Leviticus 5:4

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity. ²Or if a person touches anything unclean-whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature-even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty. ³Or if he touches human uncleanness-anything by which one becomes unclean-even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty. ⁴Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil-in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath-even if he is unaware of it, when he later realizes it, he will be guilty.⁵If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed, ⁶and he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if a soul: This relates to rash oaths or vows, which a man was afterwards unable, or which it would have been sinful, to perform.

to do evil: Leviticus 27:2-34, Joshua 2:14, Joshua 9:15, Judges 9:19, Judges 11:31, Judges 21:7, Judges 21:18, 1 Samuel 1:11, 1 Samuel 14:24-28, 1 Samuel 24:21, 1 Samuel 24:22, 1 Samuel 25:22, 2 Samuel 21:7, 2 Kings 6:31, Psalms 132:2-5, Ecclesiastes 5:2-6, Ezekiel 17:18, Ezekiel 17:19, Matthew 14:7, Matthew 14:9, Mark 6:23, Acts 23:12

Reciprocal: Leviticus 4:23 - if his sin Leviticus 5:2 - hidden Leviticus 6:4 - because Numbers 30:2 - swear Ecclesiastes 5:6 - before

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth."

Genesis 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.

Genesis 5:3
When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.

Genesis 5:7
And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:10
And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:13
And after he had become the father of Mahalaleel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:19
And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:22
And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:30
And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Or if a soul swear,.... A rash or vain oath:

pronouncing with his lips; not in his heart, as Jarchi notes; not saying within himself that he would do this, or that, or the other thing, but expressing his oath plainly and distinctly, with an audible voice:

to do good, or to do evil; which was either impossible or unlawful for him to do; whether the good or evil he swears to do is to himself or to another; whether he swears to do good to himself, and evil to another, or, good to another, and evil to himself, see Psalms 15:4. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,

"whatsoever a man expresses, whether of anything present or future;''

as if he swears he has done such and such a thing, whether good or evil; or that he will do it, be it what it will, and it is not in the power of his hands to do it, or, if he did it, it would be doing a wrong thing:

whatsoever [it be] that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; he has forgot that he ever swore such an oath:

and when he knoweth [of it], then he shall be guilty in one of these; when he is told of it, and it is made clearly to appear to him, that he did at such a time, and in such a place, deliver out a rash oath concerning this, or the other thing, then he shall be chargeable with guilt in one of these; either in rashly swearing to do good when it was not in his power, or to do evil, which would have been unlawful. The Targum of Jonathan is,

"if he knows that he has falsified, and repents not, he is guilty.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Special occasions are mentioned on which sin-offerings are to be made with a particular confession of the offence for which atonement is sought Leviticus 5:5.

Leviticus 5:1

Swearing - Adjuration. The case appears to be that of one who has been put upon his oath as a witness by a magistrate, and fails to utter all he has seen and heard (compare the marginal references. and Proverbs 29:24; Numbers 5:21).

Leviticus 5:2-3

Hid from him - Either through forgetfulness or indifference, so that purification had been neglected. In such a case there had been a guilty negligence, and a sin-offering was required. On the essential connection between impurity and the sin-offering, see Leviticus 12:1.

Leviticus 5:4

Pronouncing - Idly speaking Psalms 106:33. The reference is to an oath to do something uttered in recklessness or passion and forgotten as soon as uttered.

Leviticus 5:6

His trespass offering - Rather, as his forfeit, that is, whatever is due for his offence. The term “trespass-offering” is out of place here, since it has become the current designation for a distinct kind of sin-offering mentioned in the next section (see Leviticus 5:14 note).

A lamb or a kid of the goats - A sheep Leviticus 4:32 or a shaggy she-goat Leviticus 4:23.

Leviticus 5:7-10

See Leviticus 1:14-16; Leviticus 12:8. In the larger offerings of the ox and the sheep, the fat which was burned upon the altar represented, like the burnt-offering, the dedication of the worshipper; in this case, the same meaning was conveyed by one of the birds being treated as a distinct burnt-offering.

Leviticus 5:7

A lamb - One of the flock, either a sheep or a goat.

For his trespass, which he hath committed - As his forfeit for the sin he hath committed.

Leviticus 5:11

tenth part of an ephah i. e. - “the tenth deal;” probably less than half a gallon. See Leviticus 19:36 note. This sin-offering of meal was distinguished from the ordinary מנחה mı̂nchāh Leviticus 2:1 by the absence of oil and frankincense.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 5:4. To do evil, or to do good — It is very likely that rash promises are here intended; for if a man vow to do an act that is evil, though it would be criminal to keep such an oath or vow, yet he is guilty because he made it, and therefore must offer the trespass-offering. If he neglect to do the good he has vowed, he is guilty, and must in both cases confess his iniquity, and bring his trespass-offering.