Leviticus 6

The chapter functions as a manual for the priesthood, moving from the individual's responsibility for social sin to the corporate responsibility of the priests to maintain the holiness of the cultic site.

• The priest shall make an atonement, and the offender shall be forgiven (v. 7).

• Restore that which was taken (v. 4-5).
• Add the fifth part to the restitution (v. 5).
• Keep the fire on the altar burning (v. 12-13).
• Wash the garment if sin offering blood sprinkles on it (v. 27).

• Any person touching the flesh of the sin offering must treat it as holy, as defilement has strict requirements for cleansing (v. 27-28).

• The setting is the wilderness tabernacle during the formation of the Levitical sacrificial system.
• Restitution laws in the Pentateuch were unique in the Ancient Near East for treating the property of one's neighbor with sacred importance.

• The 'trespass' (מַעַל - H4603) implies an act of treachery or covering up, highlighting the moral weight of dishonest gain in a community setting.
• The disposal of vessels (breaking vs. washing) was determined by the porosity of the material, a practical application of maintaining ritual purity.

• This chapter concludes the instruction on offerings begun in Leviticus 1:1, transitioning from instructions for the offerer to the regulations for the priests.

• This passage expands on the requirements hinted at in Lev 5:14-19 regarding the trespass offering.
• Matthew Henry observes that though these injuries are against a neighbor, they are called a trespass against the Lord; he notes that while human laws vary on punishment, all such wrongs are violations of the Divine law, necessitating the 'one Offering which taketh away the sin of the world.'

• The command to bring a 'ram without blemish' (אַיִל, תָּמִים) (v. 6) connects to the broader requirement for unblemished sacrifices throughout Leviticus (cf. Lev 1:3, 10).

• The term 'sin' (חָטָא - H2398) literally means 'to miss,' but in the context of v. 2, it indicates a moral deviation.
• The word 'trespass' (מַעַל - H4603) carries the connotation of acting covertly or treacherously, reflecting the secrecy often involved in sins against a neighbor.
• The term 'priest' (כֹּהֵן - H3548) is the standard term for the officiating minister, but its usage here emphasizes their specific role in maintaining the sanctity of the cultic objects.
• The word 'restore' (שׁוּב - H7725) is used here in a forensic sense: to turn back the situation to the victim.

• The 'trespass offering' (אָשָׁם) involves two parts: a ritual sacrifice and a civil payment. Ritual forgiveness does not exempt the sinner from making things right with the person they wronged.
• The distinction between the 'holy' and 'most holy' sacrifices determines how the meat is handled and who is permitted to eat it.

• Scholars debate the exact theological distinction between why some sin offerings are eaten by the priest (v. 26) and others are strictly burned (v. 30), generally centering on whether the blood entered the Tabernacle holy place.
• The exact timeline or frequency of the 'perpetual' grain offering (v. 20) is debated regarding whether it was a daily requirement for every high priest or a one-time ceremony for the inauguration of the priesthood.