Prophecy 6 of 30 · Sacrifice
The Day of Atonement
Once a year the high priest entered the Holy of Holies with blood to make atonement for all Israel.
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Hebrew · Leningrad Codexעִבְרִית
15וְשָׁחַ֞ט אֶת־שְׂעִ֤יר הַֽחַטָּאת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָעָ֔ם וְהֵבִיא֙ אֶת־דָּמ֔וֹ אֶל־מִבֵּ֖ית לַפָּרֹ֑כֶת וְעָשָׂ֣ה אֶת־דָּמ֗וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ לְדַ֣ם הַפָּ֔ר וְהִזָּ֥ה אֹת֛וֹ עַל־הַכַּפֹּ֖רֶת וְלִפְנֵ֥י הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃veshachat et-se'ir hachattat asher la'am vehevi et-damo el-mibbet lapparokhet ve'asa et-damo ka'asher asa ledam happar vehizza oto al-hakkapporet velifne hakkapporet
16וְכִפֶּ֣ר עַל־הַקֹּ֗דֶשׁ מִטֻּמְאֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּמִפִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֖ם לְכָל־חַטֹּאתָ֑ם וְכֵ֤ן יַעֲשֶׂה֙ לְאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד הַשֹּׁכֵ֣ן אִתָּ֔ם בְּת֖וֹךְ טֻמְאֹתָֽם׃vekhipper al-hakkodesh mittum'ot bene yisra'el umippish'ehem lekhal-chattotam vekhen ya'ase le'ohel mo'ed hashokhen ittam betokh tum'otam
JPS 1917 · Jewish translation
15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the ark-cover, and before the ark-cover.
16And he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
World Messianic Bible
15“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
16He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness.He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness.
Leviticus 16:15-16. Transliteration simplified. Read the whole chapter
Also in this passage: Leviticus 16:21-22, Leviticus 17:11
21וְסָמַ֨ךְ אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י ידו [יָדָ֗יו] עַ֨ל רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׂעִיר֮ הַחַי֒ וְהִתְוַדָּ֣ה עָלָ֗יו אֶת־כָּל־עֲוֺנֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־כָּל־פִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֖ם לְכָל־חַטֹּאתָ֑ם וְנָתַ֤ן אֹתָם֙ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׂעִ֔יר וְשִׁלַּ֛ח בְּיַד־אִ֥ישׁ עִתִּ֖י הַמִּדְבָּֽרָה׃ 22וְנָשָׂ֨א הַשָּׂעִ֥יר עָלָ֛יו אֶת־כָּל־עֲוֺנֹתָ֖ם אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ גְּזֵרָ֑ה וְשִׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־הַשָּׂעִ֖יר בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
vesamakh aharon et-shete yadav al rosh hassa'ir hachay vehitvadda alav et-kal-avonot bene yisra'el ve'et-kal-pish'ehem lekhal-chattotam venatan otam al-rosh hassa'ir veshillach beyad-ish itti hammidbara venasa hassa'ir alav et-kal-avonotam el-eretz gezera veshillach et-hassa'ir bammidbar
21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of an appointed man into the wilderness. 22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land which is cut off; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:21-22 (Hebrew & JPS 1917)
11כִּ֣י נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר֮ בַּדָּ֣ם הִוא֒ וַאֲנִ֞י נְתַתִּ֤יו לָכֶם֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־הַדָּ֥ם ה֖וּא בַּנֶּ֥פֶשׁ יְכַפֵּֽר׃
ki nefesh habbasar baddam hiv va'ani netattiv lakhem al-hammizbeach lekhapper al-nafshotekhem ki-haddam hu bannefesh yekhapper
11For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.
Leviticus 17:11 (Hebrew & JPS 1917)
Fulfilment · New CovenantWMB
Hebrews 9:11-12 But Messiah having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:24-26 For Messiah hasn’t entered into holy places made with hands, which are representations 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 enters into the holy place year by year with blood not his own, or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Romans 3:25 whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;
How rabbinic tradition reads it
Since the Temple fell, atonement on Yom Kippur is sought through repentance, prayer and charity (the Unetaneh Tokef prayer). After 70 CE Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai taught that acts of lovingkindness atone, quoting Hosea 6:6.
Why Messianic Jews read it as Yeshua
Leviticus 17:11 says "it is the blood that makes atonement". Hebrews describes Yeshua as high priest entering heaven itself "once for all" with his own blood.
Look at the text for yourself
Read Leviticus 16:15-16 slowly, in the Hebrew and the JPS translation above. Then ask the question the Ethiopian official asked: "Who is the prophet talking about?"
Sources
- Avot de-Rabbi Natan 4 (Yochanan ben Zakkai)
- Unetaneh Tokef (High Holy Day liturgy)
- Yom Kippur Musaf, the Avodah service
- Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), via OpenScriptures. English: JPS 1917; World Messianic Bible (public domain).