Numbers 15:27

Summary

Numbers 15:27 addresses the case of a single individual (as opposed to the community, discussed in the preceding verses) who commits an unintentional sin. The text specifies the required remedy: bringing a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering.

Key words

• Nefesh ("a person", H5315J) — feminine singular noun in construct form with 'achat, literally "a soul/person," used to designate an individual rather than the collective.
• techeta' ("it will sin", H2398) — qal imperfect, third person feminine (agreeing with nefesh), expressing a future or hypothetical action introduced by the conditional 'im.
• bishgagah ("by inadvertence", H7684) — noun with prefixed preposition bi, specifying that the sin occurs through error or unawareness rather than deliberate intent.
• hikrivah ("it will bring near", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) sequential perfect, continuing the narrative chain begun by the conditional clause; the hiphil stem indicates the subject causes the offering to be brought/presented.
• chatat ("a sin offering", H2403H) — feminine singular noun, here functioning to name the category of offering to which the goat is designated.

What the text says

The verse opens with the compound conditional ve'im ("and if"), introducing a legal case parallel to others in the surrounding chapter. The subject of the conditional clause is nefesh 'achat ("one person"), a construct phrase where nefesh ("a person," H5315J) is grammatically feminine, which is why the following verb techeta' ("it will sin," H2398) appears in the feminine form despite referring to a person of unspecified gender. This grammatical agreement is a feature of Hebrew syntax not always visible in translation.

The verb techeta' is qal imperfect, marking the sin as a potential or future event within the conditional structure. The qualifier bishgagah ("by inadvertence," H7684) restricts the case to unintentional error, distinguishing it from deliberate transgression.

The apodosis begins with vehikrivah ("and it will bring near," H7126H), a hiphil sequential perfect that continues the logical sequence set up by the conditional. The hiphil stem conveys causation: the person causes the offering to be brought, rather than simply approaching themselves. The object of this action is 'ez bat-shenatah ("a female goat, a daughter of her year," H5795 + H1323G + H8141), an idiomatic construct chain meaning "a one-year-old female goat." The purpose clause lechatat ("for/to a sin offering," H2403H) specifies the offering's classification.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders nefesh as ψυχή ("soul"), matching the feminine gender pattern of the Hebrew. The Vulgate uses anima, also feminine, preserving the same grammatical agreement pattern seen in the Hebrew techeta'. No substantive divergence in meaning appears among the Hebrew, LXX, and Vulgate for this verse.