Leviticus 15 15

Leviticus 15:15 kjv

And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.

Leviticus 15:15 nkjv

Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD because of his discharge.

Leviticus 15:15 niv

The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the LORD for the man because of his discharge.

Leviticus 15:15 esv

And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge.

Leviticus 15:15 nlt

The priest will offer one bird for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the man before the LORD for his discharge.

Leviticus 15 verses

Leviticus 15 15 Meaning

The priest is required to perform specific sacrificial rites – presenting one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering – for a man who has completed his seven-day purification period after recovering from an abnormal bodily discharge. These sacrifices enable the priest to make atonement for the individual, thereby purifying him and restoring his fellowship before the Lord from the ritual defilement caused by his discharge.

Leviticus 15 15 Context

Leviticus chapter 15 meticulously details the laws concerning various bodily discharges that rendered individuals ritually unclean in ancient Israel. These regulations specifically covered abnormal flows from males (Lev 15:1-15), seminal emissions (Lev 15:16-18), menstruation in females (Lev 15:19-24), and prolonged or abnormal discharges from females (Lev 15:25-30). A person experiencing such a discharge, and anything they touched or lay upon, became ceremonially defiled. This uncleanness necessitated temporary separation from the community and, crucially, from the holy tabernacle, thereby prohibiting participation in public worship and sacred acts. Verse 15 marks the culmination of the prescribed purification process for a male who has recovered from a chronic abnormal discharge, known as "zov." It outlines the specific sin offering and burnt offering required to fully restore him to a state of ritual purity, allowing him once again to enter the presence of God within the covenant community. This system rigorously underscored God's absolute holiness and the critical importance of ritual purity for His people to maintain fellowship with Him. The detailed rituals aimed to teach a profound awareness of defilement and the divine provisions for its resolution.

Leviticus 15 15 Word analysis

• And the priest (וְעָשָׂה אֹתָם הַכֹּהֵן - ve'asah otam hakkohen):

  • וְעָשָׂה (ve'asah): The verb "to do" or "to make," here signifying "he shall offer" or "he shall perform." This emphasizes the priest's active and essential role as the divinely appointed mediator of the purification process, acting on behalf of the afflicted individual.
  • הַכֹּהֵן (hakkohen): "The priest." The definite article indicates that this duty falls specifically to the Levitical priest, who alone possesses the authority and divine sanction to conduct these sacred rites. This highlights the ordered nature of Israel's worship and God's exclusive means for handling defilement.

• shall offer them: Refers back to the two turtledoves or two young pigeons that the purified man was required to bring as his purification offering in verse 14.

• the one for a sin offering (אֶחָד חַטָּאת - echad chatta't):

  • חַטָּאת (chatta't): "Sin offering." This specific offering primarily addressed ritual impurity and unintentional transgression rather than direct moral offenses. Its purpose was to cleanse the individual and, by extension, the Tabernacle from the defilement that their presence or actions in an unclean state would have caused, symbolically "de-sinning" or purifying the defiled.

• and the other for a burnt offering (וְהָאֶחָד עֹלָה - v'ha'echad olah):

  • עֹלָה (olah): "Burnt offering," meaning "that which ascends." The entire animal was consumed on the altar, ascending as smoke. This offering symbolized complete dedication, devotion, and acceptance by God. While the sin offering dealt with impurity, the burnt offering demonstrated the cleansed individual's renewed and unreserved commitment to God, signifying a restoration of full communion.

• and the priest shall make an atonement (וְכִפֶּר עָלָיו הַכֹּהֵן - ve'khipper alav hakkohen):

  • וְכִפֶּר (ve'khipper): "And he shall make atonement." The root kaphar (כָּפַר) means "to cover, purge, purify, make reconciliation." This is the central action, signifying that the priest, through the sacrificial act, mediates a "covering" for the individual's defilement, removing the impurity from God's sight and enabling reconciliation. This concept prefigures Christ's perfect atonement.

• for him (עָלָיו - alav): "Over him" or "for him." The atonement is directly applied to the person who underwent the purification, emphasizing individual reconciliation and restoration.

• before the LORD (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה - lifney YHVH):

  • לִפְנֵי (lifney): "Before the face of" or "in the presence of." This highlights that the atonement is enacted and accepted under God's direct observation and by His authority.
  • יְהוָה (YHVH): The Tetragrammaton, God's personal covenant name. The use of this sacred name emphasizes that the reconciliation is a covenantal act, sanctioned by the sovereign God who demands holiness for interaction.

• for his discharge (מִזֹּבּוֹ - mizzovo):

  • מִזֹּבּוֹ (mizzovo): "From his discharge" or "concerning his discharge." The prefix 'mi-' denotes the source or cause. The "discharge" (זֹב - zov) refers to the abnormal bodily flow mentioned throughout Leviticus 15:1-15, which created the state of ritual uncleanness. The atonement specifically purifies from this defilement and its effects, restoring the individual's ritual standing.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering": This phrase concisely details the dual nature of the sacrificial act, illustrating a holistic approach to cleansing and reconciliation. The sin offering dealt with the defilement that estranged one from God, while the burnt offering represented a renewed state of consecration and fellowship.
  • "and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge": This climactic clause elucidates the purpose and effectiveness of the preceding actions. It underscores the divine requirement for cleansing, the priestly mediation as the means, and the direct outcome of restored access to God's presence, all specifically tied to the purification from the discharge.

Leviticus 15 15 Bonus section

• The system of purity laws, as seen in Leviticus 15:15, served as a "tutor" or instructor, perpetually teaching Israel the stark reality of defilement, the infinite holiness of God, and the absolute necessity of a divine provision for cleansing and reconciliation (Gal 3:24-25).
• The prescribed birds (turtledoves or pigeons) for the purification ritual, as detailed in Lev 15:14, reflect God's compassion and desire for all, regardless of economic status, to be able to fulfill the requirements for purification and be fully restored within the covenant community.
• The transient nature and repetitiveness of these animal sacrifices highlight their inherent limitation. Unlike these "weak and useless" (Heb 7:18) offerings, Christ's sacrifice brings eternal redemption, signifying a perfect and completed work that does not need repetition (Heb 9:26, 10:14).

Leviticus 15 15 Commentary

Leviticus 15:15 articulates a vital concluding step in the purification of an individual recovering from a severe bodily discharge, an issue that rendered them ritually unclean. While such a discharge was not a moral sin, it profoundly separated a person from the holy presence of God manifest in the Tabernacle and from the covenant community. The sin offering addressed this state of impurity, ceremonially purging the individual's defilement and, by extension, ritually cleansing any potential contamination of the sacred space. The subsequent burnt offering signified a renewed dedication and full acceptance by God, allowing the formerly defiled person to re-enter a state of unhindered fellowship. This dual offering showcased God's comprehensive method for restoration: removing the barrier of impurity while simultaneously establishing a basis for restored communion. The priest’s essential mediatory role underscores that purity and access to God are not self-achieved but divinely ordained through prescribed means. These meticulous rituals provided a tangible, if temporary, system for managing defilement within the Old Covenant, continually pointing forward to the ultimate, once-for-all atonement achieved through the perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ. His single, effective sacrifice completely cleanses from all sin and defilement—moral and ritual—providing eternal access and unblemished fellowship with God (Heb 9:11-14; 1 Jn 1:7).