Leviticus 16
Big idea: This is the centre of Leviticus, and it is dated by a death: Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron. The answer to "how does anyone come near and live?" is one day a year, one man, and a strictly prescribed sequence. Aaron bathes and wears plain linen — no ephod, no jewels — offers a bull for himself and his house, fills the Most Holy Place with incense so the cloud covers the mercy seat that he will not die, and sprinkles blood on and before it. Two goats are chosen by lot: one is killed for Yahweh, the other has all Israel's iniquities confessed over its head and is driven into the wilderness to a solitary land. Everything is cleansed — the Holy Place, the tent, the altar — and the day is fixed forever: the tenth day of the seventh month, afflict your souls, do no work.
Chapter 16 puts every drop of sacrificial blood at the altar and the mercy seat. Chapter 17 draws the conclusion: blood may be shed nowhere else, and eaten by no one.
16:1–5 — Not at just any time
The chapter is dated after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they came near before Yahweh and died. Aaron is told not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat, lest he die — for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. He comes with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, wearing the holy linen tunic, trousers, sash and turban, having bathed his body in water. From the congregation he takes two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before Yahweh, and died; 2 and Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. 3 “Aaron shall come into the sanctuary with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen tunic. He shall have the linen trousers on his body, and shall put on the linen sash, and he shall be clothed with the linen turban. They are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and put them on. 5 He shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
16:6–10 — Two goats, and the lots
Aaron offers the bull of the sin offering which is for himself, making atonement for himself and for his house. He sets the two goats before Yahweh at the door of the tent and casts lots for them: one lot for Yahweh, and the other for the scapegoat. The goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh is offered for a sin offering; the other is presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, to be sent away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
6 “Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 He shall take the two goats, and set them before Yahweh at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 8 Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, to send him away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
16:11–19 — Behind the veil
Aaron kills the bull for himself, takes a censer of coals from the altar and two handfuls of finely beaten incense, and brings them within the veil — putting the incense on the fire so the cloud covers the mercy seat, so that he will not die. He sprinkles the bull's blood with his finger on the mercy seat on the east, and seven times before it. Then he kills the goat for the people and does the same with its blood. He makes atonement for the Holy Place because of Israel's uncleanness and transgressions, and for the tent that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness. No one else may be inside. Then he goes out to the altar and puts blood from both animals on its horns, sprinkling it seven times to cleanse and hallow it.
11 “Aaron shall present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil. 13 He shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the covenant, so that he will not die. 14 He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16 He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness. 17 No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 “He shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull’s blood, and some of the goat’s blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar. 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
16:20–22 — The goat that carries it away
When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the tent and the altar, he presents the live goat. Aaron lays both his hands on its head and confesses over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, all their transgressions, all their sins — putting them on the head of the goat — and sends it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready. The goat carries all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and the man releases it in the wilderness.
20 “When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 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, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready. 22 The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
16:23–28 — After the goat is gone
Aaron returns to the tent, takes off the linen garments and leaves them there, bathes in a holy place, puts on his own garments, and comes out to offer his burnt offering and the people's, making atonement for himself and for them. The fat of the sin offering is burned on the altar. The man who released the goat washes his clothes and bathes before returning to the camp; so does the man who burns the bull and goat — whose blood was brought inside — outside the camp.
23 “Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there. 24 Then he shall bathe himself in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 “He who lets the goat go as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp. 27 The 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 they shall burn their skins, their flesh, and their dung with fire. 28 He who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
16:29–34 — A statute forever: the tenth day of the seventh month
The day is fixed: the seventh month, the tenth day. Afflict your souls and do no kind of work — native-born or foreigner alike — for on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest. The anointed priest who succeeds in his father's place shall make the atonement in the linen garments, for the sanctuary, the tent, the altar, the priests and all the people. An everlasting statute, once in the year — and it was done as Yahweh commanded Moses.
29 “It shall be a statute to you forever: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no kind of work, whether native-born or a stranger who lives as a foreigner among you; 30 for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments. 33 Then he 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 assembly. 34 “This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” It was done as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).