Leviticus 16:6

6 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD .

Leviticus 16:6 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 16:6

And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which
[is] for himself
That is, bring it into the court, and present it before the Lord in order to its being slain and sacrificed; for as yet it was not killed, and so could not be offered on the altar, see ( Leviticus 16:11 ) ; the place where the bullock was set was between the porch and the altar, his head in the south, and his face to the west, and the priest stood in the east, and his face to the west, and laid both his hands upon him, and confessed his sins, and his family's F24: and this is said to be "for himself"; not to atone for him, which is afterwards expressed, but which should come of him or from him, and not from the congregation, as Jarchi explains it; or as the Targum of Jonathan more clearly, which is of his own money, wholly at his own expense, and not the people's: and make atonement for himself, and for his house;
for himself, for his own personal sins and for his family's sins, those of his wife and children; and it may be extended to all the priests of the house of Aaron; and some say to the Levites also, as Aben Ezra notes, though he disapproves of it: by this it appears, that Christ, the antitype of Aaron, is a more perfect and excellent priest than he, who needed not to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for his people's, for this he did once, when he offered up himself, ( Hebrews 7:27 ) ; and which was for his whole family, and them only, the elect of God, consisting of Jews and Gentiles; part of which is in heaven, and part on earth, and both were reconciled, or atonement made for them, by the blood of Christ; whose house and family men appear to be, when they believe and hope in him, and hold fast their faith and hope; and who are made by him priests as well as kings to God; see ( Ephesians 3:15 ) ( Hebrews 3:6 ) ( Revelation 1:6 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Misn. Yoma, c. 3. sect. 8.

Leviticus 16:6 In-Context

4 He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on.
5 Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD .
7 Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
8 He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or to make atonement for himself and his family; similarly in 16:11, 17b, 24, 34 .
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