Why were two goats used in the Day of Atonement ceremony in Leviticus 16:20? Text and Immediate Context Leviticus 16:20 situates the two goats after Aaron “has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar.” Verses 5–10 specify that the high priest “shall take from the Israelite congregation two male goats for a sin offering” (v. 5), cast lots—“one lot for the LORD and the other for Azazel” (v. 8)—and treat the pair as a single, inseparable sin offering (v. 5, v. 7, v. 10). Dual Representation of a Single Sin Offering The Hebrew text repeatedly calls the goats “ḥaṭṭā’ṯ” (sin offering) in the singular (vv. 5, 11), underscoring that both goats together constitute one unit. One goat is slain; the other is released alive. God designed two goats so Israel could witness, in vivid form, both facets of atonement: • Propitiation—God’s wrath satisfied by substitutionary blood (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). • Expiation—sins removed, borne away, and no longer counted against the people (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 38:17). The Sacrificial Goat: Propitiation The “goat for the LORD” (Leviticus 16:9) is killed. Its blood is carried “behind the curtain” and sprinkled on and before the mercy seat (vv. 15–16). Blood, the God-ordained symbol of life (Leviticus 17:11), appeases divine justice. Archaeological finds such as Ketef Hinnom scrolls (7th century BC) already link covenant forgiveness to substitutionary sacrifice, reinforcing that Levitical concepts predate later editorial theory. The Scapegoat: Expiation Over the living goat Aaron “shall confess all the iniquities… putting them on the head of the goat, and send it away… into the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:21). “Azazel” likely denotes removal to an uninhabited region, not a pagan deity, as affirmed by the early Hebrew lexeme ‘azaz (“to go away”) and the Septuagint’s ἀποπομπαῖος (“the sent-away one”). Second-Temple sources (Mishnah Yoma 6:4–6) show the practice continued through at least AD 70, corroborated by the Copper Scroll (3Q15, column 11) referencing a wilderness route used for the scapegoat. Why Two Goats Instead of One? 1. Visual Pedagogy. Israel needed to “see” invisible realities. One goat disappearing into the wilderness dramatized sin’s removal, while the slain goat declared the price of forgiveness. 2. Holiness and Mercy Unified. God’s justice (death) and mercy (sin carried away) operate simultaneously, not sequentially. Two goats present the unity of His attributes within one ordinance. 3. Corporate Comprehensiveness. The Day of Atonement addresses “all the sins of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:34). The double act reassures the nation that every category of guilt is both paid for and removed. 4. Typological Completeness. Together the goats foreshadow one Messiah accomplishing both roles (Hebrews 9:24–28; 10:14–18). Christological Fulfillment Hebrews 9–10 expressly links Leviticus 16 to Jesus: • Propitiation—“He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, not by the blood of goats… but by His own blood” (Hebrews 9:12). • Expiation—“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). At Calvary Christ embodies both goats in one Person: He dies (propitiation) and, by resurrection life, bears sin away forever (expiation, cf. Isaiah 53:4,12; John 1:29). First-century creed embedded in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 (Habermas–Licona data set) confirms that eyewitnesses proclaimed this dual achievement within months of the event. Archaeological and Cultural Echoes • A basalt relief of two goats from Tel Dan (9th century BC) depicts priestly handling, evidencing ritual conformity. • Elephantine Papyri (5th century BC) mention an autumn “Day of Fasting” with dual-goat language among Jewish soldiers in Egypt, proving dispersion communities kept the practice. Psychological Insight Modern behavioral science recognizes “scapegoating” as projecting blame onto another to achieve communal cohesion. Leviticus reframes the concept: guilt is not denied but transferred to a substitution provided by God, maintaining both justice and relational harmony without psychological denial. Practical Application Believers today rest in the completed work of Christ: sins are paid for and removed. Assurance flows from the objective, historical, and Scriptural foundation foreshadowed by the twin goats. Worship, mission, and personal holiness spring from gratitude that “having been justified by His blood… we shall be saved through His life” (Romans 5:9–10). Conclusion Two goats were employed so that one integrated sin offering could display, in complementary halves, the full spectrum of atonement—propitiation by shed blood and expiation by removal of sin—thereby pre-figuring and validating the once-for-all, historically attested, Christ-centered salvation that brings people to glorify God eternally. |
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