Leviticus 4:6

6 and the priest hath dipped his finger in the blood, and sprinkled of the blood seven times before Jehovah, at the front of the vail of the sanctuary;

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 ) .

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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 and he hath brought in the bullock unto the opening of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, and hath laid his hand on the head of the bullock, and hath slaughtered the bullock before Jehovah.

5 `And the priest who is anointed hath taken of the blood of the bullock, and hath brought it in unto the tent of meeting,

6 and the priest hath dipped his finger in the blood, and sprinkled of the blood seven times before Jehovah, at the front of the vail of the sanctuary;

7 and the priest hath put of the blood on the horns of the altar of spice-perfume before Jehovah, which [is] in the tent of meeting, and all the blood of the bullock he doth pour out at the foundation of the altar of the burnt-offering, which [is] at the opening of the tent of meeting.

8 `And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he doth lift up from it, the fat which is covering over the inwards, and all the fat which [is] on the inwards,