God’s Word Translation
Numbers 15:25
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.
Numbers 15:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance:
- New International Version (NIV)The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unintended sin.
Context of Numbers 15:25
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.) 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. The 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. 27“If one person unintentionally does something wrong, a one-year-old female goat must be sacrificed as an offering for sin.
Read all of Numbers 15Numbers 15:25 word by word
וְכִפֶּ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֗ן עַֽל־כָּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְנִסְלַ֣ח לָהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־שְׁגָגָ֣ה הִ֔וא וְהֵם֩ הֵבִ֨יאוּ אֶת־קָרְבָּנָ֜ם אִשֶּׁ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֗ה וְחַטָּאתָ֛ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עַל־שִׁגְגָתָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- shall make an atonementכִּפֶּרkâphar · to atoneH3722
- for all the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
- of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and it shall be forgivenסָלַחsâlach · to forgiveH5545
- ignoranceשְׁגָגָהshegâgâh · sin of errorH7684
- and they shall bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- their offeringקׇרְבָּןqorbân qûrbân · offeringH7133
- a sacrifice made by fireאִשֶּׁה'ishshâh · food offeringH801
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and their sin offeringחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sin: sin offeringH2403
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
Cross-references for Numbers 15:25
- Leviticus 4:20He will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the bull used as the offering for sin. So the priest will make peace with the Lord for the people, and they will be forgiven.
- Romans 3:25God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past.
- 1 John 2:2He is the payment for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
- Luke 23:34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Meanwhile, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.
- Acts 13:39However, everyone who believes in Jesus receives God’s approval.
Commentaries on Numbers 15:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25The priest shall make an atonement - Even sins committed through ignorance required an atonement; and God in his mercy has provided one for them.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 15:25
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries