and two turtledoves or two young doves, which are within his means. The one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
Parallel translations
- WEB and two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
- KJV And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
- BSB and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
- NKJV and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford: one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
- NLT The offering must also include two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever the person can afford. One of the pair must be used for the sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The poor man also brings two turtledoves or pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. It matters because God allowed humble, affordable substitutes so the poor could still receive full atonement.
Overview
Birds replace the more costly lambs for the sin and burnt offerings, accommodating the worshiper's poverty without diminishing the atonement. The same spiritual realities are secured through lesser means. This concession recalls the offering Mary and Joseph brought for Jesus (Luke 2:24), and it shows that God's grace meets people in their poverty.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ezek 7:16But those of those who escape will escape, and will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, everyone in his iniquity.
- Isa 59:11We all roar like bears, and moan bitterly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
- Jer 48:28You inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of the abyss.
- Ps 68:13while you sleep among the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining gold.
- Isa 38:14I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.”
- Song 2:14My dove in the clefts of the rock, In the hiding places of the mountainside, Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
- Lev 5:7“‘If he can’t afford a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to Yahweh; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 14:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.