Leviticus 5:14-19·~1 min

Laws for Guilt Offerings

The LORD speaks to Moses about offenses against holy things. A ram of assessed value must be brought, and any loss must be repaid with an added fifth before the priest makes atonement.

T¹⁴hen the LORD said to Moses, ¹⁵“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. ¹⁶Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

Even when a command is broken unknowingly, the offender remains guilty and must bear that burden. A valued ram is brought for atonement, and the passage ends by naming the case as true guilt before the LORD.

¹⁷If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. ¹⁸He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”

Section summaryThis section turns to unfaithfulness involving the LORD’s holy things and to other commandments broken in ignorance. In these cases a ram is required, restitution is added where harm was done, and guilt is plainly named even before awareness catches up.

Role in the chapterIt narrows from general sin offerings to guilt offerings, where wrongdoing against sacred things and unintended violations require both valuation and repair. The chapter ends by stressing that hidden ignorance does not cancel real liability before the LORD.