What is the meaning of Leviticus 16:9?

he shall present

- The “he” is Aaron the high priest on the Day of Atonement, stepping into the holy place as the appointed mediator (Hebrews 9:7).

- Presentation is deliberate; the priest brings what God requires, not what he chooses (Hebrews 9:24).

- Our approach to God must still be on His terms, fulfilled now through Christ who “appears in God’s presence for us” (Hebrews 9:24).

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the goat chosen by lot

- Casting lots removed human preference and underscored God’s sovereign choice (Proverbs 16:33).

- Two goats were identical; the lot declared which would live and which would die (Leviticus 16:8).

- The early church echoed this principle when choosing Matthias: “Then they cast lots… and the lot fell to Matthias” (Acts 1:26), trusting the Lord to direct.

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for the LORD

- The goat is wholly dedicated; its destiny is determined by God’s ownership (Exodus 28:36—“Holy to the LORD”).

- Sacrifice is not merely ritual but worship, a life laid down for God’s honor (Romans 12:1).

- By marking the goat “for the LORD,” the text highlights that sin must ultimately be dealt with in God’s presence.

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and sacrifice it

- The animal’s life is taken; sin demands death (Hebrews 9:22—“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”).

- This foreshadows Golgotha, where the perfect Substitute was offered once for all (John 19:30; Hebrews 9:26).

- Obedience matters: the priest doesn’t innovate but follows God’s precise instructions (Leviticus 1:5).

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as a sin offering

- Purpose: atonement—covering and removing guilt (Leviticus 4:20).

- Isaiah saw the Servant “make His life an offering for guilt” (Isaiah 53:10).

- New-Testament fulfillment: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21); “we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10); “Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18).

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summary

Leviticus 16:9 portrays the high priest obediently bringing the divinely chosen goat, dedicating it to the LORD, and slaying it as a sin offering. Each phrase underscores God’s sovereignty, the necessity of substitutionary blood, and the exclusivity of His appointed way to deal with sin—truths perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our greater High Priest and once-for-all sacrifice.