Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 6:5
Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, [and] give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
In the day of his trespass offering – The restitution was thus to be associated with the religious act by which the offender testified his penitence.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. All that about which he hath sworn falsely] This supposes the case of a man who, being convicted by his own conscience, comes forward and confesses his sin.
Restore it in the principal] The property itself if still remaining, or the full value of it, to which a fifth part more was to be added.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
It must not be delayed, but restitution to man must accompany repentance towards God. Compare Mat 5:23.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely,…. In all and each of the above cases, in which he had committed a trespass and denied it, and to the denial adds a false oath, and yet after all acknowledges it:
he shall even restore it in the principal; whatsoever he has embezzled, or cheated another of, or detained from the right owner, the whole of that was to be restored:
and shall add the fifth part more thereto; to the principal, see Le 5:16 but Maimonides l says, this was an instruction to add a fifth to a fifth; and Aben Ezra takes the word to be plural, and observes, that the least of many is two, and so two fifths were to be added to the principal, but the first sense seems best:
[and] give it unto him to whom appertaineth; as, to his neighbour, who had deposited anything in his hands; or his partner, he had any ways wronged; or whomsoever he had defrauded in any respect; or the proprietor of lost goods; Ben Gersom observes, it was not to be given to his son, nor to his messenger: in the case of taking anything away by violence, though but the value of a farthing, it is said, that he shall be obliged to bring it after him (from whom he has taken it) even unto Media (should he be there); he shall not give it to his son, nor to his messenger, but he may give it to the messenger of the sanhedrim; and if he dies, he must return it to his heirs m:
in the day of his trespass [offering]; when he brings that, but restoration must first be made: the Targum of Jonathan renders it, in the day he repents of his sin: and so Aben Ezra interprets it,
“in the day he returns from his trespass;”
when he owns and confesses it, is sorry for it, and determines to do so no more. Maimonides observes n, that one that takes away anything by violence (which is one of the cases supposed) is not fined so much as a thief; he only restores the principal; for the fifth part is for his false oath; the reasons of which are, because robbery is not so frequently, and is more easily committed, and is more open, and against which persons may guard and make resistance, and the robber is more known than a thief who steals secretly; see Ex 22:1.
l In Misn. Trumot, c. 6. sect. 1. m Misnah Bava Kama, c. 9. sect. 6. n Ut supra, (l) c. 41.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) And shall add the fifth part more thereto.The first thing the offender must do, when he realises and confesses his guilt, is to make restitution of the property which he had embezzled, if he still has it, or if that be impossible, he is to pay the value of it as estimated by the authorised tribunal. Besides this, the offender is to add a fifth part of the principal, to compensate for the loss which the owner sustained during the interval. It will be seen that in Exo. 22:1-9, when a person was guilty of any of the offences here specified, the offender was condemned to make a four fold restitution, whilst in the passage before us the mulct is reduced to the restitution of the principal with the addition of a fifth part. The reason of this difference is that the law in Exodus deals with a culprit who is convicted of his crime in a court of justice by means of witnesses, whilst the law before us deals with an offender who, through compunction of mind, voluntarily confesses his offence, and to whom, without this voluntary confession, the offence could not be brought home. It is this difference which constitutes it a case for a trespass offering. (Comp. Num. 5:7.)
In the day of his trespass offering.Better, on the day of his guilt. That is, as soon as he acknowledges his guilt, and brings the sacrifice for his offence, he is to make the requisite restitution.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. In the principal The property itself or its full value must be restored, with the addition of the fifth part, as a compensation to the injured party, as a penalty for the unjust deed, and as a motive to honesty in the future.
In the day of his trespass offering In the day his offering is to be presented. The reconciliation with the injured party must be made before the offering can be accepted. See note on Mat 5:23-24. The marginal reading of the Authorized Version, “in the day of his being found guilty,” is barely possible according to the Hebrew, but it is not suitable to this passage. No reference is had here to conviction by a criminal court, but to a conviction by the condemning voice of conscience.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 6:5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, [and] give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
Ver. 5. In the day of his trespass offering. ] Before he compass God’s altar. See Mat 5:23 , See Trapp on “ Mat 5:23 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
add. See note on Lev 5:16.
fifth part = twenty per cent. Zacchseus gave much more (Luk 19:8).
in the day = when. See App-18. Note the order of the “offerings”, and their “laws”. In the former (God’s side), “peace” made, comes in centre. In the latter, “sin” comes before “peace” experienced. See note on Lev 7:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
restore: Lev 5:16, Exo 22:1, Exo 22:4, Exo 22:7, Exo 22:9, Num 5:7, Num 5:8, 1Sa 12:3, 2Sa 12:6, Pro 6:30, Pro 6:31, Isa 58:6, Isa 58:9, Luk 19:8
in the principal: The property itself, if still remaining, or its full value, to which a fifth part more was to be added, to compensate the owner for the loss he had sustained by being deprived of the use of his goods. He must also bring a trespass offering to the Lord; which was intended to show that disobedience to God is the great evil, even of those crimes which are injurious to man, and that repentance, and even restitution, though needful in order to – obtainforgiveness, cannot atone for sin.
of his trespass offering: or, of his being found guilty, Heb. of trespass. Mat 5:23, Mat 5:24
Reciprocal: Lev 27:13 – General Neh 5:11 – Restore
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 6:5. In the day of his trespass-offering It must not be delayed, but restitution to man must accompany repentance toward God. Wherever wrong has been done, restitution must be made, and till it is made, to the utmost of our power, we cannot look for forgiveness; for the keeping of what is unjustly gotten, avows the taking: and both together make but one continued act of unrighteousness.