Leviticus 16 Footnotes
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16:2 The mercy seat, 44 by 26 inches, was the cover on the top of the ark of the covenant and was connected with the cherubim.
16:8 The meaning of “uninhabited place” has been explained three ways: (1) It is a proper name for the goat itself, meaning “the goat that departs,” i.e., its traditional meaning of “scapegoat.” (2) It was the particular desolate and rugged area into which the goat was released. (3) It refers to the leader of the evil spirits of the wilderness, possibly to be identified with “demons” (Dt 32:17; 2Ch 11:15; Ps 106:37). The NT does not explicitly state that the scapegoat was a type of Christ. Early in church history, however, as attested in the Epistle of Barnabas, written ca AD 200, Christians saw in the scapegoat a type of Christ. As the scapegoat was led out to die in the wilderness bearing the sins of the people, so Christ was crucified outside Jerusalem for the sins of his people.
16:29 In Judaism the Day of Atonement continues to be the most important and solemn day of the year. Since it is not possible to offer sacrifice with no temple, Jews observe it by fasting, abstinence, and prayers of penance as they seek God for forgiveness. Most NT references to the Day of Atonement focus on the access now available into the most holy place. Christ as our high priest “entered the most holy place once for all . . . by his own blood” (Heb 9:12).