Tree of Life Version
Leviticus 5:1
1“If a soul sins—after hearing a charge of an oath, and he is a witness whether he has seen or otherwise known—if he fails to report it, then he will bear his guilt.
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
“If a soul sins—after hearing a charge of an oath, and he is a witness whether he has seen or otherwise known—if he fails to report it, then he will bear his guilt. 2“Or if a person touches any unclean thing—whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal or the carcass of unclean livestock or the carcass of unclean creeping things, though it is hidden from him, still he is unclean and he will be guilty. 3“Or if he touches some human uncleanness, whatever his filth is by which he is unclean, though it is hidden from him, when he knows of it, then he will be guilty.
Read all of Leviticus 5Leviticus 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- 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 5:15“If anyone commits a faithless act and sins unwittingly against the holy things of Adonai, then he is to bring his trespass offering to Adonai: a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your value in silver shekels after the shekel of the Sanctuary, for a trespass offering.
- Leviticus 4:2“Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: If anyone sins unintentionally in any of Adonai’s mitzvot that are not to be done, and commits any one of them
- Ezekiel 18:4Behold, every living soul is Mine—the soul of father as well as the soul of son—both are Mine. Behold, the soul who sins is the one who will die.
- Exodus 22:11But if indeed it was stolen from him, he is to make restitution to the owner.
- Judges 17:2And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, which you also repeated it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son of Adonai.”
- 1 Kings 8:31If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, then comes and swears before Your altar in this House,
- 1 Kings 22:16But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the Name of Adonai?”
- 2 Chronicles 18:15But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the Name of Adonai?”
- Proverbs 29:24An accomplice of a thief is his own enemy. He hears the oath but says nothing.
- Proverbs 30:9lest I become satisfied and deny You and say, “Who is Adonai?” Or lest I become poor, and steal and profane the Name of my God.
- Matthew 26:63But Yeshua kept silent. The kohen gadol said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God, tell us if You are Mashiach Ben-Elohim!”
- Leviticus 5:17“Now if anyone sins and one of Adonai’s commandments that are not to be done, though he did not know it, still he is guilty and will bear his iniquity.
- Leviticus 7:18If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his fellowship offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, nor will it be credited to him who offers it. It will be a foul thing—and the soul who eats any from it will bear his own iniquity.
- Leviticus 17:16But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he will bear his iniquity.”
- Leviticus 19:8Rather, anyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, since he has profaned what is holy to Adonai, and that soul will be cut off from his people.
- Leviticus 20:17If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she his, it is a shameful thing. They are to be cut off in the sight of the children of their people, for he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and will 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
In the dictionaries
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
Tree of Life Version — © 2015 The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Commentaries