How the high priest must enter into the holy place, 1-10. The sin offering for himself, 11-14. The sin offering for the people, 15-19. The scape-goat, 20-28. The yearly feast of the expiations, 29-34.
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 shall not come at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat. 3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bull for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and have the linen breeches upon his body, and he shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen miter he shall be attired. These are holy garments; therefore, he shall wash his flesh in water and put them on in this manner. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering and one ram for a burnt-offering. 6 And Aaron shall offer his bull of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house. 7 And he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scape-goat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon 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 scape-goat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make an atonement with him and to let him go for a scape-goat into the wilderness.
11 "And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull of the sin-offering which is for himself. 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. 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of the incense shall cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony so that he will not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward. 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 he shall do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat. 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 he shall do likewise for the Tabernacle of the Congregation that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 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 comes out and has made an atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18 And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make an atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
20 "And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 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. 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities to a land not inhabited. And he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.
23 "And Aaron shall come into the Tabernacle of the Congregation and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place and leave them there. 24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, put on his garments, come forth, 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 he shall burn upon the altar. 26 And he who let the goat go for the scape-goat shall wash his clothes, bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. 27 And 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, someone shall carry forth outside the camp and they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their dung. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes, bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29 "And this shall be a statute forever 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 who sojourns among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make an atonement for you to cleanse you so that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It shall be a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls by a statute forever. 32 And the priest whom he anoints and whom he consecrates to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead shall make the atonement and put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments. 33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary and 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. 34 And this shall be an everlasting statute to 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Leviticus, Chapter 16[➚]