What Does Leviticus 5:11 Mean?
But if his hand does not reach two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he who misses the mark brings as his drawing near the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour as an offering for falling short; he sets no oil upon it, neither does he set any white resin upon it, for it is an offering for it.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.THE KEY
The offering becomes smaller with what the hand can reach, but the missing still has a way to be addressed.
THE MEANING
When your means do not reach two birds, the verse names a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as an offering for the missing. Oil and frankincense are left out, yet the way to draw near remains open. The form changes with what is within reach.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that having too little means there is no way to address your missing.
THE ROOT
חָטָא
chata
GROWS FROM
חטא
To miss, go wrong, or incur fault.
“misses the mark” in this verse is chata. The verb for the person’s missing and the name of the offering grow from the same root. The offering’s name stays tied to what it addresses: the missing is not separated from the way of bringing it forward.
ALSO GROWS
chet: A fault or missing.
חֵטְא
It names the fault from the same seed as the act and the offering.
chote: One who misses or sins.
חוֹטֵא
The person named by the act and the offering belong to the same word family.
chatta’t: Missing; also an offering for the missing, or sin offering.
חַטָּאת
This is the word used for the offering in the verse, keeping its relation to the act visible.
קָרְבָּנוֹ
qorbano
GROWS FROM
קרב
To come near or draw near.
The Hebrew word for “his offering” carries the root of drawing near. Though the measure shifts from birds to flour, the word still holds approach inside the offering.
ALSO GROWS
qarav: To come near or approach.
קָרַב
It reveals the approach contained in the act of bringing the offering.
qarov: Near or close.
קָרוֹב
It links the offering to nearness, even when the amount brought is small.
THE PATTERN
The way of addressing a missing is measured according to what the person actually has.
And if his hand does not reach a lamb, then he brings to the LORD, for his guilt offering, the guilt wherein he has missed the mark, two turtledoves or two young pigeons; one as an offering for falling short, and the other as the ascending offering.Each one shall give according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you.For if the leaning heart is there first, it is well received according to what one has, and not according to what one does not have.THE THREAD
If the anointed priest misses the mark so as to bring guilt upon the people, then let him bring near, for his falling short in which he has missed the mark, a young bull without blemish to the LORD as an offering for falling short.The same חטא (chata) root appears in the act of sinning and the חַטָּאת (chatta’t) offering. Leviticus 5:11 keeps that shared naming while showing that the offering’s measure changes with what the hand can reach.
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