Albert Barnes Commentary Leviticus 4

And the Lord spoke … Israel – This formula is the commencement of a distinct section of the Law (Leviticus 4:2).

If a soul shall sin – The sin-offering was a new thing, instituted by the Law. The older kinds of sacrifice (Leviticus 2:1; Leviticus 3:1), when offered by individuals, were purely voluntary; no special occasions were prescribed. But it was plainly commanded that he who was conscious that he had committed a sin should bring his sin-offering.

In the abridged rules for sin-offerings in Numbers 15:22-31, the kind of sin for which sin-offerings were accepted is contrasted with that which cut off the perpetrator from among his people (compare Leviticus 4:22 with Leviticus 4:30). The two classes are distinguished in the language of our Bible as sin through ignorance and presumptuous sin.

The distinction is clearly recognized in Psalm 19:12-13 and Hebrews 10:26-27. It seems evident that the classification thus indicated refers immediately to the relation of the conscience to God, not to outward practices, nor, immediately, to outward actions.

The presumptuous sinner, literally he who sinned “with a high hand,” might or might not have committed such a crime as to incur punishment from the civil law; it was enough that he had with deliberate purpose rebelled against God and ipso facto was “cut off from among his people” and alienated from the divine covenant (Exodus 31:14; 1 John 5:16).

But the other kind of sin, that for which the sin-offering was appointed, was of a more complicated nature. It appears to have included the entire range of “sins, negligences and ignorances” for which we are accustomed to ask forgiveness.

Sin-offerings were required not only when the conscience accused the offender of having yielded to temptation, but sometimes for what were breaches of the Law committed strictly in ignorance (Leviticus 4:13; Leviticus 4:23; Leviticus 4:28; Leviticus 5:17), and sometimes on account of ceremonial pollution.

They are thus to be regarded as protests against everything which is opposed to the holiness and purity of the divine Law. They were, in short, to be offered by the worshipper as a relief to the conscience whenever he felt the need of atonement.

Sin through ignorance – Sin through error; that is, through straying from the right way (Ecclesiastes 5:6).

The priest that is anointed – that is, the high priest. (Leviticus 21:10; Exodus 29:7). On the anointing of the other priests, see the note at Leviticus 8:13.

The graduation of the sin-offerings is remarkable. It might seem that the distinction applied more pointedly to each individual according to his rank and consequent responsibility .

According to the sin of the people – Rather, to bring guilt on the people. The whole nation is affected by every transgression of its representative.

The treatment of the blood was special in the sin-offerings. In the inferior sin-offerings it was smeared on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering (Leviticus 4:25, 30, 34), while in this offering for the high priest, and in that for the nation, the high priest himself sprinkled the blood seven times within the tabernacle and smeared it on the horns of the altar of incense (Leviticus 4:6–7, 17-18). The different modes of sprinkling appear to have marked successive degrees of consecration in advancing from the altar of burnt-offering to the presence of Yahweh within the veil.

Before the veil of the sanctuary - This is generally understood to mean the floor of the holy place in front of the veil.

Pour - All the blood that was left after the sprinkling and the smearing should be disposed of in such a manner as to suit the decorum of divine service. It had no sacrificial significance.