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Leviticus 4:20

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Leviticus 4:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.
Leviticus 4:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Leviticus 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
17and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil.
18And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before Jehovah, that is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.
19And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, and burn it upon the altar.
20Thus shall he do with the bullock; as he did with the bullock of the sin-offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.
21And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock: it is the sin-offering for the assembly.
22When a ruler sinneth, and doeth unwittingly any one of all the things which Jehovah his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty;
23if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a male without blemish.
← Leviticus 4:19Leviticus 4:21 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“For a sin - offering - That is, for the priest's sin - offering, called the first bullock, Lev 4:21. Leviticus 4:24”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:20 A similar form of the phrase they will be forgiven appears frequently in passages dealing with atonement (4:26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7; 19:22; Num 15:25, 26, 28). God is willing to forgive a repentant person’s sin and restore him or her to the community of faith.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“with the: Lev 4:3 an atonement: Lev 4:26, Lev 1:4, Lev 5:6, Lev 6:7, Lev 12:8, Lev 14:18; Exo 32:30; Num 15:25; Dan 9:24; Rom 5:11; Gal 3:13; Heb 1:3, Heb 2:17, Heb 9:14, Heb 10:10-12; Jo1 1:7, Jo1 2:2; Rev 1:5 Leviticus 4:21”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“"And let the priest make an atonement for them, that it may be forgiven them," or, "so will they be forgiven." This formula recurs with all the sin-offerings (with the exception of the one for the high priest), viz., Lev 4:26, Lev 4:31, Lev 4:35, Lev 5:10, Lev 5:13; Num 15:25-26, Num 15:28; also with the trespass-offerings, Lev 5:16, Lev 5:18; Lev 19:22, \- the only difference being, that in the sin-offerings presented for defilements cleansing is mentioned, instead of forgiveness, as the effect of the atoning sacrifice ( Lev 12:7-8; Lev 13:20, Lev 13:53; Num 8:21). Leviticus 4:22”
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Related study paths

Read Leviticus 4 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification