when he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed,
Verses 1–4 list ways an Israelite could fall into guilt without meaning to. Verse 5 is the hinge: once he realizes what he has done, he must say it out loud.
Three Cases Behind the Verse
The words "any of these" point back to verses 1–4. One writer sees in those cases a map of practical failure:
An Outline of Sound WordsIn Leviticus 5:1-6 we have three specific cases. In principle they appear to cover every kind of failure in the practical ways of God's people. The first is failure as a witness. The second is failure to maintain separation. The third is failure in sobriety or self-control.
The Moment of Realizing
Each case in this chapter is a sin the person did not notice at the time. One writer traces what happens once he knows:
An Outline of Sound WordsIf someone has sinned in any of these ways, the moment comes "when he realizes his guilt." The Searcher of all hearts uses the probe of conviction with great skill, and it reaches the conscience through the word. A cloud comes over the joy that communion brings. Our spiritual strength grows feeble. Our faith visibly weakens, and we surrender our liberty in the service of the Lord, in prayer and in fellowship with the saints.
Confession That Names the Sin
The verse does not ask for a vague admission of being a sinner. It asks him to name the sin he has committed. One writer notes how exact this must be, and that here we meet confession for the first time in the Bible:
William KellyHow was a man who feared God to feel in such a case, when the sin came before his soul? Was he not guilty? If he was defiled in any of these cases, he had to "confess the sin he has committed," not in a vague, general way. This is the first time we hear of confession. Was the sin not due to carelessness before the LORD? But more; nothing but sacrifice could remove the stain.
Another writer adds what makes such confession good:
Leslie M. GrantWhen such things came to a person's attention, he was to confess that he had sinned in that matter. How good it is when a person confesses like that and adds no excuses!
Confession, Not Just a Prayer for Pardon
The command here is to confess, not to plead. One writer ties that difference to a New Testament promise:
C. H. MackintoshBut then, "if any man sin," what is to be done? The inspired apostle gives a full and most blessed answer: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Confession is the way to keep the conscience free. The apostle does not say, "If we pray for pardon, He is gracious and merciful to forgive us." … A Christian who has gone wrong in thought, word, or deed might pray for pardon for days and months and still have no assurance from 1 John 1:9 that he was forgiven. But the moment he truly confesses his sin before God, he can know by simple faith that he is perfectly forgiven and perfectly cleansed.
Confession and the Offering
Confession does not stand alone. Verse 5 runs straight into verse 6, and the offering there carries two names at once:
Robert F KingscoteYou see that a trespass and a sin are very much the same. The two, sin and trespass, are put together. He has sinned, and he is to bring, not a sin offering, but a trespass offering. That shows a trespass is a sin, just as much as when it is called a sin. And in verse 6 the expressions "sin offering" and "trespass offering" are applied to the same animal.
This writer is quoting an older translation. It reads "trespass offering" in verse 6, where the ESV words the offering differently.
Summary
- Discovered — the sins here are hidden ones. Nothing moves until "he realizes his guilt," and that knowledge reaches the conscience through the word.
- Confessed — he must name the sin itself, "not in a vague, general way." This is the first time Scripture calls for confession.
- Not just prayed — asking for pardon is not the same as confessing. The promise of forgiveness belongs to confession.
- Covered — words alone left the stain. "Nothing but sacrifice could remove" it, and the offering that follows is called both a sin offering and a trespass offering.
- Restored — hidden guilt clouds joy, strength and freedom. Confession clears the conscience, and the one who confesses knows he is "perfectly forgiven and perfectly cleansed."