Leviticus 16:21-31

21 and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live he goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their rebellions and all their sins, putting them thus upon the head of the he goat and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man prepared for this;

22 and that he goat shall bear upon itself all their iniquities unto an uninhabitable land; and he shall send the he goat into the wilderness.

23 After that, Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the testimony and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on to enter into the sanctuary, and shall put them there.

24 Then he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place and put on his garments and come forth after that and make his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make reconciliation for himself and for the people.

25 And the fat of the sin he shall incense upon the altar.

26 And he that took the he goat to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh with water and afterward come into the camp.

27 And he shall take outside the camp the bullock of the sin and the goat of the sin, whose blood was brought in to make the reconciliation in the sanctuary; and they shall burn in the fire their skins and their flesh and their dung.

28 And he that burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

29 And you shall hold this as a perpetual statute: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it is a natural of your own country or a stranger that sojourns among you;

30 for on that day he shall reconcile you to cleanse you that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a perpetual 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.