Numbers 15:25

And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel,.... Which is repeated for the certainty of it, and for the sake of what follows:

and the stranger that sojourneth among them; the proselyte of righteousness; so the blessing of pardon, through the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, comes upon believing Gentiles as well as Jews, Rom 4:9,

seeing all the people were in ignorance; both the congregation of Israel and the stranger; See Gill on Num 15:25.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Num_15:25

Sin-offering . . . for their ignorance.

Pardon of unknown sins through Christ

1. Because of our ignorance we are not fully aware of our sins of ignorance. Yet they are many, in the form both of commission and omission. We may be doing in all sincerity, as a service to God, that which He has not commanded and can never accept.

2. The Lord knows these sins of ignorance every one. This may well alarm us, since in justice He will require these trespasses at our hand; but, again, faith spies comfort in this fact, for the Lord will see to it that stains unseen by us shall yet be washed away. He sees the sin that He may cease to see it by casting it behind His back.

3. Our great comfort is that Jesus, the true Priest, has made atonement for all the congregation of Israel. That atonement secures the pardon of unknown sins. His precious blood cleanses us from all sin. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 15:25. It shall be forgiven, for it is ignorance — Proceeding from some mistake, and not from contempt of God and his laws; for then the guilty person was to be utterly cut off.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 25. The priest shall make an atonement] Even sins committed through ignorance required an atonement; and God in his mercy has provided one for them.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(25) For it is ignorance.—Rather, for it is a sin of ignorance, or an error. So also at the end of the verse.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And for. Hebrew, "and their sin (offering) in the presence of the Lord, for their ignorance." (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

25. An atonement — “In all our inquiries into the various senses wherein this term is used, and into the significance of the different ceremonies connected with the act of atonement, the fundamental meaning, to cover or conceal, must be kept in mind.” — Suskind. The word occurs in its proper sense only in Gen_6:14. In Piel usage has affixed to it the meaning “to atone.” Atonement, therefore, must be equivalent to the covering up or concealing of that which God cannot allow to appear in his presence. It is a constructive disappearance or annihilation. Thus in Jer_18:23, forgiveness of sin and blotting it out are convertible expressions. With the rabbins, “to atone” means to deny existence to — to deem as not being. That which creates estrangement between God and the sinner is in effect annihilated. “We cannot reasonably say that in this case the divine punitive justice terminates in nothing; on the contrary, that justice is honoured when the offerer declares that he is destitute of a covering before the holy God, and thereby acknowledges him as one who, though sinning in weakness, is exposed to the divine judgment.” — Oehler. The common objection that the soul, or life, of the sacrificial animal, laden with the curse of the sinner, might not be laid upon the holy altar as his substitute is effectually answered by the consideration that through death, the wages of sin, the blood is to be viewed as pure and free from guilt. See Lev_1:4; Lev_4:20; Lev_12:7, notes.

For it is ignorance — R.V., “error.” See Lev_4:2, and the concluding notes to the same chapter; also Heb_9:7, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

atonement

(See Scofield "Exo 29:33").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They will be forgiven

This can be stated in active form. AT: "I will forgive them" (See: Active or Passive)

made by fire

This can be stated in active form. AT: "that they made by fire" or "that they burned on the altar" (See: Active or Passive)

all the community of the people of Israel will be forgiven

This can be stated in active form. AT: "I will forgive all the community of the people of Israel" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

priest

atonement

Israel

forgive

sacrifice

burnt offering

alien

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה׳ [AND] THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OFFERING, A FIRE OFFERING UNTO THE LORD — This is that offering mentioned previously in this chapter (v. 24), viz., the bullock for a burnt offering, since it says here, “a fire offering to the Lord” (which is a description of a burnt offering) (Sifrei Bamidbar 111:3).

וחטאתם AND THEIR SIN OFFERING — This is the he-goat (mentioned in v. 24).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OFFERING, AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE ETERNAL. This refers to the bullock as a burnt-offering mentioned [in the preceding verse]. AND THEIR SIN-OFFERING, which refers to the he-goat for a sin-offering [mentioned there]. Scripture states this on account of the greatness of the sin, involving as it does all the commandments of G-d, and is thereby saying that although the sin was exceedingly grave, since it was in error and they have brought their offerings for it, the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, they are worthy of atonement. And in the Sifre 111. the Rabbis interpreted this verse on the basis of its [apparent] redundancy: “Rabbi Yashiyah says: If the whole of one tribe [unwittingly] acted [committed idolatry] on the basis of a [mistaken] decision of the [chief] court of that tribe, and the other tribes did so [too, on their word], whence do we know that they [the other tribes] must also bring [these prescribed offerings] on account of them [i.e., the people of the particular tribe who acted according to the decision of its chief court]? Scripture therefore states, ‘and they’ have brought their offering, an offering made by fire unto the Eternal. Rabbi Yonathan says etc.” ).And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], I have already informed you that wherever the Tetragrammaton is mentioned it refers to the attribute of mercy, and the expression ‘liphnei Hashem’ [before the Eternal — as here in the phrase: and their sin-offering ‘before the Eternal’] is like ‘al panai’ (before Me), 20:3. Literally “upon My face.” and this is similar to what the Rabbis of blessed memory have said: “He and His Celestial Court.” Thus the verse is stating that “they have brought their offering to the Proper Name of G-d [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], (an offering made by fire to the Eternal) where the Hebrew for the Eternal is the Tetragrammaton. Ramban explained at the beginning of his commentary on this verse that their offering refers to the burnt-offering, which was thus offered to the Tetragrammaton, the Divine Name symbolizing G-d’s attribute of mercy; and the second half of the verse speaks of sin-offering brought l’phanai, i.e., to the Name symbolizing the attribute of judgment. Hence [in the concluding words of Ramban] “the sin is atoned for in the attribute of mercy and in the attribute of judgment.” and their sin-offering ‘l’phanai’ (before Me),” and thus the sin is atoned for in the attribute of mercy and in the attribute of judgment. He mentioned this in the case of idolatry [due to the gravity of the sin, because of which they need to be forgiven in both attributes], but in Seder Vayikra where [the sin-offering for violation of] the other commandments is commanded, He mentioned many times ‘liphnei Hashem’ (before the Eternal). and the reason for this is clear.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.