And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

LEVITICUS 5:16KJV
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Leviticus 5:16 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 5:16 mean?

Leviticus 5:16 explains that if someone has wronged or misused something holy to God, they must pay back what was lost or damaged, add an extra fifth to it, and give it to the priest. The priest will then offer a ram as a special sacrifice, and the person’s wrongdoing will be forgiven.

This verse is part of God’s instructions to Moses for the Israelites about what to do when someone unintentionally sins against sacred things, such as offerings or items set apart for worship. The process involves both making restitution to set things right and a ritual act (the ram sacrifice) to restore the relationship with God. The focus is on responsibility, restoring what was lost, and the role of the priest in helping the person receive forgiveness.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 5:16

  • "Amends" (שָׁלַם, shalam): This word means to make whole or restore. It emphasizes that the person must fully repair the harm done, not just apologize.
  • "Harm" (חָטָא, chata’): This word often means to miss the mark or to sin. Here, it highlights that the wrongdoing is seen as a real offense, even if unintentional.
  • "Thing" (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh): This refers to something holy or set apart for God, reminding the reader that the offense is not just against property, but against something sacred.
  • "Add" (יָסַף, yasaf) and "part" (חֲמִשִּׁית, chamishit): These words show that the person must add a fifth (20%) to what was lost, making the repayment more than just even, possibly to show true regret and responsibility.
  • "Atonement" (כָּפַר, kaphar): This word means to cover or make reconciliation. It points to the priest’s role in helping the person be restored to good standing with God.

Why Leviticus 5:16 matters

  • Leviticus 5:16 clarifies that making things right with God involves both practical restitution and a spiritual process, not just one or the other.
  • The verse shows that even unintentional mistakes involving holy things are taken seriously and require action to repair.
  • This instruction connects to the broader theme in Leviticus of holiness and the importance of respecting what belongs to God, as well as the priest’s role as a mediator for the people.

Where else these words appear

“offering” Hebrew H817 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 26:10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
  • Leviticus 14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
  • Numbers 18:9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

“part” Hebrew H2549 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
  • Numbers 33:38 And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
  • 1 Chronicles 26:4 Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth,

“forgiven” Hebrew H5545 · used in 45 verses

  • Exodus 34:9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
  • Numbers 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest;(for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)

“atonement” Hebrew H3722 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
  • Leviticus 14:29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD.
  • Numbers 28:22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.