Leviticus 16:16-26

16 He will purify the [most] holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites' impurities and rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting[a] that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities.
17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the [most] holy place until he leaves after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.[b]
18 Then he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put [it] on the horns on all sides of the altar.
19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse and set it apart from the Israelites' impurities.[c]
20 "When he has finished purifying the [most] holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live male goat.
21 Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites' wrongdoings and rebellious acts-all their sins.[d] He is to put them on the goat's head and send [it] away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task.[e]
22 The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land,[f] and he will release it there.
23 "Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments he wore when he entered the [most] holy place, and leave them there.
24 He will bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes.[g] Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering; he will make atonement for himself and for the people.
25 He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 The man who released the goat for Azazel is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterwards he may reenter the camp.

Leviticus 16:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 16

This chapter treats of the day of atonement, and of the rites, sacrifices, and services of it, directs when Aaron should come into the holy of holies, Le 16:1,2; and in what habit he should then appear, and with what offerings both for himself, and for the people, Le 16:3-10; and that having slain his own sin offering, and that for the people, he should offer incense before the mercy seat, and sprinkle that with the blood of both, Le 16:11-15; and by these offerings make atonement for the holy place, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, Le 16:16-19; and having done this, he was to take the live goat, lay his hands on it, confess over it, and put upon it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and then send it away by a fit man into the wilderness, Le 16:20-22; upon which he was to put off his linen garments, wash his flesh, and put them on again, and offer the burnt offering for himself, and for the people, Le 16:23-25; also he that let go the goat, and he that carried and burnt the sin offerings without the camp, were to wash themselves and clothes also, Le 16:26-28; the observance of this day, once a year, which was on the tenth of the seventh month, as a day of affliction and atonement, was to be a statute for ever to the children of Israel, Le 16:29-34.

Footnotes 7

  • [a]. Lv 4:6-7,17-18
  • [b]. 1 Tm 2:5; Heb 9:7
  • [c]. Heb 9:12-14
  • [d]. Ezr 10:1; Neh 9:2-3; Dn 9:20; Jms 5:16; 1 Jn 1:9
  • [e]. Lit wilderness in the hand of a ready man
  • [f]. Ps 103:12; Isa 53:4,6,12; 1 Pt 2:24; 1 Jn 3:5
  • [g]. Lv 8:6-9
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