What is the meaning of Leviticus 16:33? Setting the scene “ He is to make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting, and for the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly.” (Leviticus 16:33) The verse sums up the heart of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Once each year, the high priest carried the blood of the sin offering behind the veil (Leviticus 16:2, 15; Hebrews 9:7), acting as mediator for the entire covenant community. The goal was cleansing—removing sin’s defilement so that God could dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8; John 1:14). Each phrase in Leviticus 16:33 identifies a target of that cleansing. Make atonement for the Most Holy Place • Location: the inner sanctuary where the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat stood (Exodus 26:33–34). • Why it needed cleansing: the sins of Israel symbolically “accumulated” there because the LORD’s glory dwelt above the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:16; Numbers 7:89). • What happened: the high priest sprinkled blood on and before the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14–15), foreshadowing Christ’s entrance “into heaven itself” to present His own blood on our behalf (Hebrews 9:12, 24–26). Make atonement for the Tent of Meeting • This included the Holy Place—home to the lampstand, table of bread, and altar of incense (Exodus 40:22–27). • Sin affected daily worship (Isaiah 59:2). The blood applied to the tent’s furnishings (Leviticus 16:16–17) purified the entire worship environment, pointing ahead to the sweeping reach of Jesus’ sacrifice that cleanses our consciences “from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13–14). Make atonement for the altar • Refers to the bronze altar in the courtyard where sacrifices burned continually (Exodus 27:1–8). • Blood was placed on its horns and sprinkled around it (Leviticus 16:18–19). • The cleansing signaled that even the very means of sacrifice needed purification—anticipating a perfect altar and a perfect sacrifice in Christ (Hebrews 13:10–12). Make atonement for the priests • Aaron and his sons represented the people, yet they, too, were sinners (Leviticus 16:6, 11). • Specific garments and washings underscored their need for personal holiness (Leviticus 16:4, 23–24). • By applying the blood for himself first, the high priest acknowledged his own guilt (Hebrews 5:1–3). Jesus, sinless, required no such offering for Himself (Hebrews 7:26–27). Make atonement for all the people of the assembly • Every Israelite benefited from this annual cleansing, whether conscious of particular sins or not (Leviticus 16:21–22; Numbers 29:7–11). • The scapegoat carried corporate iniquities into the wilderness, dramatizing forgiveness and removal (Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:18–19). • The event painted a picture of substitutionary atonement fulfilled once for all at the cross (Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). summary Leviticus 16:33 encapsulates the sweeping scope of atonement required for sinful people to live in the presence of a holy God. Every sphere—sanctuary, altar, priesthood, congregation—needed cleansing, and blood was the divinely appointed means (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). The verse ultimately points to Jesus Christ, whose single, perfect sacrifice purifies the heavenly sanctuary, sanctifies His people, and secures eternal redemption. |
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