Leviticus 5:1

Leviticus 5:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity;
• New King James Version (NKJV)‘If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.

Context of Leviticus 5:1

And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. 2Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. 3Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.

Leviticus 5:1 word by word

וְנֶ֣פֶשׁ כִּֽי־תֶחֱטָ֗א וְשָֽׁמְעָה֙ ק֣וֹל אָלָ֔ה וְה֣וּא עֵ֔ד א֥וֹ רָאָ֖ה א֣וֹ יָדָ֑ע אִם־ל֥וֹא יַגִּ֖יד וְנָשָׂ֥א עֲוֹנֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

• And if a soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: personH5315
• sinחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• and hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: [sound of]H6963
• of swearingאָלָה'âlâh · oathH423
• a witnessעֵד‛êd · witnessH5707
• whetherאוֹ'ô 'av · orH176
• he hath seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• or knownיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• if he do not utterנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
• then he shall bearנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: guiltH5375
• his iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771

Cross-references for Leviticus 5:1

• Leviticus 5:15If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of Yhwh; then he shall bring for his trespass unto Yhwh a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
• Leviticus 4:2Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of Yhwh concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
• Ezekiel 18:4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
• Exodus 22:11Then shall an oath of Yhwh be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
• Judges 17:2And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of Yhwh, my son.
• 1 Kings 8:31If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
• 1 Kings 22:16And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of Yhwh?
• 2 Chronicles 18:15And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of Yhwh?
• Proverbs 29:24Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and telleth it not.
• Proverbs 30:9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Yhwh? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
• Matthew 26:63But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
• Leviticus 5:17And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of Yhwh; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
• Leviticus 7:18And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
• Leviticus 17:16But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.
• Leviticus 19:8Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of Yhwh: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
• Leviticus 20:17And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

Commentaries on Leviticus 5:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1If a soul sin - It is generally supposed that the case referred to here is that of a person who, being demanded by the civil magistrate to answer upon oath, refuses to tell what he knows concerning the subject; such a one shall bear his iniquity - shall be considered as guilty in the sight of God, of the transgression which he has endeavored to conceal, and must expect to be punished by him for hiding the iniquity to which he was privy, or suppressing the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-13Verses 1-13 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Concerning various trespasses. (1-13) Concerning trespasses against the Lord. (14-19) Verses 1-13 The offences here noticed are, 1. A man's concealing the truth, when he was sworn as a witness to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If, in such a case, for fear of offending one that has been his friend, or may be his enemy, a man refuses to give evidence, or gives it but in part, he shall bear his iniquity. And that is a heavy…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1The first sin was not testifying when summoned as a witness in court. This verse considers not testifying to be an active sin. This was because it helped the criminal. he shall bear the iniquity: Expecting God's punishment for the sin, the guilty person offered a sacrifice to remove the guilt and escape the punishment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11. if a soul ... hear the voice of swearing--or, according to some, "the words of adjuration." A proclamation was issued calling any one who could give information, to come before the court and bear testimony to the guilt of a criminal; and the manner in which witnesses were interrogated in the Jewish courts of justice was not by swearing them directly, but adjuring them by reading the words of an oath: "the voice of swearing." The offense, then, for the…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 5:1

• Evidence
• Witness

In the dictionaries

• Harm
• Sinoffering
• Thereunto
• Witness
• Adjuration
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Guilt
• Heifer, Red

Commentaries on Leviticus 5

• 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