Guilt and Repentance

“Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sin which he has committed,  . . . “ Numbers 5:6-7a  NASB

Is guilty – Are you guilty?  Well, that depends.  Is guilt a forensic condition or a psychological one?

Let me tell you a story.  A few weeks ago I was in Cairns, Australia.  Not having much to do, I decided to walk through the street market.  Three people approached me, starting a conversation.  Without much introduction, the leader of the group asked me if I believed that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.  I don’t suppose he was prepared for my answer.  I replied that I believed “Jesus” was the Jewish Messiah, commissioned by God to act as the intermediary to bring God’s people back to the Torah.  He seemed a bit perplexed, asking if I believed in God.  “Yes, most certainly,” I said.  He then offered to pray for me, or rather that I repeat a prayer he would offer, and, of course, it was the typical Christian prayer for salvation.  I stopped him in mid-sentence.  I told him that I didn’t believe “Jesus” died on the cross for my forgiveness but rather that much larger issues were at stake in that event.  He kept insisting that I needed to repeat his prayer so that I would be saved.  I expected that, but I told the three of them that I was so happy they had engaged in conversation with me because just that very morning I had been writing about forgiveness and guilt and I knew that it was no accident they happened to speak to me for it reminded me that God really does forgive, something I needed to hear at that moment.  We parted amicably, although I’m not sure what they thought about this stranger who talked about a Jewish Messiah.  I knew one thing for sure.  God arranged that meeting just for me.  Later I read this comment by Jacob Milgrom.  It was perfect.

The Hebrew word here is ʾāšam.

and that person realizes his guilt  Rather, ‘when that person feels guilt.’  This is the beginning of the main sentence: the sine qua non for the reduced penalty.

1. 7. 7. confess The Septuagint correctly translates Hebrew ve-hisvadu as ‘declare’; the penitent’s remorse must be articulated.[1]

Milgrom continues in Excursus 33:

“ . . . the term shuv meaning ‘repent’ never appears in priestly texts.  Neither does it appear in the Tetrateuch and early narratives.”[2]

“Shuv as ‘repent’ exhibits the following distribution pattern: twenty-three times in the eighth-century prophets, Amos, Hosea and Isaiah; fifty times in Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and twenty-eight times in nine postexilic books.  Conversely, the use of ‘asham, ‘feel guilt,’ which approximates the notion of ‘repent,’ is found only in the priestly code (P).  Thus it may be concluded that P derived its penitential terminology at a time when shuv had not become the standard idiom for repentance.  However, under the influence of the prophets, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the root shuv overwhelmed all of its competitors.  That the priestly doctrine of repentance is preexilic is supported by an additional consideration.  Though the power of repentance in P is such that it can reduce a deliberate sin to an unintentional one, P insists that sacrificial expiation (k-p-r) is mandatory for the complete annulment of sin.  It does not know the prophetic teaching that repentance in itself suffices to nullify sin.”[3]

The importance of Milgrom’s assessment is this: the earliest documents concerning repentance using the Hebrew ʾāšam describe a person who “feels guilty” whether or not actual guilt has been acquired.  To deal with ʾāšam, the Priestly documents ascribe remorse and sacrifice.  Only later, with the prophets, do we find the more inclusive word shuv, a word that demonstrates that repentance itself is all that is needed for the remission of sin.  My feelings of guilt and my actual guiltiness are handled in two different ways. I need to remember both of these approaches to sin and guilt when I read the Bible.  Thank God He deals with both.

Topical Index: guilt, shuv, ʾāšam, Jacob Milgrom, Number 5:6-7a

[1] Jacob Milgrom, The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers (Jewish Publication Society, 1990), p. 35.

[2] Ibid., p. 398.

[3] Ibid.