Leviticus 4:13

Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The LORD speaks to Moses, detailing a contingency procedure immediately after the instructions for burning the bull outside the camp. This addresses a scenario where the entire community commits an unintentional violation.

The words — וְנֶעְלָם דָּבָר (ve.ne'lam da.var) means "and the matter will be hidden," specifying that the transgression remains concealed from the gathering's awareness. יִשְׁגּוּ (yish.gu) translates to "they will go astray," describing the collective departure from the command without deliberate intent.

The thread — The principle that unaware violations incur guilt runs through Leviticus 5:17 and Leviticus 5:2, where hidden breaches of purity or commandments still require formal atonement.

Why it lands — The text requires the community to acknowledge that concealed sin still demands a corporate response once discovered. It establishes that ignorance delays the remedy but does not erase the liability.

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

וְאִ֨םve./'Imand/ if כָּל־kol-all עֲדַ֤ת'a.Dat[the] congregation of יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsrael יִשְׁגּ֔וּyish.Guthey will go astray וְנֶעְלַ֣םve./ne'.Lamand/ it will be hidden דָּבָ֔רda.Var[the] matter מֵעֵינֵ֖יme./'ei.Neifrom/ [the] eyes of הַקָּהָ֑לha./ka.Halthe/ assembly וְ֠עָשׂוּVe./'a.suand/ they will do אַחַ֨ת'a.Chatone מִכָּל־mi./kolof/ all מִצְוֹ֧תmitz.Vot[the] commandments of יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahweh אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich לֹא־lo'-not תֵעָשֶׂ֖ינָהte.'a.Sei.nahthey will be done וְאָשֵֽׁמוּ׃ve./'a.She.muand/ they will be guilty

King James Version

And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

Cross-references

Leviticus 5:17 If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Leviticus 5:2 Or if a person touches anything unclean—whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature—even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.
Leviticus 4:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 6:4 once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
Numbers 15:24 and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
Joshua 7:24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.
Ezra 10:19 They pledged to send their wives away, and for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
Hosea 5:15 Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.