Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

NUMBERS 5:7KJV
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Numbers 5:7 (KJV)

What does Numbers 5:7 mean?

Numbers 5:7 instructs that when someone confesses a sin they have committed against another person, they must repay what was taken or lost, add an extra fifth (20%), and give it to the person they wronged. This verse sets out both the need for honest admission of guilt and a specific way to make things right.

In this part of Numbers, God is giving Moses laws for the Israelites about dealing with wrongs between people, especially when someone has cheated or harmed another. The verse highlights two steps: first, openly admitting the wrongdoing, and second, making full restitution with an added penalty to the victim, not just to God or the community.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 5:7

  • יָדָה (yadah, "confess"): This word means to acknowledge or admit, often publicly. The verse emphasizes that confession is not just internal regret but a spoken, open act.
  • חֵטְא (chet, "sin"): This word refers to a moral failure or offense, not just a mistake. The verse is about real harm done to another person.
  • אָשָׁם (asham, "trespass"): This word highlights guilt or liability, especially in cases of wrongdoing that require compensation.
  • רֹאשׁ (rosh, "principal"): Literally meaning "head" or "main part," this word refers to the full original amount owed, making it clear that the wrongdoer cannot shortchange the victim.
  • חָמֵשׁ (chamesh, "fifth"): This means 20%. The law requires not just repayment but an extra amount, underlining the seriousness of making things right.

Why Numbers 5:7 matters

  • Numbers 5:7 clarifies that making things right after wrongdoing involves both honest confession and real, tangible restitution, not just feeling sorry.
  • The verse shows that God’s law values the person who was wronged, requiring the offender to pay back more than what was lost, which discourages casual or repeated offenses.
  • This instruction connects to the broader biblical theme of justice and restoration, showing that repairing relationships between people is a key part of living out faith.

Where else these words appear

“trespassed” Hebrew H816 · used in 32 verses

  • Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
  • Numbers 5:6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
  • Ezekiel 6:6 In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

“trespass” 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 7:37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
  • 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.

“fifth” 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,

“confess” Hebrew H3034 · used in 111 verses

  • Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
  • Psalms 9:1 To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
  • Psalms 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!