Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 6:11

And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.

11. a sin-offering ] A form of sacrifice not mentioned in the historical or prophetical books. Its purpose was the removal of defilement, separation from all that was not holy. It was thus used at the consecration of places (Exo 29:36, Lev 8:14 f.), and of persons priests (Exo 29:14, Lev 4:3; Lev 8:2; Lev 8:14 &c.), and Levites (Num 8:8; Num 8:12); and also to make atonement for inadvertent transgressions (Num 15:24; Num 15:27, Lev 4:2; Lev 4:13 &c.), and for ceremonial uncleanness (here, Lev 12:6; Lev 12:8; Lev 14:19; Lev 15:15).

Before the exile the sin-offering appears only as a fine levied by the priests at the sanctuary (2Ki 12:16).

a burnt-offering ] A very ancient rite, expressing self-dedication to God.

hallow his head ] It had become free from pollution on the previous day, but needed re-hallowing for the purposes of the vow.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Shall offer, Heb. make, which is oft put for sacrificing or offering, as Exo 29:36;1Ch 21:23, compared with 2Sa 24:22.

For a sin-offering, because such a pollution was, though not his sin, yet the chastisement of his sin, and had an appearance of sin, to wit, of negligence in not standing sufficiently upon his guard, which in such persons was in a manner equivalent to a sin. For that he sinned, i.e. contracted a ceremonial uncleanness, which is called sinning, because it was a type of sin, and a violation of a law, though through ignorance and inadvertency, as many other sins were.

Shall hallow; begin again to hallow or consecrate it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering,…. That is, one of the turtles or young pigeons for the one kind of sacrifice, and one for the other sort; both being necessary; the one to expiate sin, and the other as a gift to God by way of thankfulness for acceptance of the former:

and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead; by being where the dead body was, which, though not sinful, in a moral sense, was, in a ceremonial one, and therefore required a sacrifice to atone for it; and which atonement was made by the sin offering typical of Christ, who was made an offering for sin:

and shall hallow his head the same day; consecrate himself to God afresh, particularly the hair of his head, let that grow again and begin his Nazariteship anew; so Jarchi interprets it, to return and begin the account of his Nazariteship.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(11) And the priest shall offer . . . The word which is here rendered offer (asah), like the Greek poiein, means literally do. Its sacrificial signification, however, in this place, is entirely dependent upon the context.

By the dead.i.e., by reason of, or on account of the dead body with which he had been brought in contact.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

11. Sin offering See Leviticus 4, notes. Moral and ceremonial impurities are treated alike in the Levitical law.

Burnt offering See Leviticus i, notes.

Atonement See Lev 1:4; Lev 4:20, notes. It is equivalent to the covering up or concealing of that which God cannot allow in his presence. In Hebrew phraseology, to atone is to remove or annihilate. Atonement is the basal notion and essential characteristic of every bloody sacrifice in Mosaism. But we have no proof that the Hebrews saw in the typical atonement the great expiation made by the coming Antitype. The type, to one ignorant of the antitype, predicts and elucidates nothing. Though nowhere in the Old Testament is faith in an atoning Messiah required as the condition of pardon, yet faith in a priestly atonement involving blood was certainly the condition of both pardon and pretty in Mosaism. Thus was foreshadowed the necessity of a satisfaction of the ethical nature of both God and man, in the justification of sinners.

Sinned An act without the concurrence of the will cannot be properly called sin, yet it may be in the eye of the law such a “missing of the mark” as may need an atonement.

By the dead Literally, upon the nephesh, or soul. See Num 5:2, note.

Hallow his head “Begin again the count of his Nazariteship.” Jarchi.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments