Ever wonder what ruminant/bird you need to sacrifice for your sins and impurities? Well wonder no more. This handy table makes it easy to atone!
I asked SuperGrok (an AI chatbot) to make me a table of all the sins/impurities in the Old Testament requiring a sacrificial offering. Here’s what it produced. You’re welcome.
| Sin/Guilt (or related impurity requiring compensatory offering) | Standard Offering | Discounted Offering (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Unintentional sin by the anointed (high) priest (brings guilt on the people; Lev 4:3–12) | Young bull without defect (sin offering) | None specified |
| Unintentional sin by the whole Israelite community/congregation (Lev 4:13–21) | Young bull (sin offering) | None specified |
| Unintentional sin by a leader/ruler (Lev 4:22–26) | Male goat without defect (sin offering) | None specified |
| Unintentional sin by a common person (doing what is forbidden in the Lord’s commands; Lev 4:27–35) | Female goat without defect, or female lamb without defect (sin offering) | (See graduated options under specific cases in Lev 5; not universally restated) |
| Failing to testify / withhold evidence when one has heard a public charge (Lev 5:1) | Female lamb or goat from the flock (sin offering), after confession | Two doves or two young pigeons (one sin offering + one burnt); or, if still unable, 1/10 ephah finest flour (no oil/incense) as sin offering |
| Unwittingly touching ceremonially unclean things (e.g., carcass of unclean animal or creature) and later realizing guilt (Lev 5:2) | Female lamb or goat (sin offering), after confession | Two doves/pigeons (one sin + one burnt); or 1/10 ephah finest flour (sin offering) |
| Touching human uncleanness of any kind that makes one unclean, even if initially unaware, then realizing guilt (Lev 5:3) | Female lamb or goat (sin offering), after confession | Two doves/pigeons (one sin + one burnt); or 1/10 ephah finest flour (sin offering) |
| Thoughtlessly / rashly taking an oath (to do good or evil) and later realizing guilt (Lev 5:4) | Female lamb or goat (sin offering), after confession | Two doves/pigeons (one sin + one burnt); or 1/10 ephah finest flour (sin offering) |
| Unfaithfulness by unintentional sin regarding the Lord’s holy things (Lev 5:14–16) | Ram without defect from the flock (guilt offering, of proper value) + full restitution + additional 1/5 to the priest | None specified |
| Sin by doing what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even without knowing it at the time, then realizing guilt (Lev 5:17–19) | Ram without defect (or its equivalent/value) as guilt offering | None specified |
| Sins against a neighbor (deceiving about something entrusted/stolen, cheating, finding lost property and lying about it, swearing falsely about such matters; Lev 6:1–7) | Full restitution + additional 1/5 to the owner + ram without defect (of proper value) as guilt offering | None specified |
| General unfaithfulness / wrong against another (with no surviving kinsman to receive restitution; Num 5:5–8) | Confession + full restitution + 1/5 (to the priest if no kin) + guilt offering | None specified |
| Sexual relations with a betrothed slave woman (Lev 19:20–22) | Ram as guilt offering (after investigation; she is not put to death) | None specified |
| Unintentional sin by the whole community (failing to observe commandments; Num 15:22–26) | One young bull as burnt offering (with grain and drink offerings) + one male goat as sin/purification offering | None specified |
| Unintentional sin by an individual (Num 15:27–29) | Yearling female goat as sin/purification offering | None specified |
| After childbirth (purification from flow of blood; Lev 12:6–8) | Year-old lamb (burnt offering) + young pigeon or dove (sin offering) | Two doves or two young pigeons (one burnt + one sin) |
| Cleansing from a defiling skin disease (after initial rites and waiting period; Lev 14) | Two male lambs + one ewe lamb + finest flour mixed with oil + oil (includes guilt offering of one lamb with blood/oil application to ear/thumb/toe, plus sin and burnt offerings) | One male lamb (guilt offering) + 1/10 ephah finest flour mixed with oil + log of oil + two doves or two young pigeons (one sin + one burnt), “such as they can afford” |
| Male or female with certain abnormal bodily discharges (after waiting/washing period; Lev 15:13–15, 28–30) | Two doves or two young pigeons (one sin offering + one burnt offering) | None further reduced (birds are the prescribed standard) |
| Nazirite defiled by contact with a dead body (Num 6:9–12) | Two turtledoves or two young pigeons (one sin + one burnt) on the 8th day; then a male lamb as guilt offering (and restart the vow period) | None specified |
| Completion of a Nazirite vow (Num 6:13–20) | Male lamb (burnt), ewe lamb (sin), ram (peace), plus grain/drink offerings and other items | None specified |
I can only say: wow, quite an investigation you did, Nina!! 😉