5:1 The first case treats the failure to come forward and testify when there is a public call for witnesses. Such proclamations usually involved an oath with an attached curse for not coming forward with information (cf. Judg. 17:2; Prov. 29:24). A witness may be afraid for himself or reluctant to incriminate close relatives. Regardless, he is held accountable for withholding evidence that obstructs justice. As long as he remains silent, he “bears his iniquity.” This biblical idiom means the offender is heavily laden with guilt and liable to suffer its punishment (in this instance the curse uttered before the Lord).61

Sin is expressed in vivid language that draws from known images and experiences of everyday life to lend concreteness and make the intangible quality of sin tangible. The previous chapter portrayed sin as a pollution that needed to be cleansed from the sinner and sanctuary. Here sin is expressed as a weight. The guilty carries the crushing weight of his own sin without relief, bearing its consequences.62 The Lord provides the means of relief and unburdening through confession and sacrifice (Lev. 5:5–6).

5:2 The second case involves contracting impurity by contact with the carcass of an unclean animal. Normally this type of impurity does not require a sacrifice but is resolved by washing one’s clothes and waiting until evening (11:24–25). The offender in this instance, however, has neglected to handle it properly since it was “hidden from him,” that is, he forgot about it (cf. the use of the same phrase in 5:4). He therefore remains in his impurity and is held liable for not carrying out the Lord’s commands.

5:3 A mirror case deals with impurity from contact with human uncleanness, such as a bodily discharge or an object that has touched an unclean person (cf. chs. 12; 15). Again this is normally resolved by laundering clothes, washing the body, and waiting until evening. But because they slipped the person’s mind these procedures were not done. This is not only an offense; it also had the potential to defile the Lord’s dwelling: “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst” (15:31).

At some point the offender “realizes his guilt” (cf. comments on 4:13–14; 5:17). God’s people are held accountable for knowing the law that brings awareness of transgression: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11; cf. Rom. 3:20). Yet there are others, such as the priests and the broader community, who also have a role in bringing sin to light for the good of the sinner and the entire congregation (cf. Gal. 6:1–2; James 5:19–20; 1 John 1:7–8).

5:4 The final case involves a person who utters an oath carelessly without taking stock fully of its implications. An oath is a solemn promise to keep one’s word faithfully. Oaths are taken in the name of the Lord with the addition of a curse should a person fail to keep his promise, typically expressed as “May God do so to me and more also . . .” (2 Kings 6:31). Having called on the Lord to vouch for one’s word, the swearer sins by failing to fulfill it (Num. 30:2). In this case the oath was “rash,” being quickly and thoughtlessly spoken and then quickly forgotten (“hidden from him”); it thus remained unfulfilled.

5:5–6 When the offender realizes his guilt in any of the above situations, he must first confess his sin and then bring a sacrifice. His offering is that of a female lamb or goat, the same as that which is required of an individual for the regular offering (4:27–28, 32). (Coming verses will identify less costly offerings for those unable to afford a flock animal.)

Next the worshiper must make things right, first with respect toward those he has wronged and then to the Lord. These instructions are given from the perspective of the sanctuary and naturally focus on repairing relationship with the Lord through sacrifice, but this does not limit the scope of what needs to be set aright. The offender must first come forward and testify, cleanse himself from impurity, and fulfill the sworn oath. At that point sacrifice can then be given (cf. 6:5–7).

The Hebrew expression for confession conveys great richness that reveals the Lord’s purposes in the sacrificial system. The word “to confess” (yada) is a secondary form of the verb that primarily means to declare praise. This makes clear two things: sin must be acknowledged aloud,63 and confession is a vital aspect of the worship of God. Confession grounds critical moments in the worshiping life of the congregation, found at the beginning (5:5), middle (16:21), and end (26:40) of Leviticus. An individual worshiper is restored to the Lord by declaring publicly that he has violated the Lord’s moral-ritual order. “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:5). In his admission he separates himself from his sin and trusts in the Lord’s provision of forgiveness (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7). Without confession he is bound to bear his iniquity (5:1). Public confession mediated by the high priest takes center stage on the Day of Atonement (16:21). It is the act of confession on behalf of the nation that places Israel’s sins on the head of the scapegoat. Without confession, though the goat be driven out into wilderness, the people’s sins are not on his head for him to bear away (cf. 1 John 1:10). Finally, corporate confession closes the book with a look to the future. The Lord holds out hope to his estranged people that he will be prompted to overturn punishment and turn toward them again with blessing when in humility they confess their waywardness (Lev. 26:40–42).

Israel’s history bears testimony to the Lord’s purposes through confession. The returning exiles at the time of Nehemiah petition the Lord in communal repentance and mourning for a quarter of the day (Neh. 9:1–3). As the law is interpreted by the priests and the people’s sin is brought to light (Neh. 8:5–8), the Word of God fuels their confession as well as their resolve to recommit to the covenant (Neh. 10:28–39). Recorded prayers alternate between acknowledgment of sin and God’s faithfulness to forgive, recalling the wording of Leviticus 4–5. Confession and praise of God’s saving acts go hand in hand, turning the humble admission of failure into a recital of the Lord’s mercy and faithfulness.64

5:7 Since it is critical for continued relationship that sin be atoned for through the mandatory offerings, the Lord makes concessions for the poor, “for there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). Instead of a lamb God will accept either two pigeons or two turtledoves.65 It is apparent that the two birds are meant to be offered together since they are brought as a pair, the two constituting one whole offering. One is sacrificed in the manner of a sin offering, whose blood is applied to the altar and its meat given to the priest; the other as a burnt offering to provide the portion that goes to the Lord.

5:8–10 As with the regular sin offering, attention continues to focus on the sacrificial blood through which atonement is made. The blood from a small bird is likely not enough to apply to the altar’s four horns, so it is sprinkled on the side instead.

5:11 In the case of deep poverty the worshiper may bring grain instead of animals from the flock. The prescribed amount, a tenth of an ephah, is equivalent to a day’s ration (Ruth 2:17).66 The Lord’s gracious accommodation to accept a lesser offering is balanced by sin’s costliness. Sin’s cost is calculated not with the Lord in mind but with the sinner. The offering must be costly to each person, proportionate to his economic situation. As David emphatically insists, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24). The law shapes a vision of sacrifice that foreshadows sin’s great cost to the Father, who gives his only begotten Son for our forgiveness.

5:12–13 The sacrificial procedure resembles the grain offering—a memorial portion is offered on the altar and the rest given to the priest—but it notably does not create a “pleasing aroma” (cf. Lev. 2:2). It is not offered with the oil and frankincense that produce a soothing scent pleasing to the Lord, since sin is quite the opposite.