Bible Discussion Thread

Leviticus Chapter 4

This Chapter discusses the procedures for the sin offering for various groups of people:

The high priest

The whole congregation

The leader or ruler (prince or king in later times)

A common Israelite

The sacrifice is very similar to the offering for atonement in Chapter 1, but there are a few differences.

In Chapter 1, the animal was skinned, not so in Chapter 4

The animal could be cattle, sheep, goat, or birds in Chapter 1, but in chapter 4 the animal is either a young bullock (1-2 years old), or a male kid goat, or a female sheep.

In Chapter 1, the blood was sprinkled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, in Chapter 4, the blood is sprinkled before the veil that separated the holy place and the holy of holies. The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and apply it to the horns of the altar of incense seven times or to the horns of the altar of sacrifice.

In Chapter 1 the animal sacrificed is to be burned completely on the altar until it is ashes. Like the peace offering in Chapter 3 the fat is burned on the altar of sacrifice, not the flesh and remainder of the animal in Chapter 4. Also, differing from the peace offering, in the sin offering, instead of the flesh being eaten in a fellowship meal, the whole carcass of the animal is taken by the priest outside of the camp to where the ashes from the altar of sacrifices are deposited and the animal is completely burned on wood on top of this heap of ashes.

The first three offerings were voluntary, but the sin offering was compulsory.

The first three offerings were a sweet aroma unto God. The sin offering was not.

The word atonement is used for both the burnt offering in Chapter 1 and the sin offering in Chapter 4. Makes me wonder, does this word have different meanings in these two instances?

These differences are a bit subtle and can be easily overlooked in reading through the chapters.

So my thoughts on these differences will be given in the next post....