American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Leviticus 16
1
And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
2
And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is on the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.
Reference
Grace
Leviticus 16:13
Holy
Exodus 30:10
Hebrews 9:25
1 Kings 8:6
Leviticus 23:27
Parallel theme
Matthew 27:51
Hebrews 9:3
References Lord
2 Chronicles 5:14
Leviticus 8:35
Numbers 17:10
3
Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Reference
4
He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches on his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen turban shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Reference
5
And 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.
Reference
6
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Reference
7
And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 12:1
8
And Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9
And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10
But 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.
Reference
11
And 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:
Reference
Sin
Leviticus 16:6
12
And 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 veil:
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 31:11
Numbers 16:18
Hebrews 9:14
References Lord
Leviticus 10:1
Sacrifice
Numbers 16:46
13
And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, that he die not:
Reference
14
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Reference
Blood
Hebrews 9:25
Hebrews 9:13
Hebrews 9:7
Hebrews 10:4
Leviticus 4:17
Parallel theme
Leviticus 8:11
15
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Reference
Blood
Hebrews 9:7
Hebrews 9:12
Grace
Hebrews 2:17
Leviticus 16:2
Parallel theme
Hebrews 9:3
Hebrews 6:19
Sin
Hebrews 5:3
16
And 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 remains among them in the middle of their uncleanness.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 16:18
17
And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes 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.
Reference
18
And he shall go out to 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 on the horns of the altar round about.
Reference
19
And he shall sprinkle of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 13:1
20
And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Reference
21
And Aaron shall lay both his hands on 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 on the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 29:10
Romans 10:10
References Israel
Ezra 10:1
Sin
Isaiah 53:6
2 Corinthians 5:21
Psalm 51:3
Psalm 32:5
Proverbs 28:13
22
And the goat shall bear on him all their iniquities to a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Reference
23
And 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:
Reference
24
And 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.
25
And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn on the altar.
Reference
Sacrifice
Exodus 29:13
26
And 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.
Reference
27
And 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.
Reference
28
And he that burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29
And this shall be a statute for ever to you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojournes among you:
Reference
30
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Reference
31
It shall be a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
Reference
32
And 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:
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 16:4
33
And 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.
Reference
Summary of Leviticus 16
Leviticus chapter 16 describes the Day of Atonement: the Israelites’ most sacred day of worship. It explains what duties had to be performed by the high priest, what sacrifices were to be offered at the altar, and how to deal with the sins and uncleanness of the people of Israel. It is important to understand how Leviticus 16 emphasizes atonement and holiness because they are part of the Israelite religion.
The instructions were given by God to Moses after Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died because they brought strange fire before Him. God instructed Aaron that he could not enter the Holiest Place at any time, and even if he did, he would be killed. The veil was behind Him, where the Ark of His covenant was located. Therefore, Aaron had to be dressed in special holy garments when he performed the duties in the most sacred place. He brought a young bullock for the sin offering and a ram for the burnt offering. He had to wear linen garments, and it was necessary to wash his body with water before he put them on.
The Israelites had to bring Aaron two male goats for sin offering and one ram for the burnt offering. The two goats were presented before the Lord at the tabernacle’s door. Then, lots were cast for them. For the Lord, a lot was cast, and the goat was taken to Him as a sin offering. The second lot was cast for the scapegoat.
Aaron first took the bullock for his sin offering and brought it to the altar. Then he took a censer containing burning coals of fire from the altar and put incense on it. He took it behind the veil with the incense and caused a cloud of smoke to appear before the Lord. When the incense went up toward the mercy seat, it covered it, and Aaron could not see the holy place.
He took some of the bullock’s blood and sprinkled it with his finger on the mercy seat. Then he sprinkled the blood before the mercy seat seven times. It was done to make atonement for the holy place, the altar, and the priests.
Then Aaron brought the goat that was taken for the Lord as a sin offering and slew it. He took some of its blood with him behind the veil and sprinkled it like he did in the case of the bullock. The sins of all the Israelites were forgiven, and they were atoned for because they polluted this holy place.
Aaron also had to make atonement for the altar before the Lord. He took part of the bullock’s blood and part of the goat’s blood and sprinkled them on its horns. Then he sprinkled seven times the blood on the altar to expiate and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Aaron took the other goat, laid both his hands on its head, and confessed before the Lord of all the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the children of Israel. He laid them on the goat and sent it into the wilderness by the hand of the priest appointed to them. They had to carry all their sins far away from them.
When Aaron finished all these rituals, he laid off the linen garments that he had worn and washed his body with water, and he put on his priestly garments again. Aaron burned the fat of the sin offerings on the altar as an offering to the Lord. The rest of the animals were burned with fire on the altar. Whoever touched the carcass of any of the sin offerings had to wash their clothes and bathe themselves before going back to the camp. Leviticus 16 shows the precise order of ceremonies that must be carried out when atoning for sins. All participants must observe holiness and follow special rules.
The Israelites had to observe this day as a Sabbath of days of cessation, and they had to afflict themselves because it was a day of atonement. They could neither work nor do any other business. The Day of Atonement was appointed as a statute for all the Israelites. Aaron had to make an atonement once a year for the sins of the children of Israel.
On this day, he presented before the Lord the most sacred place: the altar, the tabernacle, the priests, and all the Israelites. This yearly ceremony was intended to expiate the sins and uncleanness of the Israelites. It emphasized the importance of the law of holiness and the need for the Israelites to honor God as the most holy and pure.
Leviticus 16 ends with the description of the sacrifices that had to be made once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month. For the native-born Israelites as well as the strangers who were living among them, this day was sacred. It was a day of fasting and atonement, and a day of rest. Everything that had to be done to expiate and sanctify the people of Israel was described here.
Leviticus 16 is significant because it sums up all the previous things said to the Israelites by God. He spoke with them about sacrifices and priests, about clean and unclean things and the order of service in the house of His covenant. Here, He described the most important rite that expiated the sins and uncleanness of all the people.
It is important to note that Aaron had to be especially careful while performing these rites because of the holiness of the place and the altar. Even though he was a priest by profession, he could not approach God at any time he wanted. Before visiting the most sacred place of the tabernacle, Aaron had to wash his body and change into special linen garments.
The two goats that had to be offered to the Lord served for different purposes. One was a sin offering, and the other was a scapegoat. Aaron confessed the sins of the Israelites before the Lord over the scapegoat. Then he sent it into the wilderness, and it carried all the sins of the Israelites.
The Day of Atonement was central to the Israelites, and once a year, the priest had to make atonement for the sins of all the people. They were commanded to humble themselves and do everything necessary so that they could re-establish relations with God.
The instructions were given by God to Moses after Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died because they brought strange fire before Him. God instructed Aaron that he could not enter the Holiest Place at any time, and even if he did, he would be killed. The veil was behind Him, where the Ark of His covenant was located. Therefore, Aaron had to be dressed in special holy garments when he performed the duties in the most sacred place. He brought a young bullock for the sin offering and a ram for the burnt offering. He had to wear linen garments, and it was necessary to wash his body with water before he put them on.
The Israelites had to bring Aaron two male goats for sin offering and one ram for the burnt offering. The two goats were presented before the Lord at the tabernacle’s door. Then, lots were cast for them. For the Lord, a lot was cast, and the goat was taken to Him as a sin offering. The second lot was cast for the scapegoat.
Aaron first took the bullock for his sin offering and brought it to the altar. Then he took a censer containing burning coals of fire from the altar and put incense on it. He took it behind the veil with the incense and caused a cloud of smoke to appear before the Lord. When the incense went up toward the mercy seat, it covered it, and Aaron could not see the holy place.
He took some of the bullock’s blood and sprinkled it with his finger on the mercy seat. Then he sprinkled the blood before the mercy seat seven times. It was done to make atonement for the holy place, the altar, and the priests.
Then Aaron brought the goat that was taken for the Lord as a sin offering and slew it. He took some of its blood with him behind the veil and sprinkled it like he did in the case of the bullock. The sins of all the Israelites were forgiven, and they were atoned for because they polluted this holy place.
Aaron also had to make atonement for the altar before the Lord. He took part of the bullock’s blood and part of the goat’s blood and sprinkled them on its horns. Then he sprinkled seven times the blood on the altar to expiate and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Aaron took the other goat, laid both his hands on its head, and confessed before the Lord of all the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the children of Israel. He laid them on the goat and sent it into the wilderness by the hand of the priest appointed to them. They had to carry all their sins far away from them.
When Aaron finished all these rituals, he laid off the linen garments that he had worn and washed his body with water, and he put on his priestly garments again. Aaron burned the fat of the sin offerings on the altar as an offering to the Lord. The rest of the animals were burned with fire on the altar. Whoever touched the carcass of any of the sin offerings had to wash their clothes and bathe themselves before going back to the camp. Leviticus 16 shows the precise order of ceremonies that must be carried out when atoning for sins. All participants must observe holiness and follow special rules.
The Israelites had to observe this day as a Sabbath of days of cessation, and they had to afflict themselves because it was a day of atonement. They could neither work nor do any other business. The Day of Atonement was appointed as a statute for all the Israelites. Aaron had to make an atonement once a year for the sins of the children of Israel.
On this day, he presented before the Lord the most sacred place: the altar, the tabernacle, the priests, and all the Israelites. This yearly ceremony was intended to expiate the sins and uncleanness of the Israelites. It emphasized the importance of the law of holiness and the need for the Israelites to honor God as the most holy and pure.
Leviticus 16 ends with the description of the sacrifices that had to be made once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month. For the native-born Israelites as well as the strangers who were living among them, this day was sacred. It was a day of fasting and atonement, and a day of rest. Everything that had to be done to expiate and sanctify the people of Israel was described here.
Leviticus 16 is significant because it sums up all the previous things said to the Israelites by God. He spoke with them about sacrifices and priests, about clean and unclean things and the order of service in the house of His covenant. Here, He described the most important rite that expiated the sins and uncleanness of all the people.
It is important to note that Aaron had to be especially careful while performing these rites because of the holiness of the place and the altar. Even though he was a priest by profession, he could not approach God at any time he wanted. Before visiting the most sacred place of the tabernacle, Aaron had to wash his body and change into special linen garments.
The two goats that had to be offered to the Lord served for different purposes. One was a sin offering, and the other was a scapegoat. Aaron confessed the sins of the Israelites before the Lord over the scapegoat. Then he sent it into the wilderness, and it carried all the sins of the Israelites.
The Day of Atonement was central to the Israelites, and once a year, the priest had to make atonement for the sins of all the people. They were commanded to humble themselves and do everything necessary so that they could re-establish relations with God.