Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 6:24
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
(4) The Sin-Offering (24 30)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the Lord spake unto Moses,…. Continued his discourse with him:
saying; as follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Law of the Sin-Offering, which is introduced with a new introductory formula on account of the interpolation of Lev 6:19-23, gives more precise instructions, though chiefly with regard to the sin-offerings of the laity, first as to the place of slaughtering, as in Lev 4:24, and then as to the most holy character of the flesh and blood of the sacrifices. The flesh of these sin-offerings was to be eaten by the priest who officiated at a holy place, in the fore-court (see Lev 6:16). Whoever touched it became holy (see at Lev 6:18); and if any one sprinkled any of the blood upon his clothes, whatever the blood was sprinkled upon was to be washed in a holy place, in order that the most holy blood might not be carried out of the sanctuary into common life along with the sprinkled clothes, and thereby be profaned. The words “thou shalt wash” in Lev 6:20 are addressed to the priest.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Law of the Sin-Offering. | B. C. 1490. |
24 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy. 26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. 27 Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place. 28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. 29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. 30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
We have here so much of the law of the sin-offering as did peculiarly concern the priests that offered it. As, 1. That it must be killed in the place where the burnt-offering was killed (v. 25), that is, on the north side of the altar (ch. i. 11), which, some think typified the crucifying of Christ on mount Calvary, which was on the north side of Jerusalem. 2. That the priest who offered it for the sinner was (with his sons, or other priests, v. 29) to eat the flesh of it, after the blood and fat had been offered to God, in the court of the tabernacle, v. 26. Hereby they were to bear the iniquity of the congregation, as it is explained, ch. x. 17. 3. The blood of the sin-offering was with great reverence to be washed out of the clothes on which it happened to light (v. 27), which signified the awful regard we ought to have to the blood of Christ, not counting it a common thing; that blood must be sprinkled on the conscience, not on the raiment. 4. The vessel in which the flesh of the sin-offering was boiled must be broken if it were an earthen one, and, if a brazen one, well washed, v. 28. This intimated that the defilement was not wholly taken away by the offering, but did rather cleave to it, such was the weakness and deficiency of those sacrifices; but the blood of Christ thoroughly cleanses from all sin, and after it there needs no cleansing. 5. That all this must be understood of the common sin-offerings, not of those for the priest, or the body of the congregation, either occasional, or stated upon the day of atonement; for it had been before ordained, and was now ratified, that if the blood of the offering was brought into the holy place, as it was in those extraordinary cases, the flesh was not to be eaten, but burnt without the camp, v. 30. Hence the apostle infers the advantage we have under the gospel above what they had under the law; for though the blood of Christ was brought into the tabernacle, to reconcile within the holy place, yet we have a right by faith to eat of the altar (Heb. xiii. 10-12), and so to take the comfort of the great propitiation.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 24-30:
This text gives additional details concerning the Sin Offering, see chapter 4:2. Portions of this offering were to be eaten by the officiating priest and the males of his family, within the precincts of the tabernacle courtyard, with the exception of the Sin Offering made by the high priest, and by the congregation. This was to be burned in its entirety.
The holiness of the blood of the Sin Offering is evident in the reverence accorded to the garment stained by it, and the vessels containing it. The garment was to be carefully washed, in the tabernacle court. An earthen vessel holding the blood was to be broken, made unfit for other use. A brazen (copper) vessel was to be scoured and thoroughly rinsed.
This is typical of the holiness of the blood of Christ, the true Sin Offering, 1Pe 1:19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
THE SIN OFFERING 6:2430
TEXT 6:2430
24
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
25
Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt-offering is killed shall the sin-offering be killed before Jehovah: it is most holy.
26
The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
27
Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place.
28
But the earthen vessel wherein it is boiled shall be broken; and if it be boiled in a brazen vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.
29
Every male among the priests shall eat thereof; it is most holy.
30
And no sin-offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt with fire.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 6:2430
122.
Where was the burnt offering slain? Why designate the place?
123.
Why was the eating of the offering restricted to the holy place?
124.
In what sense were people and garments made holy by contact with the sacrifice?
125.
Vessels were made holy by contact. How?
126.
Is there any lesson for us in the strong emphasis upon holiness and blood? Discuss.
PARAPHRASE 6:2430
Then the Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron and his sons that these are the instructions concerning the sin offering: This sacrifice is most holy, and shall be killed before the Lord at the place where the burnt offerings are killed. The priest who performs the ceremony shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. Only those who are sanctifiedthe priestsmay touch this meat; if any blood sprinkles onto their clothing, it must be washed in a holy place. Then the clay pot in which the clothing is boiled shall be broken; or if a bronze kettle is used, it must be scoured and rinsed out thoroughly. Every male among the priests may eat this offering, but only they, for it is most holy. No sin offering may be eaten by the priests if any of its blood is taken into the Tabernacle, to make atonement in the Holy Place. That carcass must be entirely burned with fire before the Lord.
COMMENT 6:2430
Lev. 6:24-25 In Lev. 1:11 we are given the location for the killing of the victim for the burnt offeringit was on the north side of the altar. All subsequent sacrifices were to be slain in the same place.
All sacrifices were to be regarded with awful reverence. We are sure many worshippers came who were not sincere and reverent, but there were doubtless many who stood in wonder and contemplation before the altar and watched with real understanding every movement of the priest and the sacrifice.
We have much more reason to stand with holy wonder like the Marys of old beneath the cross upon which our sin offering was nailed.
When we lift the cup and eat the bread do we discern the body and blood of our sin offering?
Lev. 6:26 From the priests viewpoint he eats of the altar but from the worshippers viewpoint he finds acceptance from God in the act of eating by the priests (Cf. Lev. 10:17). There is an instructive verse in Hos. 4:8, They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity. This has reference to the sin offering. The priests only did their duty and ate the sacrifice but their hearts were fixed on iniquity. How easy it is to lose the meaning in oft repeated actions.
Lev. 6:27-28 How awful is atoning blood! Even things without life, such as garments, are held in dreadful sacredness if this blood touches them. No wonder, then, that this earth, on which fell the blood of the Son of God, has a sacredness in the eye of God. It must be set apart for holy ends, since the blood of Jesus wet its soil. As the earthen vessels, within which the sacrifice was offered, must be broken, and not used for any meaner end again, so must our earth be decomposed and new-moulded, for it must be kept for the use of Him whose sacrifice was offered there. And as the brazen vessel must be rinsed and scoured, so must this earth be freed from all that dims its beauty, and be set apart for holy ends. It must be purified and reserved for holy purposes; for the blood of Jesus has dropped upon it, and made it more sacred than any spot, except where He Himself dwells. (Bonar)
Lev. 6:29-30 The sin offering used by the high priest of the goat on the day of atonement must not be eaten but taken without the camp and burned. How perfectly does this compare with our Saviour who suffered as our sin offering, whose blood was taken into the Holy of Holies and made atonement for us. He suffered without the gate (Cf. Heb. 13:11-13).
FACT QUESTIONS 6:2430
163.
Comment upon the awful reverence that was to be the attitude of those who shared in the sin offering. How related to us?
164.
There is a two-fold meaning in the eating by the priest. What is it? A deadly danger existed here. What was it?
165.
There are two viewpoints given as to the use of the earthen vessels. Which one is yours?
166.
Show the application of Heb. 13:11-13 to the goat of the sin offering on the day of atonement.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(24) And the Lord spake unto Moses.As is indicated by the special formula, this introduces a new law, or rather a more expanded law than the one contained in Lev. 4:1-5, giving more precise directions to the priests about the sin offering of the laity (Lev. 6:24-30).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Law of the Purification for Sin Offering ( Lev 6:24-30 ).
Lev 6:24
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,’
If the previous section was inserted here this may have been put in to take up the first section again, reminding us that it is a revelation from Yahweh to Moses. Otherwise it may have been a fresh revelation, but continuing the previous one.
Lev 6:25
‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the purification for sin offering. In the place where the whole burnt offering is killed shall the purification for sin offering be killed before Yahweh. It is most holy.’
The purification for sin offering is to be slain in the same place as the whole burnt offering, that is to the north of the altar (Lev 1:11) in the court of the tabernacle. But the thought is as much that it should be slaughtered there because it is most holy, for these are two most holy offerings. The holiness of the offering from the start is being stressed, so that the regulations that follow will be seen in all their seriousness.
Lev 6:26
‘The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.’
Once its blood and fat with its innards have been offered, the priest who offered it for sin may eat of it. He has been caught up in the holiness of the sacrifice and is therefore in a fit state to do so. And he must eat it in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. Thus is the holiness of the purification for sin offering doubly stressed. All of it is holy, For God has worked through it to neutralise and blot out sin and make holy what once bore sin. All that connects with it is brought within its holiness.
Lev 6:27
‘Whatever shall touch its flesh shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood from it on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place.’
It is so holy that whatever touches its flesh is made holy, and if any of the blood falls on a piece of clothing it must be washed in a holy place. This all brings out the divine power that is at work in the act of purification of a sinner. It is the Holy One at work.
Lev 6:28
‘But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it be boiled in a bronze (or ‘copper’) vessel, it shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.’
Thus the earthen vessel in which the meat is boiled must be broken after use, and if it is boiled in a bronze or copper vessel it must be scoured out and rinsed with water. The absorbent earthen vessel may have absorbed something of the offering. It is therefore too holy to be used again. In the case of the metal vessel there is no absorption. It may therefore be cleansed. (Besides which the earthenware was easy to break, not so the bronze vessel, and if not broken properly it might have been used improperly).
Lev 6:29
‘Every male among the priests shall eat of it. It is most holy.’
But any true male priest may eat of it (even if he is not fitted for service because of some blemish, as long as he is ritually clean – Lev 21:18-23). But only they. For it is most holy.
It is difficult to see how the holiness of the offering could be more emphasised. When God is at work in purification He makes all holy. Thus can we know that when we are purified by the One Who made Himself an offering for sin, He makes us completely holy.
Lev 6:30
‘And no purification for sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten. It shall be burnt with fire.’
But there is something even more holy than a purification for sin offering, and that is an offering which is brought within the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place, the purification for sin offerings for the priest and for the community. They are so holy that they are taken to a clean place outside the camp and burned for Yahweh. (And the same will be true of the offerings on the Day of Atonement – chapter 16). How holy then are those who are cleansed in the blood of Jesus!
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Of Sin-offerings.
v. 24. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, v. 25. Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin-offering: in the place where the burnt offering is killed, v. 26. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it, v. 27. Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy v. 28. But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken, v. 29. All the males among the priests shall eat thereof; it is most holy.
v. 30. And no sin-offering whereof any of the blood is brought in to the Tabernacle of the Congregation to reconcile withal in the Holy Place,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Those verses relate to the order respecting the sin-offering. The great attention that was to be shown to wash the clothes that were sprinkled, in offering the sacrifice, meant no doubt to signify the necessity of divine washing by the blood of JESUS, and the waters of regeneration. Tit 3:5-6 . And in the appointment of all the males among the priests partaking of the sacrifice, is it not meant to show the privilege of the faithful in the common sacrifice of CHRIST? Heb 13:10 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Laws of the Sin- and Trespass-Offerings
Lev 6:24-30; Lev 7:1-10
The peculiar sanctity of the flesh of the sin- and the trespass-offerings is clearly emphasized throughout this paragraph. Notice the repeated phrase, it is most holy. This seems intended to emphasize the holiness of our Lord, who, though He became a sin-offering for us all, knew no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. He was searched with the minutest scrutiny, but Pilate, Herod and Judas agreed in asserting that in Him there was no fault. He was holy, harmless and separate from sin.
Never was our Lord more absolutely the Holy One of God than when He was numbered with the transgressors and bare the sin of many. The Cross was the climax of His obedience. How watchful we should be against anything that might soil us in our handling of sin in its infinite ramifications. As the priests, who dealt with these offerings, were permitted to eat of the flesh, are we not reminded that we derive the richest sustenance of our spiritual life by humble, penitent and thankful meditation on the finished work of the Cross?
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Reciprocal: Lev 7:37 – sin
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 6:24-30. Special Directions for the Sin Offering.It is most holy; that is, it must be killed by the altar, like a burnt offering, and it can only be eaten by priests. Victims whose blood is brought within the shrine are for priests as well as laymen, and therefore their flesh must not be eaten at all. [The reason for this regulation (Lev 6:30) is that the holiness is present in a degree so intense that it is dangerous even for the priests to eat the flesh. It has to be burnt, not of course to convey the sacrifice to God, for this has already been done in the offering of the fat and the blood (Lev 4:5-10), but to dispose of the flesh safely and effectively.A. S. P.] Even a splash of holy blood is contagious; it can (and must) be removed from a garment or brass vessel by rinsing or scouring; a porous (and less valuable) pot which has been used for cooking the animal must be destroyed. (Cf. W. R. Smith, RS2, pp. 349, 451.) [The idea is that the holiness in the liquid will sink into the very texture of the porous earthenware, so that no washing will remove it; accordingly it must be broken, that it may not be used again. On the other hand, the broth could not sink into the closer texture of the brazen vessel, so that cleansing of the surface sufficed to remove the holiness.A. S. P.]
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
The law of the sin (purification) offering for the priests 6:24-30
The priests slew the burnt, sin, and trespass offerings in the same place, before the altar of burnt offerings. Again the emphasis is on what the priests could and could not eat. They were not to confuse the holy and the common (profane; cf. Lev 6:18).
"People need to know that they have been forgiven and that they can enter God’s presence with confidence; they need the reality of forgiveness, not simply the hope of forgiveness. If worshipers come away from a worship service unsure of their standing with God, then something has gone terribly wrong." [Note: Ibid., p. 167.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
THE RITUAL OF THE SIN OFFERING
Lev 4:4-35; Lev 5:1-13; Lev 6:24-30
ACCORDING to the Authorised Version, {Lev 5:6-7} it might seem that the section, Lev 5:1-13, referred not to the sin offering, but to the guilt offering, like the latter part of the chapter; but, as suggested in the margin of the Revised Version, in these verses we may properly read, instead of “guilt offering,” “for his guilt.” That the latter rendering is to be preferred is clear when we observe that in Lev 5:6, Lev 5:7, Lev 5:9 this offering is called a sin offering; that, everywhere else, the victim for the guilt offering is a ram; and, finally, that the estimation of a money value for the victim, which is the most characteristic feature of the guilt offering, is absent from all the offerings described in these verses. We may safely take it therefore as certain that the marginal reading should be adopted in Lev 5:6, so that it will read, “he shall bring for his guilt unto the Lord”; and understand the section to contain a further development of the law of the sin offering. In the law of the preceding chapter we have the direction for the sin offering as graded with reference to the rank and station of the offerer; in this section we have the law for the sin offering for the common people, as graded with reference to the ability of the offerer.
The specifications {Lev 5:1-5} indicate several cases under which one of the common people was required to bring a sin offering as the condition of forgiveness. As an exhaustive list would be impossible, those named are taken as illustrations. The instances selected are significant as extending the class of offences for which atonement could be made by a sin offering, beyond the limits of sins of inadvertence as given in the previous chapter. For however some cases come under this head, we cannot so reckon sins of rashness (Lev 5:4), and still less, the failure of the witness placed under oath to tell the whole truth as he knows it. And herein it is graciously intimated that it is in the heart of God to multiply His pardons; and, on condition of the presentation of a sin offering, to forgive also those sins in palliation of which no such excuse as inadvertence or ignorance can be pleaded. It is a faint foreshadowing, in the law concerning the type, of that which should afterward be declared concerning the great Antitype, {1Jn 1:7} “The blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin.”
When we look now at the various prescriptions regarding the ritual of the offering which are given in this and the foregoing chapter, it is plain that the numerous variations from the ritual of the other sacrifices were intended to withdraw the thought of the sinner from all other aspects in which sacrifice might be regarded, and centre his mind upon the one thought of sacrifice as expiating sin, through the substitution of an innocent life for the guilty. In many particulars, indeed, the ritual agrees with that of the sacrifices before prescribed. The victim must be brought by the guilty person to be offered to God by the priest; he must, as in other cases of bloody offerings, then lay his hand on the head of the victim, and then (a particular not mentioned in the other cases) he must confess the sin which he has committed, and then and thus entrust the victim to the priest, that he may apply its blood for him in atonement before God. The priest then slays the victim, and now comes that part of the ceremonial which by its variations from the law of other offerings is emphasised as the most central and significant in this sacrifice.