1“‘If anyone sins, in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, he being a witness, whether he has seen or known, if he doesn’t report it, then he shall bear his iniquity.
2“‘Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it is hidden from him, and he is unclean, then he shall be guilty.
3“‘Or if he touches the uncleanness of man, whatever his uncleanness is with which he is unclean, and it is hidden from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty.
4“‘Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good—whatever it is that a man might utter rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him—when he knows of it, then he will be guilty of one of these. 5It shall be, when he is guilty of one of these, he shall confess that in which he has sinned; 6and he shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh for his sin which he has sinned: a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.
7“‘If he can’t afford a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to Yahweh; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one which is for the sin offering. He shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not sever it completely. 9He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10He shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin which he has sinned, and he shall be forgiven.
11“‘But if he can’t afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for that in which he has sinned, one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, and he shall not put any frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. It is a sin offering. 13The priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned in any of these things, and he will be forgiven; and the rest shall be the priest’s, as the meal offering.’”
14Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 15“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding Yahweh’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation in silver by shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering. 16He shall make restitution for that which he has done wrong regarding the holy thing, and shall add a fifth part to it, and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and he will be forgiven.
17“If anyone sins, doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, though he didn’t know it, he is still guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 18He shall bring a ram without defect from of the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing in which he sinned and didn’t know it, and he will be forgiven. 19It is a trespass offering. He is certainly guilty before Yahweh.”
"Let Him be crucified!" (Matt 27:22, 23), was the repeated cry of the multitudes in answer to Pilate's question, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" (v. 22). But what did this method of execution involve, and what is its theological significance?
The Romans adopted and perfected the practice of crucifixion that probably originated with the Persians. Its purpose was not to produce death so much as to prolong the agony of dying. It was reserved for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and those guilty of the most heinous crimes, except Roman citizens who were exempt. The victim's wrists were first nailed to a beam that was then lifted and attached to a vertical pole. His feet were nailed to the pole, and the weight of his body was supported by a peg under his crotch. Shock from the loss of blood, thirst from dehydration, exhaustion from difficulty breathing, and exposure to the elements contributed to the victim's eventual death, which was sometimes hastened by breaking the victim's legs.
The agony of death by crucifixion is described in remarkable detail in Psalms 22:12-18, hundreds of years before its use by the Romans. Jesus' crucifixion was the occasion of his piercing (Isa 53:5; Zech 12:10; John 19:37); his being made a curse for us (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13); and his death by the shedding of blood (Lev 5:11; 17:11; Heb 9:22). That his legs were not broken is evidence that he laid down his life (John 10:15, 17), voluntarily yielding his spirit (Matt 27:50), and corresponds to a requirement for the Passover lamb (Exod 12:46; John 19:36).