Leviticus 4:3
If the priest that is anointed shall sin, making the people to offend, he shall offer to the Lord for his sin a calf without blemish.
Open Leviticus 4:3 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- si sacerdos, qui unctus est, peccaverit, delinquere faciens populum, offeret pro peccato suo vitulum immaculatum Domino :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐὰν μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ὁ κεχρισμένος ἁμάρτῃ τοῦ λαὸν ἁμαρτεῖν, καὶ προσάξει περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἥμαρτεν μόσχον ἐκ βοῶν ἄμωμον τῷ κυρίῳ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- אִ֣ם הַכֹּהֵ֧ן הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ יֶחֱטָ֖א לְאַשְׁמַ֣ת הָעָ֑ם וְהִקְרִ֡יב עַ֣ל חַטָּאתוֹ֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר חָטָ֜א פַּ֣ר בֶּן בָּקָ֥ר תָּמִ֛ים לַיהוָ֖ה לְחַטָּֽאת
Haydock's commentary
Anointed. That is, "the high priest," Septuagint. Inferior priests were not anointed, except the sons of Aaron, at the beginning. (Calmet)
Ignorance in such a one is greatly to be avoided, as it tends to scandalize the people. (Haydock)
The same ceremonies are prescribed, as on the day of expiation; only the priest did not enter the most holy place.
Offend, in some smaller matter. If he engaged his brethren in the crime of idolatry, he should die, Deuteronomy xiii. 15. (Calmet)
Before the solemn unction, he might be expiated, like one of the princes. (Menochius)
Calf. Hebrew par, does not specify the age. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom Treatise Concerning the Christian Priesthood, Book VI
11. For this very cause God accuses the Israelites more vehemently, and shows that they were worthy of greater chastisement, because they sinned after so many honors had come to them from Him, saying in one place: “But you only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore will I punish you for your iniquities,” and again, “and I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites;” and before the times of the prophets, wishing to show that sins receive sorer punishment by far when they occur in the case of the Priest than in the case of the laity, He enjoins as great a sacrifice to be offered for the Priest as for the whole people, and this amounts to a proof on his part, that the wounds of the Priesthood need more assistance, that is, as great as those of all the people together, and they would not have needed a greater, except they were worse; and they …