Leviticus 16

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died.

1And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;

NoteThe two sons were Nadab and Abihu, whose deaths are told in Leviticus 10: they brought fire before the LORD that had not been commanded, and fire killed them. The whole chapter is framed as the answer to that disaster, the rules for approaching the innermost room safely.

2The LORD said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he must not come at just any time into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he does not die; for I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

2And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

NoteThe tent had two rooms. The outer one held the lampstand and incense altar; behind a heavy curtain lay the inner room, entered only on this one day of the year. The 'ark' was a gold-covered wooden chest, and the 'mercy seat' (Hebrew kapporet, from a root meaning to wipe clean or cover over) was its solid gold lid, with two winged figures on top. Older English 'mercy seat' is not a chair; it is the lid itself.

3This is how Aaron shall come into the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

3Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

NoteA 'sin offering' (Hebrew chatta't) was less about personal guilt than about cleaning up contamination: it purified the sanctuary and its objects. A 'burnt offering' (Hebrew olah, 'that which goes up') was burned whole on the altar, with no portion eaten by anyone.

4He shall put on the holy linen coat, with the linen shorts on his body, and he shall tie a linen sash around himself and wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must wash his body in water and then put them on.

4He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

NoteOn ordinary days the high priest wore elaborate colored robes with gold, jewels and bells. Here he strips down to plain white linen, the simple dress of an ordinary servant of the sanctuary. The 'shorts' are linen undergarments; the 'sash' a long cloth belt; the 'turban' a wound headcloth.

5He shall take from the community of the Israelites two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

5And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

Note'From the community' means these animals were supplied at the people's expense, not the priest's, the bull in verse 3 was his own. The Hebrew says literally 'two he-goats of the goats'; adult male goats, not kids.

6Aaron shall offer his bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his household.

6And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Note'Atonement' translates Hebrew kipper, which carries the sense of wiping clean, covering over, or paying a ransom. In this chapter it is done for places and objects as well as for people. 'Household' means Aaron's whole family, including the other priests.

7He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

7And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

NoteThe 'tent of meeting' was the portable sanctuary carried through the wilderness, the place where God was said to meet with Israel. Its 'entrance' was the doorway of the tent, facing the courtyard altar.

8Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the goat that is sent away.

8And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

NoteLots were small marked objects (stones, sticks or tablets) drawn or shaken out to decide a matter without human choosing. The Hebrew behind 'the goat that is sent away' reads 'for Azazel', a word whose meaning is disputed: it may be a compound meaning 'the goat that goes away' (the sense Tyndale caught with his coinage 'scapegoat'), a place name for a rocky cliff, or the name of a desert power. The wording sets it in parallel with 'for the LORD'.

9Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD's lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering.

9And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

10But the goat on which the lot fell for being sent away shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement with it, and to let it go into the wilderness as the goat that is sent away.

10But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

NoteThe goat is not killed. It is used alive: the ritual loads the people's wrongs onto it and removes them physically by driving the animal out of the camp into empty country.

11Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall kill the bull of the sin offering that is for himself.

11And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

12He shall take a fire pan full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet-smelling incense ground fine, and bring them inside the curtain.

12And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

NoteA 'fire pan' or censer was a shallow metal shovel for carrying live coals. The incense was a prescribed blend of aromatic resins, ground to powder so it would flare into smoke at once.

13He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of the incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

13And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

NoteThe 'testimony' is the pair of stone tablets kept inside the ark; the same chest is elsewhere called the ark of the testimony. The smoke screens the lid from view, the same protective purpose as verse 2's warning.

14He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

14And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

NoteSeven was the standard number for a complete ritual act. 'The east side' is the front: the tent faced east, so the priest entering from that direction sprinkled first toward himself, then seven times on the ground before the lid.

15Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16He shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the Israelites and because of the wrongs they did in all their sins. He shall do the same for the tent of meeting, which stays among them in the middle of their uncleanness.

16And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

Note'Uncleanness' here is a ritual state, not dirt or immorality, a condition contracted from things like childbirth, disease or contact with a corpse, which barred a person from the sanctuary until dealt with. The idea is that such impurity, along with deliberate wrongs, builds up in the sanctuary itself and must be cleaned out once a year.

17No one at all shall be in the tent of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, for his household, and for the whole community of Israel.

17And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

18He shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around.

18And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

Note'The altar that is before the LORD' is the large altar in the open courtyard where animals were burned. Its four upper corners rose into projecting blocks called 'horns', the points at which blood was daubed in purification rites.

19He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and set it apart as holy from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

19And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

20When he has finished setting right the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.

20And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

Note'Setting right' translates the same verb family as 'make atonement': purging or decontaminating the three zones in turn (inner room, outer tent, courtyard altar) working outward from the most holy to the least.

21Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wrongs of the Israelites and all the offenses in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat. Then he shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man ready for the task.

21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

NoteLaying hands on an animal's head identified it with the person or group involved; here, with both hands and a spoken confession, it transfers the wrongs onto the goat. 'A man ready for the task' renders a Hebrew word of uncertain sense, traditionally a man appointed or standing by for the job, or one designated at the right time.

22The goat shall carry on itself all their wrongs to a land where no one lives, and the man shall let the goat go in the wilderness.

22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

NoteThe Hebrew is literally 'a land cut off', territory severed from settled life. The point is distance: the wrongs are carried somewhere from which they cannot return.

23Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen clothes that he put on when he went into the holy place, and he shall leave them there.

23And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:

NoteThe linen clothes are left inside the tent rather than taken home; having been used in the innermost room, they are not to be carried out into ordinary use.

24He shall wash his body with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.

24And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

25He shall burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

25And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

NoteThe fat around an animal's organs was the portion always burned on the altar rather than eaten, in every sacrifice of this kind. Here it is the only part of these two animals burned at the altar; the rest goes outside the camp (verse 27).

26The man who let the goat go as the goat that is sent away shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and after that he may come into the camp.

26And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

NoteHandling the loaded goat leaves the man in a state of ritual impurity, so washing is required before he can rejoin the camp. The same applies to the man who burns the carcasses in verse 28.

27The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried outside the camp; and their skins, their flesh, and their dung shall be burned in the fire.

27And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.

NoteCarcasses of sin offerings whose blood had entered the sanctuary were never eaten by the priests; they were destroyed entirely outside the settlement, hide and dung included.

28The one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and after that he may come into the camp.

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

29This shall be a lasting rule for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble yourselves and do no work at all, whether you are from this country yourselves or a foreigner living among you.

29And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

NoteThe seventh month of the Israelite year is Tishri, in autumn (September–October). This is the day later known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 'Humble yourselves' translates 'afflict your souls', a set phrase for self-denial, understood chiefly as fasting. A 'foreigner living among you' is a resident outsider settled long-term in Israel, bound by this rule as much as a native.

30For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, so that you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

30For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

31It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. This is a lasting rule.

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

NoteThe Hebrew is 'a sabbath of sabbaths', the strongest term for rest, the same one used of the weekly sabbath, meaning no work of any kind, not merely a lighter day.

32The priest who is anointed and set apart to serve as priest in his father's place shall make the atonement, and he shall put on the linen clothes, which are the holy clothes.

32And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:

Note'Anointed' means having sacred oil poured on the head at installation; 'set apart' renders a Hebrew idiom, literally 'whose hand is filled', the standard phrase for ordaining a priest. The verse provides for Aaron's successors: the office passed from father to son.

33He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the community.

33And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

34This shall be a lasting rule for you, to make atonement for the Israelites once a year for all their sins." And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

34And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.