1 If any one sin, and hear the voice of one swearing, and is a witness either because he himself hath seen, or is privy to it: if he do not utter it, he shall bear his iniquity. 2 Whosoever toucheth any unclean thing, either that which hath been killed by a beast, or died of itself, or any other creeping thing: and forgetteth his uncleanness, he is guilty, and hath offended: 3 And if he touch any thing of the uncleanness of man, according to any uncleanness wherewith he is wont to be defiled, and having forgotten it, come afterwards to know it, he shall be guilty of an offence. 4 The person that sweareth, and uttereth with his lips, that he would do either evil or good, and bindeth the same with an oath, and his word, and having forgotten it afterwards understandeth his offence, 5 Let him do penance for his sin, 6 And offer of the flocks an ewe lamb, or a she goat, and the priest shall pray for him and for his sin:

7 But if he be not able to offer a beast, let him offer two turtles, or two young pigeons to the Lord, one for sin, and the other for a holocaust, 8 And he shall give them to the priest: who shall offer the first for sin, and twist back the head of it to the little pinions, so that it stick to the neck, and be not altogether broken off. 9 And of its blood he shall sprinkle the side of the altar, and whatsoever is left, he shall let it drop at the bottom thereof, because it is for sin. 10 And the other he shall burn for a holocaust, as is wont to be done: and the priest shall pray for him, and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Sin offering of flour

11 And if his hand be not able to offer two turtles, or two young pigeons, he shall offer for his sin the tenth part of an ephi of flour. He shall not put oil upon it, nor put any frankincense thereon, because it is for sin: 12 And he shall deliver it to the priest: who shall take a handful thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar for a memorial of him that offered it: 13 Praying for him and making atonement: but the part that is left, he himself shall have for a gift.

Guilt offering for sacrilege

14 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 15 If any one shall sin through mistake, transgressing the ceremonies in those things that are sacrificed to the Lord, he shall offer for his offence a ram without blemish out of the flocks, that may be bought for two sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary: 16 And he shall make good the damage itself which he hath done, and shall add the fifth part besides, delivering it to the priest, who shall pray for him, offering the ram, and it shall be forgiven him.

Guilt offering for breaking the Commandments

17 If any one sin through ignorance, and do one of those things which by the law of the Lord are forbidden, and being guilty of sin, understand his iniquity, 18 He shall offer of the hocks a ram without blemish to the priest, according to the measure and estimation of the sin: and the priest shall pray for him, because he did it ignorantly: and it shall be forgiven him, 19 Because by mistake he trespassed against the Lord.

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5:1 As Augustine says (QQ. Super Lev, qu. i), Moses in the passage did not state to whom one man had to denounce another's perjury: wherefore it must be understood that the matter had to be denounced "to those who would do the perjurer good rather than harm." Again, neither did he state in what order the denunciation was to be made: wherefore seemingly the Gospel order should be followed, if the sin of perjury should be hidden, especially when it does not tend to another person's injury: because if it did, the Gospel order would not apply to the case. (St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica)  In the historical sense, lest at any time we defile our consciences in the sins of another or, at any time, give our consent to those who are doing evil.  But I mean consent, by not only doing the same but also being silent about what was done unlawfully.  Do you wish to know that these views agree with the teachings of the Gospels?  The Lord himself says, "15 But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. 16 And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. 17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican (Mt 18:15-17)."  In this was given a more perfect evangelical precept in that it determines the way and discipline of indicting sin. (Origen Hom 3 on Lev)

5:2 These laws are observed by the Jews indecently and uselessly enough.  And why should one who, for example, touches a dead animal or the body of a dead man be held to be impure?  What if it is the body of a prophet?  What if it is the body of a patriarch or even the body of Abraham himself?  What if he touches the bones, will he be unclean?  What if he should touch the bones of Elijah, which raised a dead person (2 Kgs 13:21)?  But let us see first what it is to touch, and what touch makes one unclean...  The Apostles says, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman (1 Cor 7:1)."  This one touched is unclean; for this is that which the Lord said in the Gospel, "If anyone looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt 5:28)."   For his heart touched the vice of lust and his soul became defiled.  There, if anyone in some way touches something, that is, either through the desire for a woman, or the lust for money, or for any other sort of yearning for sin, he has touched what is unclean and is defiled. (Origen Hom 3 on Lev)

5:3 have forgotten it: In other words, if in ignorance he commits this sin, he recognizes thereafter. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev)

5:4-5 Certainly, "if I pronounce with my lips and take an oath to do good" and I do not do it, it is not difficult to show how I am guilty of sin.  But "if I take an oath to proclaim to do evil" and I have not done it, it is difficult to put into words how I have sinned.  For it seems absurd, for example, to be forced to complete what I promised rashly and illicitly.  If in anger I said that I will kill my fellow man and do not do it, I seem neither to lie nor to swear falsely.  Let's seek an occasion in which we sin if we promise to do evil and we do not do it.  As best this passage can be understood, to do evil is to oppose someone and not allow him to do what he wants.  Therefore, when we come to God and dedicate ourselves to serve him in purity, "we proclaim with our lips" and "we take an oath to restrain our flesh" or to do evil to it "and even to bring it into slavery (1 Cor 9:27)" that we may be able to save the spirit.  For thus that one said that he had sworn who said, "I took an oath and determined to keep all your teaching (Ps 118:106)."  Therefore, the voice of the flesh is that which was doubtlessly cast down and constrained by the spirit and which says, "for I do not do what I wish, but I do that thing that I hate, (Rom 7:15)"  "for it resists and fights against the spirit.(Gal 5:17)"  And unless, perhaps, he does evil to it so that it be cast down and weakened, the spirit cannot say, "when I am weak then I am strong.(2 Cor 12:10)"  Therefore, if anyone "should take an oath and proclaim to do evil" to this flesh which resists and fights against the spirit, and to cast it down and to torment it and he does not do it, he is guilty of sin in that he swore to crucify his flesh and to subject it to slavery and did not do it.  By the same oath, however, he determined to do good to the spirit.  For where he does evil to the flesh, he does good to the spirit.  Therefore, if anyone should take an oath and does not do this, he is made guilty of sin. (Origen Hom. 3 on Lev)

5:5-7 For what is signified by the she lamb, except the innocence of active life? what by the she goat, which often feeds as it is hanging on the summits and extremities of the rocks, but a life of contemplation? He therefore who sees that he has not fulfilled what he has promised and proposed, ought the more studiously to prepare himself for the sacrifice of God, either by the innocence of good works, or by the lofty food of contemplation. And a she lamb is well ordered to be offered from the flocks, but a she goat not from the flocks; because an active life is the lot of many, a contemplative of few. And when we do those things which we see many are doing, or have done, we offer, as it were, a she lamb from the flocks. But when the power of the offerer is not equal to a she lamb, and she goat, it is added as a remedy for the penitent, that two young pigeons or two turtle doves may be offered. We know that young pigeons or turtle doves utter moans instead of a song. What then is designated by two young pigeons, or two turtle doves, except the twofold groaning of our penitence? That so when we rise not to the offering of good works, we may bewail ourselves in two ways, both because we have not done right, and have also wrought evil things. Whence also one turtle dove is ordered to be offered for a sin offering, but the other for a burnt offering. For a holocaust means ‘entirely burnt.’ We offer therefore one turtle dove for a sin offering, when we groan for our fault, but we make a holocaust of the other, when, because we have neglected good works, thoroughly inflaming ourselves, we glow with the fire of grief.  (St. Gregory the Great Mor. on Job 3.6. 32)

5:7 Having established a general law for all the sins of ignorance, and set various expiatory sacrifices, based not on the quality of sins, but quality of people, then he wants to make a distinction between sins, and various sacrifices prescribed in relation to this distinction, as if all did not fit into the general law must hear to this last exception, in the sense that all the sins it does not mention explicitly and formally remain within the generality of the law. We do not have to look elsewhere for an example of such a manner of speaking, but Scripture offers to us in this passage by the Apostle: "Every sin that a man commits is outside the body (1 Cor 6:18)."  Then he said: "Every sin that a man commits," and then, however, it is an exception for fornication, when he says:" But whoever commits "fornication sins against his own body."  In our ordinary language, we would express the same thought as follows.  Every sin that a man commits except fornication is outside the body, but he who commits fornication, sins against his own body. Similarly, in this chapter, after saying in general by what sacrifices must be expiated the sins of ignorance, the Lord makes an exception for those expressly designated and formal and prescribed the particular kind of sacrifice that relates to their atonement with the exception of those sins, all the others therefore fall under the general law. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev)

5:7-13 Whoever had touched any unclean forbidden thing, or heard someone take an oath and failed to censure him when he broke that oath, or himself promised to do something or offer something to God and failed to put his word into effect, although he had confirmed it with an oath, was commanded first to confess his sin and then offer a lamb or a she-goat in appeasement of God.  The poor man was commanded to offer two turtle-doves or two young pigeons (verse 7);  but if he lacked even these, he was to bring a small portion of fine flour without oil or incense (verse 11), for oil is indicative of joy and incense of sweet odor, but sin has no trace of either.  Now, it was very fitting that he should link touching something unclean and concealing the sin of one who took a false oath; the clean person is defiled by touching what is unclean, and the person who did not swear an oath shares the sin of the oath-breaker by not denouncing the perjury (verses 5:1-3).  We ought to admire the kindliness of the Lord, who healed with a slight fine, rather than punishing as an ingrate or perjurer, the person who promised to make an offering and then failed to fulfill his promise, although he had confirmed it with an oath (verses 4-13). (Theodoret of Cyrus)

5:15 if any one: Latin has anima, which means soul.  Soul and man are synonymous here. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev) What if someone was so poor that he could not have a sacred shekel?  Is this the decision of the Lawgiver that unless someone has a certain kind of money his sin cannot be absolved?  This clearly, according to the letter, indeed seems absurd, but according to a certain spiritual understanding it is certain that no one will receive remission of sins unless he should bring a sound, genuine, and holy faith through which he can purchase "a ram."  This is his nature that he washes away the sins of the faithful.  And this is "the sacred shekel" that we called a genuine and sincere faith. (Origen Hom. 3 on Lev)

5:15-16 It is not clear at first what this kind of sin is, but the result shows, when it is said, after having offered sacrifice of a ram, the culprit is restored and is to add a fifth extra. It can be seen in this passage, that the sin of neglect concerning what is holy involved taking by mistake from the first fruits or any other similar thing reserved for priests or for the oblations. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev)

5:16 It is understood that one who stole five coins is certainly to replace those five and to add one to the other five.  Nevertheless, these are not to be understood only for thefts and frauds, but likewise if anyone took money for oneself from the sanctuary for necessary uses and had a delay in returning it, he is bound by this law which ought also to edify the hearers according to the letter.  For its observation is very useful and necessary, chiefly to those who have charge over Church dispensations, that they understand that the things, which were offered for the use of the saints must be supervised by them more cautiously and more diligently. (Origen Hom. 3 on Lev)

5:19 against the Lord: these words are given to us so to hear that we are dealing with a offense committed before the Lord, or, in other words, in the service of the tabernacle. (St. Augustine Questions on Lev)