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Leviticus 16

1
The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before the LORD, and died;
2
and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.
3
“Aaron shall come into the sanctuary with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
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He shall put on the holy linen tunic. He shall have the linen trousers on his body, and shall put on the linen sash, and he shall be clothed with the linen turban. They are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and put them on.
5
He shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
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“Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.
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He shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
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Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
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Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer him for a sin offering.
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But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement for him, to send him away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
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“Aaron shall present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.
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He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil.
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He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the covenant, so that he will not die.
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He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east; 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 do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
16
He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness.
17
No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.
18
“He shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull’s blood, and some of the goat’s blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar.
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He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
20
“When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
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Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready.
22
The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
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“Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there.
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Then he shall bathe himself in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.
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The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.
26
“He who lets the goat go as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
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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, shall be carried outside the camp; and they shall burn their skins, their flesh, and their dung with fire.
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He who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29
“It shall be a statute to you forever: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no kind of work, whether native-born or a stranger who lives as a foreigner among you;
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for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
31
It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
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The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father’s place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments.
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Then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
34
“This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” It was done as the LORD commanded Moses.
Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter details the annual Day of Atonement, the most solemn day in Israel’s liturgical calendar, outlining the specific rituals by which the high priest enters the Most Holy Place to make atonement for himself, his household, and all Israel. It emphasizes the holiness of God, the seriousness of sin, and the necessity of divinely appointed purification, serving as the theological and ritual centerpiece of the book’s instructions on holiness and access to God.

Flow.

  • The LORD restricts access to the Most Holy Place, permitting only the high priest to enter once a year under strict conditions, following the death of Aaron’s sons as a solemn warning.
  • Aaron is directed to prepare specific sacrifices and to perform a series of precise rites involving blood, incense, and purification, first for himself and then for the people.
  • The two goats—one sacrificed and one sent away as the scapegoat—enact a dual sign of atonement and removal of sin, while the live goat bears the confessed sins of Israel into the wilderness.
  • The chapter concludes with the establishment of this rite as a perpetual statute, to be observed annually on the tenth day of the seventh month, ensuring cleansing and reconciliation for the entire nation.

Connections.
Following chapter 15, which addresses various sources of ritual uncleanness, chapter 16 provides the annual remedy for the cumulative impurity that has defiled the sanctuary. It answers the question of how a holy God can dwell among a sinful people by instituting a comprehensive rite of purification. The Day of Atonement becomes the foundation for the holiness code that follows in chapters 17–27, which chapter 17 takes up by reinforcing the sanctity of blood and exclusive access to the altar.

What it teaches.
The chapter teaches that atonement is initiated by God, requires a substitutionary sacrifice, and is accomplished only through blood shed according to His command (WCF 7.3). It underscores that human access to God depends entirely on divine provision: the high priest, purified and clothed in linen, enters not by privilege but by prescribed sacrifice and intercession. The two goats together represent one sin offering (, 16:10), illustrating both expiation and the complete removal of sin (HC LD 15, Q&A 40). The cleansing of the sanctuary demonstrates that sin defiles not only people but the place of God’s presence, requiring annual purification until a final remedy is provided (; cf. WCF 8.6).

Apply.
Christ has entered the true Holy Place with His own blood, securing eternal redemption and cleansing our consciences to serve the living God.

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