Why a Sin offering?

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Esther

Lev 12:6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:

Gen 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Leviticus 12:7 helps us with this a little bit: "... and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood."

It's not the birth of the child that is a "sin," but the issuance of blood is considered "unclean" for purposes associated with the ritual at the Tabernacle/Temple.

A typical human birth will involve the shedding of blood. Since "the life of the flesh is in the blood," this shedding or issuance of blood is dealt with as being "unclean." Leviticus 15 deals with menstruation and also with men who suffer an "issue of blood."

The use of the term "sin offering" also may be something of a short hand and not intended to identify the condition of those involved as being "sinful." If the question arose, "What do we do about an issue of blood?" Then the answer would be to give a "token offering" such as a "sin offering" as described in the preceding chapters of Leviticus.

It's the spilt blood that must be atoned for, not the birth of the child.