LEVITICUS 16 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

The Day of Atonement1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord.

BARNES, "The reference to the death of Nadab and Abihu is a notice of the occasion on which the instructions were given, well calculated to add point and emphasis to the solemn admonition to the high priest in the second verse. The death of his sons Lev_10:2, for drawing near to Yahweh in an unauthorized manner, was to serve as a warning to Aaron himself never to transgress in this respect.

CLARKE, "After the death of the two sons of Aaron - It appears from this verse that the natural place of this chapter is immediately after the tenth, where probably it originally stood; but the transposition, if it did take place, must be very ancient, as all the versions acknowledge this chapter in the place in which it now stands.

GILL, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron,.... That is, either immediately after their death, and so this chapter would have stood in its natural order next to the tenth; or else after the above laws concerning uncleanness on various accounts were delivered out, designed to prevent the people entering into the tabernacle defiled, whereby they would have incurred the penalty of death; wherefore, as Aben Ezra observes, after the Lord had given cautions to the Israelites, that they might not die, he bid Moses to caution Aaron also, that he might not die as his sons died; these were Nadab and Abihu: when they offered before the Lord, and died; offered strange fire, and died by flaming fire, as the Targum of Jonathan; or fire sent down from heaven, as Gersom, by lightning; see Lev_10:1.

HENRY, "Here is, I. The date of this law concerning the day of atonement: it was after the death of the two sons of Aaron (Lev_16:1), which we read, Lev_10:1. 1. Lest

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Aaron should fear that any remaining guilt of that sin should cleave to his family, or (seeing the priests were so apt to offend) that some after-sin of his other sons should be the ruin of his family, he is directed how to make atonement for his house, that it might keep in with God; for the atonement for it would be the establishment of it, and preserve the entail of the blessing upon it. 2. The priests being warned by the death of Nadab and Abihu to approach to God with reverence and godly fear (without which they came at their peril), directions are here given how the nearest approach might be made, not only without peril, but to unspeakable advantage and comfort, if the directions were observed. When they were cut off for an undue approach, the rest must not say, Then we will not draw near at all, but, Then we will do it by rule. They died for their sin, therefore God graciously provides for the rest, that they die not. Thus God's judgments on some should be instructions to others.JAMISON, "Lev_16:1-34. How the High Priest must enter into the Holy Place.after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died It is thought by some that this chapter has been transposed out of its right place in the sacred record, which was immediately after the narrative of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu [Lev_10:1-20]. That appalling catastrophe must have filled Aaron with painful apprehensions lest the guilt of these two sons might be entailed on his house, or that other members of his family might share the same fate by some irregularities or defects in the discharge of their sacred functions. And, therefore, this law was established, by the due observance of whose requirements the Aaronic order would be securely maintained and accepted in the priesthood.

K&D, "The chronological link connecting the following law with the death of the sons of Aaron (Lev_10:1-5) was intended, not only to point out the historical event which led to the appointment of the day of atonement, but also to show the importance and holiness attached to an entrance into the inmost sanctuary of God. The death of Aaron's sons, as a punishment for wilfully drawing near before Jehovah, was to be a solemn warning to Aaron himself, not to come at all times into the holy place within the vail, before the mercy-seat upon the ark, i.e., into the most holy place (see Exo_25:10.), but only at the time to be appointed by Jehovah, and for the purposes instituted by Him, i.e., according to Lev_16:29., only once a year, on the day of atonement, and only in the manner prescribed in Lev_16:3., that he might not die. - For I will appear in the cloud above the capporeth. The cloud in which Jehovah appeared above the capporeth, between the cherubim (Exo_25:22), was not the cloud of the incense, with which Aaron was to cover the capporeth on entering (Lev_16:13), as Vitringa, Bhr, and others follow the Sadducees in supposing, but the cloud of the divine glory, in which Jehovah manifested His essential presence in the most holy place above the ark of the covenant. Because Jehovah appeared in this cloud, not only could no unclean and sinful man go before the capporeth, i.e., approach the holiness of the all-holy God; but even the anointed and sanctified high priest, if he went before it at his own pleasure, or without the expiatory blood of sacrifice, would expose himself to certain death. The reason for this prohibition is to be found in the fact, that the holiness communicated to the priest did not cancel the sin of his nature, but only covered it over for the performance of his official duties, and so long as the law, which produced only the knowledge of sin and not its forgiveness and removal, was not abolished by the complete atonement, the holy God

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was and remained to mortal and sinful man a consuming fire, before which no one could stand.

CALVIN, "1.And the Lord spake unto Moses. A copious description is here given of what we have recently adverted to cursorily, as it were, i.e., the solemn atonement which was yearly made in the seventh month; for when Moses was instructing them as to what sacrifices were to be offered on each of the festivals, he expressly excepted, though only in a single word, this sacrifice, where he spoke of the day of atonement itself, on which they afflicted their souls. Now, therefore, a clear and distinct exposition of it is separately given. For although at other seasons of the year also both their public and private sins were expiated, and for this purpose availed the daily sacrifices, still this more solemn rite was meant to arouse the peoples minds, that they might more earnestly apply themselves all the year through to the diligent seeking for pardon and remission. In order, then, that they might be more anxious to propitiate God, one atonement was performed at the end of the year which might ratify all the others. But, that they might more diligently observe what is commanded, Moses makes mention of the time in which the Law was given, viz., when Nadab and Abihu were put to death by God, after they had rashly defiled the altar by their negligence. COFFMAN, "In this chapter we stand upon the summit of Moses' law, where, in the most impressive ritual of the entire system, the Judaic High Priest performed an atonement for Israel, the same being an inspired shadow of that Greater High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, who would give his life as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world! (1 John 2:2). The Jews still observe this day which falls upon the tenth day of their first month of the year, Tishri, the same being the seventh month of their religious year, the very numbers of these months symbolizing the truth that the Atonement marks the beginning of Israel's national life and the fruition and completeness (the seventh month) of their religious life."Yom Kippur" is the name which the Jews have given this day. [~Yowm] means day; and [~Kippur] refers to the mercy-seat, a translation given by William Tyndale to the word for the lid or covering of the Ark of Covenant, the [~kappereth], which in a figure means the covering of sins, or atonement. In Hebrew writings, the day is sometimes called simply [~Yoma], meaning "The Day."Critical writers profess dissatisfaction with the placement of this chapter. They would have put it somewhere else! But, as Seiss expressed it, "Its proper place seems to be exactly where God put it."[1] The theological point of departure for this chapter was accurately discerned and convincingly presented by Gordon J. Wenham, a highly-respected, present-day scholar:(Paraphrase). It began in Leviticus 10, referred to from the outset here, where the death of two of Aaron's sons demonstrated the wrath of God against all who dared

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to approach God improperly. The intervening chapters (Leviticus 11-15) gave careful instructions regarding what was or was not clean, and the next logical and necessary step is taken here in Leviticus 16, where the proper procedure must be observed by the High Priest to preserve him and the other priests from a fate like that of Nadab and Abihu.[2]However, much more than the preservation of the lives of the priests is involved. The elaborate rules for cleanness in Leviticus 11-15 demonstrated the absolute certainty that all people would at times be "unclean," that their unworthiness to approach God was, in a sense, constant, that this would of necessity contaminate the very articles and structure of the tabernacle itself, and that even those sacred items thus contaminated would need to be purified, or to have an atonement made for them, the same being one of the great purposes discernible here. (See Leviticus 16:16ff). Along with this, there also appears the purpose of taking away the sins of Israel itself. Surely, we stand at the heart of the O.T. system right here.One of the most amazing things regarding the Day of Atonement is the scarcity of mention of it throughout the O.T. The historical books paid little or no attention to it, and the observance of it was apparently suspended entirely, along with the rite of circumcision, during the time of the journeys in the wilderness. Only a few of the specific occasions of its observance are found in the whole Bible. These facts, of course, have set the critical community in a frenzy of desire to make this chapter "a later intrusion" into the sacred record, or of a much later date than the times of Moses, or any other postulation that might be pressed into the service of their assault upon the Scriptures. The scarcity of Biblical reference to Israel's observance of this day, however, is typical. There are a number of the most important events in the O.T., and precisely some of those that are the most prophetic witnesses of Jesus Christ that are mentioned only one time. For example, the deployment of the story of Melchizedek in Genesis 14, is the basis of several chapters in the Book of Hebrews, despite the fact of there being no other reference whatever to Melchizedek in the O.T. (except in Psalms 110:4). The Passover itself is also distinguished in that only four or five occasions of this actual observance by Israel may be found in the Bible, including that of Josiah.THE DAY OF ATONEMENTSummary of Procedures:(1) The High Priest came to the Holy Place with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering (Leviticus 16:3).(2) He bathed himself all over (Leviticus 16:4).(3) He put on, after divesting himself of his High Priestly regalia, the pure white linen garments, even less ornate than that of the ordinary priests. Not as a semi-royal person clothed in his full authority and dignity, but as a servant he would

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perform his duties (Leviticus 16:4).(4) He received from the people two he-goats for a sin-offering and one ram for a burnt-offering. Note that the two goats were but one offering, a sin-offering (Leviticus 16:5).(5) He offered the bullock as a sin-offering for himself and "his house," meaning all the priesthood (Leviticus 16:6), following the regulations in Leviticus 4.(6) He offered the two goats "before Jehovah," at the door of the tent of meeting (Leviticus 16:7). This is an emphatic declaration that both goats were here presented to God Himself.(7) He cast lots for the goats, not to determine who was to receive them, that having already been decided and stated in Leviticus 16:7, but for the purpose of determining which goat would serve in which phase of their dual offering to Jehovah. (Leviticus 16:8).(8) He offered the goat as a sin-offering that was identified by the lot (Leviticus 16:9), meaning that phase of this particular sin-offering, since both goats were part of that one sin-offering to Jehovah (Leviticus 16:5).(9) He received instructions regarding the other goat which was to be sent away as "the remover of sin" (Leviticus 16:10).(10) Having already killed the bullock which was the sin-offering for himself and his house (recapitulated in Leviticus 16:11), he took a censer full of live coals from the altar and his hands full of sweet incense and went to the veil through which the Holy of Holies would be entered (Leviticus 16:12).(11) He entered within the veil (Leviticus 16:12).(12) He put the incense upon the fire (which he brought inside in the censer) producing a thick cloud of smoke from the incense (Leviticus 16:13), sufficient to cover the mercy-seat, so that he would not die.(13) He sprinkled the blood of the bullock (Leviticus 16:11) seven times on the mercy-seat on the east side (the front side). "Upon the mercy-seat," and "before the mercy-seat" would mean that the blood was sprinkled twice seven times (Leviticus 16:14).(14) He then killed one of the goats of the sin-offering, as determined by the lot (Leviticus 16:15).(15) He then repeated, in full, the procedures recounted above in (11) and (12), entering within the veil with live coals and the sweet incense (Leviticus 16:15), and

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sprinkling the blood seven times upon the mercy-seat and seven times before it. The blood sprinkled here was that of the first goat offered as one-half of the sin-offering of the people.(16) He then, through the device of sprinkling blood of the people's sin-offering, made atonement for the Holy Place, the larger sanctuary of the tabernacle (Leviticus 16:16), the same being one of the great purposes of the whole Day of Atonement.(17) He then, alone, with even the whole area of the Holy Place being cleared of any observers, entered the Holy of Holies (the 3time) and completed the atonement for himself, his house, and all the people of Israel (Leviticus 16:17).(18) He then left the Holy of Holies and went into the Holy Place where a special atonement service for the great altar was performed by the sprinkling of the blood upon the horns of it (Leviticus 16:18,19).(19) The atonement was extended to include the tent of meeting in its entirety. And when Aaron had finished with this, "he presented the live goat" (Leviticus 16:20). To whom? To the Devil? Certainly not! He presented it to God. It was already God's, having been designated so from the moment of its being brought "before Jehovah" (Leviticus 16:7). We are outraged and disgusted by the critical nonsense about this goat's being for a demon, or the Devil, named Azazel. Allegations to that effect are examples of criticism having gone absolutely insane!(20) Aaron then laid his hands upon the heads of the live goat and confessed "all the iniquities ... all their transgressions ... even all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat" (Leviticus 16:21).(21) He then, by the hand of a special messenger, dispatched the goat, bearing all the sins of Israel into a "land that is cut off," where it was commanded that the goat be released (Leviticus 16:22).These twenty-one specific steps (the sacred number three multiplied by the sacred number seven) constituted the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement. The balance of the chapter merely records the various "mopping up" activities after the ceremonies were concluded. Aaron, after concluding the ceremonies, came out, bathed himself, changed to High Priestly regalia, offered, the burnt-offerings for himself and for the people, making atonement and concluding the observance of the instructions for the sin-offerings as given in Leviticus 4. Also, the messenger who had led the goat away and the ones who carried the remains of the sacrifices "without the camp" washed their clothes and bathed themselves (Leviticus 16:23-28). The concluding paragraph of the chapter (Leviticus 16:19-34) called for the observance of this Day of Atonement throughout the history of the Chosen Nation, providing for a solemn fast on that Day, the same being the only fast commanded by God in the entire O.T.

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"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Jehovah, and died; and Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat. Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering."In his office as High Priest, Aaron was a type of the Son of God himself, our Great High priest. Of course, there were inevitably some great dissimilarities. Jesus had no need to offer sacrifices for himself, as did Aaron, but in other particulars there is an amazing correspondence. It will be remembered that Jesus, being first arrayed in that gorgeous purple, scarlet, and (perhaps also) blue robe, had it stripped from him prior to the crucifixion, and was clothed again with his own clothes which were of a very humble variety, even as were those which Aaron wore here after having been divested of the formal dress of the High Priest. There was also another distinction: "When the high priest went into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to wear a simple linen garment without seams, a garment of the type Jesus wore when he went to the Cross as our sacrifice (John 19:23,24)."[3]Another analogy appears in the requirement that two he-goats were to constitute the single sin-offering for the people. No single animal could have typified what Jesus did for mankind in the removal of sin. He not only made the sacrifice in his death for our sins, but he bore them away from us forever, exactly after the analogy of the second goat, called the scapegoat. One animal could not have typified this, hence, the requirement for two.Still another analogy is seen in the fact that before Aaron entered upon this ministry of Atonement on the sacred Day, he had to bathe himself, just as Jesus began his ministry by being immersed of John in the Jordan river. Despite the blindness of many commentators who cannot see this and never mention it, the striking analogy is most certainly there. In all of these adjacent chapters, a similar thing is witnessed in the release of one of two birds in certain sacrifices, the birds serving even somewhat better than the scapegoat, in that they flew into the heavens, whereas the goat merely wandered around in the wilderness.It is interesting that all of the instructions for the priests here, even those for Aaron, were not communicated to Aaron, but to Moses, who thus holds a place even superior to that of Israel's high priest. "The peculiarly exalted role of Moses runs through Exodus to Deuteronomy, and is evident here as well."[4]

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The fact that Aaron's entry into the Holy of Holies was restricted to his performance of these duties on the Day of Atonement was significant: "Holiness communicated to Aaron did not cancel his sin, but only covered it for the performance of his official duties. So long as the Law which produced a knowledge of sin, but not its forgiveness, existed, the holy God was and remained to mortal men a consuming fire."[5]The fact of these Day of Atonement rituals having to be repeated every year "shows that the question was not really settled."[6] Sins were not in any ultimate sense forgiven, for, "There was a remembrance made of the sins year by year" (Hebrews 10:3), not merely of the sins committed since the last day of atonement, but all their sins; note the emphatic triple mention of this in Leviticus 16:16 and Leviticus 16:21.There were some remarkable differentiations in Aaron's attire for these sacred duties that stressed the chasm between the priests of paganism, who are called three times in the Sacred Text the [~chemarin], meaning "the BLACK-ROBED ones" (Zephaniah 1:4; 2 Kings 23:5; and Hosea 10:5). Aaron was clad totally in WHITE for these ceremonies, and particular mention of the WHITE linen breeches was included.[7] Those breeches also carried a sharp repudiation of the conduct of the priests of paganism, "Where ritual nakedness, especially for priests, was a feature of some of their ancient religions."[8]The simplicity and humility of Aaron's dress here showed, that when men appear before God as sinners, "The highest and the lowest were on a level, for God is no respecter of persons."[9] As a matter of fact, Wenham declared that, "On the Day of Atonement, Aaron looked like a slave."[10] So he did, and Jesus fulfilled the picture perfectly when, upon the night of his betrayal, he took a towel and girded himself and washed the feet of his apostles (John 13:1-5)!Our observation that the two goats (Leviticus 16:5) actually constituted only ONE offering is corroborated by all conservative scholars. As Maclaren said, "They (the two goats) are spoken of as constituting but ONE offering."[11]Verse 6"And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat upon whom the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.""Aaron shall cast lots ..." Jamieson described this procedure thus: "The priest placed one of the goats on his right hand, and the other on his left.

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Two pieces of gold exactly alike, inscribed "for Jehovah" and "for Azazel" were then placed in a bag or covered box, and the priest placed both hands inside and took out both pieces, one in each hand. That in his right hand he placed on the head of the goat on that side, and that in his left hand on the other goat's head. This determined the fate of each."[12]"Azazel ..." The capitalization of this word making a proper name out of it is ridiculous, such being a work entirely of man, not of God, and it is rejected here categorically as extremely ridiculous. The basis for this corrupt translation comes principally from two arguments:(1) The Hebrew word for [~`aza'zel] has no article ([~la-`aza'zel]); so, from this, it is alleged by commentators who don't know their grammar that it must refer to a person, but as Meyrick pointed out, theirs "is a grammatical error." "When a noun expresses an office or a function, it does NOT require a definite article in Hebrew any more than it does in French."[13] Meyrick cited half a dozen Biblical references confirming this.(2) The second argument is somewhat more convincing, but still wrong. "There is, of course, a great likelihood that when two phrases, `for the Lord' and `for something else' are set in contrast with each other that, if the first refers to a person, then so also does the second. But it is an incredibly rash assertion that this is always the case."[14] The instance here is one in which it is impossible for that to be the case. Moses did not write in a strait-jacket, restricted and smothered by all the rules that grammarians observe. And it has been the mark of great men in all ages that the rules never failed to get kicked around somewhat in their writings and lectures. We think of that instance when Sir Winston Churchill was heard to end a sentence with a preposition, upon which a critic pointed out what he considered an error. The incomparable Churchill froze his critic with a stare and replied, "Indeed, indeed! This is bastard English, up with which I will not put!" Those who overheard it, declared that a belly laugh put the critic to shame and left Churchill's "error" uncorrected. The same kind of belly laugh is deserved by the "Azazel" rendition.Think of the implications of this, if it could be accepted as correct. The critics themselves have spelled it out for us: "The most popular explanation among commentators is that Azazel is the name of a demon that lived in the wilderness.[15] Azazel was the name of something that was the opposite of God. This means that we should identify him as the chief of the forces of evil, hence, the Devil.[16] He was probably some demon of the desert.[17] Azazel is understood to be the name of one of those malignant demons with which the superstition of the Israelites peopled the wilderness and all waste places."[18]Well, there you have it! This particular example of scholarly "fembu" leads to the acceptance of the most bizarre and preposterous declarations ever advanced by so-called "believers in Christ." Can such men actually accept the proposition that on

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the great Day of Atonement itself, one of the principal features of it was a sacrifice to the Devil! Men should reject such notions, not with cautious scholarly reserve, but with the same blunt denial that the advocates of this rendition make of the whole Word of God. The Lord specifically forbade the recognition of any evil power (Leviticus 17:7). How can it be thought that God Himself recognized the Devil here by sending him a sacrifice, in fact sharing with him, on a share and share alike basis, the sin-offering of Israel? The discernment of Maclaren in this was correct: "It is surely sacrificing a great deal to rhetorical propriety to drag in an idea so foreign to the Pentateuch, and so opposed to the plain fact that both goats were one sin-offering (Leviticus 16:5), just in order to get a pedantically correct antithesis.[19]What then, is the correct rendition for the word here given as Azazel? We are happy to note that Meyrick has not only answered this but justified and defended it with the most thorough discussion of the whole question that may be found anywhere. He rendered the passage: "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and one lot for a remover of sins."[20] In this rendition is also the apparent reason for the difficulty of putting this thought into language. The words "for the Lord" and "for the remover of sins" do not apply to the Lord and some other person, but to the two goats and the diverse functions each played in the sin offering of Israel. In the Bible, especially in the N.T., there are many examples where grammatical constructions cannot convey the truth at all. For example, Christ is spoken of as THE BEING; THE WAS, and THE COMING! This is the literal rendition of the Greek text of Revelation 1:4.[21] It is not grammatical in either Greek or English. And Moffatt stated, "This is a deliberate violation of grammar to preserve the immutability and absoluteness of the divine name."[22] The same kind of violation of the pedantic rules of rhetoric is discernible in Leviticus 16:8. (See further discussion of the false word Azazel at end of this chapter.)COKE, ". And the Lord spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron The death of the sons of Aaron giving occasion for the declaration of the before-mentioned laws; (see ch. Leviticus 10:10 and ch. 11:) they are here inserted, and are to be read as in a parenthesis; and the present chapter is to be considered as in natural dependence upon the tenth.ELLICOTT, "(1) And the Lord spake unto Moses.As the observance of the minute regulations given in the preceding chapters about the daily sacrifices and purifications would necessarily be tainted with many imperfections and shortcomings, both on the part of the mediating priests and the offering laity, a general day of atonement is here instituted, when priest and people are alike to obtain atonement once a year for the sins which were mixed up even with their sacred worship. The day of atonement enacted in the chapter before us is therefore an appropriate conclusion of the laws of purification in the preceding chapters. It is an annual supplement and completion of all the ordinances which were daily practised, and the design of which was to obtain atonement and reconciliation.

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After the death of the two sons of Aaron.That is, after Nadab and Abihu, his two eldest sons, had died, in consequence of having presumptuously entered the sanctuary in a profane manner, and at an irregular time. (See Leviticus 10:1-2.)PETT, "IntroductionChapter 16 The Great Day of Atonement.We now come to a description of that great Day to which all that has gone before looked forward, Israels great Day of Atonement. Once every year this Day was to take place in order to cancel out all of the past sins and uncleannesses of Israel that had occurred since the previous Day of Atonement that were not already seen as fully atoned for. All that remained unatoned for, whether secret or public, would be dealt with on this Day. Israel would, as it were, begin the coming year with a clean sheet.This in itself spells out the failure of past offerings and sacrifices to deal fully with sin, and the fact that the Day of Atonement had to be kept every year demonstrated that its effect too was temporary. But it was on that Day, and only on that Day, that the High Priest was allowed to pass through the veil into the inner sanctuary of the Holy of Holies in order to present the blood of offerings in the actual earthly sanctum of Yahweh, His throne room.The description of the Day fits aptly after the chapters on uncleanness. Five chapters on uncleannesses prepare us for the significance of this day. Patterned on Genesis they had spoken of what was clean and unclean, with regard to cattle, clean birds and fish, unclean animals, unclean birds and sea creatures, and creeping things with which men came in contact (Genesis 1-3); they had pointed to women in childbirth suffering through Eves sin and producing children in uncleanness (Genesis 3:16); to mans sinfulness and uncleanness as portrayed in those with suspicious skin diseases which meant that they were cast out of the camp as Adam was cast out of the Garden (Genesis 3:17); to mans clothing which covered his nakedness (Genesis 3:21) and which could become defiled; to the resultant triumphal return to God of the unclean (Genesis 4:4; Genesis 4:26) made possible by Gods mercy; to the establishing of houses in a city (Genesis 4:17) which too could become unclean; and to the fact that through death, resulting from the fact that man was now a sinner, springs up life (Genesis 5). There would have been many instances of uncleanness in the camp which had not been dealt with correctly and fully, and may even have been hidden or overlooked, but all these would now be covered by the Day of Atonement.And after Genesis 5 was to come the great new beginning when the world was swept clean of sin in the flood and man began again (Genesis 6-9). This was also the yearly function of the Day of Atonement for Israel. Man in his uncleannesses could find purification and atonement before God. The uncleannesses resulting from Genesis 1-5 and from constant failure to apply the laws of uncleannesses could be swept

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away. And this along with all the sins of Israel that previous sacrifices had not been able to atone for. It was the day of purification when the very presence of God was itself approached.The Day followed exactly six months after the setting aside of the lambs for the Feast of the Passover, and was followed five days later by the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths, but unlike the day of the setting aside of the Passover lambs and of the three great feasts it was a day of solemnity and mourning for sin. It was the supreme day of getting right with God. The acceptance of the offerings by God on that day was seen as a symbol of hope for the future.Verse 1And Yahweh spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Yahweh, and died,These words of Moses are timed as taking place after the death of the two sons of Aaron in Leviticus 10:1-2. They had drawn near before Yahweh and died because they offered what was false and behaved foolishly. Now it was necessary that the High Priest offered what was true, otherwise he too would die. But the laws of uncleanness had previously been expounded on in order to fill out the need for this day by stressing the daily uncleannesses of Israel. It explained how a holy God could continue to dwell in a camp of such uncleannesses. For in spite of the extreme efforts made to preserve the holiness of the Sanctuary, it could not avoid being to some extent tainted by surrounding and sometimes hidden and/or unconscious uncleanness. TRAPP, "Leviticus 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;Ver. 1. After the death.] That others might be warned. Lege historiam, ne fias historia, saith one.When they offered before the Lord.] A little strange fire might seem a small matter in the eyes of indifferency: and yet it was such a sin as made all Israel guilty, as appears by the sacrifices offered for that sin, set down in this chapter.PULPIT, "THE CEREMONIAL PURIFICATION OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION ON THE GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT.This chapter, containing the account of the institution of the ceremonial to be used on the Day of Atonement, would take its place chronologically immediately after the tenth chapter, for the instructions conveyed in it were delivered to Moses "after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord and died" (Leviticus 16:1), when the fate of Nadab and Abihu would naturally have led Aaron to desire a more perfect knowledge than had as yet been imparted to him as to the

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manner in which he was to present himself before the Lord. Logically it might either occupy its present position, as being the great and culminating atoning and cleansing ceremony, or it might be relegated to a place among the holy days in Leviticus 23:1-44, where it is, in fact, shortly noticed. That it is placed here shows that the most essential characteristic of the Day in the judgment of the legislator is that of its serving as the occasion and the means of "making an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and making an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and for making an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation" (Leviticus 23:33).Annually there gathered over the camp, and over the sanctuary as situated in the midst of the camp, a mass of defilement, arising in part from sins whose guilt had not been removed by the punishment of the offenders, and in part from uncleannesses which had not been cleansed by sacrifices and the prescribed ceremonial rites. Annually this defilement had to be atoned for or covered away from the sight of God. This was done by the solemn observance of the great Day of Atonement, and specially by the high priest's carrying the blood of the sacrifices into the holy of holies, into which he might enter on no other day of the year; while the consciousness of deliverance from the guilt of sin was quickened on the part of the people by their seeing the scapegoat "bear away upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited" (Leviticus 23:22).

2 The Lord said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

BARNES, "The holy place within the vail - See Exo_26:33-34; Heb_9:3.13

The cloud - Compare Exo_16:10 note.The mercy seat - See Exo_25:17 note.

CLARKE, "That he come not at all times into the holy place - By the holy place we are to understand here what is ordinarily called the Holy of Holies, or most holy place; that place within the veil where the ark of the covenant, etc., were laid up; and where God manifested his presence between the cherubim. In ordinary cases the high priest could enter this place only once in the year, that is, on the day of annual atonement; but in extraordinary cases he might enter more frequently, viz., while in the wilderness, in decamping and encamping, he must enter to take down or adjust the things; and on solemn pressing public occasions, he was obliged to enter in order to consult the Lord: but he never entered without the deepest reverence and due preparation. That it may appear that the grand subject of this chapter, the ordinance of the scape-goat, typified the death and resurrection of Christ, and the atonement thereby made, I beg leave to refer to Heb_9:7-12, and Heb_9:24-26, which I shall here transcribe, because it is a key to the whole of this chapter. Into the second [tabernacle] went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come, a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the Blood of Goats and Calves, but by his Own Blood; he entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 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: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; (for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world); but now once in the end of the world, hath he appeared To Put Away Sin By The Sacrifice Of Himself.

GILL, "And the Lord said unto Moses, speak unto Aaron thy brother,.... Who was the high priest; and what is here said to him was binding on all high priests in succession from him: that he come not at all times into the holy place; or "holiness" (p), which was holiness itself, or the most holy place, as distinguished from that which was sometimes called the holy place, where stood the incense altar, the showbread table, and the candlestick, into which Aaron went every day, morning and evening, to do the service there enjoined him; but into the holy of holies here described, as appears by the after description of it, he might not go at all times, or every day, or when he pleased, only once a year, on the day of atonement; though, according to the Jewish writers, he went in four times on that day, first to offer incense, a second time to sprinkle the blood of the bullock, a third time to sprinkle the blood of the goat, and a fourth time to fetch out the

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censer; and if he entered a fifth time, he was worthy of death (q). Some have observed (r), that this respected Aaron only, and not Moses; that though Aaron might not go in when he pleased, and only at a time fixed, yet Moses might at any time, and consult the Lord upon the mercy seat, see Exo_25:22. Pausanias makes mention of several Heathen temples which were opened but once a year, as the temples of Hades Dindymene, and Eurymone (s), and particularly the temple of Minerva, into which only a priest entered once a year (t); which perhaps was in imitation of the Jewish high priest: within the vail, before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; this is a description of the holy place, into which the high priest might not go at any time, or at pleasure; it was within the vail that divided between the holy place, and the most holy, where stood the mercy seat, which was a lid or covering to the ark, at the two ends of which were the cherubim, the seat of the divine Majesty; which was a type of heaven for its holiness, being the habitation of the holy God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and of holy angels, and holy men, and where only holy services are performed; and for its invisibility, where dwells the invisible God, where Christ in our nature is at present unseen by us, and the glories of which are not as yet to be beheld; only faith, hope, and love, enter within the vail, and have to do with unseen objects there; and also for what are in it, as the ark and mercy seat, types of Christ, through whom mercy is communicated in a way of justice, he being the propitiation and the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness. And this caution was given to Aaron: that he die not; by appearing in the presence of God without his leave and order: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat; this one would think should be a reason why he should not die, when he came into the most holy place, because there was the mercy seat, and Jehovah on it: and besides the cloud of incense on it, he went in with, for so many understand by the cloud, the cloud of incense: thus Aben Ezra says, the sense is, that he should not enter but with incense, which would make a cloud, and so the glory not be seen, lest he should die: and Jarchi observes, that the Midrash, or the more mystical and subtle sense is, he shall not go in but with the cloud of incense on the day of atonement; but the more simple meaning, or plain sense of the words is, as the same writer notes, that whereas he did continually appear there in the pillar of cloud; and because his Shechinah or glorious Majesty is revealed there, he is cautioned not to use himself to go in, i.e. at any time; with which agrees the Targum of Jonathan,"for in my cloud the glory of my Shechinah, or divine Majesty, shall be revealed upon the mercy seat.''And this being the case, such a glory being there, though wrapped up in a cloud and thick darkness, it was dangerous to enter but by divine order.

HENRY, " The design of this law. One intention of it was to preserve a veneration for the most holy place, within the veil, where the shechinah, or divine glory, was pleased to dwell between the cherubim: Speak unto Aaron, that he come not at all times into the holy place, Lev_16:2. Before the veil some of the priests came every day to burn incense upon the golden altar, but within the veil none must ever come but the high priest only, and he but on one day in the year, and with great ceremony and caution. That place where God manifested his special presence must not be made common. If none must come into the presence-chamber of an earthly king uncalled, no, not the queen herself, upon pain of death (Est_4:11), was it not requisite that the same sacred respect should

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be paid to the Kings of kings? But see what a blessed change is made by the gospel of Christ; all good Christians have now boldness to enter into the holiest, through the veil, every day (Heb_10:19, Heb_10:20); and we come boldly (not as Aaron must, with fear and trembling) to the throne of grace, or mercy-seat, Heb_4:16. While the manifestations of God's presence and grace were sensible, it was requisite that they should thus be confined and upon reserve, because the objects of sense the more familiar they are made the less awful or delightful they become; but now that they are purely spiritual it is otherwise, for the objects of faith the more they are conversed with the more do they manifest of their greatness and goodness: now therefore we are welcome to come at all times into the holy place not made with hands, for we are made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places by faith, Eph_2:6. Then Aaron must not come near at all times, lest he die; we now must come near at all times that we may live: it is distance only that is our death. Then God appeared in the cloud upon the mercy-seat, but now with open face we behold, not in a dark cloud, but in a clear glass, the glory of the Lord, 2Co_3:18.JAMISON, "Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times

into the holy place within the veil, etc. Common priests went every day into the part of the sanctuary without the veil to burn incense on the golden altar. But none except the high priest was allowed to enter within the veil, and that only once a year with the greatest care and solemnity. This arrangement was evidently designed to inspire a reverence for the most holy place, and the precaution was necessary at a time when the presence of God was indicated by sensible symbols, the impression of which might have been diminished or lost by daily and familiar observation.I will appear in the cloud that is, the smoke of the incense which the high priest burnt on his yearly entrance into the most holy place: and this was the cloud which at that time covered the mercy seat.

CALVIN, "2.Speak unto Aaron. The sum of the law is, that the priest should not frequently enter the inner sanctuary, but only once a year, i.e., on the feast of the atonement, in the month of September. The cause of this was, lest a more frequent entrance of it should produce indifference; for if he had entered it promiscuously at every sacrifice, no small part of the reverence due to it would have been lost. The ordinary sprinkling of the altar was sufficient to testify the reconciliation; but this annual ceremony more greatly influenced the peoples minds. Again, by this sacrifice, which they saw only once at the end of the year, the one and perpetual sacrifice offered by Gods Son was more clearly represented. Therefore the Apostle elegantly alludes to this ceremony in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where it is said that by the annual entrance of the high priest the Holy Ghost signified,"that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing,(Hebrews 9:8;)and a little further on he adds, that after Christ the true Priest had come,"he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

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(Hebrews 9:11.)Thus the year, in the ancient type, was a symbol of the one offering, so that believers might understand that the sacrifice, whereby God was to be propitiated, was not to be often repeated. That God may inspire greater fear, and preserve the priests from carelessness, He proclaims that His glory should appear in the cloud in that part of the sanctuary where was the mercy seat; for we know that the sign was given from hence to the Israelites, when the camp was to be moved, or when they were to remain stationary. But this testimony of Gods presence should have justly moved the priests to greater care and attention; and hence we may now learn, that the closer Gods majesty manifests itself, the more anxiously should we beware, lest through our thoughtlessness we should give any mark of contempt, but that we should testify our submission with becoming humility and modesty.COKE, "Verse 2Leviticus 16:2. Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not We have in this chapter an account of one of the most solemn and important ceremonies of the law; to the spiritual intent of which, we are immediately directed by the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews. Spencer observes, that God wisely made the ritual institutions of the Jews to answer a double end, both to keep up a certain regard to the [Mosaic] modes and forms of worship; and, at the same time, to exhibit a figure or shadow of a new and better dispensation, which was to take place under the Messiah. Thus the whole ceremony practised at the solemn feast of expiation, appears to have been typical, and intended to prefigure the great atonement made by Jesus Christ, the High-Priest of our profession. Accordingly, the writer to the Hebrews observes, that the high-priest entering once a year into the holy of holies with the blood of the sacrifice, figured Christ's entering into heaven by his own blood, to obtain eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:11; Hebrews 9:28.) And because Christ's death and resurrection could not both be fitly shadowed out by one animal, which the priest, having once killed, could not again make alive; therefore God appointed two; that in the slain animal Christ's death, and in the living one his life and victory, might be foreshewed; see ch. Leviticus 14:5. With this key, the reader will better understand the whole of this chapter. The high-priest, according to his office, went every day, morning and evening, into the holy place: but here it is enjoined, that he enter not into the holy place within the vail, which is commonly called the most holy place, except only upon one day in the year, that of expiation for the sins of the whole people, Hebrews 9:7. It is true, upon extraordinary occasions the high-priest was allowed to go within the vail; as for the purpose of consulting the oracle, &c. but otherwise he was allowed in ordinary to enter but once a year; a prohibition, which, some have imagined, arose from Aaron's sons breaking into the most holy place, there to offer incense; and which presumption, according to these commentators, occasioned their death. But the reason is subjoined why Aaron should not presume to come within the vail without due preparation: though that reason does not strike us through our translation; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat: it should be rendered, when I shall

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appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat; ne moriatur tum cum ego in nube apparebo super propitiatorium, says Houbigant; i.e. "lest if he shall enter the most holy without due preparation, and more than once in a year, he may perish through that very cloud, in which I am about to appear. Approaching my presence improperly and unbidden, may procure him death; for to such that Presence is death;" see Exodus 19:21; Exodus 19:25. Some think that the cloud here mentioned, means the cloud of incense arising from the censer brought into the holy of holies by the high-priest. We may just remark, that several of the heathen nations had sacred places, or adyta, which were entered but once a year, no doubt, after this example; see Outram de Sacrif. lib. 1: cap. 3.ELLICOTT, " (2) That he come not at all times.Moses is therefore to warn his brother Aaron, the high priest, that if he wishes to escape a similar fate, he is not to presume to enter the Holy of Holies except on one day of the year, the Day of Atonement. As Aaron here stands for all those who in future are to succeed him in the pontificate, so Moses, who teaches him his duty, stands for his successors who are hereafter to impart instruction to the high priests on these most solemn occasions. Hence during the second Temple the tuition and preparation of the high priest for his functions devolved upon the Sanhedrin, who prescribed most minute rules for his guidance. Seven days before the Day of Atonement he was separated from his wife, and lodged in a chamber in the Temple, lest he should contract defilement, which might unfit him for the performance of his pontifical duties. The elders or the representatives of the Sanhedrin read and expounded to him the ordinances contained in this chapter; which he had to practise in their [presence, so as to make sure that he could rightly perform all the ceremonies. This continued during the whole night previous to the Day of Atonement, when he was kept awake, so as to prevent any pollution arising from a dream or accident by night.He read, in the silent hours of darkness, the Books of Job, Daniel, Ezra, and Chronicles; and if he was no scholar, and could not read, the elders read them to him. As it was deemed important that he should not fall asleep, the priests who surrounded him alternately snapped their fingers, and made him walk on the cold pavement of the court. When the chief of the thirteen priests who were appointed to perform the ordinary duties in connection with the service in the sanctuary had ascertained that the morning had dawned, that the ashes had been removed from the brazen altar, and that the time of the early sacrifice had arrived, the high priest was conducted to the baptistery, where he immersed his whole body in water.Into the holy place.This is here more minutely defined by within the vail, thus showing that the Holy of Holies is meant. In the succeeding portions of this chapter, however, the expression holy is used for Holy of Holies without this adjunct. (See Leviticus 16:3; Leviticus 16:16-17; Leviticus 16:20; Leviticus 16:27.)Before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark.Or, according to the accents of the received text, nor come to the mercy seat, which, &c. The present text exhibits the view of the Phariseesthat the high priest, though at some distance from the ark, is

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yet hid through the frankincense on the burning coals in the Holy of Holies itself (see Leviticus 16:12-13); whilst the Sadducees maintained that he must put it on the coals already in the court, because they deemed it improper to work in the presence of the Lord, and because the pontiff would otherwise see the ark. The Authorised Version, therefore, here, as elsewhere, follows the view of the Sadducees, and departs from the received accents, which are an essential part of the traditional text.For I will appear in the cloud.That is, because the Lord appeared over the mercy seat and between the cherubim in the bright luminous cloud which constituted the symbol of His Divine presence (see Exodus 25:22), therefore even the high priest must not approach it except on the occasion here prescribed. The Sadducees, however, render it, only in the cloud of incense will I be seen on the cover, that is, in the cloud arising from the burning incense which the high priest is to produce by fumigation before he enters the Holy of Holies, and which is to conceal the manifested Deity.PETT, "Verse 2And Yahweh said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy-seat which is on the ark, that he die not. For I will appear in the cloud on the mercy-seat. Gods first warning is that Aaron recognise that the High Priest does not have the right to enter the Holy of Holies, the holy place within the veil, except by strict permission, that permission being given only on the Day of Atonement. He does not have unrestricted access. For while God appears in the cloud on the mercy-seat, man may approach Him, apart from on the Day of Atonement, only from the other side of the veil. He cannot enter the throne room. To approach the mercy-seat direct could only be a once in the year experience. The Holy Spirit signifying this, that the way into the Holy of Holies was not yet opened up, while the first tabernacle was still standing (Hebrews 9:8). The veil said, thus far shall you come and no further.The cloud was presumably the cloud that had accompanied Israel from Egypt, the cloud of His presence which by night became a fire (Exodus 13:21-22 and often).We are reminded here of how when God revealed His glory on the face of Moses the people were afraid to come near him, and he had to veil his face. None but Moses could cope with the glory of God, until One came whose face also shone like the sun revealing His Fathers glory (Matthew 17:2; John 1:14; John 1:18). Thus the need for the veil and the cloud.The propitiatory or mercy-seat was the covering on the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh, where atonement could be made and man become reconciled to God. It was the kapporeth, literally the place of propitiation, the place where reconciliation and atonement was finally performed. This was a solid gold slab on which were the two cherubim at either end looking inward. It was the same size as

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the chest which it covered. It comes from the root kpr (to cover) and the conjugation used signifies the place where sins are fully covered so that they are no longer seen by God and held against the sinner (Jeremiah 18:23). It is the place of propitiation and expiation, the place where the punishment for sin was met by the shedding of blood, the place of atonement, of reconciliation, where He and His people were made at one. There is also a suggestion behind it that it is the earthly throne of Yahweh between the cherubim.The writer to the Hebrews in the New Testament very much has this Day in mind in Hebrews 9-10, seeing its real fulfilment in the offering up of Jesus Christ on our behalf by Himself as our great High Priest. That once-for-all offering of Himself would replace for ever this Day of Atonement, and all the other offerings, sacrifices and rituals of this earthly tabernacle. BENSON. "Leviticus 16:2. That he come not at all times Not whensoever he pleaseth, but only when I shall appoint. Into the holy place without the veil, the high- priest, or one of the inferior priests, went every morning and evening when they offered incense but into this holy place within the veil, commonly called the holy of holies, or the most holy place, as none but the high-priest was to enter, so neither was he to enter it at all times, as a common place of worship, or to perform divine service there at his pleasure. He was ordinarily to enter it only once a year, and that on the great day of atonement, or expiation for the transgressions of the whole Israelitish nation. Upon extraordinary occasions, he might also enter it oftener, as when he was to consult the oracle of God, or when the tabernacle was to be taken down or set up, according to the journeyings of the people. Lest he die For his presumption. For I will appear in the cloud A bright and glorious cloud over the mercy-seat. This sacred apartment he was to look upon as the place of the special residence of the divine glory, and therefore was not to enter there but when appointed, and in such a manner as God directed.WHEDON, " 2. Come not at all times Many of the ancient pagan shrines were inaccessible, and hence they were called adytum and abaton, not to be approached. This seclusion of the idol within the penetralia of the temple was requisite in order to preserve the veneration of the people, through the operation of that law of the human mind by which the mysterious is clothed by the imagination with extraordinary qualities. But no such reason is the ground of this prohibition. Jehovahs majesty needs no imaginary splendours. The old covenant says, Obey and live, disobey and die; the new one says, Believe and be saved, believe not and be damned. Both covenants are essentially the same, inasmuch as faith is the root of obedience, and unbelief and disobedience are in the New Testament expressed by the same word .In the cloud Not the cloud of incense required to soften the insufferable splendours of the shekinah, but the shekinah itself. Hence the Targum of Jonathan, The glory of my shekinah shall be revealed. A resplendence beamed forth from between the cherubim; but to make the vision supportable to mortal eyes God hid

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himself while revealing himself. The cloud is the same as that mentioned in Exodus xl, which appeared over the mercy seat whenever the high priest came before it. The rabbins postulate a cloud continually hanging over the cherubim. Luther, on the contrary, says that over the propitiatory and cherubim there was nothing located which might be seen, but by faith only was God believed to be seated there. In the Scriptures the manifested glory of the Son of Man, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, is often associated with a cloud. Daniel 7:13; Revelation 1:7.The mercy seat We are required by the truth to say that this expression, so poetical and so consolatory to the God-fearing soul, is not a literal translation of the original Hebrew, capporeth, the cover of the ark, in which were enshrined the tables of the law. This cover was underneath the luminous cloud, and hence was the footstool or throne of Jehovah, as the sanctuary in which it was placed is called the place for thee to dwell in. Exodus 15:17. The capporeth was a massive gold plate equal to the ark in length and breadth, at either end of which was a solid golden cherub. We find no scripture to sustain Ewalds assertion that the ark had a cover distinct from this plate, yet it is usually mentioned separately. Exodus 25:17. The word capporeth may be derived from the Piel form of the verb caphar, to cover, in which form it signifies to make atonement; it is very doubtful whether the noun ever signifies an instrument of propitiation (propitiatorium, Vulgate, , the Seventy) in the Pentateuch. Yet it is more probable that in later Hebrew, as in 1 Chronicles 28:11, it acquired the additional meaning of an atonement for sin. This relieves the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews of the imputation made by Furst, that he adopted a gloss in Hebrews 9:5. In Hebrews 4:16 the capporeth is very beautifully styled the throne of grace, to which we may come, not with trembling and overwhelming awe, as did the high priest, but boldly.TRAPP, "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.Ver. 2. that he come not at all times.] Whensoever he pleaseth, but when I appoint him, i.e., once a year only, [Exodus 30:10] and then also with reverence and godly fear. God, as he loves to be acquainted with men in the walks of their obedience, so he takes state upon him in his ordinances, and will be trembled at in his judgments.PULPIT, "Leviticus 16:2Speak 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. Nadab and Abihu having died for their rash presumption in venturing unbidden into the tabernacle, it was natural that Aaron, who had as yet but once penetrated into the holy of holies, should be struck with fear, and that he should desire Divine instruction as to the times and manner in which he was to appear before the Lord, lest he should be struck dead like his sons. If the attempt to enter the outer chamber

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of the tabernacle had been so fatal to them, what might not be the result to him of entering within the vail which hung before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark? The mercy-seatcapporeth, , propitiatoriumformed the top of the ark, and was the place where God specially exhibited his Presence, on the occasions of his manifestation, by the bright cloud which then rested upon it between the cherubim. It was this Presence which made it perilous for Aaron to appear within the vail unbidden or without the becoming ritual; for man might not meet God unless he were sanctified for the purpose (Exodus 19:14, Exodus 19:21-24; 1 Samuel 6:19). The words, for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat, refer to the Divine Presence thus visibly manifested (see 1 Kings 8:10-12), and not, as they have strangely been misinterpreted, to the cloud of smoke raised by the incense burnt by the high priest on his entrance. They do not, however, prove that the manifestation was constantly there, still less that it was continued, according to Jewish tradition, in later times. "The reason for the prohibition of Aaron's entrance at his own pleasure, or without the expiatory blood of sacrifice, is to be found in the fact that the holiness communicated to the priest did not cancel the sin of his nature, but only covered it over for the performance of his official duties; and so long as the Law, which produced only the knowledge of sin, and not its forgiveness and removal, was not abolished by the complete atonement, the holy God was and remained to mortal and sinful man a consuming fire, before which no one could stand" (Keil).BI 2-3, "I will appear in the cloud.Jehovah appearing in a cloudI. The cloudy dispensations. By a cloud I understand a density approaching to darkness and gloom; and yet that very density and darkness inhabited by the glory of God. If the glory of God were to burst upon us without a cloud, it would be nothing less than a consuming fire. The Church of God has to pass through dispensations that are cloudy in her public capacity, in Gods providential dealings with her individual members. Look, for instance, at the Church of God as a body at the present time. Is she not beclouded? Are there not clouds of ignorance, superstition, idolatry, despotic powerclouds of carnal wickedness under the name of Christianity, overspreading Zion? The cloud is still more dense when it overwhelms the soul, as it regards its conflicts when darkness overspreads the mind, and the poor believer cannot pray, cannot sing, nor cannot believe.II. The appearance that is promised. I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat. He appears as a wonder-working God; and when in any of the dispensations to which I have referred, the hand of God is seen, how are the souls of Gods people filled with awe! I will appear. Is it the Church that is overwhelmed with a cloud? I will appear for her deliverance, though I may suffer her to pass through fire and through water first. Is it Providence that is mysteriousevery hope cut off, all prospects darkened? I will appear, says Jehovah. Mark the promiseit is positiveI will appear. The cattle upon a thousand hills are His property; the gold and the silver He declares are all His own; the hearts of kings are in His hands, and He turns them as rivers of water as He pleases. So that He appears working wonders frequently in the world, and those very things which were most threatening appear to be the very things that God was making use of for the real advantage of His people.

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III. The mercy displayed. It is the mercy of the Triune Jehovah, the gift of mercy from God the Fatherimmutable, eternal, covenant mercythe mercy of God. That mercy is fully and freely displayed in the person of Christ; yea, more, so far as regards our view of itthe mercy of God the Father laid up from everlasting, recorded in the covenant, fixed in decree, is, to a certain extent, concealed from us, until we discover it in the person of Christ. But when we are brought to view Him as the mercy promised, and then mark the display of that mercy in His incarnation, in His obedience, in His merit, in His blood, in His sufferings, in His victories, in His present employment before the throne, why He is all mercymercy embodied in the person of the glorious Mediator. And then, if we look at the merciful dealings of God the Holy Ghost with His people, in melting their hearts, making them new creatures, giving them life Divine, perfecting the work He has first commenced in personal experiencewhy we come to this conclusion that our God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is the God of mercy, a merciful God. Then mark the transcendent glory of this mercy, how it is displayed in the face of misery, and rebellion, and ingratitude, and all our wanderings, and all our wants.IV. The effects which follow when Jehovah comes down and appears in the midst of the cloud. It is not merely for a momentary interposition, but for a permanent deliverance, and mercies may be expected by all the praying seed of Jacob. Now allow a familiar illustration here. If a benevolent individual, very wealthy, were accustomed to take a seat, as they used to do in olden times, at the gate of the city, or in any other place of public concourse, and to do so for the very purpose of distributing his bounty, would not that gate be crowded? Who would not go there? Even if we did not want pecuniary alms, if honours, jewels were to be distributed by this person, who would not be there? Who would not receive some token of the kindness and favour of such an one? My hearer, is it not grievous that you and I are not oftener at the mercy-seat? (J. Irons.)

The concealing cloudI once visited an invalid woman. She had been confined to bed for a long time, and when I spoke to her, she said: I think the Lord has forgotten me altogether. The eye of faith had grown dim through bodily weakness, and I replied to her, Did you ever go down the river and see the lighthouse? She said she had. Well, suppose you lived on the opposite side from it, and one day the mist came down, and it grew so thick that you could not see the lighthouse on the other side; would you believe it was there? Oh, yes, she said, because I had seen it before. And there is another thing would make you believe, I said; you would hear the shrill whistle coming from the lighthouse warning mariners of the danger that was near. In the same way you should believe that the Lord is still near you; that He has not forgotten you, although a cloud has come between you and God; if you will but listen, you will hear His voice speaking to you; the mist will soon roll away if you look right at Him with the eye of faith. She did look, and beheld Jesus as precious to her as ever. (J. Cameron.)

3 This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy 23

Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering[a] and a ram for a burnt offering.

BARNES, "Holy place - This name here denotes the sanctuary, the whole sacred enclosure, the court of the tabernacle. The offerings were for Aaron and his sons, supplied by himself.

CLARKE, "With a young bullock for a sin-offering - The bullock was presented as a sin-offering for himself, his family, the whole priesthood, and probably the Levites. The ram was for a burnt-offering, to signify that he and his associates were wholly consecrated, and to be wholly employed in this work of the ministry. The ceremonies with which these two sacrifices were accompanied are detailed in the following verses.

GILL, "Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place,.... The most holy place; and this was after he had offered the daily sacrifice of the morning, and had performed the rest of the service then done, as Gersom observes; such as burning the incense and trimming the lamps, for no offering preceded the daily sacrifice: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering; which were both for himself and his family; and such were the weakness, imperfection, and insufficiency of the Levitical priesthood, and priests, that they were obliged first to offer for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people: the meaning is not, as Aben Ezra says, that he should bring the bullock into the holy place, only that he should first give of his own a bullock for a sin offering, to atone for himself, and for the priests; nor could it be the body of the bullock he brought, only the blood of it into the most holy place, where he entered not without blood, first with the blood of the bullock, and then with the blood of the goat; for the body of the bullock for a sin offering was burnt without the camp, and the body of the ram for the burnt offering was burnt upon the altar of burnt offering; see Heb_9:7.

HENRY, "The person to whom the work of this day was committed, and that was the high priest only: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place, Lev_16:3. He was to do all himself upon the day of atonement: only there was a second provided to be his substitute or supporter, in case any thing should befal him, either of sickness or ceremonial uncleanness, that he could not perform the service of the day. All Christians are spiritual priests, but Christ only is the high priest, and he alone it is that makes atonement, nor needed he either assistant or substitute.

JAMISON 3-4, "Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place As the duties of the great day of atonement led to the nearest and most solemn approach to God, the

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directions as to the proper course to be followed were minute and special.with a young bullock ... and a ram These victims he brought alive, but they were not offered in sacrifice till he had gone through the ceremonies described between Lev_16:3-11. He was not to attire himself on that occasion in the splendid robes that were proper to his sacred office, but in a plain dress of linen, like the common Levites, for, as he was then to make atonement for his own sins, as well as for those of the people, he was to appear in the humble character of a suppliant. That plain dress was more in harmony with a season of humiliation (as well as lighter and more convenient for the duties which on that occasion he had singly to perform) than the gorgeous robes of the pontificate. It showed that when all appeared as sinners, the highest and lowest were then on a level, and that there is no distinction of persons with God [Act_10:34].

K&D 3-5, "Only , with this, i.e., with the sacrifices, dress, purifications, and means of expiation mentioned afterwards, could he go into the holy place, i.e., according to the more precise description in Lev_16:2, into the inmost division of the tabernacle, which is called Kodesh hakkadashim, the holy of holies, in Exo_26:33. He was to bring an ox (bullock) for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering, as a sacrifice for himself and his house (i.e., the priesthood, Lev_16:6), and two he-goats for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering, as a sacrifice for the congregation. For this purpose he was to put on, not the state-costume of the high priest, but a body-coat, drawers, girdle, and head-dress of white cloth (bad: see Exo_28:42), having first bathed his body, and not merely his hands and feet, as he did for the ordinary service, to appear before Jehovah as entirely cleansed from the defilement of sin (see at Lev_8:6) and arrayed in clothes of holiness. The dress of white cloth was not the plain official dress of the ordinary priests, for the girdle of that dress was coloured (see at Exo_28:39-40); and in that case the high priest would not have appeared in the perfect purity of his divinely appointed office as chief of the priesthood, but simply as the priest appointed for this day (v. Hoffmann). Nor did he officiate (as many of the Rabbins, and also C. a Lapide, Grotius, Rosenmller, and Knobel suppose) as a penitent praying humbly for the forgiveness of sin. For where in all the world have clear white clothes been worn either in mourning or as a penitential garment? The emphatic expression, these are holy garments, is a sufficient proof that the pure white colour of all the clothes, even of the girdle, was intended as a representation of holiness. Although in Exo_28:2, Exo_28:4, etc., the official dress not only of Aaron, but of his sons also, that is to say, the priestly costume generally, is described as holy garments, yet in the present chapter the word kodesh, holy, is frequently used in an emphatic sense (for example, in Lev_16:2, Lev_16:3, Lev_16:16, of the most holy place of the dwelling), and by this predicate the dress is characterized as most holy. Moreover, it was in baddim (linen) that the angel of Jehovah was clothed (Eze_9:2-3, Eze_9:11; Eze_10:2, Eze_10:6-7, and Dan_10:5; Dan_12:6-7), whose whole appearance, as described in Dan_10:6, resembled the appearance of the glory of Jehovah, which Ezekiel saw in the vision of the four cherubim (ch. 1), and was almost exactly like the glory of Jesus Christ, which John saw in the Revelation (Rev_1:13-15). The white material, therefore, of the dress which Aaron wore, when performing the highest act of expiation under the Old Testament, was a symbolical shadowing forth of the holiness and glory of the one perfect Mediator between God and man, who, being the radiation of the glory of God and the image of His nature, effected

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by Himself the perfect cleansing away of our sin, and who, as the true High Priest, being holy, innocent, unspotted, and separate from sinners, entered once by His own blood into the holy place not made with hands, namely, into heaven itself, to appear before the face of God for us, and obtain everlasting redemption (Heb_1:3; Heb_7:26; Heb_9:12, Heb_9:24).

CALVIN, "3.Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place. The rites and formality are now described; first, that Aaron should put on the holy garments, and wash his person; secondly, that he should offer a bullock and ram for a burnt-offering; thirdly, that he should take two goats from the people, one of which should be sent away alive, and the other slain in sacrifice. We have stated elsewhere why the priests were to be dressed in garments different from others, since he who is the mediator between God and men should be free from all impurity and stain; and since no mortal could truly supply this, a type was substituted in place of the reality, from whence believers might learn that another Mediator was to be expected; because the dignity of the sons of Aaron was only typical, and not true and substantial. For whenever the priest stripped himself of his own garments, and assumed those which were holy and separated from common use, it was equivalent to declaring openly that he represented another person. But if this symbol were not sufficient, the ablution again taught that none of the sons of Aaron was the genuine propitiator; for how could he purify others, who himself required purification, and made open confession of his uncleanness? A third symbol also was added; for he who by a sacrifice of his own atoned for himself and his house, how was he capable of meriting Gods favor for others? Thus then the holy fathers were reminded, that under the image of a mortal man, another Mediator was promised, who, for the reconciliation of the human race, should present Himself before God with perfect and more than angelical purity. Besides, in the person of the priest there was exhibited to the people a spectacle of the corruption whereby the whole human race is defiled, so as to be abominable to God; for if the priest, both chosen by God, and graced with the sacred unction, was still unworthy on the score of his uncleanness to come near the altar, what dignity could be discoverable in the people? And hence to us now-a-days also very useful instruction is derived; viz., that when the question arises how God is to be propitiated, we are not to look this way and that way; since out of Christ there is no purity and innocence which can satisfy the justice of God. COKE, "Leviticus 16:3. Thus shall Aaron come,with a young bullock, &c. Two solemn sacrifices were to be offered by the high-priest for himself and his family, (Leviticus 16:6.in which family, some have thought, are included not only the priests, but the Levites also) preparatory to his entrance into the holy of holies: a sin-offering, in confession of his own weakness, and need of a better intercessor; see ch. Leviticus 4:3. Hebrews 7:27 and a burnt-offering, in token of his entire dedication of himself to God.ELLICOTT, "Verse 3

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(3) Thus shall Aaron come.Better, With this shall, &c, that is, with the following sacrifices, ritual, vestments, &c, shall he approach the most holy place, after having offered previously the daily morning sacrifice, and performed the ordinary daily service. During the performance of the morning service the high priest, at the time of Christ, wore the golden vestments. These he changed for the white garments before he commenced the special ritual prescribed for this day.With a young bullock for a sin offering.Which had to be of the second year (see Exodus 29:1), and which the high priest had to buy with his own money. It was to be his own property because the victim was to expiate his own sins, since he, like the meanest sinner, required Divine mercy and forgiveness, though, owing to his high office, he had to bring a more costly sacrifice.PETT, "Verse 3With this shall Aaron come into the holy place, with a young bull ox for a purification for sin offering, and a ram for a whole burnt offering.On this day, after the morning whole burnt offering (a lamb of the first year) had been offered with its accompanying grain offering, Aarons approach to Yahweh had to commence with offerings for himself and the priests. These would consist of a young bull ox for a purification for sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering. He must make sacrifices first for himself (Hebrews 5:3; Hebrews 9:7). He too was a sinner in need of atonement.How much different was this from our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was without sin, Whose perfections and Whose perfect life and Whose total obedience fitted Him for His office with no need of sacrifice (Hebrews 7:26-27). BENSON, "Leviticus 16:3. Thus shall Aaron come Preparatory to his entering on this solemn service the high-priest was to offer two sacrifices in behalf of himself and his family. These were, 1st, A bullock for a sin-offering, (no other sacrifice being allowed for the sin of a high-priest,) in confession of his own infirmities and transgressions, and those of his family, and to put him in mind that he needed pardon himself, and was but an imperfect intercessor with God, Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 9:7. 2d, A ram for a burnt- offering, in token of his dedicating himself wholly to God, with a promise of new obedience. See note on Leviticus 1:3. Aaron shall come into the holy place with the bullock That is, with the blood of it; for its body was to be offered upon the altar of burnt-offerings.WHEDON, " AN OUTLINE OF THE WHOLE CEREMONIAL, Leviticus 16:3-10.3. Holy place This is here used, not for the court of the priests, but for the holy of holies.Bullock The high office of Aaron requires the greatest of the sin offerings. See

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chap. 4, concluding notes. (4.) Note the presumption, that this high official had so failed to keep the holy law of God that he annually needed an offering not only for his conscious and wilful sins, but also for his inadvertencies, ignorances, and errors.Hebrews 5:2. See concluding notes to chap. 4.PULPIT, "Leviticus 16:3Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place. "Thus" would be translated more literally by With this. He must come supplied with the specified offerings, dressed in the appointed manner and using the ceremonial here designated. The efficacy of the acts of the high priest on this day and throughout his ministrations depended not upon his individual but on his official character, and on his obedience to the various commandments positively enjoined. Personal worthiness would not qualify him for his service, nor personal unworthiness hinder the effect of his liturgical acts (cf. Art. 26, 'Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacrament'). Aaron's special offerings for himself on this great day are to be a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.BI 3-34, "Make an atonement.The annual atonementBefore Adam transgressed he lived in communion with God, but after he had broken the covenant he could have no more familiar fellowship with God. Under the Mosaic dispensation, in which God was pleased in His grace to dwell among His people and walk with them in the wilderness, it was still under a reserve: there was a Holy Place wherein the symbol of Gods presence was hidden away from mortal gaze. No man might come near to it except in one only way, and then only once in the year, The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing. Our subject illustrates the appointed way of access to God. This chapter shows that the way of access to God is by atonement, and by no other method. I want you to notice that, of course, this was only a type. The great Day of Atonement did not see an actual atonement made, nor sin really put away; but it was the figure of heavenly things to come. The substance is of Christ.I. Now, then, let us come to the text, and note, first, what was done on that particular day. The text tells us what was done symbolicallyOn that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

1. The persons themselves were cleansed. If any of them had become unclean so as to be denied communion with God and His people, they were made clean, so that they might go up to the Tabernacle, and mingle with the congregation. All the host were that morning regarded as unclean, and all had to bow their heads in penitent sorrow because of their uncleanness. After the sacrifice and the sending away of the scapegoat the whole congregation was clean and in a condition to rejoice. It is a far simpler thing to remove outward stains than it is to purge the very substance and nature of man; yet this is what was done on the Day of Atonement typically, and this is what our redeeming Lord actually does for us. We are outlaws, and His atonement 28

purges us of outlawry, and makes us citizens; we are lepers, and by His stripes we are so healed as to be received among the clean.2. Their persons being made clean, they were also purged of all the sins confessed. Sin that is confessed is evidently real sin, and not a mere dream of a morbid conscience. There is a certain mythical cloud of sin which people talk about, and affect to deplore, and yet they have no sense of the solid heinousness of their actual iniquity. Sin confessed with tears, sin which causes the very heart to bleedkilling sinthis is the kind of sin for which Jesus died. Sin which you dare not confess to man, but acknowledge only as you lay your hand upon the Divine sacrificesuch sin the Lord removes from you. The passage is very particular to mention all sins. The goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities. This includes every form of stir, of thought, of word, of deed, of pride, of falsehood, of lust, of malice, of blasphemy. This comprehends crimes against man, and offences against God, of peculiar blackness; and it does not exclude sins of inadvertence, or carelessness, or of omission. Transgressions of the body, the intellect, the affections are all blotted out.3. It seems that the Divine atonement puts away the sin of sinthe essence and heart of sin. Sin has its core, its mortal spot, within each iniquity there seems to lie a something more essentially evil than the act itself: this is the inner hate of the mind. Whatever may be the sin of the soul, or the soul of the sin, atonement has been made for it all. The Lord Jesus has not left upon those for whom He has made atonement a single spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, so far as their justification is concerned. He has not left an iniquity for which they can be condemned before the bar of judgment. Ye are clean every whit is His sure verdict, and none can contradict it4. Not only were all the sins that they had committed put away, but also all their holy things were purged. I do feel so glad that our Lord has atoned for the sins of our holy things. I feel so glad that Jesus has purified our prayers. Many saints spend much time in hearty, earnest cries to God; but even on your knees you sin; and herein is our comfortthat the precious blood has made atonement for the shortcomings of our supplications. We need pardon for our psalms and cleansing for our hymns. Jesus puts away not only our unholy things, but the sins of our holy things also.5. Once more, on that day all the people were cleansed. This gives great comfort to those of us who love the souls of the multitude. All who believe are justified from all things.

II. Now we notice, in the second place, how it was done.1. The atonement was made first of all by sacrifice. We know that the blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sin; but very distinctly do these point to the sufferings of our Redeemer. The woes He bore are the expiation for our guilt.2. Notice, next, that the atonement was made not only by the blood of sacrifice, but by the presentation of the blood within the veil. With the smoke of incense and a bowl filled with blood Aaron passed into the most Holy Place. Let us never forget that our Lord has gone into the heavenly places with better sacrifices than Aaron could present. His merits are the sweet incense which burns before the throne of the heavenly grace. His death supplies that blood of sprinkling which we find even in heaven.3. Furthermore, atonement was made effectual by its application to the thing or person cleansed. The atonement w