5:1 he hears the utterance of a curse Refers to someone who has heard a public request for information about an incident or accusation of a violation of the law. Those who refused to testify about an offense would incur guilt and require atonement.

he is a witness Presumes the person who does not testify was indeed a witness to the incident.

he shall bear his guilt Introduces the concept of sin by omission—the failure to do what is right. This is in contrast to a sin of commission—committing a wrong. Sins of omission for an average person fall under the atonement procedure outlined in 4:27–35.

Atonement

5:2 he is unaware of it The unintentional or inadvertent nature of the offense is what allows it to be remedied via the sin (purification) offering (chatta’th in Hebrew). See note on 4:2.

5:4 swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips Refers to a thoughtless promise, perhaps something vowed without full knowledge of its implications. The offense was that the one who made the oath could not fulfill it.

5:6 his guilt offering Just as the Hebrew word chatta'th can refer either to an offense or the offering to remedy the offense (see note on 4:1–5:13; note on 4:3), the Hebrew word asham used here may refer to the guilt associated with an offense, the penalty for that guilt, or the offering required to atone for the guilt (see note on 5:14–6:7). This passage creates a link between the guilt and sin offerings (compare 4:13, 22, 27; 5:17; 6:4); guilt offerings required some sort of reparation or compensation (see note on v. 15).

5:7 two turtledoves or two young doves The poor were permitted to substitute two doves or two pigeons. The first bird removes the offense and restores the guilty party to ritual purity and fellowship, while the second is offered as an act of worship.

5:8 shall wring its head off The first bird had its neck broken, but the head was not severed, unlike the burnt offering (1:14–15). Blood from this bird would be sprinkled on the side of the altar and the rest drained out in the manner of the purification offerings (ch. 4). The second bird was a burnt offering prepared according to the procedure in 1:14–17.

5:11 finely milled flour as a sin offering This alternative is unusual since offerings that make atonement for sin and guilt typically require the shedding of blood. The nt notes that virtually everything required blood for purification under the sacrificial system because it was the blood that effected atonement (Heb 9:22; compare Lev 17:11). It seems that in some cases the token amount of the grain offering burned on the altar could substitute for the blood.

Types of Offerings in the Old Testament Table

5:15 displays infidelity The Hebrew term ma'al used here generally refers to disloyalty or infidelity—often disloyalty toward Yahweh or misuse of sacred objects devoted to Yahweh (e.g., Num 5:6; Josh 7:1). The word is also used as a general term for sin (Ezek 14:13; 1 Chr 9:1).

valuation in silver shekels The Hebrew phrase used here leaves some ambiguity over whether the offering had to be a ram or just the monetary equivalent of a ram.

shekel A unit of weight for weighing metals as currency. One silver shekel weighed approximately 11–13 grams. The weight for other precious metals is unknown.

a guilt offering The Hebrew word used here, asham, is used in two different senses in this verse. It is the penalty or compensation that must be paid as well as the name for the offering itself. The third sense—referring to the guilt (or trespass) itself—occurs in Lev 5:17. In Isa 53:10, the Suffering Servant’s life is made a guilt offering (asham in Hebrew)—the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah are understood as prophecies about Jesus in the nt (see note on Luke 4:17).

5:16 And he shall make restitution Indicates repayment of the full value of what was taken. The full penalty, however, was repaying the principal plus an additional 20%.