Bible Commentaries

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

And the Lord spake unto Moses. — See on Leviticus 4:1 .

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If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

Against the Lord. — As David in defiling his neighbour’s wife, and afterwards killing him, is said to have "despised the commandment of the Lord, and to have done evil in his sight," 2 Samuel 12:9 which also he penitently acknowledgeth. Psalms 51:4 Sin is properly against none but God, being a transgression of his law. Hence the manslayer was confined to the city of refuge as to a prison, during the life of the high priest; as being, saith one, Godw., Heb. Antiq., p. 98. the chief god on earth. That was a true position of the Pelagians, Omne peccatum est contemptus Dei, that every sin is a contempt of God. Proverbs 18:3

In fellowship. — Heb., In putting of the hand. Dextram coniungere dextrae. It is said in Job, Job 8:20 , marg. that "God will not take a wicked man by the hand," i.e., he will have no fellowship with him.

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Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

And lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely. — Through inordinate love of money, that "root of all evil"; Quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames? ηη φιλοχρηματιη μητηρ κακοτητος απασης . but such money shall perish with them. Zechariah 5:3

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Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

And is guilty. — Found guilty by a self-condemning conscience; which now, like Samson’s wife, conceals not the riddle, but tells all; as she said of our Saviour in John 4:29 .

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Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, [and] give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

In the day of his trespass offering. — Before he compass God’s altar. See Matthew 5:23 , See Trapp on " Matthew 5:23 "

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And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:

With thy estimation, — i.e, As thou shalt value it. Moses did the priest’s office for present. He was likewise a prophet, Deuteronomy 18:15 and king in Jeshurun, Deuteronomy 33:5 and so became a type of Christ, that true Trismegist, the Priest, Prophet, and Prince. Daniel 9:25

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And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

Shall make an atonement. — Through the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10:1 ; Hebrews 10:4 ; Hebrews 10:10 ; Hebrews 10:14

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Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This [is] the law of the burnt offering: It [is] the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.

All night unto the morning. — God must be thought upon in the night season. Psalms 4:4 David willingly brake his sleep to do it. Psalms 119:62 "The day is thine, the night also is thine," saith he. Psalms 74:16

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