Verses¶
Primary Verses — Asham Legislation¶
Leviticus 5:14-19 (Asham Category 1 — Trespass Against Holy Things)¶
Lev 5:14 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: Lev 5:16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. Lev 5:17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. Lev 5:18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. Lev 5:19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD.
Leviticus 6:1-7 (Asham Category 2 — Trespass Against Neighbor)¶
Lev 6:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 6:2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; Lev 6:3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Lev 6:4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, Lev 6:5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. Lev 6:6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: Lev 6:7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Numbers 5:5-10 (Expanded Restitution — Kinsman Fallback)¶
Num 5:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Num 5:6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; Num 5:7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. Num 5:8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him. Num 5:9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. Num 5:10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
Asham Blood Procedure¶
Leviticus 7:1-7 (Law of the Trespass Offering)¶
Lev 7:1 Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. Lev 7:2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle [zaraq] round about upon the altar. Lev 7:3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, Lev 7:4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: Lev 7:5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering. Lev 7:6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy. Lev 7:7 As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.
Leviticus 4:25 (Chattat Blood Procedure — for comparison)¶
Lev 4:25 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put [nathan] it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
Key contrast: Asham blood = zaraq (dash/toss) round about upon the altar. Chattat blood = nathan (place/put) upon the horns of the altar with the finger. The asham shares its blood procedure with the burnt offering and peace offering, NOT with the chattat.
Chattat Procedure (Full Chapter for Comparison)¶
Leviticus 4 (Selected Key Verses)¶
Lev 4:2 If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: Lev 4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring... a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. Lev 4:7 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering... Lev 4:13-14 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance... When the sin... is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin... Lev 4:22-23 When a ruler hath sinned... he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. Lev 4:27-28 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance... then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish. Lev 4:30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering... Lev 4:34 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering...
Key structural contrast: The chattat has a four-tier graduated system based on offender status (priest/congregation = Holy Place blood; ruler = male goat; commoner = female goat). The asham has NO such graduation — always a ram, regardless of offender status.
Unique Asham Applications¶
Leviticus 14:10-20 (Leper's Asham)¶
Lev 14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb... Lev 14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: Lev 14:13 ...for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: Lev 14:14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: Lev 14:17 And of the rest of the oil... shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear... upon the blood of the trespass offering: Lev 14:18 And the remnant of the oil... he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. Lev 14:19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.
Note: The leper's cleansing requires BOTH a trespass offering AND a sin offering AND a burnt offering — a triple offering. The asham comes FIRST in the sequence, and its blood is applied to the person (ear, thumb, toe), not just the altar.
Leviticus 19:20-22 (Bondwoman Case)¶
Lev 19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. Lev 19:21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. Lev 19:22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.
Note: This is an asham without explicit restitution to the wronged party (the bondwoman/her owner). The offense involves both a person wronged and a violation of sexual boundaries — the asham addresses the liability dimension.
Numbers 6:12 (Nazirite Defilement)¶
Num 6:11 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. Num 6:12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
Note: The Nazirite's prior days of separation are "lost" — forfeited. The asham addresses this lost/forfeited time as a liability owed to God.
1 Samuel 6:1-18 (Philistines' Asham)¶
1 Sam 6:3 If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 1 Sam 6:4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines... 1 Sam 6:8 ...put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof... 1 Sam 6:17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
Note: The Philistines instinctively use asham language and concept — recognizing a debt/liability owed to Israel's God for taking the ark. Their "offering" consists of golden images representing the plagues, a form of restitution-acknowledgment.
Ezra 10:1-19 (Post-Exilic Asham for Intermarriage)¶
Ezra 10:2 We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land... Ezra 10:6 ...he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. Ezra 10:10 Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Ezra 10:19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
Note: The vocabulary here uses maal (H4603/H4604) and ashem (H818) — the standard asham-triggering terminology. The "restitution" here is the putting away of the foreign wives.
Isaiah 53 — The Servant's Soul as Asham¶
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin [asham], he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Restitution-Plus-One-Fifth Parallels¶
Leviticus 22:14 (Eating Holy Things Unwittingly)¶
And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
Leviticus 27:13,15,19,27,31 (Redemption of Dedicated Things)¶
27:13 But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation. 27:15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it... 27:19 And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it... 27:27 And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto... 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
Genesis 47:24,26 (Joseph's 20% Tax)¶
47:24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own... 47:26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part...
Exodus 22:1-4 (Restitution for Theft — DIFFERENT Scale)¶
22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 22:3 ...he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 22:4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive... he shall restore double.
Key contrast: Exodus 22 uses 2x-5x restitution for THEFT (a different legal category). The asham's 1+1/5 formula applies to breach-of-trust offenses, not open theft.
NT Parallels¶
Matthew 5:23-24 (Reconciliation Before Offering)¶
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Luke 19:1-10 (Zacchaeus — Voluntary Restitution)¶
Luk 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Luk 19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
Philemon 1:18-19 (Paul's Vicarious Restitution)¶
Phm 1:18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; Phm 1:19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it...
Romans 5:15-17 ("Much More" / Surplus Language)¶
Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel 33:15 (Restoration as Sign of Repentance)¶
If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Additional Context Passages¶
Proverbs 6:30-31¶
Pro 6:30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; Pro 6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
Leviticus 5:1-13 (Context — Chattat Graduated System Preceding Asham)¶
Lev 5:1 And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness... then he shall bear his iniquity. Lev 5:6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering... Lev 5:7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring... two turtledoves, or two young pigeons... Lev 5:11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves... then he that sinned shall bring... the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering...
Note: Lev 5:1-13 has a graduated chattat system (lamb → birds → flour) based on economic ability. Starting at 5:14, the asham section has NO such graduation — always a ram.