Leviticus 5:15
"If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD's holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.
“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things,

Even an unwitting misuse of what belonged to God—offerings, tithes, firstfruits, or other consecrated property—was a breach of covenant faithfulness. Ignorance did not remove the need for atonement, because the LORD’s holy things were set apart for His worship. Numbers 15:22–29 likewise provides sacrifice for unintentional sin, revealing both God’s holiness and His provision for repentant sinners.

Num 5:6-7 Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman acts…
Lev 22:14 If anyone eats a sacred offering in error,…

he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD:

The offender was not permitted merely to regret the wrong but was required to come before God with the sacrifice He appointed. The guilt offering addressed offenses that involved loss or desecration and was accompanied by restitution, including an added fifth, as Leviticus 5:16 explains. Forgiveness and restoration belonged together.

Lev 19:21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance…
Num 6:12 He must rededicate his time of separation to the LORD…

an unblemished ram from the flock,

The ram had to be without defect because God deserved what was whole and pure. Its value made the cost of sin visible to the worshiper. The sacrifice anticipates Christ, whose sinless life and sacrificial death provided the full offering for human guilt (1 Peter 1:18–19; Isaiah 53:10).

Lev 1:10 If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering…
Lev 22:21 When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD…

of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel;

The offering was assessed by the established sanctuary standard, preventing the worshiper from offering less than what justice required. God’s worship was not governed by convenience or personal estimates but by His holy standard. Honest weights and measures reflected the same concern for righteousness in daily life (Proverbs 11:1).

Num 3:47 you are to collect five shekels for each one,…
Exo 30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay…

it is a guilt offering.

The guilt offering acknowledged that sin creates real debt before God and often brings harm requiring repair. Through the sacrifice and restitution, the offender received cleansing and restored fellowship with the LORD. Christ ultimately bore the guilt of His people, satisfying God’s justice and bringing reconciliation to all who trust in Him.

Lev 7:1-7 “Now this is the law of the guilt offering”…
Lev 14:12-13 Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs.…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The covenant God of Israel, who is holy and requires holiness from His people.

2. The Sinner
An individual who has acted unfaithfully and sinned unintentionally against the holy things of the LORD.

3. Holy Things
Items or practices set apart for worship and service to God, which require reverence and proper handling.

4. Guilt Offering
A specific type of sacrifice required to atone for certain sins, particularly those involving the misuse of holy things.

5. Sanctuary Shekel
A standard of measurement used in the valuation of offerings, ensuring fairness and consistency in the sacrificial system.
Teaching Points
Understanding Unintentional Sin
Recognize that even unintentional sins require atonement, underscoring the pervasive nature of sin and the holiness of God.

The Importance of Holy Things
Reflect on how we treat what is sacred in our lives, such as worship, Scripture, and the community of believers.

The Role of Restitution
Consider the importance of making amends when we wrong others or misuse what is dedicated to God.

Christ as Our Guilt Offering
Embrace the truth that Jesus is our ultimate guilt offering, providing complete atonement for our sins.

Valuation and Fairness
Appreciate the fairness and justice in God's requirements, as seen in the use of the sanctuary shekel for valuation.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to act unfaithfully against the LORD's holy things, and how can we apply this understanding to our daily lives?

2. How does the concept of unintentional sin in Leviticus 5:15 challenge our perception of sin and accountability?

3. In what ways can we ensure that we are treating the holy things of God with the reverence they deserve?

4. How does the requirement of a guilt offering in the Old Testament point us to the need for Christ's sacrifice in the New Testament?

5. What practical steps can we take to make restitution when we have wronged others, in light of the principles found in Leviticus 5:15 and related scriptures?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 4
Discusses sin offerings for unintentional sins, providing context for the guilt offering in Leviticus 5:15.

Numbers 5:5-8
Addresses restitution for wrongs committed, emphasizing the need for both confession and compensation.

Hebrews 9:13-14
Compares the blood of animals in the Old Testament sacrificial system to the superior sacrifice of Christ, who cleanses our conscience.

1 John 1:9
Highlights the New Testament principle of confession and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our ultimate guilt offering.
Trespass AmendedS.R. Aldridge Leviticus 5:14-16
Error, Though Inadvertent, is GuiltyW. H. Jellie.Leviticus 5:14-19
Gain by RedemptionC. H. Mackintosh.Leviticus 5:14-19
ReparationF. W. BrownLeviticus 5:14-19
SacrilegeF. W. BrownLeviticus 5:14-19
The Trespass-OfferingA. Jukes.Leviticus 5:14-19
The Trespass-Offering; Or, Substitution and RestitutionLady Beaujolois Dent.Leviticus 5:14-19
Trespass in SacrilegeJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 5:14-19
Restitution to GodW. Clarkson Leviticus 5:15, 16
People
Ephah, Moses
Places
Teman
Topics
Act, Acts, Anyone, Blemish, Breach, Bring, Cattle, Commit, Commits, Committeth, Connection, Defect, Error, Estimation, Faith, Fixed, Flock, Flocks, Forfeit, Guilt, Guilt-offering, Holy, Ignorance, Inadvertence, Lord's, Male, Mark, Offering, Penalty, Perfect, Proper, Ram, Regard, Sanctuary, Scale, Sheep, Shekel, Shekels, Silver, Sin, Sinned, Sinning, Sins, Soul, Terms, Trespass, Trespass-offering, Unfaithfully, Unintentionally, Untrue, Unwittingly, Valuation, Value, Valued, Violation
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 5:15

     4363   silver
     5615   weights

Leviticus 5:14-16

     1657   numbers, fractions
     8269   holiness, separation from worldly

Leviticus 5:14-19

     7316   blood, OT sacrifices

Leviticus 5:15-18

     7370   guilt offering

Leviticus 5:15-19

     4681   ram

Library
An Unalterable Law
EVERYWHERE under the old figurative dispensation, blood was sure to greet your eyes. It was the one most prominent thing under the Jewish economy, scarcely a ceremony was observed without it. You could not enter into any part of the tabernacle, but you saw traces of the blood-sprinkling. Sometimes there were bowls of blood cast at the foot of the altar. The place looked so like a shambles, that to visit it must have been far from attractive to the natural taste, and to delight in it, a man had need
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 60: 1914

List of Abbreviations Used in Reference to Rabbinic Writings Quoted in this Work.
THE Mishnah is always quoted according to Tractate, Chapter (Pereq) and Paragraph (Mishnah), the Chapter being marked in Roman, the paragraph in ordinary Numerals. Thus Ber. ii. 4 means the Mishnic Tractate Berakhoth, second Chapter, fourth Paragraph. The Jerusalem Talmud is distinguished by the abbreviation Jer. before the name of the Tractate. Thus, Jer. Ber. is the Jer. Gemara, or Talmud, of the Tractate Berakhoth. The edition, from which quotations are made, is that commonly used, Krotoschin,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl.
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Christ a Complete Saviour:
OR, THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, AND WHO ARE PRIVILEGED IN IT. BY JOHN BUNYAN Advertisement by the Editor. However strange it may appear, it is a solemn fact, that the heart of man, unless prepared by a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, rejects Christ as a complete Saviour. The pride of human nature will not suffer it to fall, as helpless and utterly undone, into the arms of Divine mercy. Man prefers a partial Saviour; one who had done so much, that, with the sinner's aid, the work might be
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
(Palace of Caiaphas. Friday.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 57, 59-68; ^B Mark XIV. 53, 55-65; ^C Luke XXII. 54, 63-65; ^D John XVIII. 24. ^d 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. [Foiled in his attempted examination of Jesus, Annas sends him to trial.] ^b and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. ^a 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, ^c and brought him into the high priest's house. ^a where
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Earliest Christian Preaching
1. THUS far we have confined ourselves to the words of Jesus. The divine necessity of His death, indicated in the Old Testament and forming the basis of all His teaching regarding it, is the primary truth; the nature of that necessity begins to be revealed as the death is set in relation to the ransoming of many, and to the institution of a new covenant -- that is, a new religion, having as its fundamental blessing the forgiveness of sins. I do not think this view of our Lord's mind as to His own
James Denney—The Death of Christ

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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