Leviticus 5:17
From Textus Receptus
Leviticus 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.
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Is Ignorance an excuse in your Modern Bible?
As you spend time deep inside the Word of God, yearning to know how one should live righteously before your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, it can be frustrating and downright disheartening when you come across a passage that has been mistranslated either on purpose ( Westcott and Hort ), or through sheer ignorance.
Yet, we will see that according to the Word of God ignorance is not an excuse one can claim – even if the sin committed was not realized at the time of the transgression.
What exactly do I mean?
In order to better understand this, let us examine Leviticus 5:17.
The NASB
- Leviticus 5:17 NASB “Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
The KJV
- Leviticus 5:17 KJV 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.
In both translations it clearly states that even if we do not realize that we have transgressed against the Lords commandments, we are still held accountable for the sins in which we committed, regardless if we realized it or not.
If on the other hand, we have the unfortunate opportunity to own a [RSV updated Bible – the ESV], we would be completely confused by its translation. We would be led to believe that we are only held accountable for our sins once we realized that we have committed one. And once we have realized that we have sinned against God, then we would bear our iniquity.
The ESV
- Leviticus 5:17 ESV “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.
Conclusion
Regardless of how the ESV renders this verse, we are guilty of our sins before God whether we realize them or not. Our guilt is not set upon a condition if we knew we did something wrong or not, our guilt is ours to bear regardless.
So, the question remains, when you stand before God, a Holy and just God, will you claim ignorance, or will you have taken heed and repented of your transgression against? Will you have realized that ignorance has no place in the sight of God?
- James 4:4 KJV Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
The choice is yours, the world or God, now take your stand.
