When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘When a ruler sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty;
- KJV 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;
- NKJV ‘When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty,
- NASB ‘When a leader sins and unintentionally does any of the things which the Lord his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty,
- NLT “If one of Israel’s leaders sins by violating one of the commands of the Lord his God but doesn’t realize it, he is still guilty.
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
When a leader sins unintentionally against God's commands, he too is guilty. No rank exempts a person from accountability before God.
Overview
The law now turns to the case of a ruler or tribal leader. Even sins committed in ignorance incur real guilt, and a position of authority brings no immunity. Scripture consistently holds leaders responsible before God, anticipating the perfect Ruler, Christ, who alone never sinned and who bears the guilt of others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lev 4:2“Tell the Israelites to do as follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:
- Lev 4:13Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden,
- Num 31:13And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
- 2 Sam 24:10–17After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
- 2 Sam 21:1–3During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
- Num 16:2a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.
- Lev 4:27And if one of the common people sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the LORD’s commandments, he incurs guilt.
- Exod 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:22 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.