A woman brought a burnt offering and a sin offering after childbirth to signify purification and the need for spiritual restoration before reentering the sanctuary. Though childbirth is not sinful, it brought ceremonial uncleanness, and these offerings acknowledged the inherited sin nature and the necessity of cleansing.
Leviticus 12:6–7 says:
“When the days of her purification are fulfilled… she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering… Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her.”
The burnt offering represented devotion and worship, while the sin offering addressed impurity and the fallen human condition passed through childbirth. Together, they illustrated that even life’s most natural events must be sanctified before a holy God.
This practice pointed to the broader truth that all are born in sin and require atonement. Psalm 51:5 says:
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”
These offerings looked ahead to the full atonement provided by Christ, whose sacrifice purifies from all sin and opens the way to God.
