What is the meaning of Leviticus 10:17?

Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place?

• Moses challenges Eleazar and Ithamar after Nadab and Abihu’s judgment (Leviticus 10:1–3).

• Eating the remainder of a sin offering was a priestly duty: “The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place” (Leviticus 6:26).

• Consuming the flesh signified that the priest identified with the people’s sin and carried it away (Leviticus 6:30; Numbers 18:9).

• Failure to do so interrupted the God-given ritual that assured Israel their sin was dealt with that very day (compare Leviticus 9:15–24).

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For it is most holy;

• Sin offerings belong to the highest category of holiness, “most holy” (Leviticus 6:17; 21:22).

• Anything most holy required restricted handling to avoid profaning God’s presence (Exodus 29:32–33).

• The holy place—either the court near the altar or the tabernacle entrance—provided the only authorized environment for consuming such sacrifices (Leviticus 6:25–26; 7:6).

• Moses underscores that divine holiness, not human circumstance, sets the standard.

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It was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation

• God assigned portions of certain offerings to the priests as both provision and responsibility (Numbers 18:8–10; Leviticus 7:7).

• By eating, priests symbolically “lifted” the people’s guilt from them (see Leviticus 4:20; 16:30).

• The act affirmed God’s order: the sins of Israel transferred to the sacrifice, then to the priest, and finally removed through the altar’s fire.

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By making atonement for them before the LORD

• “Atonement” (covering, reconciliation) occurred in God’s immediate presence, not merely before the nation (Leviticus 16:17).

• The priests served as mediators; their obedience maintained the covenant relationship (Exodus 28:36–38; Hebrews 9:22).

• Skipping the meal risked leaving the people’s sin symbolically unresolved, a serious breach given the day’s earlier display of judgment.

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summary

Leviticus 10:17 reminds priests—and today’s readers—that God’s ordained means of atonement must be followed precisely. The sin offering was to be eaten in the holy place because it was “most holy,” a gift for removing Israel’s guilt through priestly mediation before the LORD. Moses’ question highlights the gravity of maintaining holiness, obeying God’s detailed instructions, and trusting His appointed way for sin to be borne away.