or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ”
Parallel translations
- WEB and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt, when they eat their holy things; for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.’”
- KJV Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.
- BSB by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
- NASB and thereby bring upon them punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ”
- NLT by allowing unauthorized people to eat them. This would bring guilt upon them and require them to pay compensation. I am the Lord who makes them holy.”
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
Mishandling the holy things would make the people bear guilt; Yahweh is the one who sanctifies them.
Overview
Priestly negligence could load guilt onto worshipers who ate what was wrongly handled, so faithful oversight protected the whole community. Again God declares Himself the one who makes them holy, the source and standard of their set-apart status. The verse closes this section by anchoring holiness not in human effort but in the sanctifying God who in Christ now makes His people holy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Lev 22:9“‘They shall therefore follow my requirements, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it. I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.
- 1 Pet 2:24who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
- Ps 38:4For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
- Lev 20:8You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
- Lev 7:18If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, and it shall not be credited to him who offers it. It will be an abomination, and the soul who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.
- Isa 53:11–12After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities.
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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 22:16 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.