Leviticus 16:22

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

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.

Complete Jewish Bible:

The goat will bear all their transgressions away to some isolated place, and he is to let the goat go in the desert.

Berean Standard Bible:

The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

American Standard Version:

and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And the goat^{H8163} shall bear^{H5375} upon him all their iniquities^{H5771} unto a land^{H776} not inhabited^{H1509}: and he shall let go^{H7971} the goat^{H8163} in the wilderness^{H4057}.

Cross-References (KJV):

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Commentary for Leviticus 16:22

Leviticus 16:22 is part of the detailed instructions for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Book of Leviticus, which is the third book of the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Bible. This day was the holiest in the Israelite religious calendar, occurring on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tishri.

The verse describes a ritual known as the "scapegoat" ceremony. Here are the themes and historical context:

**Themes:**
1. **Atonement and Forgiveness:** The central theme of the chapter is atonement for the sins of the people. The ceremony was designed to cleanse the Israelites of their sins and reconcile them with God.
2. **Substitutionary Sacrifice:** The goat symbolically carries the sins of the community into the wilderness, illustrating the concept of transferring guilt onto a substitute, which is then removed.
3. **Purity and Impurity:** The ritual underscores the importance of purity in the Israelite camp and the need to separate the community from impurity and sin.
4. **Divine Presence:** The ceremony was also about restoring the sanctity of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), ensuring that God's presence could continue to dwell among His people.

**Historical Context:**
- **Covenant People:** The Israelites were established as a covenant people through the Exodus and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. The laws in Leviticus were part of the covenant obligations to maintain their special relationship with God.
- **Tabernacle Worship:** These instructions would have been implemented in the context of the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary that the Israelites carried with them during their wilderness wanderings. The rituals were later adapted for the Temple in Jerusalem.
- **Priestly Code:** Leviticus is often associated with priestly literature, which emphasizes ritual, purity, and the role of the priesthood, particularly the Aaronic priesthood, in mediating between God and the people.
- **Community and Individual Responsibility:** The Day of Atonement rituals, including the scapegoat, served to reinforce the communal nature of the Israelite religion while also highlighting individual responsibility for sin.

In the broader context of the ancient Near East, such rituals were not uncommon. Neighboring cultures also had ceremonies to cleanse the community of impurity and to appease deities. However, the Israelite version was distinctive in its theology and in the role it assigned to the high priest as the mediator of atonement.

*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: 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.
   
2. Strong's Number: H5375
   There are 611 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָשָׂא
   Transliteration: nâsâʼ
   Pronunciation: naw-saw'
   Description: or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 (אֲבַד)), a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative; accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ([phrase] man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, [idiom] needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, [phrase] swear, take (away, up), [idiom] utterly, wear, yield.
   
3. Strong's Number: H5771
   There are 213 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עָוֺן
   Transliteration: ʻâvôn
   Pronunciation: aw-vone'
   Description: or עָווֹן; (2 Kings 7:9; Psalm 51:5 (אֲבַד)), from עָוָה; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil; fault, iniquity, mischeif, punishment (of iniquity), sin.
   
4. Strong's Number: H776
   There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֶרֶץ
   Transliteration: ʼerets
   Pronunciation: eh'-rets
   Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
   
5. Strong's Number: H1509
   There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: גְּזֵרָה
   Transliteration: gᵉzêrâh
   Pronunciation: ghez-ay-raw'
   Description: from גָּזַר; a desert (as separated); not inhabited.
   
6. Strong's Number: H7971
   There are 790 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שָׁלַח
   Transliteration: shâlach
   Pronunciation: shaw-lakh'
   Description: a primitive root; to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, [idiom] earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).
   
7. Strong's Number: H4057
   There are 257 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מִדְבָּר
   Transliteration: midbâr
   Pronunciation: mid-bawr'
   Description: from דָבַר in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs); desert, south, speech, wilderness.