King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And the priest shall dip his finger [in some] of the blood, and sprinkle [it] seven times before the LORD, [even] before the vail.
Complete Jewish Bible:
The cohen is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the presence of ADONAI in front of the curtain.
Berean Standard Bible:
and he is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.
American Standard Version:
and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Jehovah, before the veil.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And the priest{H3548} shall dip{H2881} his finger{H676} in some of the blood{H1818}, and sprinkle{H5137} it seven{H7651} times{H6471} before{H6440} the LORD{H3068}, even before{H6440} the vail{H6532}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Leviticus 4:6
- And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
Leviticus 4:7
- And the priest shall put [some] of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which [is] in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which [is at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
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Commentary for Leviticus 4:17
Leviticus 4:17 is part of a larger section in the book of Leviticus that deals with the laws of sacrifice and atonement for unintentional sins. The historical context of this verse is the Israelite society in the wilderness, shortly after their exodus from Egypt, when God gave Moses the instructions for the tabernacle and its ceremonies.
**Themes:**
1. **Atonement and Forgiveness:** The central theme of Leviticus 4 is the process by which the Israelites could atone for sins committed unintentionally. The ritual described involves a sin offering, which is meant to make amends for the sin and restore the relationship between the sinner and God.
2. **Priestly Role:** The verse highlights the role of the priest as a mediator between God and the people. The priest is responsible for performing the prescribed rituals, including the sprinkling of blood, which symbolizes the life force and is used in the ritual to purify and consecrate.
3. **Ritual Purity and Holiness:** The detailed instructions for the sin offering emphasize the importance of ritual purity in the Israelite religion. The number seven symbolizes perfection or completeness, suggesting that the sprinkling of blood seven times is a thorough and complete act of purification.
4. **The Presence of God:** The sprinkling of blood before the veil, which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), indicates that the atonement ritual is performed in the presence of God. The veil symbolized the separation between God and humanity due to sin, and only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.
**Historical Context:**
The book of Leviticus is traditionally attributed to Moses and is part of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. It contains legislation given to Moses by God concerning the religious and moral life of the Israelites. Leviticus 4 specifically deals with the sin offering, which was one of several types of offerings described in the book. These offerings were part of the religious practices of ancient Israel, designed to maintain their covenant relationship with God.
In the broader historical context, these laws would have been instituted around the 14th century BCE, during the time when the Israelites were wandering in the Sinai Peninsula after their escape from slavery in Egypt and before their entry into the Promised Land. The sacrificial system outlined in Leviticus would have been central to Israelite worship until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, after which Jewish religious practice shifted towards prayer, study, and synagogue worship.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H3548
There are 653 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כֹּהֵן
Transliteration: kôhên
Pronunciation: ko-hane'
Description: active participle of כָּהַן; literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman); chief ruler, [idiom] own, priest, prince, principal officer. - Strong's Number: H2881
There are 16 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: טָבַל
Transliteration: ṭâbal
Pronunciation: taw-bal'
Description: a primitive root; to dip, to immerse; dip, plunge. - Strong's Number: H676
There are 89 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶצְבַּע
Transliteration: ʼetsbaʻ
Pronunciation: ets-bah'
Description: from the same as צֶבַע (in the sense of grasping); something to sieze with, i.e. a finger; by analogy, a toe; finger, toe. - 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. - 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. - Strong's Number: H7651
There are 345 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שֶׁבַע
Transliteration: shebaʻ
Pronunciation: sheh'-bah
Description: or (masculine) (שִׁבְעָה); from שָׁבַע; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number; ([phrase] by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare שִׁבְעָנָה. - Strong's Number: H6471
There are 108 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פַּעַם
Transliteration: paʻam
Pronunciation: pah'-am
Description: or (feminine) פַּעֲמָה; from פָּעַם; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow); anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-) fold, [idiom] now, (this) [phrase] once, order, rank, step, [phrase] thrice, (often-), second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel. - 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. - Strong's Number: H3068
There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהֹוָה
Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה. - 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.