Leviticus 16

Chap. XVI. Ver. 1-34. The point fees of the great day of atonement.—By the first verse of this chapter we find, that the i ie contained in it were delivered immediately after the death of Nadab and Abihu, though not entered in that order into the sacred canon. Indeed, it is unreasonable to expect, in writings between three and four thousand years old, and delivered “at sundry times and in divers manners,” the regularity and arrangement of modern authors. The chapter before us describes the important services of the great day of atonement, with the peculiar ceremony of the scape-goat. The priest, being himself a sinner, was to offer first a bullock for his own sins, before he offered a goat for those of the people.

Every circumstance is here instructive: we can notice a few only, with the inspired commentary in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 1. The high-priest was not at all times to go into the holy place “within the vail,” but only on great and extraordinary occasions: “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.”—2. That he then entered, “not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: but Christ being come a High-Priest of good things to come,…. neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once (for all) into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

((Hebrews 9:8-12).); But the most interesting service of the day was the offering of the two goats. ‘The dying goat (says Scott) represents Christ suffering for our sins: the scape-goat, (or the goat which escaped into the wilderness,) Christ rising, to carry into effect the purposes of his death, the actual forgiveness and justification of a sinner.’’ Christ having entered into the presence of God on our behalf, all our sins are buried in the sands of the desert: or, as the Scriptures elsewhere express it, “cast into the depths of the sea,” to appear no more against us. The doctrine of imputation is here exhibited in the clearest manner. First, the high-priest went into the holy place, and sprinkled the blood of the slain sacrifices before the mercy-seat, thereby making reconciliation or atonement before God; he then took the live goat, and laying both his hands upon his head, confessed “over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, (a very comprehensive expression,) putting them (i.

e. their sins) upon the head of the goat, and then sent him away, by the hand of a fit man, into the wilderness.” Thus the goat was to ‘bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited.’ Here we must remark, that this atonement was merely typical; for “the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin.” Of what use, it may be said, was all this ceremony? It was, first, important in showing them the necessity of an atonement; and, secondly, in directing them to the greater and better sacrifice of Christ, who ‘took away sin by the sacrifice of

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVI. Ver. 2. Holy place.—{According to a belief which was universally embraced among ancient nations, the innermost sanctuary was the peculiar abode of the god to whom the temple was dedicated. Into this part, no mortal except the priest dared to enter; which was, therefore, called the inaccessible. Every uninitiated person, who ventured to penetrate into the inner sanctuary, expiated his boldness by a sudden death. Pausanias relates, that at “the inclosure and inaccessible sanctuary of Isis,” near Tithorea, “a person to whom, as not being initiated, access was not lawful, once out of inquisitiveness and wantonness, entered the sanctuary when the pile (prepared for the sacrifices) was already kindled: there he saw the whole place full of spectres. Returning to Tithorea, and relating what he had seen, it is said, he immediately died.

Something similar was told me by a Phoenician. The Egyptians are accustomed to celebrate a festival in honour of Isis, at the time when, as they say, she mourned for Osiris. At this time, a Roman governor of Egypt once sent a man, whom he had bribed, into the sanctuary of Coptos. He indeed came out again; but, in relating what he had seen, he fell down dead on the spot.” The same author mentions the temple of Dindymene, which they thought was unlawful to open more than one day in the year; and he — of the temple of Orcus; that “it was opened but once a year.”}— Ver. 8. Scape-goat.—[Heb. azazel.—The Hebrew has been supposed by some to be the name of a place, either a mountain or cliff, to which the goat was led.

But no place of that name has ever been pointed out; except a mountain near Sinai, which was too distant for the goat to be conducted there from Jerusalem. Other learned men think it was the name of the devil, who was worshipped by the heathen in the form of a goat. But Bp. Patrick justly objects to this opinion; for it is difficult to conceive, that when the other goat was offered to God, this should be sent among demons. The more probable opinion seems to be, that it was a name given to the goat itself, on account of his being let go; from aiz, a goat, and “zal to depart.” —Bagster.