4 Oct 2025 – jeffersonvann

Leviticus 16

Leviticus 16:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near to Yahveh’s face and died,

Leviticus 16:2 and Yahveh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Sacred Place inside the veil, at the face of the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. Because I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

Leviticus 16:3 But in this way, Aaron will come into the Sacred Place: with a bull from the herd for a failure offering and a ram for an ascending offering.

Leviticus 16:4 He will put on the sacred linen shirt and will have the linen undergarment over his skin, and he will tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban; these are the sacred garments. He will bathe his body in water and then put them on.

Leviticus 16:5 And he will take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a failure offering, and one ram for an ascending offering.

Leviticus 16:6 “Aaron will offer the bull as a failure offering for himself and will provide reconciliation for himself and for his house.

Leviticus 16:7 Then he will take the two goats and set them to Yahveh’s face at the entrance of the conference tent.

Leviticus 16:8 And Aaron will cast lots over the two goats, one lot for Yahveh and the other lot for entire removal.

Leviticus 16:9 And Aaron will present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahveh and use it as a failure offering,

Leviticus 16:10 but the goat on which the lot fell for entire removal will be presented alive to Yahveh’s face to provide reconciliation upon it, that it may be sent away into the open country for entire removal.

Leviticus 16:11 “Aaron will present the bull as a failure offering for himself and will provide reconciliation for himself and for his house. He will kill the bull as a failure offering for himself.

Leviticus 16:12 And he will take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar to Yahveh’s face, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he will bring it inside the veil

Leviticus 16:13 and put the incense on the fire to Yahveh’s face, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the reminder,[1] so that he does not die.

Leviticus 16:14 And he will take some of the blood of the bull and spritz it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in the face of the mercy seat he will spritz some of the blood with his finger seven times.

Leviticus 16:15 “Then he will kill the goat of the failure offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, spritzing it over the mercy seat and in the face of the mercy seat.

Leviticus 16:16 Thus he will provide reconciliation for the Sacred Place, because of the contamination of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their mistakes. And he will do the same for the conference tent, which dwells with them in the midst of their contamination.

Leviticus 16:17 No human may be in the conference tent from the time he enters to provide reconciliation in the Sacred Place until he comes out and has provided reconciliation for himself and for his house and for all the collected assembly of Israel.

Leviticus 16:18 Then he will go out to the altar that is to Yahveh’s face and provide reconciliation for it and will 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.

Leviticus 16:19 And he will spritz some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the contamination of the people of Israel.

Leviticus 16:20 “And when he has made an end of providing reconciliation for the Sacred Place and the conference tent and the altar, he will present the live goat.

Leviticus 16:21 And Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the violations of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their mistakes. And he will put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the open country by the hand of a man who is standing ready.

Leviticus 16:22 The goat will carry all their violations on itself to a remote area, and he will let the goat go free in the open country.

Leviticus 16:23 “Then Aaron will come into the conference tent and will take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Sacred Place and will leave them there.

Leviticus 16:24 And he will bathe his body in water in a sacred place and put on his garments and come out and offer his ascending offering and the ascending offering of the people and provide reconciliation for himself and for the people.

Leviticus 16:25 And the fat of the failure offering he will burn on the altar.

Leviticus 16:26 And he who lets the goat go for entire removal will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

Leviticus 16:27 And the bull for the failure offering and the goat for the failure offering, whose blood was brought in to provide reconciliation in the Sacred Place, will be carried outside the camp. Their hides and their flesh and their dung will be burned up with fire.

Leviticus 16:28 And he who burns them will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

Leviticus 16:29 “And it will be a permanent prescription to you that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you will discipline your throats and will do no work, either the native or the foreign guests who are temporary residents among you.

Leviticus 16:30 Because on this day will reconciliation be provided for you to cleanse you. You will be clean to Yahveh’s face from all your mistakes.

Leviticus 16:31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you will discipline your throats; it is a permanent prescription.

Leviticus 16:32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place will provide reconciliation, wearing the sacred linen garments.

Leviticus 16:33 He will provide reconciliation for the sacred sanctuary, and he will provide reconciliation for the conference tent and for the altar, and he will provide reconciliation for the priests and for all the people of the collected assembly.

Leviticus 16:34 And this will be a permanent prescription for you, that reconciliation may be provided for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their mistakes.” And Aaron did as Yahveh commanded Moses.

[1] עֵדוּת = reminder. Leviticus 16:13; 24:3.

Leviticus 16 quotes:

“While the screen at the door separated the priests and Levites from the remaining children of Israel, the veil separated the high priest from the other priests and Levites. Only the high priest entered God’s presence in the most holy place, but even Aaron was limited to one day of entering God’s presence behind that veil for the entire year, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Thus, the veil clearly set forth the alienation between God and the children of Israel, including the priests and Levites. In short the veil evidenced entrance into God’s presence, was restricted to one person, and he in turn entered only on one day. Only in Christ did that alienation come to an end and reconciliation take place. In Christ the privilege of one is opened to all, the blessing of one day is available every day.”

Zehr, Paul M. God Dwells with His People : A Study of Israel’s Ancient Tabernacle. Herald Press, 1981. p. 98.

“Once the hands have been laid on, there was no turning back on this “dead-end road”—the animal had to be presented. According to Leviticus 16:21, the laying on of hands could also be practiced together with the confession of sin. In the purification offering this would acknowledge the transfer of sin from the sinner to the innocent animal”

Probstle, Martin T. Where God and I Meet : The Sanctuary. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2013. p. 56.

“According to Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement the high priest cast lots over two carefully selected goats in order to distinguish the ‘‘Lord’s goat’’ from the ‘‘scapegoat’’ (K.J.V.). He then slew the Lord’s goat and carried some of its blood through the holy place into the most holy place, where he sprinkled it on the floor in front of the ark of the covenant and on the ark itself. (It is helpful to notice that Leviticus 16 calls the most holy place simply the ‘‘holy place’’ and calls the sanctuary as a whole the ‘‘tent of meeting.’’)”

Maxwell, C. Mervyn. God & His Sanctuary. Pacific Press Publishing Association. 1983. p. 32.