Leviticus 4:2 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

If a soul sin through ignorance The next kind of sacrifices appointed were for the expiation of particular sins, and are therefore called sin-offerings. The first sort of these were for sins of ignorance. These must necessarily be understood of such as exceeded common daily infirmities; for if every such sin had required an offering, it had not been possible either for most sinners to bear such a charge, or for the altar to receive so many sacrifices, or for the priests to manage so laborious a work. And for ordinary sins, they were ceremonially expiated by the daily offering, and by that on the great day of atonement, Leviticus 16:30. Through ignorance Or error, either not knowing his act to be sinful, as appears by comparing Leviticus 4:13-14, or not considering it, but falling into sin through the power of some sudden temptation, as the Hebrew word signifies, Psalms 119:67. In short, the doing any thing expressly forbidden, whether heedlessly or by surprise, was a sin of ignorance; and that whether committed by the high-priest, by the whole body of the community, by their rulers, or by any one of the people. In order, it seems, 1st, To excite the Israelites to greater diligence in the study of their laws and religion, a sin-offering was imposed by way of fine upon those who sinned through ignorance or inadvertence. And, 2d, The sin-offering was required in these cases to show them that to disobey God in any instance, or in any respect whatever to neglect or fall short of their duty, would expose them to the divine wrath, unless an atonement was made for them. It is observable that the apostle calls such sins the errors of the people, (Hebrews 5:2,) distinguishing them from wilful transgressions. They were confined to things of a ritual nature, or to such particular cases wherein the plea of ignorance could be admitted. For as to notorious violations of the moral law, ignorance could be no excuse, because these were known by the light of reason, and therefore could not be reckoned sins of ignorance, but presumptuous sins; and for them no expiatory sacrifice was admitted, Numbers 15:30.