Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 4:23
Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
23. a goat ] lit. a shaggy one of goats, i.e. a hairy goat, an expression used of female goats ( Lev 4:28) as well as males. The phrase occurs, with the exception of Gen 37:31, exclusively in Lev. and Ezek. of the animal brought as a Sin-Offering. Whether a particular breed with long hair is meant, or whether the long hair is due to age, seems doubtful, but the rendering of A.V. ‘kid of the goats’ is misleading.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Or if his sin – Rather, And if his sin.
Come to his knowledge – i. e. when he had become conscious of his sin.
A kid of the goats – A shaggy he-goat, in distinction from a smooth-haired he-goat. It was the regular sin-offering at the yearly festivals Lev 16:9, Lev 16:15; Num 28:15, Num 28:22, Num 28:30, and at the consecration of the priests Lev 9:3; while the smooth-haired goat appears to have been generally offered for the other sacrifices Psa 50:9; Isa 1:11.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The disjunctive or is here put for the copulative and, as it is 1Co 12:13; 13:8; 15:11; for it is evident that he speaks of the same person, and of the same sin.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Or if his sin wherein he hath sinned come to his knowledge,…. Or rather, “and if his sin”, c. m either by means of others informing him of it, or of himself calling to mind what he has done, and considering it to be a transgression of the law:
he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish his offering was to be a “kid of the goats”, a fat and a large one; because, as Baal Hatturim observes, he ate fat things every day; and to distinguish it from the offering of one of the common people; and “without blemish”; as all sacrifices were, that they might be typical of the offering of Christ without spot.
m Sept. “et postea”, V. L. & Noldius, p. 3. No. 23.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(23) Or if his sin.That is, if on his failing to see it himself, his sin is shown to him by another person.
A kid of the goats.The expression here used (sr) properly denotes the rough, shaggy-haired he goat, and is distinguished from athud (literally, ready, vigorous), which occurs in conjunction with it (Num. 7:16-17; Num. 7:22-23), and which is also translated goat in point of age. The sr, or the shaggy or longer haired he-goat, here used is the older buck of the goat, whose hair has become long with age; whilst the athud is the same animal, younger and more vigorous. Hence the former was never killed for food, or used for burnt or thank offerings at the festivals (Lev. 16:9; Lev. 16:15; Lev. 23:19; Num. 28:15; Num. 28:22; Num. 28:30; Num. 29:5; Num. 29:11; Num. 29:16), and at the consecration of the priests and sanctuary (Lev. 9:3; Lev. 9:15; Lev. 10:16), whilst the latter was killed for food (Deu. 32:14; Jer. 51:40), and hence, like the bull, the ram, and the lamb, was regularly presented as burnt and thank offerings (Num. 7:17; Num. 7:23; Num. 7:29, &c.; Isa. 1:11; Isa. 34:6; Eze. 39:18; Pss. 1. 9, 13, Ixvi. 15). It will be seen that the first difference in the sin offering of a prince is that he is to bring a longhaired he-goat, and not a bull.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The same without much variety, only in an humbler offering, is here appointed for the ruler, as for the priest. Both evidently referring to the finished redemption which is in CHRIST, and to which all these services ministered. Heb 10:1 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 4:23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
Ver. 23. Come to his knowledge. ] As David’s did, 2Sa 24:11 who saw such volumes of infirmities, and so many erratas in all that he did, that he once cried out, “Who knoweth the errors of his life? Oh, cleanse me from secret sins.” Psa 19:12 This he knew was the import of all these Levitical cleansings.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sin. Hebrew. chat’a. App-44.
male: for ruler, female for one of the people, Lev 4:28. Compare Lev 5:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
if his sin: Lev 4:14, Lev 5:4, 2Ki 22:10-13
a kid: Lev 9:3, Lev 23:19, Num 7:16, Num 7:22, Num 7:28, Num 7:34, Num 15:24, Num 28:15, Num 28:30, Num 29:5, Num 29:11, Num 29:16, Num 29:19, Rom 8:3
Reciprocal: Lev 1:3 – a male Lev 1:10 – a male Lev 4:28 – a kid Ezr 6:17 – a sin offering