Leviticus 6:1-7 · Bible study

Leviticus 6:1-7 Commentary: Restitution & Atonement for Deliberate Sins

Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say

Meaning in one sentence

This passage shifts from unintentional sins to deliberate offenses against God and neighbor, requiring both restitution and sacrifice. Explore its meaning.

Research Summary

Meaning: God requires both restitution (principal + fifth) and a trespass offering for deliberate sins against a neighbor, because such sins also offend Him.
Key words: Deposit (thing entrusted); fifth part (20% penalty added to principal); trespass offering (ram without blemish brought to the priest).
Main debate: Whether these sins are fully voluntary (Calvin) or could include some element of inadvertence (others), but all agree they involve conscious deceit that is later confessed.
Theological theme: Atonement requires both making amends with people and seeking reconciliation with God.
Best use: A sermon on repentance, confession, and the cost of forgiveness; a small-group study on reconciling relationships.

Translation Comparison

BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020

¹And the LORD said to Moses,

²“If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor

³or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit—

⁴once 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,

⁵or anything else about which he has sworn falsely. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value, and pay it to the owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.

⁶Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock.

⁷In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”

WEB World English Bible 2000

¹Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

²“If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against Yahweh, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor,

³or has found that which was lost, and lied about it, and swearing to a lie—in any of these things that a man sins in his actions—

⁴then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,

⁵or any thing about which he has sworn falsely: he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty.

⁶He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest.

⁷The priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”

KJV King James Version 1769

¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

²If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

³Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

⁴Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

⁵Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

⁶And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:

⁷And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

ASV American Standard Version 1901

¹And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

²If any one sin, and commit a trespass against Jehovah, and deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor,

³or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these things that a man doeth, sinning therein;

⁴then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,

⁵or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto: unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being found guilty.

⁶And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest:

⁷and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah; and he shall be forgiven concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby.

YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

²`When any person doth sin, and hath committed a trespass against Jehovah, and hath lied to his fellow concerning a deposit, or concerning fellowship, or concerning violent robbery, or hath oppressed his fellow;

³or hath found a lost thing, and hath lied concerning it, and hath sworn to a falsehood, concerning one of all these which man doth, sinning in them:

⁴`Then it hath been, when he sinneth, and hath been guilty, that he hath returned the plunder which he hath taken violently away, or the thing which he hath got by oppression, or the deposit which hath been deposited with him, or the lost thing which he hath found;

⁵or all that concerning which he sweareth falsely, he hath even repaid it in its principal, and its fifth he is adding to it; to him whose it is he giveth it in the day of his guilt-offering.

⁶`And his guilt-offering he bringeth in to Jehovah, a ram, a perfect one, out of the flock, at thy estimation, for a guilt-offering, unto the priest,

⁷and the priest hath made atonement for him before Jehovah, and it hath been forgiven him, concerning one thing of all that he doth, by being guilty therein.'

Darby Darby Bible 1890

¹And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

²If any one sin and act unfaithfully against Jehovah, and lie to his neighbour as to an entrusted thing or a deposit or [that in which] he hath robbed or wronged his neighbour,

³or have found what was lost, and denieth it, and sweareth falsely in anything of all that man doeth, sinning therein;

⁴then it shall be, if he hath sinned and transgressed, that he shall restore what he robbed or that in which he hath defrauded, or the deposit, or the lost thing which he found,

⁵or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; and he shall restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto; to [him to] whom it belongeth shall he give it, on the day of his trespass-offering.

⁶And his trespass-offering shall he bring to Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the small cattle according to thy valuation, as a trespass-offering, unto the priest.

⁷And the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah, and it shall be forgiven him concerning anything of all that he hath done so as to trespass therein.

Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

²Whosoever shall sin, and despising the Lord, shall deny to his neighbour the thing delivered to his keeping, which was committed to his trust; or shall by force extort any thing, or commit oppression;

³Or shall find a thing lost, and denying it, shall also swear falsely, or shall do any other of the many things, wherein men are wont to sin:

⁴Being convicted of the offence, he shall restore

⁵All that he would have gotten by fraud, in the principal, and the fifth part besides, to the owner, whom he wronged.

⁶Moreover for his sin he shall offer a ram without blemish out of the flock: and shall give it to the priest, according to the estimation and measure of the offence.

⁷And he shall pray for him before the Lord: and he shall have forgiveness for every thing in doing of which he bath sinned.

Verse in Context

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against Yahweh, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor,

3 or has found that which was lost, and lied about it, and swearing to a lie—in any of these things that a man sins in his actions—

4 then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found,

5 or any thing about which he has sworn falsely: he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty.

6 He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest.

7 The priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”

8 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

Scholars' Consensus

Commentators agree this passage addresses sins committed against a neighbor that also constitute a trespass against God. Matthew Henry notes that though the injury is to a neighbor, it is called a trespass against the Lord because God is the author and defender of human society. The offenses include fraud, theft, extortion, lying about lost property, and false oaths. What sets this apart from earlier laws is the element of deliberate deceit, often reinforced by a false oath. The requirement to restore the principal plus a fifth and bring a ram for a trespass offering shows that both the horizontal wrong (to the neighbor) and the vertical wrong (to God) must be addressed. Calvin emphasizes that this deals with voluntary sins, not mere errors, yet God still provides a way of atonement through confession and sacrifice. Cambridge Bible adds that the cases treated here are those disclosed by the evildoer voluntarily because he has repented of his sin. All sources affirm that the combination of restitution and sacrifice is essential to forgiveness in this context.

How settled is the interpretation?

Interpretive difficulty: Medium

Main views:

Deliberate sin requiring voluntary confession: This view, held by Calvin and the Cambridge Bible, sees the passage as dealing with sins done wittingly, with the lighter penalty (principal + fifth) applied because the offender confesses voluntarily. It builds on the contrast with Exodus 22's double restitution for those convicted by judges.
Extended guilt from an original inadvertent act: Some readers note that the opening of Leviticus 5 discusses sins of ignorance, and the structure may suggest that these cases still involve some element of unwitting error, with the false oath adding a new layer of guilt. This view emphasizes the phrase 'in any of these things that a man sins' as covering a range of possible mental states.

What is clear: All readings agree that God requires both restitution to the neighbor and a sacrificial offering for atonement; forgiveness is granted when the sinner confesses, makes amends, and brings the prescribed sacrifice.

What Scholars Agree and Debate

Topic	Agreed	Debated
Whether these sins are voluntary or unintentional	All commentators agree that the sins listed involve deliberate deceit (theft, perjury, fraud) rather than mere errors.	Calvin explicitly calls them voluntary sins requiring a remedy, while the Cambridge Bible notes they are 'not done unwittingly.' Some suggest the text may include sins that began as inadvertent but were compounded by a false oath.
The penalty amount: principal plus fifth vs. double restitution in Exodus	Both passages require the offender to repay what was taken.	Exodus 22:9 demands double restitution when the thief is convicted before judges. Most commentators (Lange, Wesley) hold that Leviticus prescribes a lighter penalty (principal + fifth) because the offender voluntarily confesses and brings a sacrifice. A minority see no difference in principle, viewing the fifth as equivalent to the double in some cases.
The role of the trespass offering in forgiveness	The offering is necessary for atonement; the priest must make atonement for the offender before God.	Reformed traditions (Calvin, Gill) stress that the victim itself does not atone but points to Christ. Catholic and Orthodox readers see the offering as part of the sacramental life of Israel, with the priest mediating divine forgiveness through the prescribed ritual. All agree the sacrifice does not work automatically, it requires the sinner's repentance and restitution.
Application to deliberate sins in the New Covenant	The passage shows that God forgives even serious, deliberate sins when the sinner repents.	Some Christians (especially in the Protestant tradition) use this to teach that all sins except final unbelief can be forgiven through Christ. Others caution that Hebrews 10:26, 27 may limit forgiveness for those who willfully persist in sin after receiving knowledge of the truth. This passage is not used to resolve that debate directly, but it shows that deliberate sins under the old law had a provision for atonement.

Historical & Cultural Context

This passage belongs to a section of Leviticus dealing with the trespass offering (Leviticus 5:14, 6:7). In the Hebrew Bible, Leviticus 6:1, 7 is actually part of chapter 5 (verses 20, 26), as Barnes notes. This placement is fitting because the topic continues the discussion of offerings for sins, but now the focus shifts to deliberate acts against a neighbor that involve deceit, theft, or false oaths.

Ancient Israelite society relied on trust in business and daily life. There were no banks or formal record systems; people deposited valuables with neighbors for safekeeping (Exodus 22:7, 13). The law addressed cases where the trustee denied receiving the deposit, or where someone stole, extorted, or found lost property and kept it. The false oath (v. 3) escalated the offense: the sinner called on God’s name to cover his lie, making the crime a direct affront to God as well as to the community.

Exodus 22:9 prescribes double restitution when a thief is convicted before judges. This passage, by contrast, requires only the principal plus a fifth (20% penalty). The Cambridge Bible and Lange both suggest this lighter penalty applies when the offender confesses voluntarily, without being caught. The guilty person comes forward, makes restitution on the day he brings his trespass offering (v. 5), and then approaches the priest with a ram. The whole process underscores that repentance involves both making things right with the neighbor and seeking atonement from God through the prescribed sacrifice. The phrase “in the day of his being found guilty” (v. 5, WEB) may refer to the day he acknowledges his guilt, linking the timing of restitution to the act of worship.

Textual Notes

The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 6:1, 7. In the Hebrew Bible, these verses are numbered as Leviticus 5:20, 26, and the arrangement in modern printed editions varies slightly. The differences in verse numbering do not affect the meaning of the text. The consulted sources accept the Masoretic Text as the basis for interpretation without raising textual issues.

Reception History

Jewish tradition has read this passage as part of the detailed laws of the guilt offering (asham), emphasizing the combination of restitution and sacrifice. The Mishnah tractate Bava Kamma develops rabbinic rules for restitution based on these principles. Early Christian interpreters, such as the church fathers, saw the trespass offering as a type of Christ’s atonement. Calvin used Leviticus 6:1, 7 to argue that God provides a remedy even for voluntary sins, countering the idea that deliberate offenses are beyond forgiveness. He stressed that the ram without blemish prefigures Christ, the perfect sacrifice who restores all that sin has taken. Throughout church history, this passage has been a key text for teaching that true repentance includes making amends with those we have wronged. Many Christian catechisms cite it to show that restitution is not optional but integral to forgiveness.

Preaching This Verse

Three-point outline

Sin against neighbor is sin against God. The passage lists offenses against people, fraud, theft, extortion, lying, then calls them a trespass against Yahweh (v. 2). When we wrong others, we violate God’s design for human relationships and dishonor Him who commands justice.
Restitution matters; it comes before sacrifice. The sinner must restore the principal plus a fifth, and the text orders restitution “in the day of his trespass offering” (v. 5). Worship and forgiveness are not substitutes for making things right. As Wesley notes, restitution must be made, because keeping what is unjustly got continues the sin.
Atonement is possible even for deliberate sins. Calvin emphasizes that this passage deals with voluntary sin, yet God provides a path to forgiveness. The ram without blemish and the priest’s atonement point forward to Christ, through whom even our worst offenses can be covered.

Five-point outline

The sins listed (vv. 2, 3): Deposit fraud, business deception, robbery, oppression, lying about lost property, false oaths, all involve intentional deceit against a neighbor.
The guilt recognized (v. 4): The sinner acknowledges his guilt, whether through conscience or conviction. This confession brings him to the point of action.
The restitution required (v. 5): He must pay back the full amount plus a fifth. This restores the neighbor and acknowledges the cost of the sin.
The sacrifice presented (v. 6): He brings a ram without blemish as a guilt offering to the priest. This act testifies that the wrong against God requires more than human restitution.
The atonement accomplished (v. 7): The priest makes atonement, and the sinner is forgiven. The text closes with assurance: “he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty.”

Illustration hooks

Imagine finding a wallet with cash and no ID. Keeping it feels like a victimless crime. This passage reminds you that the finder owes the owner restitution plus a fifth, and that ignoring God’s law about honesty is itself a sin.
Think of a friend who admitted cheating on a business deal last year. He wants to move on spiritually but still has the money. The Bible says he must restore it before he can experience full peace with God.

Questions your congregation is asking

If I committed a deliberate sin years ago, can God really forgive me, or is there a line I crossed?
Do I have to go back and apologize or repay people from my past? What if I can’t find them?
My church teaches grace, not works, so why does the Bible still talk about restitution and offerings?

Leading a Discussion

This passage sits at a turning point in Leviticus. Earlier chapters dealt with unintentional sins; now the text addresses sins done deliberately against a neighbor. Yet even these can be forgiven, provided the sinner confesses, makes restitution, and brings the prescribed offering. The discussion below helps your group explore how this applies to our lives as believers today.

Discussion questions

Read Leviticus 6:1, 7. What specific actions are listed? What do they have in common?
The text says these sins are committed “against Yahweh” (v. 2). How does wronging a neighbor also wrong God?
Why does the law require the offender to restore the principal plus a fifth before bringing the sacrifice? What does that sequence teach about repentance?
Compare this passage with Exodus 22:7, 9, where the penalty for theft is double restitution. What does the difference suggest about the role of voluntary confession?
How do you think an Israelite felt when he voluntarily came forward to confess and make restitution? What might have held him back?
The ram without blemish points ahead to Christ’s sacrifice. But in this passage, the sacrifice only covers sins if the offender first makes things right with the neighbor. What does that tell us about the relationship between grace and justice?
Share a time when you needed to apologize or repay someone before you could feel free in your relationship with God. How did that experience shape your understanding of forgiveness?

What the Commentators Say

10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.

Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826

Clarke notes the legal challenge: disputes over entrusted or found property often lacked witnesses, so the law imposed only moderate penalties, acknowledging that guilt might be uncertain. He insists that anyone who finds lost goods and fails to seek the owner should be treated as a thief.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832

Barnes points out that in the Hebrew Bible, these verses belong to the previous chapter, linking restitution directly with the trespass offering. He emphasizes that restoring what was wronged was not separate from worship but part of the same act, showing genuine repentance through both sacrifice and making things right.

Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564

Calvin points out that this passage covers deliberate sin, not just unintentional error, to reassure the repentant that even willful offenses can be forgiven through Christ. He warns against using God's mercy as an excuse to sin, and equally against the harsh denial of pardon for voluntary sins. The priest's atoning role makes clear that forgiveness comes entirely from God, not human effort.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880

The commentary notes that the offences described here are deliberate, not committed unwittingly, and would normally be punished by judges if discovered. The cases in view are those brought to light only by the offender's own voluntary confession, because he has repented. For such hidden sins, the law demands both a guilt offering and full restitution plus a fifth.

Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599

The Geneva Notes stress that restitution to the neighbor comes before the offering to God. A person must return what was stolen or falsely denied, add a fifth of its value, and give it back on the same day he brings his trespass offering. Only then can the priest make atonement and forgiveness be granted.

Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748

Gill stresses that these deliberate sins against a neighbor, such as fraud or perjury, require full restitution with an extra fifth added before any atoning sacrifice is accepted. The trespass offering covers even willful transgressions, but only after the offender confesses and makes the wrong right with the person wronged.

Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876

Keil-Delitzsch identifies three distinct trespass-offering cases: defrauding God of holy gifts, unwittingly violating His commands, and defrauding a neighbour. The last required full restitution plus a fifth of the value, while the second demanded no material compensation. The ram’s value, deliberately left indefinite, was to match the severity of the trespass.

Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857

Lange argues that the trespass offering deals not with direct, original offences but with participation in another's guilt. The sins described as "sins of ignorance" belong specifically to this category, involving a share in wrongdoing rather than committing it firsthand. This distinction sets the trespass offering apart from the sin offering.

Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710

Henry notes that even though every instance in this passage involves wronging a neighbor, the law calls it a trespass against the Lord. The point is that an injury done to another person is an affront to God himself, the Maker and Master of both parties. Sins against others are therefore also sins against God.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754

Wesley highlights that sins against other people are also committed directly against the Lord, in a special sense. They violate human society, which God established, and are often secret, with God as the only witness. Such sin also profanes God’s name through false oaths.

Cross-References

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)

Genesis 26:7	The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “My wife”, lest, he thought, “the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at.”
Exodus 22:7	“If a man delivers to his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
Exodus 22:10	“If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies or is injured, or driven away, no man seeing it;
Leviticus 5:15	“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.
Leviticus 5:19	It is a trespass offering. He is certainly guilty before Yahweh.”
Leviticus 19:11	“‘You shall not steal. “‘You shall not lie. “‘You shall not deceive one another.
Numbers 5:6	“Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that soul is guilty,
Numbers 5:8	But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest’s, in addition to the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.

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