in terms of the “principal,” the original item or amount obtained illegally (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:338; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 84).
29 tn Heb “to whom it is to him he shall give it in the day of his being guilty.” The present translation is based on the view that he has been found guilty through the legal process (see the note on v. 4 above; cf., e.g., TEV and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 33-34). Others translate the latter part as “in the day he offers his guilt [reparation] offering” (e.g., NIV and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73, 84), or “in the day he realizes his guilt” (e.g., NRSV and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:319, 338).
30 tn The words “into silver shekels” are supplied here. See the full expression in Lev 5:15, and compare 5:18. Cf. NRSV “or its equivalent”; NLT “or the animal’s equivalent value in silver.”
31 sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.
32 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).
33 tn Heb “on one from all which he does to become guilty in it”; NAB “whatever guilt he may have incurred.”
