◄ Leviticus 5:17 ►
If someone sins and violates any of the LORD's commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Study Bible
If someone sins
The Hebrew word for "sins" here is "חָטָא" (chata), which means to miss the mark or to err. In the context of Leviticus, sin is not just a moral failing but a breach of the covenant relationship with God. This phrase sets the stage for understanding sin as an inherent part of human nature, emphasizing the need for atonement and the grace of God in providing a means for reconciliation.

and violates
The term "violates" is derived from the Hebrew "עָשָׂה" (asah), meaning to do or to act. This implies an action that goes against the established commandments. It highlights the active nature of sin, not just as a passive state but as a deliberate or inadvertent action that disrupts the divine order.

any of the LORD’s commandments
The "commandments" refer to the "מִצְוֹת" (mitzvot) given by God to the Israelites. These are not merely rules but divine instructions meant to guide the community in holiness and righteousness. The phrase underscores the comprehensive nature of God's law, covering all aspects of life and requiring full obedience.

even though he was unaware
This phrase addresses sins committed in ignorance, known as "שְׁגָגָה" (shegagah) in Hebrew. It reflects the understanding that ignorance does not exempt one from guilt. The ancient Israelites recognized that sin, whether intentional or unintentional, disrupts the relationship with God and requires atonement. This highlights God's justice and the need for continual awareness and education in His laws.

he is guilty
The declaration of guilt, "אָשֵׁם" (asham), signifies a legal and spiritual state of culpability. In the biblical context, guilt is not just a feeling but a condition that necessitates rectification. This phrase emphasizes the seriousness of sin and the inevitable accountability before God, reinforcing the need for a sacrificial system to address sin.

and shall bear his punishment
The Hebrew "וְנָשָׂא עֲוֹנוֹ" (venasa avono) translates to bearing the iniquity or punishment. This reflects the principle of personal responsibility for one's actions. In the sacrificial system, this often meant offering a sacrifice to atone for the sin. The phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the merciful provision of God for atonement through prescribed offerings.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The covenant God of Israel, who gives commandments to His people.

2. The Israelites
The original audience of the Levitical laws, called to be a holy nation.

3. The Sin Offering
A sacrificial system established by God for atonement of sins, including those committed unknowingly.
Teaching Points
Awareness of Sin
Even unintentional sins are serious in the eyes of God. This calls for a humble acknowledgment of our limitations in recognizing all our faults.

God’s Holiness
The requirement for atonement, even for unintentional sins, underscores the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin.

Need for Atonement
The sacrificial system points to the necessity of atonement, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who covers all our sins, known and unknown.

Continuous Repentance
Believers are encouraged to maintain a posture of repentance, seeking God’s forgiveness for both known and unknown sins.

Grace and Responsibility
While grace covers our sins, we are responsible for seeking God’s guidance to live according to His commandments.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of unintentional sin in Leviticus 5:17 challenge our understanding of sin and accountability?

2. In what ways does the sacrificial system in Leviticus point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

3. How can we apply the principle of seeking forgiveness for unknown sins in our daily prayer life?

4. What does Leviticus 5:17 teach us about the nature of God’s holiness and our response to it?

5. How can we ensure that we are living in a way that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of both known and unknown sins?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Numbers 15:22-29
Discusses unintentional sins and the offerings required for atonement, emphasizing the need for a sin offering even when the sin is not deliberate.

Psalm 19:12
Highlights the human inability to discern all sins, asking God for cleansing from hidden faults.

Hebrews 9:7
Refers to the high priest making offerings for the unintentional sins of the people, connecting the Old Testament sacrificial system to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

1 John 1:9
Offers assurance of forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins, including those we may not be aware of.
Sermons
The Unwitting TrespassR.A. Redford Leviticus 5:17
Unconscious SinW. Clarkson Leviticus 5:17
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
Ignorance May be CulpableLeviticus 5:17-18
Knowledge of God's Law to be CultivatedLeviticus 5:17-18
Sins of IgnoranceSpurgeon, Charles HaddonLeviticus 5:17-18
People
Ephah, Moses
Places
Teman
Topics
Anyone, Bear, Borne, Commanded, Commandments, Commands, Commit, Didn't, Forbidden, Guilty, Held, Iniquity, Lord's, Orders, Punishment, Regarding, Responsible, Sin, Sinneth, Sins, Soul, Though, Unaware, Wist, Wrong, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 5:17

     5052   responsibility, to God
     6174   guilt, human aspects
     6750   sin-bearer

Leviticus 5:14-19

     7316   blood, OT sacrifices

Leviticus 5:15-18

     7370   guilt offering

Leviticus 5:15-19

     4681   ram

Leviticus 5:17-18

     5378   law, OT
     6653   forgiveness, divine

Leviticus 5:17-19

     6183   ignorance, of God

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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