Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Leviticus 4:22 - 4:22

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Leviticus 4:22 - 4:22


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The sin of a ruler. - Lev 4:22. אֲשֶׁר: ὅτε, when. נָשִׂיא is the head of a tribe, or of a division of a tribe (Num 3:24, Num 3:30, Num 3:35).

Lev 4:23-26

“If (אֹו, see Ges. §155, 2) his sin is made known to him,” i.e., if any one called his attention to the fact that he had transgressed a commandment of God, he was to bring a he-goat without blemish, and, having laid his hand upon it, to slay it at the place of burnt-offering; after which the priest was to put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar, and then to burn the whole of the fat upon the altar, as in the case of the peaceoffering (see Lev 3:3-4), and thus to make atonement for the prince on account of his sin. עִזִים שְׂעִיר, or שְׂעִיר alone (lit., hairy, shaggy, Gen 27:11), is the buck-goat, which is frequently mentioned as the animal sacrificed as a sin-offering: e.g., that of the tribe-princes (Num 7:16., Lev 15:24), and that of the nation at the yearly festivals (Lev 16:9, Lev 16:15; Lev 23:19; Num 28:15, Num 28:22, Num 28:30; Num 29:5, Num 29:16.) and at the consecration of the tabernacle (Lev 9:3, Lev 9:15; Lev 10:16). It is distinguished in Num 7:16. from the attudim, which were offered as peace-offerings, and frequently occur in connection with oxen, rams, and lambs as burnt-offerings and thank-offerings (Psa 50:9, Psa 50:13; Psa 66:15; Isa 1:11; Isa 34:6; Eze 39:18). According to Knobel, עִזִים שְׂעִיר, or שְׂעִיר, was an old he-goat, the hair of which grew longer with age, particularly about the neck and back, and עִזִים שְׂעִירַת (Lev 4:28; Lev 5:16) an old she-goat; whilst עַתּוּד was the younger he-goat, which leaped upon the does (Gen 31:10, Gen 31:12), and served for slaughtering like lambs, sheep, and goats (Deu 32:14; Jer 51:40). But as the עִזִים שְׂעִיר was also slaughtered for food (Gen 37:31), and the skins of quite young he-goats are called שְׂעִירֹת (Gen 27:23), the difference between שְׂעִיר and עַתּוּד is hardly to be sought in the age, but more probably, as Bochart supposes, in some variety of species, in which case seir and seirak might denote the rough-haired, shaggy kind of goat, and attud the buck-goat of stately appearance.