Leviticus 16:15

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

¶ 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:

Complete Jewish Bible:

"Next, he is to slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, bring its blood inside the curtain and do with its blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the ark-cover and in front of the ark-cover.

Berean Standard Bible:

Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.

American Standard Version:

Then shall he 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 bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat:

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Then shall he kill{H7819} the goat{H8163} of the sin offering{H2403}, that is for the people{H5971}, and bring{H935} his blood{H1818} within{H1004} the vail{H6532}, and do{H6213} with that blood{H1818} as he did{H6213} with the blood{H1818} of the bullock{H6499}, and sprinkle{H5137} it upon the mercy seat{H3727}, and before{H6440} the mercy seat{H3727}:

Cross-References (KJV):

Hebrews 9:7

  • But into the second [went] the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and [for] the errors of the people:

Hebrews 2:17

  • Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:12

  • Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].

Hebrews 9:3

  • And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Hebrews 6:19

  • Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Hebrews 5:3

  • And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

Leviticus 16:2

  • 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.

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Commentary for Leviticus 16:15

Leviticus 16:15 is a verse that captures a critical moment within the rituals of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. This day involved a series of sacrifices and ceremonies designed to cleanse and atone for the sins of the Israelites. The verse specifically describes the high priest's actions involving the goat designated for the sin offering for the people.

In the historical context, the high priest would first confess the sins of the people over the goat, symbolically transferring their iniquities onto the animal. He would then slaughter the goat and take its blood into the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), which was separated from the rest of the sanctuary by a veil or curtain. Inside this inner sanctum was the Ark of the Covenant, upon which sat the mercy seat, the golden cover that represented God's throne and presence.

The high priest would sprinkle the goat's blood on and before the mercy seat, a ritual that was also performed with the blood of a bull previously sacrificed for the sins of the priesthood. This act of sprinkling blood was central to the atonement process, signifying the means by which forgiveness and purification were sought. The repetition of the ritual with both the bull and the goat emphasized the comprehensive nature of the atonement, covering both the priests and the people.

The themes of Leviticus 16:15 include atonement, sacrifice, purification, and the holiness of God. It reflects the belief that sin creates a barrier between God and humanity, and that a divinely ordained process is necessary to restore the relationship. The meticulous attention to the ritual, including the specific instructions for the handling of the blood, underscores the gravity with which the Israelites approached their relationship with the divine and the seriousness of sin. This verse also prefigures the Christian understanding of atonement, where Jesus Christ is seen as the ultimate sacrifice whose blood was shed once for all, as described in the New Testament (Hebrews 9-10), superseding the need for the Levitical system of sacrifices.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H7819
    There are 70 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׁחַט
    Transliteration: shâchaṭ
    Pronunciation: shaw-khat'
    Description: a primitive root; to slaughter (in sacrifice or massacre); kill, offer, shoot out, slay, slaughter.
  2. Strong's Number: H8163
    There are 57 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׂעִיר
    Transliteration: sâʻîyr
    Pronunciation: saw-eer'
    Description: or שָׂעִר; from שָׂעַר; shaggy; as noun, a he-goat; by analogy, a faun; devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr.
  3. Strong's Number: H2403
    There are 272 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: חַטָּאָה
    Transliteration: chaṭṭâʼâh
    Pronunciation: khat-taw-aw'
    Description: or חַטָּאת; from חָטָא; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender; punishment (of sin), purifying(-fication for sin), sin(-ner, offering).
  4. Strong's Number: H5971
    There are 1654 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: עַם
    Transliteration: ʻam
    Pronunciation: am
    Description: from עָמַם; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock; folk, men, nation, people.
  5. Strong's Number: H935
    There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בּוֹא
    Transliteration: bôwʼ
    Pronunciation: bo
    Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way.
  6. Strong's Number: H1818
    There are 295 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: דָּם
    Transliteration: dâm
    Pronunciation: dawm
    Description: from דָּמַם (compare אָדַם); blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood); blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), [phrase] innocent.
  7. Strong's Number: H1004
    There are 1718 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בַּיִת
    Transliteration: bayith
    Pronunciation: bah'-yith
    Description: probably from בָּנָה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).
  8. Strong's Number: H6532
    There are 23 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: פֹּרֶכֶת
    Transliteration: pôreketh
    Pronunciation: po-reh'-keth
    Description: feminine active participle of the same as פֶּרֶךְ; a separatrix, i.e. (the sacred) screen; vail.
  9. Strong's Number: H6213
    There are 2286 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: עָשָׂה
    Transliteration: ʻâsâh
    Pronunciation: aw-saw'
    Description: a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application; accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.
  10. Strong's Number: H6499
    There are 119 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: פַּר
    Transliteration: par
    Pronunciation: par
    Description: or פָּר; from פָּרַר; a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof); ([phrase] young) bull(-ock), calf, ox.
  11. Strong's Number: H5137
    There are 22 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: נָזָה
    Transliteration: nâzâh
    Pronunciation: naw-zaw'
    Description: a primitive root; to spirt, i.e. besprinkle (especially in expiation); sprinkle.
  12. Strong's Number: H3727
    There are 22 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: כַּפֹּרֶת
    Transliteration: kappôreth
    Pronunciation: kap-po'-reth
    Description: from כָּפַר; a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark); mercy seat.
  13. Strong's Number: H6440
    There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: פָּנִים
    Transliteration: pânîym
    Pronunciation: paw-neem'
    Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.