Leviticus 5:14-19 Meaning: Unintentional Sin and Guilt
14Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
15“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding Yahweh’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation in silver by shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering.
16He shall make restitution for that which he has done wrong regarding the holy thing, and shall add a fifth part to it, and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and he will be forgiven.
17“If anyone sins, doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, though he didn’t know it, he is still guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18He shall bring a ram without defect from of the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing in which he sinned and didn’t know it, and he will be forgiven.
19It is a trespass offering. He is certainly guilty before Yahweh.”
14And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
15If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
16And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.
17And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord.
14And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
15If any one commit a trespass, and sin unwittingly, in the holy things of Jehovah; then he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass-offering:
16and he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering, and he shall be forgiven.
17And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven.
19It is a trespass-offering: he is certainly guilty before Jehovah.
14And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
15`When a person committeth a trespass, and hath sinned through ignorance against the holy things of Jehovah, then he hath brought in his guilt-offering to Jehovah, a ram, a perfect one, out of the flock, at thy valuation in silver--shekels by the shekel of the sanctuary--for a guilt-offering.
16`And that which he hath sinned against the holy thing he repayeth, and its fifth is adding to it, and hath given it to the priest, and the priest maketh atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering, and it hath been forgiven him.
17`And when any person sinneth, and hath done something against one of all the commands of Jehovah regarding things which are not to be done, and hath not known, and he hath been guilty, and hath borne his iniquity,
18`Then he hath brought in a ram, a perfect one, out of the flock, at thy valuation, for a guilt-offering, unto the priest; and the priest hath made atonement for him, for his ignorance in which he hath erred and he hath not known, and it hath been forgiven him;
19it is a guilt-offering; he hath been certainly guilty before Jehovah.'
14And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
15If any one act unfaithfully and sin through inadvertence in the holy things of Jehovah, then he shall bring his trespass-offering to Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the small cattle, according to thy valuation by shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass-offering.
16And he shall make restitution for the wrong that he hath done in the holy things, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and shall give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass-offering, and it shall be forgiven him.
17And if any one sin and do against any of all the commandments of Jehovah what should not be done, and hath not known [it], yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
18And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the small cattle, according to thy valuation, as trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his inadvertence wherein he sinned inadvertently, and knew [it] not, and it shall be forgiven him.
19It is a trespass-offering: he hath certainly trespassed against Jehovah.
Meaning in one sentence
Even sins committed without knowledge carry real guilt before God.
Context
These verses come near the end of Leviticus 5, where God gives Moses detailed laws for offerings at the tabernacle. Earlier chapters covered the sin offering for unintentional wrongdoing in general. Now a new category appears: the guilt offering, or trespass offering. The Hebrew word behind 'trespass' (ma'al) carries the sense of acting faithlessly, breaking trust in a relationship. Here it applies especially to mishandling what belongs to God, things like tithes, firstfruits, and other holy gifts, even if done unintentionally. A second case covers doing something forbidden without realising it. In both situations, ignorance does not cancel guilt. The person must bring a ram (a more costly animal than the lamb or goat of the sin offering) and repay the value plus a fifth. The goal is not punishment but restoration: atonement and forgiveness are promised. This is part of the careful system God gave Israel to keep His holiness and human failure from breaking the covenant apart.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this passage.
The verb ma'al (translated 'commit a trespass') means to act unfaithfully or treacherously, it is the word used for a husband betraying his wife, or Israel breaking faith with God. It is not a simple mistake; it is a violation of trust. That is why the offering is more costly.
The noun shgagah ('inadvertence' or 'ignorance') describes an error, a going astray without intending to. The same root appears in the word for the cities of refuge, where someone who killed accidentally could flee. It is not willful rebellion, but it is still real.
And the word asham appears here as both 'guilt' and 'guilt offering.' The same term covers the wrong done and the gift that repairs it. This is striking: the offering itself is called 'guilt.' When you bring it, you are naming your failure and trusting God to cleanse it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers have noticed that this passage uses a distinct term for 'trespass' that does not appear in the rules for the sin offering. Many commentators (including Matthew Henry and John Gill) connect it specifically to offences against God's holy things, tithes withheld, firstfruits neglected, or sacred objects misused. They see it as a breach of the covenant relationship, not just a moral slip.
John Calvin, on the other hand, focuses on the ram being more valuable than the female animal required for a sin offering. He argues this shows a heavier offense, since the wrongdoing touches God directly.
Other interpreters, such as the translators of the Geneva Bible, include both cases: the first about holy things, the second about any of God's commandments violated without knowledge. Across traditions, all agree that the passage teaches that even hidden guilt needs atonement, and that God provides it.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that if you sin without knowing, you are not guilty. Many people assume that ignorance clears a person before God. In fact, this passage states the opposite: 'though he didn’t know it, he is still guilty, and shall bear his iniquity' (v. 17). Ignorance does not erase the wrong. But the same passage also shows God does not leave the guilty without hope, He gives a way to be forgiven through the offering. The seriousness of the guilt and the generosity of the provision stand together.
Living This Out
Here is where this passage meets your ordinary week. You might not have stolen from the temple treasury, but you have probably been casual with what belongs to God, your time, your money, your gifts. You may have promised to serve in some way and then let it slide, not noticing the shortfall until much later. Or you may carry a vague sense of guilt about something you cannot name.
This passage invites you to take that feeling seriously. Do not brush it off. Bring it before God honestly, and if there is a way to make it right, apologising, repaying, restoring, do that too. The extra fifth in the offering suggests that making things right often costs more than the original wrong. That is okay. God received the ram and the silver. He receives your honest effort and your trust in Christ, the final offering for every guilt you know and every one you do not.
Main takeaway: Even the sins we did not know we committed carry real guilt, yet God has provided a way to be fully forgiven and restored.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
When you accidentally break something that belongs to someone else, you still need to say sorry and try to fix it. God loves it when you tell the truth and make things right.
For ages 9, 12
This part of the Bible shows that even if you did something wrong without meaning to, God still sees it and cares. He wants you to admit it and receive His forgiveness. When you ask Jesus to forgive you, He covers every wrong, those you remember and those you forgot.
Questions People Ask
Why does the trespass offering require a ram instead of a female animal?
The ram was worth more than a lamb or goat, showing that sins against God's holy things were considered a more serious breach of trust. The higher cost also reflected the need for extra care in handling what belongs to God.
What are 'the holy things of the Lord' in Leviticus 5:15?
These include tithes, firstfruits, offerings dedicated to God, and anything set apart for His service. If someone withheld or misused them, even unknowingly, they had to bring a guilt offering and repay the value plus a fifth.
What does it mean to 'add a fifth part' when making restitution?
The offender paid back the value of what was taken or misused, plus an extra 20%. This added cost underlined the seriousness of the offence and helped ensure people handled holy things with great care.
If I sin without knowing it, am I still guilty before God?
Yes, the passage says 'though he didn't know it, he is still guilty' (verse 17). Ignorance does not erase the fact that a wrong happened. But God graciously provided a sacrifice so that even unknown sins could be forgiven and the relationship restored.
Does this chapter still apply to Christians today?
Christians see Jesus as the final and complete guilt offering for all our sins. The principle remains: even hidden sins matter, and we cannot excuse ourselves by saying we did not know. But we can come to Christ freely, knowing that His sacrifice covers every failure.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study