The Meaning of Leviticus 4:23 Explained

Leviticus 4:23

KJV: Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:

YLT: or his sin wherein he hath sinned hath been made known unto him, then he hath brought in his offering, a kid of the goats, a male, a perfect one,

Darby: if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge, he shall bring his offering, a buck of the goats, a male without blemish.

ASV: if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a goat, a male without blemish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Or if his sin,  wherein he hath sinned,  come to his knowledge;  he shall bring  his offering,  a kid  of the goats,  a male  without blemish: 

What does Leviticus 4:23 Mean?

Context Summary

Leviticus 4:22-35 - Sin-Offerings For Rulers And People
The character of the sin for which the sin-offering was presented is expressed by the words, repeated again and again, "through ignorance," or "unwittingly," or "through error." It is the word used of the unintentional man-slayer, who, without premeditation, might kill another. See Numbers 35:1-34. God's Word distinguishes deliberate, willful sin from that of which it may be said, "they know not what they do;" or, "I wot that through ignorance ye did it." See Luke 23:34; Acts 3:17. While the blood of the offering for the priest and the congregation was brought into the holy place and sprinkled seven times before the Lord, the blood of the offerings for the ruler or the individual was sprinkled only on the horns of the altar. The hue of the sin was not so dark in the latter case as where there was greater knowledge of God's will. In Luke 12:47-48, our Lord makes a similar distinction. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 4

1  The sin offering of ignorance
3  for the priest
13  for the congregation
22  for the ruler
27  for any of the people

What do the individual words in Leviticus 4:23 mean?

or if comes knowledge to his his sin which he has committed in and he shall bring - as his offering a kid of the goats a male without blemish
אֽוֹ־ הוֹדַ֤ע אֵלָיו֙ חַטָּאת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָטָ֖א בָּ֑הּ וְהֵבִ֧יא אֶת־ קָרְבָּנ֛וֹ שְׂעִ֥יר עִזִּ֖ים זָכָ֥ר תָּמִֽים

אֽוֹ־  or  if 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אֹו 
Sense: or, rather.
הוֹדַ֤ע  comes  knowledge 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֵלָיו֙  to  his 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
חַטָּאת֔וֹ  his  sin 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
חָטָ֖א  he  has  committed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
וְהֵבִ֧יא  and  he  shall  bring 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
קָרְבָּנ֛וֹ  as  his  offering 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרְבָּן 
Sense: offering, oblation.
שְׂעִ֥יר  a  kid 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׂעִיר 
Sense: hairy.
עִזִּ֖ים  of  the  goats 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: עֵז  
Sense: female goat, she-goat, goat, kid.
זָכָ֥ר  a  male 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָכָר  
Sense: male (of humans and animals) adj.
תָּמִֽים  without  blemish 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: תָּמִים  
Sense: complete, whole, entire, sound.