(35) According to the offerings made by fire.—Better, upon the offerings made by fire. As the daily morning sacrifice was offered first every day, and as it continued burning on the altar all the forenoon, no fresh or special fire was to be kindled for it, but it was to be upon the fire sacrifices which had already been placed there before. (See Leviticus 3:5; Leviticus 5:12.) The flesh of the sin offering, both for the prince and for the individual members of the community, was not burnt without the camp, as was the case with the flesh of the sacrifice for the high priest and for the whole congregation, but was the perquisite of the priests, and was eaten by them (Leviticus 6:26-30). This is in harmony with the law. The sinner who brought the sin offering could not partake of it. Hence the priest was not permitted to eat of the flesh of the sin offering which he offered for himself, or of the flesh of the congregational sin offering, because he was a member of the congregation.

4:27-35 Here is the law of the sin-offering for a common person. To be able to plead, when charged with sin, that we did it ignorantly, and through the surprise of temptation, will not bring us off, if we have no interest in that great plea, Christ hath died. The sins of ignorance committed by a common person, needed a sacrifice; the greatest are not above, the meanest are not below Divine justice. None, if offenders, were overlooked. Here rich and poor meet together; they are alike sinners, and welcome to Christ. From all these laws concerning the sin-offerings, we may learn to hate sin, and to watch against it; and to value Christ, the great and true Sin-offering, whose blood cleanses from all sin, which it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away. For us to err, with the Bible in our hands, is the effect of pride, sloth, and carelessness. We need to use frequent self-examination, with serious study of the Scriptures, and earnest prayer for the convincing influences of God the Holy Spirit; that we may detect our sins of ignorance, repent, and obtain forgiveness through the blood of Christ.A lamb - A sheep. See Leviticus 3:7 note. Three points are to be observed in regard to the victims for sin-offerings.

(a) The common people had to offer a female, as the less valuable animaI; they might present either a sheep or a goat to suit their convenience:

(b) the rulers had always to offer a male-goat:

(c) the goat was preferred to the sheep, unlike the victim for a peace-offering or burnt-offering.

The sin-offerings were not accompanied by meat-offerings or drink-offerings. See Numbers 15:3-11.

35. it shall be forgiven him—None of these sacrifices possessed any intrinsic value sufficient to free the conscience of the sinner from the pollution of guilt, or to obtain his pardon from God; but they gave a formal deliverance from a secular penalty (Heb 9:13, 14); and they were figurative representations of the full and perfect sin offering which was to be made by Christ. Shall burn them, i.e. the fat; but he useth the plural number, because the fat was of several kinds, as we saw Leviticus 4:8,9.

According to the offerings made by fire; Heb. upon the offerings, together with them, or after them; because the burnt-offerings were to have the first place. See Poole "Leviticus 3:5".

And the priest shall take of the blood,.... See Gill on Leviticus 4:25, Leviticus 4:26. And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, {m} according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

(m) Or, besides the burnt offerings, which were daily offered to the Lord.