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英文原文
This chapter is concerning the sin-offering, which was properly intended to make atonement for a sin committed through ignorance, I. By the priest himself, Le 4:1-12. Or, II. By the whole congregation, Le 4:13-21. Or, III. By a ruler, Le 4:22-26. Or, IV. By a private person, Le 4:27-35, etc.
1-35
Law of the Sin-Offering (1490 BC)
赎罪祭的律法（主前1490年）
¹ 耶和华对摩西说， \n> ² 你晓谕以色列人说，若有人误犯了罪，犯了耶和华所吩咐不可行的什么事， \n> ³ 或是受膏的祭司犯了罪，使百姓陷在罪里，就当为他所犯的罪，献一只没有残疾的公牛犊给耶和华为赎罪祭。 \n> ⁴ 他要牵公牛到会幕门口，耶和华面前，按手在牛头上，在耶和华面前宰杀公牛。 \n> ⁵ 受膏的祭司要取些公牛的血，带到会幕那里， \n> ⁶ 把指头蘸在血中，在耶和华面前对着圣所的幔子弹血七次。 \n> ⁷ 又要把些血抹在会幕内耶和华面前的香坛的四角上，再把公牛所有的血倒在会幕门口燔祭坛的脚那里。 \n> ⁸ 要取下赎罪公牛所有的脂油，就是盖脏的脂油和脏上所有的脂油， \n> ⁹ 并两个腰子和腰子上的脂油，就是靠腰两旁的，并与肝上的网子和腰子，一概取下， \n> ¹⁰ 与从平安祭的公牛上所取的一样。祭司要把这一切烧在燔祭的坛上。 \n> ¹¹ 公牛的皮和所有的肉，并头、腿、脏、粪， \n> ¹² 就是全公牛，要搬到营外洁净的地方，倒灰之处，用火烧在柴上；要在倒灰之处烧在柴上。
前三章中所含的律例，似乎是在一个时候传给摩西的。此处开始了另一场谕示，另一日的典章。神从二基路伯之间的荣耀宝座上颁布了这些命令。如今祂开始论及比前些更为严格的新题目。燔祭、素祭和平安祭，似乎在西奈山颁布律法之前就已经有人献了；列祖对这些祭并不全然陌生（创8:20，出20:24），并且他们也曾借这些祭顾念罪，为罪赎罪，伯1:5。但如今律法因过犯而添上（加3:19），并且已经进入，最终叫过犯显多（罗5:20），所以百姓被引到一条更为特别的借着献祭为罪赎罪的路上——这献祭（比任何其他礼仪典章更甚）是将来美事的影儿，但实体乃是基督，并祂那一次献上自己、便除掉了罪、永远完全那些得以成圣之人的祭。
I. 这里所设的一般情形，记在利4:2。在此请留意：1. 论罪之总体，圣经将其描述为违背耶和华所吩咐的任何一条；因为罪就是违背律法，违背那属神的律法。人的机智或意志，他们的发明或规条，不能将神的律法所不定为罪的，定为罪。这里又说，若有人犯罪，因为若不是某种意义上出于灵魂之作为的，便不算是罪；所以这被称为灵魂的罪（弥6:7），并且正是灵魂因罪受损伤，箴8:36。2. 论到那些为此而设祭的罪。(1.）这些都被设想为外在的行为；因为若每犯一罪念或罪言都要献祭，那任务便无穷无尽。这些是在每年的赎罪日上，集大成为之赎罪；但这里所记的，都是行了违背诫命的事。(2.）它们被设想为行出来的罪，即行了不可行的事。忽略也是罪，必受审判；然而一时所忽略的，可在另一时补行，所以听从胜于献祭：但已经行出来的，便无法收回。(3.）它们被设想为误犯的罪。若是擅意妄行，公然藐视律法和立法者，那犯罪的人必被剪除，为他犯罪的再没有祭可献，来10:26,27，民15:30。但若犯罪者或是因不知律法（许多情形下我们可以设想有许多人如此，因为禁令既多又杂），或是无意之间陷入罪中，情形表明他对罪的拒绝是真诚的，只是如经上所说的被人所胜（加6:1），在这种情形下，赎罪祭这补救性的律例便提供了出路。犹太人说："凡擅意所犯必被剪除之罪，惟独误犯之时，才可借祭赎之。"
II. 律例从受膏的祭司，即大祭司的情形开始，假设他误犯了罪；因为律法立软弱的人为祭司。虽然他的无知在所有人中最无可推诿，却仍可献上他的祭物。他的职分并不足以掩盖他的罪，使之无需祭物便得赦免；却也不至于加重到连献祭之后也不得赦免。他若照百姓所犯的罪犯了罪（情形是如此设定的，利4:3），这便假定他在这事上与其他以色列人立于同等地位，并不能因其祭司之职得丝毫好处。论到大祭司的赎罪祭，律例乃是：1. 他必须献一只没有残疾的公牛犊为赎罪祭（利4:3），与为全会众所献的一样贵重（利4:14）；而为任何其他官长或平民，一只公山羊便够了，利4:23,28。这表明大祭司之罪所连带之罪咎的重大。他地位的高贵，以及他与神、与百姓双方的关系，都大大加重了他的过犯；参罗2:21。2. 献祭者的手要按在祭牲头上（利4:4），并要庄严痛悔地承认所犯的罪，将罪归到赎罪祭牲的头上，利16:21。没有认罪便没有赦免，诗32:5，箴28:13。这也表明他对这所设的赎罪之法有信心，作为那将来更美之事的预表——尽管他们还不能清楚看明。凡按手在牲畜头上的，便是承认自己本当受死，并且因神愿意悦纳这牲畜代他受死，这是神极大的怜悯。犹太作者自己也说，无论是赎罪祭还是赎愆祭，惟有为那些悔改并信其赎罪之效的人，才能赎罪。3. 公牛必须宰杀，并且在处理血的事上必须有许多的庄严；因为作赎罪之用的是血，若不流血，罪就不得赦免，利4:5-7。大祭司赎罪祭牲的血，有些要在幔子前弹七次，眼目向着施恩座，虽然它被幔子遮蔽：有些要抹在金坛的四角上，因为祭司本人在那坛前事奉；这样便表明除去他罪孽在他事奉上所沾染的污秽。这也说明基督满足之工对祂代求之有效的支持。祂献祭的血抹在祂烧香的坛上，并弹在耶和华面前。这事既毕，余下的血便倒在铜坛的脚那里。借此礼仪，罪人承认自己本该如此将自己的血如水倾倒出来。这也表明在真诚悔改中将灵魂倾吐在神面前，并预表我们的救主将命倾倒，以至于死。4. 内脏的脂油要烧在燔祭坛上，利4:8-10。借此，献祭和其中所成就之赎罪，其意向都指向神的荣耀——罪既曾使神受辱，献祭便如此使神得荣。这表明我们的主耶稣被当作罪（即赎罪祭）替我们成为罪时，所受的剧烈苦难，尤其是祂灵魂的痛苦和内心的挣扎。这也教导我们效法基督的死，将肉体钉十字架。5. 牲畜的头和身子，连皮带毛，都要抬到营外，到一处为此所指定的地点，在那里烧成灰，利4:11,12。这事极有意义，(1.）表明悔改的本分，即将罪当作可憎之物除掉，因我们的灵魂恨恶它。真正的悔改者对他们的偶像说："去吧，我们与偶像还有什么相干呢？"赎罪祭被称为罪。他们怎样对待那祭，我们也当怎样对待我们的罪；罪的身躯必须灭绝，罗6:6。(2.）表明赦罪的恩典。当神赦免罪时，便完全涂抹它，将它抛在背后。*犹大的罪孽必被寻查，却寻不见。*使徒特别留意这礼仪，并将其应用于基督（来13:11-13），祂在城门外受苦，在那称为髑髅地的地方，那里如同倒祭坛之灰一样，也倒着死人的灰。
¹³ 若以色列全会众误犯了罪，会众看不出来，行了耶和华所吩咐不可行的什么事，便有了罪； \n> ¹⁴ 后来他们所犯的罪被人知道了，会众就要献一只公牛犊为赎罪祭，牵到会幕前。 \n> ¹⁵ 会众的长老要在耶和华面前按手在牛头上，将牛宰于耶和华面前。 \n> ¹⁶ 受膏的祭司要把些公牛的血带到会幕那里。 \n> ¹⁷ 祭司要把指头蘸在血中，在耶和华面前弹血七次，就是对着幔子。 \n> ¹⁸ 又要把些血抹在会幕内耶和华面前的坛的四角上，再把所有的血倒在会幕门口燔祭坛的脚那里。 \n> ¹⁹ 把公牛所有的脂油都取下来，烧在坛上。 \n> ²⁰ 他要处理这牛，正如处理那为赎罪祭的公牛一样。祭司要为他们赎罪，他们必蒙赦免。 \n> ²¹ 他要把牛搬到营外，像烧第一只牛一样烧了；这是会众的赎罪祭。
这是借赎罪祭为国家之罪赎罪咎的律法。若百姓的领袖因对律法的误认而使百姓走迷，一旦发觉这错误，便当献祭，免得忿怒临到全会众。请留意：1. 教会可能犯错，她的引导者可能引她走迷。此处假设全会众都可能犯罪，且是误犯罪。神在地上必常有教会；但祂未曾说它是绝无错谬的，或在天这一边能完全脱离腐败。2. 当为全会众献祭时，长老要按手在祭牲头上（至少三人），作为百姓的代表和代理人。我们所设想的罪，大概是某种被大多数人采纳并沿用的普遍习俗，他们以为是合法的，后来经过查考才发现并非如此。在这种情形下，即使这习俗是因从先祖所传下来而普遍流行，并且一般意见认为合法，也不能完全免他们于罪，使他们不必献祭赎罪。有许多恶俗和言语的方式，被人以为其中无害，却可能将罪孽和忿怒带到一地，因此长老既当改革这些，也当为这些向神求赦免，珥2:16。3. 这赎罪祭牲的血，与前一只一样，要在耶和华面前弹七次，利4:17。不是在那里倾倒，只是弹；因为基督之血的洁净之效，那时并如今都借着弹血充分地表明并代表出来，赛52:15。要弹七次。七是完全之数，因为神六日造完世界，第七日便安息；所以这预表基督所成就的完全满足，以及信徒因之得的完全洁净；参来10:14。这血也要抹在香坛的四角上，耶17:1似乎就是指这事，那里说犹大的罪刻在他们坛的角上。他们若不离弃自己的罪，将赎罪祭牲的血抹在坛角上，不但不能除去他们的罪咎，反倒将罪绑得更紧，使罪长久被记念，成为反对他们的见证。启9:13也似乎影射这事，那里听见有声音从金坛的四角出来；这就是对圣徒祷告赐下平安的回答——这些祷告惟独因着抹在那坛角上之赎罪祭牲的血，才蒙悦纳且有效；参启8:3。4. 献祭既毕，便说：赎罪之工已成，罪必蒙赦免，利4:20。赦免的应许是建立在赎罪之工上的。这里论到的是全会众之罪的赦免，即免去那罪所当受的全国性刑罚。当注意，使教会和国家免于毁灭的，乃是因着基督的满足与中保之工。
²² 官长若误犯了罪，行了耶和华他神所吩咐不可行的什么事，便有了罪； \n> ²³ 他所犯的罪，后来他知道的时候，就要献他的供物，一只没有残疾的公山羊。 \n> ²⁴ 他要按手在山羊头上，在宰燔祭牲的地方，耶和华面前宰杀它；这是赎罪祭。 \n> ²⁵ 祭司要用指头取些赎罪祭牲的血，抹在燔祭坛的四角上，把血倒在燔祭坛的脚那里。 \n> ²⁶ 所有的脂油都要烧在坛上，正如平安祭的脂油一样。祭司要为他赎他的罪，他必蒙赦免。
请在此留意：1. 神留意官长们的罪，并且不悦。那些有权叫别人交账的人，自己也当向万王之王交账；因为他们无论多高，还有比他们更高的。这从以下的话可以推知：此处所犯的诫命，被称为耶和华他神的诫命，利4:22。他对别人是君王，但他当知道，耶和华对他乃是神。2. 官长所误犯的罪，假定后来被他自己知道（利4:23），这要么是由于他自己良心的责备，要么是由于朋友的规劝——这两样我们都当（连最好最大的人也一样）不但顺服，而且心存感谢。我们凡行得不对的，都当极其渴望得以知晓。我所看不出的，求你指教我，并指示我在何事上走错了——这是我们每日当向神献上的祷告，好叫我们纵然因无知陷入罪中，也不至因无知而滞留其中。3. 为官长所献的赎罪祭牲当是一只公山羊，不是为祭司和全会众所献的公牛；他的赎罪祭牲的血也不必像那两只一样带到会幕里，而是全部倒在铜坛上（利4:25）；其肉也不必像那两只一样在营外焚烧——这表明官长的罪，虽然比平民更坏，却不如大祭司或全会众的罪那样可憎，也不致那样造成广泛的败坏后果。一只公山羊便足以献给官长，但为一个支派则需公牛，借此表明官长虽大于个人，却小于全体。伟人立坏榜样是坏的，但众人追随他们就更坏了。4. 这里应许说，赎罪之工必蒙悦纳，罪必蒙赦免（利4:26），那就是说，他若悔改归正；否则神曾指着以色列的士师以利起誓说，他家的罪孽纵献祭献礼物，也永不得赎，撒上3:14。
²⁷ 民中若有一人误犯了罪，行了耶和华所吩咐不可行的什么事，便有了罪； \n> ²⁸ 他所犯的罪，后来他知道的时候，就要为所犯的罪献一只没有残疾的母山羊为供物。 \n> ²⁹ 他要按手在赎罪祭牲的头上，在宰燔祭牲的地方宰杀赎罪祭牲。 \n> ³⁰ 祭司要用指头取些血，抹在燔祭坛的四角上，把所有的血倒在坛脚那里。 \n> ³¹ 他要取下所有的脂油，正如从平安祭牲上所取的脂油一样。祭司要烧在坛上，作为献给耶和华的馨香之气；祭司要为他赎罪，他必蒙赦免。 \n> ³² 他若献一只羊羔为赎罪祭，就要献一只没有残疾的母羊羔。 \n> ³³ 他要按手在赎罪祭牲的头上，在宰燔祭牲的地方宰杀它，作为赎罪祭。 \n> ³⁴ 祭司要用指头取些赎罪祭牲的血，抹在燔祭坛的四角上，把所有的血倒在坛脚那里。 \n> ³⁵ 他要取下所有的脂油，正如从平安祭的羊羔上所取的脂油一样。祭司要照献给耶和华的火祭，把这些烧在坛上。祭司要为他所犯的罪赎罪，他必蒙赦免。
I. 这里是为平民所献赎罪祭的律法，与为官长所献的不同之处只在于：平民可以献山羊或羊羔，官长只能献山羊；为官长的必须是公的，为平民的是母的：至于处理供物的所有情形，二者都相同。请留意：1. 所设的情形：民中若有一人误犯了罪，利4:27。先知设想他们不像伟人那样晓得耶和华的作为和他们神的判语（耶5:4），然而他们若误犯了罪，也必须献赎罪祭。当注意，连误犯的罪也需要借献祭来赎。当我们被指控犯罪时，若能辩说自己是不知情，是因受试探的突然袭击而犯，这并不能使我们脱罪，除非我们能以那伟大的辩词——基督已经死了——为根据，并有权享受其恩益。我们都当像大卫那样（他也是官长）祷告，求神洁净我们脱离隐而未现的过错——就是我们自己也不明白、也未察觉的过失，诗19:12。2. 一个平民所误犯的罪，也需献祭；因为最大的人不致高过神的鉴察，最卑微的人也不致低到神公义之下。百姓中凡犯罪的，并不因在群众之中而被忽略。3. 平民所献的赎罪祭，不但蒙悦纳，而且有效，可以借此赎罪，利4:31,35。在这里，富户与穷人、王子与农奴都相遇在一起；他们都能同样地到基督面前来，并在祂的祭上有分，条件也相同。参伯34:19。
II. 从这一切关于赎罪祭的律例中，我们可以学到：1. 恨恶罪，并防备罪。那必须如此杀死、宰割许多无辜而有用的受造之物才能为之赎罪的，必是极坏的东西。2. 珍重基督——那伟大而真实的赎罪祭，祂的血能洗净一切的罪，这是公牛和山羊的血断不能除去的。如今若有人犯罪，基督就是挽回祭（约一2:1,2），不单为犹太人，也为外邦人。也许基督即将献上自己为祭时所献的那祷告——父啊，赦免他们，因为他们所作的，他们不晓得——正是影射这条关于误犯之罪的献祭律例。
英文原文
Law of the Sin-Offering (1490 BC)
¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
³ If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
⁴ And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.
⁵ And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
⁶ And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
⁷ And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
⁸ And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
⁹ And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,
¹⁰ As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering.
¹¹ And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
¹² Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
The laws contained in the first three chapters seem to have been delivered to Moses at one time. Here begin the statutes of another session, another day. From the throne of glory between the cherubim God delivered these orders. And he enters now upon a subject more strictly new than those before. Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and peace-offerings, it should seem, had been offered before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai; those sacrifices the patriarchs had not been altogether unacquainted with (Ge 8:20, Ex 20:24), and in them they had respect to sin, to make atonement for it, Job 1:5. But the law being now added because of transgressions (Ga 3:19), and having entered, that eventually the offence might abound (Ro 5:20), they were put into a way of making atonement for sin more particularly by sacrifice, which was (more than any of the ceremonial institutions) a shadow of good things to come, but the substance is Christ, and that one offering of himself by which he put away sin and perfected for ever those who are sanctified.
I. The general case supposed we have, Le 4:2. Here observe, 1. Concerning sin in general, that it is described to be against any of the commandments of the Lord; for sin is the transgression of the law, the divine law. The wits or wills of men, their inventions or their injunctions, cannot make that to be sin which the law of God has not made to be so. It is said likewise, if a soul sin, for it is not sin if it be not some way or other the soul's act; hence it is called the sin of the soul (Mic 6:7), and it is the soul that is injured by it, Pr 8:36. 2. Concerning the sins for which those offerings were appointed. (1.) They are supposed to be overt acts; for, had they been required to bring a sacrifice for every sinful thought or word, the task had been endless. Atonement was made for those in the gross, on the day of expiation, once a year; but these are said to be done against the commandments. (2.) They are supposed to be sins of commission, things which ought not to be done. Omissions are sins, and must come into judgment; but what had been omitted at one time might be done at another, and so to obey was better than sacrifice: but a commission was past recall. (3.) They are supposed to be sins committed through ignorance. If they were done presumptuously, and with an avowed contempt of the law and the Law-maker, the offender was to be cut off, and there remained no sacrifice for the sin, Heb 10:26,27, Nu 15:30. But if the offender were either ignorant of the law, as in divers instances we may suppose many were (so numerous and various were the prohibitions), or were surprised into the sin unawares, the circumstances being such as made it evident that his resolution against the sin was sincere, but that he was overtaken in it, as the expression is (Ga 6:1), in this case relief was provided by the remedial law of the sin-offering. And the Jews say, "Those crimes only were to be expiated by sacrifice, if committed ignorantly, for which the criminal was to have been cut off if they had been committed presumptuously."
II. The law begins with the case of the anointed priest, that is, the high priest, provided he should sin through ignorance; for the law made men priests who had infirmity. Though his ignorance was of all others least excusable, yet he was allowed to bring his offering. His office did not so far excuse his offence as that it should be forgiven him without a sacrifice; yet it did not so far aggravate it but that it should be forgiven him when he did bring his sacrifice. If he sin according to the sin of the people (so the case is put, Le 4:3), which supposes him in this matter to stand upon the level with other Israelites, and to have no benefit of his clergy at all. Now the law concerning the sin-offering for the high priest is, 1. That he must bring a bullock without blemish for a sin-offering (Le 4:3), as valuable an offering as that for the whole congregation (Le 4:14); whereas for any other ruler, or a common person, a kid of the goats should serve, Le 4:23,28. This intimated the greatness of the guilt connected with the sin of a high priest. The eminency of his station, and his relation both to God and to the people, greatly aggravated his offences; see Ro 2:21. 2. The hand of the offerer must be laid upon the head of the offering (Le 4:4), with a solemn penitent confession of the sin he had committed, putting it upon the head of the sin-offering, Le 16:21. No remission without confession, Ps 32:5, Pr 28:13. It signified also a confidence in this instituted way of expiating guilt, as a figure of something better yet to come, which they could not stedfastly discern. He that laid his hand on the head of the beast thereby owned that he deserved to die himself, and that it was God's great mercy that he would please to accept the offering of this beast to die for him. The Jewish writers themselves say that neither the sin-offering nor the trespass-offering made atonement, except for those that repented and believed in their atonement. 3. The bullock must be killed, and a great deal of solemnity there must be in disposing of the blood; for it was the blood that made atonement, and without shedding of blood there was no remission, Le 4:5-7. Some of the blood of the high-priest's sin-offering was to be sprinkled seven times before the veil, with an eye towards the mercy-seat, though it was veiled: some of it was to be put upon the horns of the golden altar, because at that altar the priest himself ministered; and thus was signified the putting away of that pollution which from his sins did cleave to his services. It likewise serves to illustrate the influence which Christ's satisfaction has upon the prevalency of his intercession. The blood of his sacrifice is put upon the altar of his incense and sprinkled before the Lord. When this was done the remainder of the blood was poured at the foot of the brazen altar. By this rite, the sinner acknowledged that he deserved to have his blood thus poured out like water. It likewise signified the pouring out of the soul before God in true repentance, and typified our Saviour's pouring out his soul unto death. 4. The fat of the inwards was to be burnt upon the altar of burnt-offering, Le 4:8-10. By this the intention of the offering and of the atonement made by it was directed to the glory of God, who, having been dishonoured by the sin, was thus honoured by the sacrifice. It signified the sharp sufferings of our Lord Jesus, when he was made sin (that is, a sin-offering) for us, especially the sorrows of his soul and his inward agonies. It likewise teaches us, in conformity to the death of Christ, to crucify the flesh. 5. The head and body of the beast, skin and all, were to be carried without the camp, to a certain place appointed for that purpose, and there burnt to ashes, Le 4:11,12. This was very significant, (1.) Of the duty of repentance, which is the putting away of sin as a detestable thing, which our soul hates. True penitents say to their idols, "Get you hence; what have we to do any more with idols?" The sin-offering is called sin. What they did to that we must do to our sins; the body of sin must be destroyed, Ro 6:6. (2.) Of the privilege of remission. When God pardons sin he quite abolishes it, casts it behind his back. The iniquity of Judah shall be sought for and not found. The apostle takes particular notice of this ceremony, and applies it to Christ (Heb 13:11-13), who suffered without the gate, in the place of a skull, where the ashes of dead men, as those of the altar, were poured out.
¹³ And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
¹⁴ When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
¹⁵ And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
¹⁶ And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
¹⁷ And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the vail.
¹⁸ And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
¹⁹ And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.
²⁰ And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
²¹ And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
This is the law for expiating the guilt of a national sin, by a sin offering. If the leaders of the people, through mistake concerning the law, caused them to err, when the mistake was discovered an offering must be brought, that wrath might not come upon the whole congregation. Observe, 1. It is possible that the church may err, and that her guides may mislead her. It is here supposed that the whole congregation may sin, and sin through ignorance. God will always have a church on earth; but he never said it should be infallible, or perfectly pure from corruption on this side heaven. 2. When a sacrifice was to be offered for the whole congregation, the elders were to lay their hands upon the head of it (three of them at least), as representatives of the people and agents for them. The sin we suppose to have been some common custom, taken up and used by the generality of the people, upon presumption of its being lawful, which afterwards, upon search, appeared to be otherwise. In this case the commonness of the usage received perhaps by tradition from their fathers, and the vulgar opinion of its being lawful, would not so far excuse them from sin but that they must bring a sacrifice to make atonement for it. There are many bad customs and forms of speech which are thought to have no harm in them, and yet may bring guilt and wrath upon a land, which therefore it concerns the elders both to reform and to intercede with God for the pardon of, Joe 2:16. 3. The blood of this sin-offering, as of the former, was to be sprinkled seven times before the Lord, Le 4:17. It was not to be poured out there, but sprinkled only; for the cleansing virtue of the blood of Christ was then and still is sufficiently signified and represented by sprinkling, Isa 52:15. It was to be sprinkled seven times. Seven is a number of perfection, because when God had made the world in six days he rested the seventh; so this signified the perfect satisfaction Christ made, and the complete cleansing of the souls of the faithful by it; see Heb 10:14. The blood was likewise to be put upon the horns of the incense-altar, to which there seems to be an allusion in Jer 17:1, where the sin of Judah is said to be graven upon the horns of their altars. If they did not forsake their sins, the putting of the blood of their sin-offerings upon the horns of their altars, instead of taking away their guilt, did but bind it on the faster, perpetuated the remembrance of it, and remained a witness against them. It is likewise alluded to in Re 9:13, where a voice is heard from the four horns of the golden altar; that is, an answer of peace is given to the prayers of the saints, which are acceptable and prevalent only by virtue of the blood of the sin-offering put upon the horns of that altar; compare Re 8:3. 4. When the offering is completed, it is said, atonement is made, and the sin shall be forgiven, Le 4:20. The promise of remission is founded upon the atonement. It is spoken here of the forgiveness of the sin of the whole congregation, that is, the turning away of those national judgments which the sin deserved. Note, The saving of churches and kingdoms from ruin is owing to the satisfaction and mediation of Christ.
²² When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
²³ Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
²⁴ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.
²⁵ And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
²⁶ And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
Observe here, 1. That God takes notice of and is displeased with the sins of rulers. Those who have power to call others to account are themselves accountable to the ruler of rulers; for, as high as they are, there is a higher than they. This is intimated in that the commandment transgressed is here said to be the commandment of the Lord his God, Le 4:22. He is a prince to others, but let him know the Lord is a God to him. 2. The sin of the ruler which he committed through ignorance is supposed afterwards to come to his knowledge (Le 4:23), which must be either by the check of his own conscience or by the reproof of his friends, both which we should all, even the best and greatest, not only submit to, but be thankful for. What we have done amiss we should be very desirous to come to the knowledge of. That which I see not, teach thou me, and show me wherein I have erred, are prayers we should put up to God every day, that though through ignorance we fall into sin we may not through ignorance lie still in it. 3. The sin-offering for a ruler was to be a kid of the goats, not a bullock, as for the priest and the whole congregation; nor was the blood of his sin-offering to be brought into the tabernacle, as of the other two, but it was all bestowed upon the brazen altar (Le 4:25); nor was the flesh of it to be burnt, as that of the other two, without the camp, which intimated that the sin of a ruler, though worse than that of a common person, yet was not so heinous, nor of such pernicious consequence, as the sin of the high priest, or of the whole congregation. A kid of the goats was sufficient to be offered for a ruler, but a bullock for a tribe, to intimate that the ruler, though major singulis—greater than each, was minor universis—less than the whole. It is bad when great men give bad examples, but worse when all men follow them. 4. It is promised that the atonement shall be accepted and the sin forgiven (Le 4:26), that is, if he repent and reform; for otherwise God swore concerning Eli, a judge in Israel, that the iniquity of his house should not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever, 1Sa 3:14.
²⁷ And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
²⁸ Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
²⁹ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
³⁰ And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
³¹ And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
³² And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.
³³ And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
³⁴ And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:
³⁵ And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
I. Here is the law of the sin-offering for a common person, which differs from that for a ruler only in this, that a private person might bring either a kid or a lamb, a ruler only a kid; and that for a ruler must be a male, for the other a female: in all the circumstances of the management of the offering they agreed. Observe, 1. The case supposed: If any one of the common people sin through ignorance, Le 4:27. The prophet supposes that they were not so likely as the great men to know the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God (Jer 5:4), and yet, if they sin through ignorance, they must bring a sin-offering. Note, Even sins of ignorance need to be atoned for by sacrifice. To be able to plead, when we are charged with sin, that we did it ignorantly, and through the surprise of temptation, will not bring us off if we be not interested in that great plea, Christ hath died, and entitled to the benefit of that. We have all need to pray with David (and he was a ruler) to be cleansed from secret faults, the errors which we ourselves do not understand or are not aware of, Ps 19:12. 2. That the sins of ignorance committed by a single person, a common obscure person, did require a sacrifice; for, as the greatest are not above the censure, so the meanest are not below the cognizance of the divine justice. None of the common people, if offenders, were overlooked in a crowd. 3. That a sin-offering was not only admitted, but accepted, even from one of the common people, and an atonement made by it, Le 4:31,35. Here rich and poor, prince and peasant, meet together; they are both alike welcome to Christ, and to an interest in his sacrifice, upon the same terms. See Job 34:19.
II. From all these laws concerning the sin-offerings we may learn, 1. To hate sin, and to watch against it. That is certainly a very bad thing to make atonement for which so many innocent and useful creatures must be slain and mangled thus. 2. To value Christ, the great and true sin-offering, whose blood cleanses from all sin, which it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away. Now, if any man sin, Christ is the propitiation (1Jo 2:1,2), not for Jews only, but for Gentiles. And perhaps there was some allusion to this law concerning sacrifices for sins of ignorance in that prayer of Christ's, just when he was offering up himself a sacrifice, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
本章论及赎罪祭。此祭专为因无知而误犯之罪赎罪而设：I. 祭司本人误犯了罪，利4:1-12。II. 全会众误犯了罪，利4:13-21。III. 官长误犯了罪，利4:22-26。IV. 平民中有人误犯了罪，利4:27-35等。