Leviticus 16:1-6

The Day of Atonement

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they had come near {before} Yahweh and they died.
2 And Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron [that] he should not enter at any time into the sanctuary {behind} the curtain {in front of} the atonement cover that [is] on the ark, so that he might not die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3 "Aaron must enter the sanctuary with this: {a young bull} as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering.
4 He must put on {a holy linen tunic}, and linen undergarments must be on his body, and he must fasten [himself] with a linen sash, and he must wrap a linen turban around [his head]--they [are] holy garments, and he shall wash his body with water, then he shall put them on.
5 And he must take from the {Israelites}' community two he-goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.
6 "And Aaron shall present the sin offering's bull, which [is] for himself, and so he shall make atonement for himself and for his family.

Leviticus 16:1-6 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 11

  • [a]. Or "And"
  • [b]. Literally "before faces of"
  • [c]. Or "Speak to"
  • [d]. Literally "from the interior/inside to"
  • [e]. Literally "to the faces of"
  • [f]. Literally "a bull a son of cattle"
  • [g]. Literally "a tunic of linen of holiness"
  • [h]. The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  • [i]. Supplied from context in the English translation
  • [j]. Or "and"
  • [k]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.