Leviticus 16: The Day of Atonement - Atonement Made Once and For All
And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died;
And 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.
Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
He 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.
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.
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
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.
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:
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 vail:
And 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:
And 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.
Then 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:
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 remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
And 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.
And 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.
And 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.
And 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:
And 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:
And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
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:
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.
And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
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.
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.
And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
And 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:
For 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.
It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
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:
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.
And 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.
Leviticus 16 describes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most solemn day in Israel's calendar. This chapter emphasizes the crucial need for atonement for sin, enabling God's people to receive forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. The high priest's ministry was central to facilitating this process. God established the regulations for the Day of Atonement against a backdrop of priestly disobedience, making it unequivocally clear to Aaron that he was to adhere strictly to the Lord’s commands (Leviticus 16:1-2).
The Sacred Space and the High Priest's Role
Aaron played the central role in this drama of redemption. He couldn't enter the Most Holy Place, behind the curtain where the Ark of the Covenant resided, whenever he pleased. Entering unworthily would result in death because, as the Lord stated, He appeared in the cloud above the mercy seat—the gold cover over the ark (Leviticus 16:2). This small space within the tabernacle, and later the temple, literally housed the glorious, holy presence of God. Therefore, God alone determined who could enter His throne room and under what conditions. In accordance with God’s demand for purity, Aaron had to first offer sacrifices for himself and his family (Leviticus 16:3-6). Verses 7-10 then provide a general overview of the day’s rituals before the detailed instructions begin.
Entering the Most Holy Place
During the day's sacrifices and rituals, Aaron entered and exited the Most Holy Place three times (Leviticus 16:12-15). The first time, he burned fragrant incense before the Lord (Leviticus 16:12-13). The second time, he brought some of the bull’s blood from his sin offering and sprinkled it against the east side of the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times (Leviticus 16:14). His third entrance involved bringing the blood of the male goat for the people’s sin offering and sprinkling it on and in front of the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:15).
Purification and Atonement
Once Aaron had purified the Most Holy Place in this way for all the Israelites’ sins, he was to do the same for the tent of meeting itself (Leviticus 16:16). Throughout this purification process, no one else was permitted inside the tabernacle from the moment Aaron entered until he had made atonement for himself, his household, and the entire assembly of Israel (Leviticus 16:17). The congregation of Israel—who also had to cleanse and prepare themselves for this solemn day (see Leviticus 16:29, 31)—would know all was well when Aaron emerged to make atonement for the altar of burnt offering with the blood of the sacrifices (Leviticus 16:18-19).
The Scapegoat: Bearing the Sins of the Nation
The ritual involving the live male goat was another unique feature of the Day of Atonement. Aaron was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the sins of the people. In this way, he ceremonially transferred the nation’s sins to the goat, which was then sent into the wilderness—symbolizing the removal of their sins from the camp. The Hebrew word for this goat, azazel, has generated some speculation. The traditional interpretation of the term is “scapegoat,” which fits the context since the goat was to bear the nation’s sins. But the term could also refer to a rocky precipice—off of which the goat was pushed to its death. Regardless, redemption was illustrated by the transferring of sins to this live animal.
This imagery offers profound encouragement for believers in Jesus Christ. Because our sins too have been sent away, so to speak, we can have confidence in our salvation. The scapegoat isn't coming back to return to us all the sins we thought were gone. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your sins have been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
Watching the goat being led away served as a vivid illustration to the Israelites that their sins had been removed and fully atoned for. Yet, it’s important to remember that this ritual had to be repeated annually (see Leviticus 16:34). Only through Christ do sinful people have a sacrifice that was offered “once for all time” and lasts “forever” (Hebrews 10:10-14).
Completing the Atonement
Following this ceremony, Aaron returned to the tent of meeting to change out of his special clothing and bathe again. He then offered the burnt offering that made atonement for his sins and those of the people (Leviticus 16:23-24). The unused parts of the offering were brought outside the camp and burned (Leviticus 16:27). The author of Hebrews alludes to the practice and says this was also true of Jesus Christ who “suffered outside the gate” of the city (Hebrews 13:11-12). Therefore, Christians should identify with their Lord and “go to him outside the camp.” In other words, we must be willing to bear “his disgrace” (Hebrews 13:13).
Fulfillment in Christ
The Day of Atonement was to be established as an annual event. With it came a once-a-year sacrifice of atonement for Israel’s sins, officiated by the high priest alone. It was needed to make atonement for the Israelites . . . because of all their sins. When Jesus offered himself as our great high priest, he made atonement for our sins once and for all (see Hebrews 10:10). The Day of Atonement was fulfilled in him.
And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died;
And 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.
Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
He 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.
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.
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
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.
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:
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 vail:
And 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:
And 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.
Then 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:
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 remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
And 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.
And 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.
And 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.
And 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:
And 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:
And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
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:
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.
And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
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.
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.
And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
And 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:
For 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.
It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
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:
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.
And 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.
Leviticus 16 describes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most solemn day in Israel's calendar. This chapter emphasizes the crucial need for atonement for sin, enabling God's people to receive forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. The high priest's ministry was central to facilitating this process. God established the regulations for the Day of Atonement against a backdrop of priestly disobedience, making it unequivocally clear to Aaron that he was to adhere strictly to the Lord’s commands (Leviticus 16:1-2).
The Sacred Space and the High Priest's Role
Aaron played the central role in this drama of redemption. He couldn't enter the Most Holy Place, behind the curtain where the Ark of the Covenant resided, whenever he pleased. Entering unworthily would result in death because, as the Lord stated, He appeared in the cloud above the mercy seat—the gold cover over the ark (Leviticus 16:2). This small space within the tabernacle, and later the temple, literally housed the glorious, holy presence of God. Therefore, God alone determined who could enter His throne room and under what conditions. In accordance with God’s demand for purity, Aaron had to first offer sacrifices for himself and his family (Leviticus 16:3-6). Verses 7-10 then provide a general overview of the day’s rituals before the detailed instructions begin.
Entering the Most Holy Place
During the day's sacrifices and rituals, Aaron entered and exited the Most Holy Place three times (Leviticus 16:12-15). The first time, he burned fragrant incense before the Lord (Leviticus 16:12-13). The second time, he brought some of the bull’s blood from his sin offering and sprinkled it against the east side of the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times (Leviticus 16:14). His third entrance involved bringing the blood of the male goat for the people’s sin offering and sprinkling it on and in front of the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:15).
Purification and Atonement
Once Aaron had purified the Most Holy Place in this way for all the Israelites’ sins, he was to do the same for the tent of meeting itself (Leviticus 16:16). Throughout this purification process, no one else was permitted inside the tabernacle from the moment Aaron entered until he had made atonement for himself, his household, and the entire assembly of Israel (Leviticus 16:17). The congregation of Israel—who also had to cleanse and prepare themselves for this solemn day (see Leviticus 16:29, 31)—would know all was well when Aaron emerged to make atonement for the altar of burnt offering with the blood of the sacrifices (Leviticus 16:18-19).
The Scapegoat: Bearing the Sins of the Nation
The ritual involving the live male goat was another unique feature of the Day of Atonement. Aaron was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the sins of the people. In this way, he ceremonially transferred the nation’s sins to the goat, which was then sent into the wilderness—symbolizing the removal of their sins from the camp. The Hebrew word for this goat, azazel, has generated some speculation. The traditional interpretation of the term is “scapegoat,” which fits the context since the goat was to bear the nation’s sins. But the term could also refer to a rocky precipice—off of which the goat was pushed to its death. Regardless, redemption was illustrated by the transferring of sins to this live animal.
This imagery offers profound encouragement for believers in Jesus Christ. Because our sins too have been sent away, so to speak, we can have confidence in our salvation. The scapegoat isn't coming back to return to us all the sins we thought were gone. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your sins have been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
Watching the goat being led away served as a vivid illustration to the Israelites that their sins had been removed and fully atoned for. Yet, it’s important to remember that this ritual had to be repeated annually (see Leviticus 16:34). Only through Christ do sinful people have a sacrifice that was offered “once for all time” and lasts “forever” (Hebrews 10:10-14).
Completing the Atonement
Following this ceremony, Aaron returned to the tent of meeting to change out of his special clothing and bathe again. He then offered the burnt offering that made atonement for his sins and those of the people (Leviticus 16:23-24). The unused parts of the offering were brought outside the camp and burned (Leviticus 16:27). The author of Hebrews alludes to the practice and says this was also true of Jesus Christ who “suffered outside the gate” of the city (Hebrews 13:11-12). Therefore, Christians should identify with their Lord and “go to him outside the camp.” In other words, we must be willing to bear “his disgrace” (Hebrews 13:13).
Fulfillment in Christ
The Day of Atonement was to be established as an annual event. With it came a once-a-year sacrifice of atonement for Israel’s sins, officiated by the high priest alone. It was needed to make atonement for the Israelites . . . because of all their sins. When Jesus offered himself as our great high priest, he made atonement for our sins once and for all (see Hebrews 10:10). The Day of Atonement was fulfilled in him.