Leviticus 4:22

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

²²When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt.²³When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring an unblemished male goat as his offering. ²⁴He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering. ²⁵Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ²⁶He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man's sin, and he will be forgiven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a ruler hath sinned: Under the term nasi, that is, one preferred or elevated above others, from nasa, to exalt, it is probable that any person is meant who held any kind of political dignity among the people; and it evidently means the head of a tribe as in Numbers 1:4, Numbers 1:16, Numbers 7:2. But the Rabbins generally understand it of the prince of the great sanhedrin, who, when they were under the regal form of government, was the king. A kid of the goats was the sacrifice in this case; and the rites were nearly the same as in the preceding, only the fat was burnt as that of the peace offering - Leviticus 4:26. Exodus 18:21, Numbers 16:2, 2 Samuel 21:1-3, 2 Samuel 24:10-17

and done: Leviticus 4:2, Leviticus 4:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:17 - a soul sin Numbers 15:22 - General Numbers 18:9 - every sin Ezra 6:17 - a sin offering James 2:11 - Now

Cross-References

Exodus 25:3
This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze;

Numbers 31:22
Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead-

Deuteronomy 8:9
a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills can be mined for copper.

Deuteronomy 33:25
May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and your strength match your days.

2 Chronicles 2:7
Send me, therefore, a craftsman who is skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When a ruler hath sinned,.... Or "prince", the "nasi", one that is lifted up above others in honour, power, and authority, or that bears the weight of government: the word comes from one which signifies to lift up, or to bear; it may be understood of a governor of a family, or of a tribe, as Aben Ezra observes; and so in the Talmud k it is said, it means the prince of a tribe, such as Nachson the son of Amminadab, prince of the tribe of Judah. Maimonides l says a king is designed, over whom none has power; and so Gersom on the place, who observes, that David the king is called a prince, Ezekiel 34:24

and done [somewhat] through ignorance [against] any of the commandments of the Lord his God; the phrase, "his God", is here added, and is not used neither of the anointed priest, nor of the congregation, nor of one of the common people; only of the prince, to show, that though he is above others, God is above him, and he is accountable to him; he is his God, of whom he is, and by whom he rules; wherefore if he breaks any of his commandments, though ignorantly, he must bring a sacrifice for it:

[concerning things] which should not be done, and is guilty; of transgressing negative precepts, which are as binding on him as others.

k T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 11. 1. l Hilchot Shegagot, c. 15. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ruler - Either the head of a tribe Numbers 1:4-16, or the head of a division of a tribe (Numbers 34:18; compare Joshua 22:30).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 4:22. When a ruler hath sinned — Under the term נשיא nasi, it is probable that any person is meant who held any kind of political dignity among the people, though the rabbins generally understand it of the king.

A kid of the goats was the sacrifice in this case, the rites nearly the same as in the preceding cases, only the fat was burnt as that of the peace-offering. See Leviticus 4:26, and Leviticus 3:5.