Numbers 5:8

Num 5:8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, [even] to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

Ver. 8. Unto the Lord, even to the priest.] The priest is the Lord’s receiver. {a} {So Heb 7:6-9} Tithes are due to the ministers of Christ "that liveth," because due to him, and they are in his stead. {2Co 5:20}

{a} Sacerdos est vicarius et quasi haeres. - Dio.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 5:8. No kinsman — This supposes the person injured to be dead, or gone into some unknown place. To the priest — Whom God appointed as his deputy, to receive his dues, and take them to his own use, that so he might more cheerfully and entirely devote himself to the ministration of holy things. This is an additional explication to that law, Lev 6:2, and for the sake thereof it seems here to be repeated.

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

5:8 Because sin is ultimately against God (5:6; Ps 51:4), the perpetrator had a moral obligation to make restitution to the Lord, who authorized the human victims of the sin to receive that payment; if none were living, the Lord received payment through the priest. Perpetrators also had to offer a valuable sacrifice that restored their ritual purity (Num 5:1-4) and their relationship with God. • purified and made right with the Lord: See study note on Lev 1:4.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

If he be dead to whom the wrong is done, and also have no kinsman.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 8. If the man have no kinsman] The Jews think that this law respects the stranger and the sojourner only, because every Israelite is in a state of affinity to all the rest; but there might be a stranger in the camp who has no relative in any of the tribes of Israel.

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

8. The verse deals with the case in which the injured person dies before restitution has been made to him, and leaves no representative.

kinsman] Heb. gô’çl. A technical term of considerable importance in Israelite law. A man’s next of kin was (1) a full brother, (2) failing him, an uncle on the father’s side, (3) failing him, a first cousin on the father’s side, (4) failing him, any near kinsman. His duties were manifold. In civil law: (a) to buy back the family estate of his kinsman, which the latter had sold through poverty (Lev_25:25, Rth_4:1-6). He also had the refusal of it before it was sold (Jer_32:8-12). (b) To buy back the person of his kinsman, if the latter had sold himself as a slave through poverty (Lev_25:47 ff.). In both these cases his action may be denoted by the word ‘redeem.’ (c) To receive restitution due to his deceased kinsman (here). In criminal law: to claim satisfaction for the blood of his murdered kinsman, in which case he was known as the gô’çl haddâm, ‘avenger of blood.’

unto the Lord shall be the priest’s] lit. ‘shall be for Jehovah for the priest.’ The priest shall receive it as the representative of Jehovah.

the ram of the atonement] The guilt-offering described in Lev_6:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But if a man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass to,.... This supposes that if a man should die, against whom the trespass is, before the restitution is made, then it shall be made to his heirs; and if he has none, then it was to be given to the priest, as after directed: the Jews (g) generally understand this of a proselyte, that has no heirs, for they say, there is no Israelite but has kinsmen, a brother or a son, or some one or other near of kin to him, of his father's family, even up to Jacob:

let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; that is, let the principal, with the fifth part, which is the recompence for the trespass committed, be given to the priest of the Lord, which is the same as if it was given to him, he being his minister:

beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him; which, in this case, was ordered to be offered for the expiation, of the trespass, see Lev 6:6; the Jewish canon is,"he that takes away anything by force from a proselyte, and swears to him, and he (the proselyte) dies, lo, he shall pay the principal and the fifth to the priests, and the trespass offering to the altar, as it is said, "if a man has no kinsman", &c. when he brings the money and the trespass offering, and he is dead, the money shall be given to his sons, but the trespass offering (the ram) shall feed until it contracts some blemish, and then it shall be sold, and the price of it shall fall to the freewill offerings (h).''

(g) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Bava Kama, c. 9. sect. 11. Jarchi in loc. (h) Misn. Bava Kama, ib.

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

But if. Moses does not mention this case, Leviticus vi. 2, 5. Here he determines that the heirs, if known, must be entitled to the restitution. A Hebrew could not die without an heir; but a proselyte might, and then restitution was to be made to God. The Rabbins say, that when the person injured was already dead, the offender took 10 persons with him to the grave of the deceased, and said, "I have sinned against the Lord and against. N.; I have injured him thus." After which he gave what was due to his heirs; or, if none could be found, to the house of judgment or the judges, who might restore it, if any claimant appeared afterwards.

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).

If the man have no kinsman, which might be the case commonly with proselytes, if not with Israelites. This also suppposeth the person injured to be dead or gone away into some unknown place, and the person injured to be known to the injurer.

God appointed

the priest as his deputy to receive his dues, and take them to his own use, that so he might more cheerfully and entirely devote himself to the ministration of holy things. This is au additional explication to that law, Lev 6:2, and for the sake thereof it seems here to be repeated.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. No kinsman — The Hebrew goel was the nearest relative, whose duty it was to redeem his enslaved kinsman, as well as to avenge his death at another’s hand. See note introductory to Num_5:1, and on Gen_9:5.

In this is implied the fact of the death of the injured party.

To the priest — As the representative of Jehovah, who in a peculiar sense is the kin of the deceased, the restitution is to be made. He is our ultimate legatee and avenger. The restitution money paid to the priest was put into a common purse and distributed among all the priests in that course.

The ram of the atonement — This was the sacrifice by which the expiation to Jehovah was effected. Lev_6:7. As he was offended by the sin, his wrath must be appeased, as well as the violated rights of man be restored. Hengstenberg interprets this to signify that Jehovah, the natural heir, who was wronged in the injured person, was to receive a double trespass offering. The original law required, with the ram, a sum of money estimated to be an equivalent to the injury done to the person. “The ram of the asham receives an imaginary value according to the estimate of the priests.” The ram presented by the delinquent “as a compensation for the spiritual debt was taxed as high as the sum which was given for the compensation of the outward material debt. By this symbolic act the idea of debt was most vividly impressed, and the necessity of making a settlement with God was clearly exhibited.” This verse supplements the original law of the trespass offering, which is silent respecting the death of the injured person who had no heir or goel. It is probable that such a case had occurred, and hence additional legislation was required.

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

If the man have no kinsman. No goel, or personal representative. This supposes that the wronged man himself is dead, and it is an addition to the law of restitution as given in Leviticus 6, an addition clearly necessary to its completeness. The wrong-doer must in no case be the gainer by his own wrong, and if the trespass could not be "recompensed" to man, it must be "recompensed" to the Lord, who was as it were joint-plaintiff in the cause. To the priest. On the general principle that the priest was the visible representative of the invisible majesty.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

No kinsman - This supposes the person injured to be dead or gone, into some unknown place, and the person injured to be known to the injurer. To the priest - Whom God appointed as his deputy to receive his dues, and take them to his own use, that so he might more cheerfully and entirely devote himself to the ministration of holy things. This is an additional explication to that law, Lev. vi, 2, and for the sake thereof it seems here to be repeated.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

kinsman Heb. goel, Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20").

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.

But if the wronged person has no close relative to receive the payment

Usually the wronged person would receive the payment but if that person has died the payment goes to the closest relative. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "But if the wronged person has died and has no close relative to receive the payment" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

if the wronged person

This can be stated in active form. AT: "if the person whom the guilty person has wronged" (See: Active or Passive)

he must pay the price for his guilt to me through a priest

If a person made a payment to a priest to pay for his guilt it was the same as if the person had made the payment to Yahweh.

to atone for himself

The atonement is made for the man's sin. Here Yahweh refers to the man's sin as the man who committed it. AT: "to atone for his sin" (See: Metonymy)

the things that are set aside and brought to the priest by the people of Israel

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the things that the people of Israel set aside and bring to the priest" (See: Active or Passive)

The offerings of every person will be for the priest; if anyone gives anything to the priest, it will belong to him

These two phrases mean basically the same thing and may be combined to state that the offerings that someone gives belong to the priest to whom they have been given. (See: Parallelism)

translationWords

receive

priest

ewe

atonement

sacrifice

holy

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

ואם אין לאיש גאל BUT IF THE MAN HAS NO KINSMAN — This means that the claimant who put him to the oath, died and has left no heirs,

להשיב האשם אליו TO WHOM THAT WHEREIN HE IS GUILTY COULD BE RESTORED, when he decided at a later period to confess his sin. — Our Rabbis asked (Sifrei Bamidbar 4:1; Bava Kamma 109a): But can you find anyone in Israel who has no kinsman whatsoever, neither a son nor a brother nor other relative near akin to him from his father’s family, going back as far as Jacob? But this person referred to is a proselyte who died and has no heirs (his heathen relatives not being entitled to succeed to his property) (Sifrei Bamidbar 4:1; Bava Kamma 109a).

האשם המושב THAT WHEREIN HE IS GUILTY AND WHICH HATH TO BE RESTORED — i.e. the principal (האשם) and the fifth thereof (המושב) (cf. Bava Kamma 110a),

לה’ לכהן BELONGS TO THE LORD, FOR THE PRIEST — This means the Lord becomes its owner and gives it to the priest of that Mishmar (shift) (Bava Kamma 109b).

מלבד איל הכפרים BESIDES THE RAM OF EXPIATION which is mentioned in the Sedrah ויקרא (Leviticus 5:25), as being incumbent upon him to offer.

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.