God’s Word Translation
Numbers 15:24
24If it was unintentional and no one else knows about it, the whole community must sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord, along with the proper grain and wine offerings, and a male goat as an offering for sin.
Numbers 15:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
- New International Version (NIV)and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering.
- English Standard Version (ESV)then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering.
- New King James Version (NKJV)then it will be, if it is unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering.
Context of Numbers 15:24
22“Suppose you unintentionally do something wrong by not obeying all these commands the Lord gave Moses. 23(Everything the Lord commanded you through Moses holds as true for generations to come as it did the day the Lord gave the commands.) If it was unintentional and no one else knows about it, the whole community must sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord, along with the proper grain and wine offerings, and a male goat as an offering for sin. 25The priest will make peace with the Lord for the whole community of Israel. Then they will be forgiven because the wrongdoing was unintentional and they brought these two offerings to the Lord for their sin: an offering by fire and an offering for sin. 26So the whole community of Israel will be forgiven, including foreigners who are living among them, since all the people were involved in the unintentional wrongdoing.
Read all of Numbers 15Numbers 15:24 word by word
וְהָיָ֗ה אִ֣ם מֵעֵינֵ֣י הָעֵדָה֮ נֶעֶשְׂתָ֣ה לִשְׁגָגָה֒ וְעָשׂ֣וּ כָל־הָעֵדָ֡ה פַּ֣ר בֶּן־בָּקָר֩ אֶחָ֨ד לְעֹלָ֜ה לְרֵ֤יחַ נִיחֹ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וּמִנְחָת֥וֹ וְנִסְכּ֖וֹ כַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וּשְׂעִיר־עִזִּ֥ים אֶחָ֖ד לְחַטָּֽת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- be committedעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- by ignoranceשְׁגָגָהshegâgâh · sin of errorH7684
- without the knowledgeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
- of the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- shall offerעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
- oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- youngבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
- youngבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121
- bullockפַּרpar pâr · bullockH6499
- for a burnt offeringעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
- for a sweetנִיחֹחַnîychôach nîychôach · soothingH5207
- savourרֵיחַrêyach · aromaH7381
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- with his meat offeringמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
- and his drink offeringנֶ֫סֶךְnesek nêsek · drink offeringH5262
- according to the mannerמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- kidשָׂעִירώâ‛îyr ώâ‛ir · he-goatH8163
- of the goatsעֵז‛êz · goatH5795
- for a sin offeringחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sin: sin offeringH2403
Cross-references for Numbers 15:24
- Leviticus 4:13“If the whole congregation of Israel unintentionally does something wrong, without the assembly being aware of it, if they do even one thing that is forbidden by any of the Lord’s commands, they will be guilty.
- Leviticus 4:14When the wrong they have done becomes known, the congregation must sacrifice a bull as an offering for sin. They must bring it in front of the tent of meeting.
- Numbers 15:8“Suppose you sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering to the Lord or make any other kind of sacrifice—to keep a vow or as a fellowship offering.
- Numbers 28:15In addition to the daily burnt offering with its wine offering, one male goat must be offered to the Lord as an offering for sin.
- Leviticus 4:23When he is told about what he has done wrong, he must bring a male goat that has no defects as his offering.
- 2 Chronicles 29:21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as an offering for sin for the kingdom, the holy place, and Judah. Hezekiah told the priests, Aaron’s descendants, to sacrifice the animals on the Lord’s altar.
- Ezra 6:17At the dedication of God’s temple, they sacrificed 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They sacrificed 12 male goats as an offering for sin, one goat for each of the tribes of Israel.
- Ezra 8:35The exiles who had come back from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 male goats for an offering for sin. All of these animals were burnt offerings for the Lord.
Commentaries on Numbers 15:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24If aught be committed by ignorance - See the notes on Leviticus 4:2, and Leviticus 5:17. The case here probably refers to the whole congregation; the cases above, to the sin of an individual.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22-31Verses 22-31 The heavy punishments which had already overtaken the people might naturally give rise to apprehensions for the future, especially in view of the fact that on the approaching entrance into Canaan the complete observance of the Law in all its details would become imperative on them. To meet such apprehensions a distinction is emphatically drawn between sins of ignorance (Leviticus 4:13 ff) and those of presumption Numbers 15:30-31. The passage…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-29Verses 22-29 Though ignorance will in a degree excuse, it will not justify those who might have known their Lord's will, yet did it not. David prayed to be cleansed from his secret faults, those sins which he himself was not aware of. Sins committed ignorantly, shall be forgiven through Christ the great Sacrifice, who, when he offered up himself once for all upon the cross, seemed to explain one part of the intention of his offering, in that prayer…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-29Sins done without knowing were treated differently from sins done on purpose (15:30–31). The law also made a difference between the actions of the whole community and the actions of one person (see also Leviticus 4–5).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 24-2624-26. if aught be committed by ignorance--The Mosaic ritual was complicated, and the ceremonies to be gone through in the various instances of purification which are specified, would expose a worshipper, through ignorance, to the risk of omitting or neglecting some of them. This law includes the stranger in the number of those for whom the sacrifice was offered for the sin of general ignorance.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 15:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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