Leviticus 4:6

6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter {some of} the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the sanctuary's curtain.

Leviticus 4:6 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 4:6

And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood
The finger of his right hand, as Gersom observes, and so Maimonides F18; for blood was always taken and sprinkled with the right hand, if done with the left it was wrong, according to the Jewish canons F19 and though it is only said the priest, and not that is anointed, as before, yet it seems to mean him and not another; though if a private priest did this, Gersom says, it would be right, and so Maimonides F20:

and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord;
a figure of the blood of Christ, called, in allusion to this rite, the blood of sprinkling; which being presented before the Lord, calls for pardon from him, and sprinkled on the conscience, speaks peace there, and perfectly cleanses from all sin, which the seven times sprinkling is a symbol of:

before the vail of the sanctuary:
the words may be literally rendered, "the face of the vail of the sanctuary": as if the blood was sprinkled on the outside of the vail. Jarchi's note is,

``over against the place of its holiness, he directed (it) over against between the staves; the blood shall not touch the vail, but if it touches, it touches it;''

that is, it is no matter. And according to Maimonides F21 the blood of bullocks and goats burnt was sprinkled seven times upon the vail, which divided between the and the holy of holies. This typified the vail of flesh, whose blood gives boldness to enter into the holiest of all, ( Hebrews 10:19 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 5. sect. 7. Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 3. sect. 4.
F19 Misn. Zebachim, c. 2. sect. 1. & Bartenora in ib.
F20 Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 5. sect. 15.
F21 Ib. sect. 13.

Leviticus 4:6 In-Context

4 He shall bring the bull to [the] tent of assembly's entrance before Yahweh, place his hand on the bull's head, and slaughter the bull before Yahweh.
5 The anointed priest shall take {some of} the bull's blood and shall bring it to [the] tent of assembly,
6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter {some of} the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the sanctuary's curtain.
7 The priest shall put {some of} the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which [is] in [the] tent of assembly, and all [the rest] of the bull's blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which [is at the] entrance of [the] tent of assembly.
8 " 'He must remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the inner parts and all of the fat that [is] on the inner parts,

Footnotes 1

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.