Leviticus 5 · Verse 17

Leviticus 5:17

And 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.
Leviticus 5:17, King James Version

Leviticus 5:17 in other translations

BSBIf someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
WEB“If anyone sins, doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he didn’t know it, he is still guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
ASVAnd 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.
YLT‘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,
DARBYAnd 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.
BBEAnd if anyone does wrong, and does any of the things which the Lord has given orders are not to be done, though he has no knowledge of it, still he is in the wrong and he is responsible.
WebsterAnd if a soul shall sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.

What does Leviticus 5:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 5:17-19
17-19. if a soul sin ... though he wist it not, yet is he guilty--This also refers to holy things, and it differs from the preceding in being one of the doubtful cases,--that is, where conscience suspects, though the understanding be in doubt whether criminality or sin has been committed. The Jewish rabbis give, as an example, the case of a person who, knowing that "the fat of the inwards" is not to be eaten, religiously abstained from the use of it; but should a dish happen to have been at table in which he had reason to suspect some portion of that meat was intermingled, and he had, inadvertently, partaken of that unlawful viand, he was bound to bring a ram as a trespass offering [Le 5:16]. These provisions were all designed to impress the conscience with the sense of responsibility to God and keep alive on the hearts of the people a salutary fear of doing any secret wrong.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Leviticus 5:14-19

Here are offerings to atone for trespasses against a neighbour. If a man put to his own use unwittingly, any thing dedicated to God, he was to bring this sacrifice. We are to be jealous over ourselves, to ask pardon for the sin, and make satisfaction for the wrong, which we do but suspect ourselves guilty of. The law of God is so very broad, the occasions of sin in this guilty of. The law of God is so very broad…

Read the full comment on Leviticus 5:14-19 →

Leviticus 5:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאִם\־ve.'im-and ifH518
נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ne.feshanyoneH5315
כִּ֣יkithatH3588
תֶֽחֱטָ֔אte.che.Ta'it will sinH2398
וְעָֽשְׂתָ֗הve.'a.se.Tahand it will doH6213
אַחַת֙'a.ChatoneH259
מִכָּל\־mi.kolof allH3605
מִצְוֹ֣תmitz.Vot[the] commandments ofH4687
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.SherwhichH834
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תֵעָשֶׂ֑ינָהte.'a.Sei.nahthey will be doneH6213
וְלֹֽא\־ve.lo'-and notH3808
יָדַ֥עya.Da'he knewH3045
וְאָשֵׁ֖םve.'a.Shemand he will be guiltyH816
וְנָשָׂ֥אve.na.Sa'and he will bearH5375
עֲוֹנֽוֹ\׃a.vo.Noiniquity hisH5771

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 5:17

  • Leviticus 4:27

    And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;

  • Leviticus 4:13

    And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;

  • Leviticus 4:2-4

    Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering. And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the Lord.

  • Psalms 19:12

    Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

  • Leviticus 4:22

    When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;

  • Leviticus 5:15

    If 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:

  • Leviticus 5:1-2

    And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

  • Luke 12:48

    But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a soul sin.This case is supposed to differ from the preceding, merely in that the person concerned was not certain whether he had or had not committed the trespass. It is therefore called by the Hebrews a doubtful trespass offering.
1; 4:2-4,13,22,27
though.
15; Ps 19:12; Lu 12:48; Ro 14:23
yet is he.
1,2; 4:2,13,27

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 5:16

    And 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.

  • Leviticus 5:17

    And 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.

  • Leviticus 5:18

    And 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.

Read all of Leviticus 5

Leviticus 5:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Finalmente, si una persona pecare, ó hiciere alguna de todas aquellas cosas que por mandamiento de Jehová no se han de hacer, aun sin hacerlo á sabiendas, es culpable, y llevará su pecado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et si quelqu’un a péché, et a fait, à l’égard de l’un de tous les commandements de l’ Éternel, ce qui ne doit pas se faire, et ne l’a pas su, il sera coupable, et portera son iniquité.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und wenn jemand sündigt und eines von allen den Verboten Jehovas tut, die nicht getan werden sollen, -hat er es auch nicht gewußt, so ist er schuldig und soll seine Ungerechtigkeit tragen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Anima si peccaverit per ignorantiam, feceritque unum ex his quæ Domini lege prohibentur, et peccati rea intellexerit iniquitatem suam,