βIf 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; in fellowship: or, in dealing fellowship: Heb. putting of the handβ
Despising: interpretatively; not formally, as Numbers xv. (Estius) β The Lord, who knows the truth, and is an avenger of all injustice, even the most secret. (Haydock) β The law inflicts indeed a smaller punishment, as these offences are supposed to be secret, and the offender is thus invited to repent, and to repair the injury done. When the crime is public, the law is more severe. (Calmet) β Hebrew, βIf a soul transgress and sin against the Lord.β Septuagint, βIf any one wilfully despise the commands,β &c. (Haydock) β Trust. Hebrew and Septuagint, βor a sum given for traffic for their common benefit.β β Oppression, by any means whatsoever detaining the wages of the labourer, &c.
βOr have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:β
Lost. We acquire no title to the thing by finding it. The Roman law, as well as divines, condemn those who appropriate the thing found to their own use, as guilty of theft, whether they knew to whom it belonged or not; and Plato greatly commends the law of Solon, βTake not what thou didst not put down,β a rule which the Dyrbeans and the people of Biblos rigorously observed. We may, however, take up what is lost, (Calmet) and endeavour to find the owner, who must indemnify us for our trouble; and, if we never find him, we are directed to give the price to the poor, for the ownerβs welfare. (Haydock)
βThen 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,β
Convicted, by his own conscience, and by the judgment of the priest to whom he has confessed his sin. The Hebrew expresses the different sorts of sins specified above, which the Vulgate denotes by the word offence.
βOr 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: or, in the day of his being found guilty: Heb. in the day of his trespassβ
Wronged. Hebrew and Chaldean add, βin the day of his sin-offering;β and the Septuagint, βin which he is convicted.β No unnecessary delay in making restitution can be allowed to the sincere penitent, who wishes to make his peace with God.
βAnd 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:β
The. Hebrew, βthy estimation for a sin-offering.β (Haydock) β Wilful sins require a more noble victim than those of ignorance, which were expiated by the sacrifice of a goat. (Menochius)
βCommand 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. because: or, for the burningβ
Holocaust. The regulations respecting it, as they regard the priests, are here given, as chap. i., directions were given to those who presented the victims. β Morning. All the parts of the victim were not laid on at the same time. The like was observed during the day also, when no other sacrifices were to be offered on this altar. β Of the same, not strange, unhallowed fire, but such as was kept continually burning on the altar of holocausts, as the Hebrew intimates; βthe fire of the altar shall be burning in it.β During the marches in the desert, it is not written how this fire was preserved. The Persians believed that their eternal fire came down from heaven, and the vestal virgins kept their sacred fire at Rome, with superstitious care. Theophrastus (ap. Eusebius, prΔp. i. 9,) mentions the keeping of fire in the temples, as one of the most ancient rites of religion.
βAnd he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.β
Others; such as were worn on common occasions, out of the tabernacle. β And shall, &c. Hebrew has only, βunto a clean place,β as the other versions and some Latin copies read. The meaning of the addition is, that all the bones, &c., must be perfectly reduced to dust, before they be carried out of the camp. (Calmet)
βAnd the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.β
Fat, along with the whole burnt-offering. (Menochius)
βThe fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.β
The perpetual fire. This fire came from heaven, (chap. ix. 24,) and was always kept burning on the altar: as a figure of the heavenly fire of divine love, which ought to be always burning in the heart of a Christian. (Challoner) β It must be fed by assiduous meditation on the Scripture and holy things. (Du Hamel)
βAnd this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.β
Sacrifice of flour, moneΓ©, chap. ii. 1. β And libations. These words are added, to shew that oil and wine accompanied this sacrifice.
βAnd the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it.β
He. Only the priests, who were actually officiating, could partake of it. (Calmet)
βAll the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy.β
Lord. As long as this law shall be in force. (Menochius) β Sanctified. Theodoret (q. 5,) seems to assert, that all such were obliged to serve the altar in some function or other. If any unclean person touched the victims wilfully, he was slain; if, by mistake, the blood sprinkled a garment, it was to be washed, ver. 27.
βThis is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.β
Evening. And this shall continue as long as they are high priests, from the day of their consecration, (Josephus, [Antiquities?] iii. 20.; Cajetan,) a perpetual sacrifice. (Calmet)
βAnd the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt.β
Rightfully. According to the law, which decides that, if the first-born be deformed, the next shall succeed, chap. xxi. 18. Hebrew, βthe priest, of his sons, who is anointed in his stead, shall offer it.β No mention is made of its being hot, either here or in the Septuagint. (Haydock)
βFor every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.β
Sacrifice of flour, not of animals, Exodus xxix. 28.
βSpeak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy.β
Sin of individuals. The victims offered by the priest, or by the whole people, were to be burnt, chap. iv. 7.
βThe priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.β
Tabernacle. No part shall be given to those who are not of the sacerdotal race. (Calmet)
βWhatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place.β
Place, in the court, that so it may be worn again. (Menochius)
βBut the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.β
Sodden, or boiled. Such vessels, of private people, as had been used to boil part of the victim, (1 Kings ii. 13,) were either to be abandoned to the service of the altar, or broken, &c. (Calmet) β Earthen vessels might imbibe some part of the consecrated juice. (Menochius)
βAnd no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.β
Fire. As they are the victims for the sins of the priest and of the people, chap. iv. 6, 18. (Menochius)