What is a…
trespass offering in the Bible

also known as: guilt offering

Meaning: debt (Hebrew: asham)

The law concerning the trespass offering is given in the book of Leviticus.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the holy things of Yahweh, then he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh: a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation in silver by shekels, in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.

And he shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing, and he shall add to it a fifth part of it and give it to the priest.

The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.

Now if a person sins and does any one of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, but he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.

He is then to bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his error in which he sinned unintentionally and did not know it, and it will be forgiven him.”

It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before Yahweh.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “If a person sins and acts unfaithfully against Yahweh and deals falsely with his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his companion, or has found what was lost and dealt falsely about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do; then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall return what he took by robbery or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him or the lost thing which he found, or anything about which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering.

Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to Yahweh, a ram without blemish from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.” —Leviticus 5:14-6:7 LSB

The trespass offering / guilt offering is also explained in the book of Numbers.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel,

‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against Yahweh, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it and give it to him whom he has wronged.

But if the man has no kinsman redeemer to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to Yahweh for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him. _Numbers 5:5-8 LSB

The idea of sin as a “debt” pervades this legislation.

The asham, which was always a ram, was offered in cases where sins were more private.

More information

Article Version: August 11, 2024