Leviticus 16:21-31

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.[a] He is to put them on the goat's head and send [it] away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task.[b]
22 The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land,[c] 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.[d] 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.
27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the [most] holy place to make atonement, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, flesh, and dung burned up.[e]
28 The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterwards he may reenter the camp.
29 "This is to be a permanent statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month you are to practice self-denial[f] and do no work,[g] both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.
30 Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
31 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you,[h] and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute.

Leviticus 16:21-31 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 8

  • [a]. Ezr 10:1; Neh 9:2-3; Dn 9:20; Jms 5:16; 1 Jn 1:9
  • [b]. Lit wilderness in the hand of a ready man
  • [c]. Ps 103:12; Isa 53:4,6,12; 1 Pt 2:24; 1 Jn 3:5
  • [d]. Lv 8:6-9
  • [e]. Lv 4:11-12; Heb 13:11-12
  • [f]. Traditionally fasting, abstinence from sex, and refraining from personal grooming
  • [g]. Lv 23:27-32; Nm 29:7
  • [h]. Lv 23:3,32; Ex 35:2
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