Sin Offering [2]

If someone sinned against God’s laws intentionally or unintentionally, he or she had to atone for this with a sin offering.

The rules for this type of offering can be found in Leviticus 5.

When Was this Type of Offering Made?

A sin offering was made:

when someone did not respond to a summons to testify before the judge when he had witnessed a crime;
when someone had sworn a careless oath;
when someone had touched something unclean;
when someone had touched something that was set aside for God.

The Sin Offering

A sheep or a goat was presented as a sin offering. If someone could not afford this, he could sacrifice two doves and if someone was unable to afford even that he could make a grain offering.

The sacrificial animal had to have a certain official value. In addition to this, repayment had to be made in certain cases. The priests determined the value of the animal and the value of the repayment.