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7.For himself and for the errors of the people, or for his own and the ignorances of the people. As the verb |shagag|, means in Hebrew to err, to mistake, so |shgagah|, derived from it, properly denotes error, or mistake; but yet it is generally taken for any kind of sin; and doubtless we never sin except when deceived by the allurements of Satan. The Apostle does not understand by it mere ignorance, as they say, but, on the contrary, he includes also voluntary sins; but as I have already said, no sin is free from error or ignorance; for however knowingly and willfully any one may sin, yet it must be that he is blinded by his lust, so that he does not judge rightly, or rather he forgets himself and God; for men never deliberately rush headlong into ruin, but being entangled in the deceptions of Satan, they lose the power of judging rightly. (144)
(144) It is said that the high priest entered the holiest place “ every year,” that is, on one day, the day of expiation, every year; but on that day he went in at least three times. See Lev_16:12; and probably four times, according to the Jewish tradition; and one of the times, as supposed by Stuart, was for the purpose of bringing out the golden censer.
The word rendered “” literally means “” and so some render it “ of ignorance;” but it is used in the Apocrypha as designating sins in general; and Grotius refers to Tob_3:3. And that it means sins of all kinds is evident from the account given in Lev_16:1 of the atonement made on the annual man, says Estius, “ ignorant; and all sins proceed from error in judgement.” Hence it seems, sins were called ignorances. — Ed.