Leviticus 16:3

Thus shall Aaron come into the holy [place]: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

Thus {H2063} shall Aaron {H175} come {H935} into the holy {H6944} place: with a young {H1121}{H1241} bullock {H6499} for a sin offering {H2403}, and a ram {H352} for a burnt offering {H5930}.

"Here is how Aharon is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering.

This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering.

Commentary

Leviticus 16:3 outlines the specific and solemn preparations Aaron, the High Priest, had to undertake before entering the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) within the tabernacle on the annual Day of Atonement. This verse sets the stage for the elaborate rituals designed to purify both the priest and the sanctuary, allowing for reconciliation between God and His people.

Context

This verse is part of Leviticus chapter 16, which details the crucial instructions for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Following the tragic incident of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), who offered "strange fire" and died, God emphasized the extreme holiness of His presence. Leviticus 16:1-2 explicitly warns Aaron not to enter the Most Holy Place whenever he pleased, lest he die. Therefore, verse 3 provides the precise requirements for his entry: a young bullock as a sin offering for himself and his household, and a ram as a burnt offering.

Key Themes

  • Atonement and Purification: The primary purpose of the bullock as a "sin offering" (Hebrew: chatta't, often meaning "purification offering") was to cleanse Aaron and his family from sin and defilement, making him ritually pure enough to mediate for the nation. This highlights the absolute necessity of purity to approach a holy God.
  • Sacrifice and Substitution: Both animals represent the principle of substitution. The bullock's sacrifice provided atonement for Aaron's sins, while the ram for the "burnt offering" (Hebrew: 'olah, "that which ascends") symbolized complete dedication and surrender to God, consumed entirely on the altar.
  • Holiness and Limited Access: The strict protocols underscore God's immense holiness and the formidable barrier sin creates between humanity and the divine. Access to God's immediate presence was severely restricted under the Old Covenant, emphasizing humanity's unworthiness and the need for divine provision.

Linguistic Insights

The term "sin offering" (chatta't) is not merely about confessing sin but performing a ritual that cleanses from the defilement of sin, restoring the individual or community to a state of ritual purity before God. The "burnt offering" ('olah) signifies total devotion, as the entire animal was consumed by fire, ascending to God as a pleasing aroma.

Practical Application and Foreshadowing

Leviticus 16:3, along with the entire Day of Atonement ritual, serves as a powerful foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice and mediation provided by Jesus Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices, though commanded by God, were temporary and had to be repeated annually, pointing to their inherent limitations and inability to perfectly take away sins. The High Priest had to offer a sacrifice for himself before he could atone for the people.

In contrast, the New Testament reveals Jesus as our perfect and eternal High Priest, who, "not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12). He had no sin of His own for which to atone. Through His single, perfect sacrifice, we now have bold and direct access to God's presence, not through animal blood, but through the blood of the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

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Cross-References

  • Leviticus 4:3 (4 votes)

    If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.

  • Hebrews 9:7 (3 votes)

    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:

  • Leviticus 8:18 (3 votes)

    And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

  • Hebrews 9:24 (3 votes)

    For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

  • Hebrews 9:25 (3 votes)

    Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

  • Leviticus 1:10 (3 votes)

    ¶ And if his offering [be] of the flocks, [namely], of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.

  • Leviticus 8:14 (2 votes)

    ¶ And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.