“And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 4:35 Mean?
"And the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him." This phrase — repeated throughout Leviticus 4-5 — is the refrain of the sin offering system. The sequence is consistent: sin is committed, a sacrifice is brought, the priest makes atonement, and forgiveness is granted. The forgiveness isn't earned by the worshipper's remorse or moral improvement. It's granted through the substitutionary death of the sacrifice, mediated by the priest.
The word "atonement" (kipper) means to cover, to make amends, to reconcile. The animal's death covers the sin, restoring the broken relationship between the worshipper and God. The declarative "it shall be forgiven him" makes forgiveness a certainty — not a hope, not a possibility, but a guarantee tied to the sacrifice.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you struggle to believe God's forgiveness is as certain as 'it shall be forgiven' declares?
- 2.How does knowing forgiveness depends on the sacrifice (not your feelings) change how you approach confession?
- 3.What sin are you still carrying guilt for that this verse says has been covered?
- 4.How does the repetition of this phrase in Leviticus reflect God's patience with your unbelief about forgiveness?
Devotional
It shall be forgiven him. Not might be. Not could be. Shall be. The forgiveness is as certain as the sacrifice. Bring the offering, let the priest do his work, and forgiveness is guaranteed. Done.
This refrain appears again and again in Leviticus — almost like God wants to make sure you heard it. Sin after sin after sin: bring the sacrifice, and it shall be forgiven. The repetition isn't accidental. It's God hammering a truth into people who find forgiveness hard to believe: I forgive. For real. Completely. When the blood is applied, the sin is covered.
The forgiveness doesn't depend on how sorry you feel. It doesn't depend on how hard you cry or how many promises you make. It depends on the sacrifice. The animal dies. The blood is applied. The priest mediates. And it is done. The emotional processing is important — but the forgiveness is objective, tied to an external act, not to the fluctuations of your feelings.
Every time this phrase appeared in the tabernacle — every time a priest said "it shall be forgiven" — it was a foreshadowing of the final declaration: "It is finished." Jesus on the cross completed what thousands of lambs pointed toward. The sin offering to end all sin offerings. And the forgiveness declared over you is as certain as the sacrifice was real.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
I. Here is the law of the sin-offering for a common person, which differs from that for a ruler only in this, that a…
upon the offerings -after the manner of" R.V. mg. Either the portions are to be burnt upon the remains of sacrifices…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture