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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Leviticus 16-18
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The really big day in Israel, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD, and died;
2 and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3 ¶ “Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.
4 He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on.
5 And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.
6 ¶ “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.
7 He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for 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 it as 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 atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
11 ¶ “And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself.
12 Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he 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 side; 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, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
16 So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17 There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.
18 And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and 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.
19 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
20 ¶ “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.
21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.
22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
23 ¶ “Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of meeting, shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there.
24 And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, 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 And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may 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 in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal.
28 Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
29 ¶ “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
32 And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments;
33 then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle 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, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
This chapter begins with a reminder regarding the loss of Aaron's two oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus 10 (see notes). That certainly provided a wake-up call to Aaron here as to the seriousness with which he should execute the procedures outlined.
This is the special day of the year that practicing Jews call "Yom Kippur." It is said that this is the most celebrated day of the Jewish year by Jews today. "Yom Kippur" is the English transliteration of the Hebrew words for "Day of Atonement." On this day, the people of Israel fasted. This fast is prescribed in verses 29-31 where they are told to "afflict their souls." That phrase is used to indicate a fast in Isaiah 58 (see notes). They were also to refrain from work. Only the High Priest had responsibilities on that day - sacrificial responsibilities.
The ritual included the following:
First, there was the sacrifice of the bull as the priests' sin offering ("for himself, and for his house..." in verse 11) and the ram for a burnt offering. That was followed by the selection by lot (see note on casting lots) of one of the goats to be sacrificed as the people’s sin offering while the other was driven off into the wilderness. The one that was set free was called the "scapegoat." Interestingly enough, this is the source of our term "scapegoat." The other goat was sacrificed on the altar. Which goat would you rather be? Before you answer that, read verses 21-22. The High Priest would "confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat..." And then it says in verse 22, "...The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land." So that's where the "scapegoat" phrase takes on contemporary usage. That's the goat that took on all the guilt of the whole nation...but he did go free.
This is the one day each year when the High Priest goes into the Most Holy Place (aka Holy of Holies). He sprinkled the blood of the bull upon the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. And why was this all done each year? Leviticus 16:30 says, "For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD." Leviticus 16:34 says, "This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year."
The Ark of the Covenant disappeared prior to Jerusalem's fall in 586 B.C. In Jesus' day, there was no mercy seat in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. We're told by extra-biblical sources that there was just a big rock in there. Today's Jews don't even have a temple. All that remains of this special day today (Yom Kippur) is the fasting; no sacrificing of animals is done. It is still observed by most practicing Jews, but quite differently from the pattern of observance specified here in scripture.
It is interesting to note that on the one day of the year (Day of Atonement) when the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place, he wore different clothing which he changed into while still standing in the Holy Place (Leviticus 16:4, 23-24). The people never saw him in this special clothing on the Day of Atonement.
For a complete overview of all the Jewish Festivals, see Leviticus 23 (see notes). For more information on the activities of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on this special day, read the specifications found in Exodus 28 (see notes).
Incidentally, there is an oft-repeated, yet untrue addition to this procedure that a rope was tied to the high priest's ankle for the purpose of pulling the dead man out if the bells stopped ringing. Obviously it's an embellishment based upon Exodus 28:35 and verse 13 in this passage, but there is absolutely no Biblical record nor Jewish tradition that this ever took place. As a matter of fact, careful examination of the Biblical specifications here shows this notion to be impossible inasmuch as the priest shed the robe with the bells and changed into the special bell-less garment prior to entering the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16:4, 23-24).
Why didn't they eat their cattle? (Leviticus 17)
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying:
3 “Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
4 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people,
5 to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the LORD.
6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the LORD.
7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.” ’
8 ¶ “Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from among his people.
10 ¶ “And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, “No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’
13 ¶ “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust;
14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, “You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
15 ¶ “And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean.
16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt.”
Now here's an interesting provision of their wilderness journey in verses 3-4, "Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people." Apparently if you wanted a nice meat dinner from your flock, those critters had to be offered at the Tabernacle "as peace offerings" (verse 5). It further appears that these restrictions applied during their wilderness excursion and were lifted upon their arrival in Canaan according to Deuteronomy 12:20-25 (see notes). Previous to their entry into Canaan, the Israelites were not permitted to eat their cattle in the wilderness without bringing them to the priests first as peace offerings. You will recall from Leviticus 7:11-36 (see notes) that this is the offering where everybody gets to eat up.
Many have questioned why the Israelites, who left with all their herds from Egypt, didn't just dip into the herd when they got hungry. Apparently our answer to that question is found here in this chapter. Look at Leviticus 17:7, "They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot." Obviously the practice of slaying an animal from the herd had deep religious significance back in Egypt. Therefore, they didn't eat from the herd unless God said it was okay to do so. These animals were centerpieces of idolatry in Egypt. Perhaps in an attempt to prevent the Hebrews from slipping back into idolatry, every slain member of their flocks had to come through the Tabernacle under the priests' supervision. Remember what Aaron made from gold for idolatrous purposes back in Exodus 32 (see notes)? That's right...a calf. Likewise, after Solomon's death, the Northern Kingdom adopted two calves as the new symbol of their religion in I Kings 12:25-33 (see notes).
Verses 10-16 solidly establish a Jewish law - NO EATING BLOOD! If you're going to keep the Law of Moses, give up the rare/medium-rare steaks. Blood had a special purpose as we see in verse 11.
This phrase, "cut off from" is used frequently in the Torah (first five books of Old Testament) for various offenses; it's used three times in this chapter. No one can say for certain whether that means excommunicated from Israel or put to death. Sometimes the context seems to give a hint. Whether it means exile or death in these instances, these violators won't be permitted to hang with their Hebrew neighbors any longer after their offense.
Sexual taboos - not just for the Hebrews (Leviticus 18)
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God.
3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.
4 You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God.
5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.
6 ¶ “None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the LORD.
7 The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness.
9 The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover.
10 The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness.
11 The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness.
12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father.
13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother.
14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.
15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness.
16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness.
18 Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.
19 ¶ “Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity.
20 Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her.
21 And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
23 Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.
24 ¶ “Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.
25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants.
26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you
27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled),
28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 ¶ “Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.’ ”
To uncover another's nakedness in this chapter means to have sexual relations with that person. Verses 1-20 give the Hebrews restrictions regarding these actions of intimacy. This regulated who the Hebrews could and could not marry. Notice the Jacob-Leah clause in verse 18 - no marrying a second sister while the first lives. Where was this law when Laban flimflammed Jacob back in Haran in Genesis 29:21-30 (see notes)? He could have used such a law back then.
You will notice that most of the prohibitions of these verses have no punishment associated with them here. These are listed again in Leviticus 20 (see notes) where specific punishments ARE associated with most of these violations - in most cases, death. We see in verse 3 that these restrictions differentiated the Hebrews from the practices of the Egyptians and Canaanites.
The intimate relations forbidden in this chapter include:
Moreover, the following are absolutely forbidden:
How serious does God regard violations of these principles? There's a solemn warning that goes beyond the Law of Moses in Leviticus 18:27-28, "(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you." Those "nations that were before you" weren't under the Law of Moses, but God found these sexual practices so repulsive that he "vomited out the nations." Some things are just wrong! wrong! wrong!
In verse 21 we see, what appears to be, a prohibition against human sacrifice. Molech was an old Canaanitish idol. Sometimes the pagan nations actually made human sacrifices to this pagan god.
Based upon these prohibitions for which the nations were held accountable who were not even under the Law of Moses, it would appear that God has deemed these practices as abominations for all mankind, and I would add...for all time.
Incidentally, these stipulations of the Law of Moses are so important, they are again strongly emphasized in Leviticus 20 (see notes). We further see in Leviticus 20:23, "And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them." These sexual practices were so repulsive to God, he drove the Canaanites out of their land because of them. As a matter of fact, Moses repeats this assertion 38+ years later in Deuteronomy 9:4 (see notes), "Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you."