Sin Offering

Overview

• Testament: Old
• Book: Leviticus
• Chapters: Leviticus 4; 6:24-30
• Summary: The purification offering for unintentional sin; its blood was applied to the altar horns and (for the high priest and congregation) to the Most Holy Place.

Details

The sin offering (Hebrew: chatat, “purification offering”) addressed unintentional violations of God’s commands — things done in ignorance that still required atonement. The offering varied by the status of the offender: a young bull for the anointed priest or the whole congregation; a male goat for a ruler; a female goat or lamb for a common person; doves or grain for the very poor. This scaling ensured that atonement was accessible to all.

The most significant distinction in the sin offering was the destination of the blood. For the high priest and for the congregation, the blood was sprinkled seven times before the veil into the Most Holy Place and applied to the horns of the incense altar — a more intimate approach to God’s presence. For leaders and individuals, the blood was applied only to the horns of the outer altar.

The flesh of the sin offering was normally eaten by the priests within the tabernacle court — “most holy” food. But when the blood had been brought into the Most Holy Place (high priest/congregation cases), the animal was burned outside the camp entirely. This is the pattern Hebrews 13:11-13 applies to Jesus: “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”

Cross-References

• Blood and Atonement — The theological foundation
• Day of Atonement Established — The annual sin offering for all Israel
• Guilt Offering — The related restitution offering
• Related books: Leviticus, Hebrews 9-10, 13

Notes

• Hebrews uses the sin offering extensively to explain Christ’s sacrifice: he is both the priest who brings the blood into the true Holy Place and the victim burned outside the camp.