Bible Strands
Leviticus 19:21
The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text addresses a man who has committed a specific sexual transgression with a pledged slave girl, directing him to present a sacrifice at the Tent of Meeting to resolve the matter. The surrounding context establishes that while he escapes capital punishment, he remains liable for a formal resolution.
The words — אֲשָׁמֹו ('a.sha.M/o) translates literally as "his guilt offering," marking the precise sacrificial category required. פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד (Pe.tach 'O.hel mo.'Ed) denotes the exact physical location where the offering must be delivered.
The thread — This directive aligns with Leviticus 6:6, which specifies an unblemished ram for the same guilt offering, and immediately precedes Leviticus 19:22, which records the priest using that ram to make atonement and grant forgiveness.
Why it lands — The verse states that covenant violations require a tangible, costly submission to divine authority before resolution can occur. It demands the reader acknowledge that moral failure necessitates concrete restitution rather than mere verbal apology.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 6:6 Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock.
- Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Leviticus 5:15 “If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.