SEARCH THE 1611 KJV (Advanced)
Viewing the original 1611 KJV with archaic English spelling.
Click to switch to the Standard KJV.
1 And if a soule sinne, and heare the voyce of swearing, and is a witnesse, whether he hath seene or knowen of it, if he doe not vtter it, then he shall beare his iniquity.
2 Or if a soule touch any vncleane thing, whether it be a carcase of an vncleane beast, or a carcase of vncleane cattell, or the carcase of vncleane creeping things, and if it be hidden from him, he also shall be vncleane, and guilty:
3 Or if he touch the vncleannesse of man, whatsoeuer vncleannesse it be that a man shalbe defiled withall, and it be hid from him, when he knoweth of it, then he shalbe guilty.
4 Or if a soule sweare, pronouncing with his lips to do euill, or to do good, whatsoeuer it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him, when he knoweth of it, then he shalbe guilty in one of these.
5 And it shalbe when he shalbe guiltie in one of these things, that he shall confesse that hee hath sinned in that thing.
6 And he shall bring his trespasse offering vnto the Lord for his sinne which he hath sinned, a female from the flocke, a lambe, or a kidde of the goates, for a sinne offering: And the Priest shal make an atonement for him concerning his sinne.
7 And if hee be not able to bring a lambe, then he shall bring for his trespasse which hee hath committed, two turtle doues, or two yong pigeons vnto the Lord: one for a sinne offring, and the other for a burnt offering.
8 And he shall bring them vnto the Priest, who shall offer that which is for the sinne offering first, and wring off his head from his necke, but shall not diuide it asunder.
9 And he shall sprinckle of the blood of the sinne offering vpon the side of the Altar, and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottome of the altar: it is a sinne offering.
10 And hee shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the maner: and the Priest shal make an atonement for him for his sinne, which he had sinned, and it shall be forgiuen him.
11 ¶ But if hee be not able to bring two turtle doues, or two yong pigeons; then he that sinned, shall bring for his offring the tenth part of an Ephah of fine flowre for a sinne offering: hee shall put no oyle vpon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sinne offering.
12 Then shall hee bring it to the Priest, and the Priest shall take his handfull of it, euen a memoriall thereof, and burne it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire vnto the Lord: it is a sinne offering.
13 And the Priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sinne that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiuen him: and the remnant shall be the Priests, as a meat offering.
14 ¶ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
15 If a soule commit a trespasse, and sinne through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then hee shall bring for his trespasse vnto the Lord, a ramme without blemish, out of the flockes, with thy estimation by shekels of siluer, after the shekel of the Sanctuarie, for a trespasse offering.
16 And hee shall make amends for the harme that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall adde the fift part thereto, and giue it vnto the Priest: and the Priest shall make an atonement for him with the ramme of the trespasse offering, and it shall be forgiuen him.
17 ¶ And if a soule sinne, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commaundements of the Lord, though he wist it not, yet is hee guiltie, and shall beare his iniquitie.
18 And he shall bring a ramme without blemish out of the flocke, with thy estimation, for a trespasse offering vnto the Priest: and the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred, and wist it not: and it shall be forgiuen him.
19 It is a trespasse offring: he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord.
Concerning various trespasses. (1-13) Concerning trespasses against the Lord. (14-19)1-13 The offences here noticed are, 1. A man's concealing the truth, when he was sworn as a witness to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If, in such a case, for fear of offending one that has been his friend, or may be his enemy, a man refuses to give evidence, or gives it but in part, he shall bear his iniquity. And that is a heavy burden, which, if some course be not taken to get it removed, will sink a man to hell. Let all that are called at any time to be witnesses, think of this law, and be free and open in their evidence, and take heed of prevaricating. An oath of the Lord is a sacred thing, not to be trifled with. 2. A man's touching any thing that was ceremonially unclean. Though his touching the unclean thing only made him ceremonially defiled, yet neglecting to wash himself according to the law, was either carelessness or contempt, and contracted moral guilt. As soon as God, by his Spirit, convinces our consciences of any sin or duty, we must follow the conviction, as not ashamed to own our former mistake. 3. Rash swearing, that a man will do or not do such a thing. As if the performance of his oath afterward prove unlawful, or what cannot be done. Wisdom and watchfulness beforehand would prevent these difficulties. In these cases the offender must confess his sin, and bring his offering; but the offering was not accepted, unless accompanied with confession and humble prayer for pardon. The confession must be particular; that he hath sinned in that thing. Deceit lies in generals; many will own they have sinned, for that all must own; but their sins in any one particular they are unwilling to allow. The way to be assured of pardon, and armed against sin for the future, is to confess the exact truth. If any were very poor, they might bring some flour, and that should be accepted. Thus the expense of the sin-offering was brought lower than any other, to teach that no man's poverty shall ever bar the way of his pardon. If the sinner brought two doves, one was to be offered for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering. We must first see that our peace be made with God, and then we may expect that our services for his glory will be accepted by him. To show the loathsomeness of sin, the flour, when offered, must not be made grateful to the taste by oil, or to the smell by frankincense. God, by these sacrifices, spoke comfort to those who had offended, that they might not despair, nor pine away in their sins. Likewise caution not to offend any more, remembering how expensive and troublesome it was to make atonement.
14-19 Here are offerings to atone for trespasses against a neighbour. If a man put to his own use unwittingly, any thing dedicated to God, he was to bring this sacrifice. We are to be jealous over ourselves, to ask pardon for the sin, and make satisfaction for the wrong, which we do but suspect ourselves guilty of. The law of God is so very broad, the occasions of sin in this guilty of. The law of God is so very broad, the occasions of sin in this world are so numerous, and we are so prone to evil, that we need to fear always, and to pray always, that we may be kept from sin. Also we should look before us at every step. The true Christian daily pleads guilty before God, and seeks forgiveness through the blood of Christ. And the gospel salvation is so free, that the poorest is not shut out; and so full, that the most burdened conscience may find relief from it. Yet the evil of sin is so displayed as to cause every pardoned sinner to abhor and dread it.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.