Leviticus 1:4

4 '¹He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make ²atonement on his behalf.

Leviticus 1:4 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 1:4

And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt
offering
According to the Targum of Jonathan, it was his right hand; but it is generally thought by the Jewish writers that both hands were laid on; so Ben Gersom and Aben Ezra, with whom Maimonides

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 agrees, who says, he that lays on hands ought to lay on with all his strength, with both his hands upon the head of the beast, as it is said, "upon the head of the burnt offering": not upon the neck, nor upon the sides; and there should be nothing between his hands and the beast: and as the same writer says ^F6, it must be his own hand, and not the hand of his wife, nor the hand of his servant, nor his messenger; and who also observes ^F7, that at the same time he made confession over the burnt offering both of his sins committed against affirmative and negative precepts: and indeed by this action he owned that he had sinned, and deserved to die as that creature he brought was about to do, and that he expected pardon of his sin through the death of the great sacrifice that was a type of. Moreover, this action signified the transferring of his sins from himself to this sacrifice, which was to be offered up to make atonement for them; so Gersom observes; see ( Leviticus 16:21 Leviticus 16:22 ) . This denotes the translation of our sins from us, and the imputation of them to Christ, who was offered up in our room and stead, to make atonement for them, as follows:

and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him:
that is, the burnt offering should be accepted in his room and stead, and hereby an atonement of his sins should be made for him, typical of that true, real, and full atonement made by the sacrifice of Christ, which this led his faith unto.

F5 Hilchot Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 3. sect. 13.
F6 Hilchot Maaseh Hakorbanot, c. 3. sect. 8. Vid. T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 93. 2.
F7 Ib. sect. 14.

Leviticus 1:4 In-Context

2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD , you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.

3 'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD .

4 'He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

5 'He shall slay the young bull before the LORD ; and Aaron's sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

6 'He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.

Cross References

• 1. Ex 29:10, 15, 19; Leviticus 3:2, 8
• 2. Exodus 29:33; Lev 4:20, 26, 31; 2 Chronicles 29:23, 24