Leviticus 5:2, commentary and pictures

Touching the dead body of an unclean animal made a person ceremonially unclean and guilty before God, even when he did not realize at the time that he had touched it. The soul spoken of is the living person himself as one whole being, to whom the bodily act of touching is assigned. The guilty one was to bring a clean, unblemished animal as his substitute to the tabernacle, confess his sin over it and lay his hand upon its head to transfer the sin to it, and then slay it so its blood, representing its life, could be used in the service. Forgiveness came through the priest's atonement with that blood in the sanctuary, by which the iniquity was figuratively transferred to the sanctuary and the sinner was freed from it. These daily offerings for sins committed through the year typified Christ's once-for-all ministry as the coming Redeemer, showing that ignorance does not make a wrong act right but that when the guilt becomes known it must be confessed, repented of, and put away.

Context and Wording

Leviticus 5 to 7 sets forth the five kinds of offerings — burnt, meal, peace, sin, and trespass — distinguishing the purpose and manner of each. The verse stands in a section dealing largely with laws about sacrifices and offerings, whose details had meaning. It belongs to the ceremonial law, which was instituted in consequence of sin and stands distinct from and contrasted with the moral law. It is part of the law for special offerings such as sin-offerings, peace-offerings, and thank-offerings, showing that in addition to tithes the Israelites spent much on offerings and that the sacrifices cost something, with the cost varying with the wealth or position of the offerer.

Here “soul” means the living person, the whole man himself as one individual living being, a body or individual substance animated, sensitive and rational, not a separable independently existing entity or distinct separable nature joined or added to the body. The verse assigns the bodily act of touching an unclean thing to the soul, speaking of the soul as touching and treating the whole person as unclean and guilty through contact. It is an example of a soul doing an action, touching something unclean.

The ascribing of touch and other bodily actions and powers of the body to the soul proves that all attributes of the body are assigned in common to the soul, and that man is intrinsically one and not compound. Touch belongs to the soul in common with the body. The breath of life is not the soul itself nor part of the divine essence, but divine power fitted for life and reason infused into the organized body, so that the complete man is called a living soul.

The verse describes a person becoming ceremonially unclean and guilty by touching the carcass of an unclean beast, unclean cattle, or unclean creeping thing, even when the contact is hidden from him and he does not know of it. Guilt arises from unknowingly coming into contact with an unclean animal or creature, and the person is accountable although the contact was hidden. Touching an unclean thing brings uncleanness and guilt even when the person does not know of it.

Atonement, Christ, and Duty

Leviticus 5:2 belongs to the instructions given to Israel about sacrifices and how forgiveness of sin was to be obtained. It provides for individual offerings brought by those burdened with sin through the year as part of the daily ministration in the earthly sanctuary. Those individual offerings expressed faith in the Redeemer who was to come.

When a person sinned, the prescribed offering required bringing an unblemished clean animal as a substitute to the tabernacle. Confession was made over it and the hand was laid upon its head to signify the transfer of the sin to the victim, which was then slain. Its blood represented its life. The sinner brought the offering, while the priest used its blood to make atonement for him in the sanctuary. Atonement was thus made through the priest's sanctuary service with the blood, not by the slaying itself. The trespass-offering required here was similar to the sin-offering and provided forgiveness through the priest's atonement.

Through the blood the iniquity was conveyed to and figuratively transferred to the sanctuary, either through the blood carried in and sprinkled there or in some cases through the priest eating the flesh. When offered in faith the sinner was forgiven and freed from that iniquity. In this way the people's sins were transferred through the sacrifices to the sanctuary, which was cleansed in the yearly service. The details of these laws about sacrifices and offerings had meaning, and their fuller meaning is found in Jesus' sacrifice, life, and work. The yearly cycle of Levitical sanctuary services typified Christ's once-for-all ministry.

Touching an unclean thing brings uncleanness and guilt even when the contact is hidden and the person does not know of it, for ignorance does not make an unrighteous act right. A sin committed in ignorance becomes a sin of knowledge when it becomes known, and the person bore its iniquity until presenting and slaughtering the offering. When the uncleanness and guilt are recognized, the sin must be confessed, repented of, and put away. God also takes account of a person's motives and opportunities to know what is right.