Leviticus 16:27 kjv
And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Leviticus 16:27 nkjv
The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. And they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their offal.
Leviticus 16:27 niv
The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up.
Leviticus 16:27 esv
And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire.
Leviticus 16:27 nlt
"The bull and the goat presented as sin offerings, whose blood Aaron takes into the Most Holy Place for the purification ceremony, will be carried outside the camp. The animals' hides, internal organs, and dung are all to be burned.
Leviticus 16 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 16:3 | Aaron shall come into the Holy Place... | High Priest's bull for sin offering. |
| Lev 16:5 | And from the congregation of the people... | People's goat for sin offering. |
| Lev 16:11 | And Aaron shall present the bull... and make atonement for himself... | Use of bull's blood. |
| Lev 16:14-15 | He shall take some of the blood... and sprinkle it on the mercy seat... | Blood brought into Holy Place. |
| Lev 4:11-12 | ...all the rest of the bull... carry outside the camp to a clean place... | Precedent for high priest's sin offering (same disposal). |
| Lev 4:20-21 | He shall do with the bull... he shall carry the bull outside the camp... | Precedent for community sin offering (same disposal). |
| Ex 29:14 | You shall burn with fire outside the camp... the bull of the sin offering... | Sin offering disposal during priestly ordination. |
| Lev 10:16-18 | The goat of the sin offering had been burned... it should have been eaten in the Holy Place... | Contrast: Most sin offerings were eaten by priests to 'bear guilt'; these were burned. |
| Num 19:3 | And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest... burn it before him. | Red Heifer ashes (also outside the camp for purification). |
| Deut 23:14 | ...the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp... therefore your camp must be holy... | Concept of a holy camp, necessitating removal of impurity. |
| Num 5:2-4 | Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone... unclean. | Principle of excluding impurity from the camp. |
| Heb 13:11 | For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. | Direct New Testament reference to Lev 16:27, explaining its symbolism. |
| Heb 13:12 | So Jesus also suffered outside the gate... | Fulfills Lev 16:27: Christ bore sin outside the gate/camp. |
| Heb 13:13 | Let us go forth to Him outside the camp... | Application: believers join Christ in identification with His suffering/rejection. |
| Heb 9:7-8 | Only the high priest goes... with blood... and the Holy Spirit indicates... | Foreshadowing limited access to God's presence under Old Covenant. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | Christ appeared as a high priest... through the greater... Tent... not by blood of goats and calves... | Superiority of Christ's blood over animal blood for atonement. |
| Heb 9:22-24 | ...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness... but by a better sacrifice than these. | Necessity and efficacy of blood atonement fulfilled in Christ. |
| Isa 53:4-6 | Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows... | Prophecy of the Suffering Servant bearing sin and iniquity. |
| Isa 53:10 | ...when his soul makes an offering for guilt... | The servant becoming a sin/guilt offering. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin... | Christ became sin, directly relating to the concept of sin-bearing. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree... | Christ's suffering and death as bearing sins. |
| Rom 8:3 | ...God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh... and for sin... | God sending His Son as a sin offering. |
Leviticus 16 verses
Leviticus 16 27 Meaning
Leviticus 16:27 describes a crucial part of the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ritual: the disposal of the sin offerings for the high priest and the community. The carcasses of the bull (for the high priest’s sin) and the goat (for the people’s sin), whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place for atonement, were to be carried entirely outside the Israelite camp. There, their hides, flesh, and entrails were to be completely consumed by fire. This act symbolized the radical removal and complete destruction of the defilement of sin from God’s holy presence and His people, after the sin had been borne by the animal and atoned for by its blood in the sanctuary.
Leviticus 16 27 Context
Leviticus 16 details the rituals for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day in Israel's liturgical calendar. This chapter outlines the annual ceremony for cleansing the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), the priesthood, and the entire community from all their defilements and transgressions, enabling God's continued holy presence among them. The ritual involves specific sin offerings: a bull for the high priest and his household, and two goats for the community (one for YHWH, sacrificed, and one for Azazel, the scapegoat, sent away). Verse 27 specifically refers to the bodies of the bull and the "for YHWH" goat, whose blood, uniquely among all sacrifices, was carried into the innermost sanctuary – the Most Holy Place – to be sprinkled on the mercy seat. This unique and powerful act of atonement required a distinct method of disposal for the carcasses, contrasting them with other sacrifices that might be eaten or offered entirely on the altar. "Outside the camp" was traditionally the place for that which was ritually impure, discarded, or to be removed entirely, emphasizing that the sin borne by these animals, though atoned for, rendered their physical remains utterly defiled and unacceptable within the holy camp.
Leviticus 16 27 Word analysis
- The bull (הַפָּר, hap-par): Refers to the bull from Lev 16:3, offered by Aaron for his own sin and the sin of his household. It signifies the need for purification of the priestly mediator himself.
- for the sin offering (הַחַטָּאת, ha-khaṭṭa'th): Emphasizes its purpose as a sacrifice to atone for sin, dealing with defilement and transgression. The term signifies both sin itself and the sacrifice offered for it.
- and the goat (הַשָּׂעִיר, has-saʿir): Refers to the specific goat from Lev 16:5 and 16:9 ("for the LORD"), which was designated as a sin offering for the sins of the people of Israel.
- for the sin offering: Reiterates the purpose for the goat.
- whose blood (דָּמָם, dam-mam): "Their blood." Blood signifies life (Lev 17:11) and serves as the means of atonement by covering or expiating sin. The emphasis here is on this specific blood.
- was brought in (הוּבָא, hu-ḇā): A passive, emphasizing that the blood was actively brought, specifically by the high priest, into the holiest space. This act is the climax of the atonement rite for the year.
- to make atonement (לְכַפֵּר, lə-khap-per): From the root kāphar, meaning "to cover," "to purge," "to make propitiation." It denotes the ritual act that reconciles or purifies by removing sin/impurity.
- in the Holy Place (בַּקֹּדֶשׁ, baq-qōḏeš): Although "Holy Place" can refer to the outer sanctuary, in the context of Yom Kippur (Lev 16:16-17), it unequivocally refers to the Most Holy Place (kodesh hakodashim), where the ark of the covenant and mercy seat resided, the very presence of God. This specifies the uniqueness and profound efficacy of this blood.
- shall be carried out (וְהוֹצִיא, wə-hoṣi'): An imperative or strong command. "To bring out" or "to remove." This implies a deliberate and authoritative action.
- outside the camp (מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה, miḥuṣ la-maḥăneh): The designated location for ritual impurity, ashes, or condemned persons (e.g., those with severe skin diseases, or those executed for certain crimes). This physical location symbolized a radical separation from the holy community and God's dwelling within it. It underscores the profound defilement that these sin-bearing animals had absorbed, even after their blood performed atonement.
- Their hides (עֹרֹתָם, ʿōrōṯām), their flesh (וּבְשָׂרָם, ū-ḇəśārām), and their entrails (וּפִרְשָׁם, ū-pīrəšām): This comprehensive listing of all bodily parts, including the hide (normally valuable) and entrails (intestines and waste), emphasizes that the entire carcass was rendered thoroughly unclean and fit only for complete destruction. Pirsham often specifically refers to dung or waste, highlighting the ultimate degradation of these remains.
- shall be burned (יִשְׂרְפוּ, yiśrəpū) with fire (בָּאֵשׁ, ba-'ēš): Implies complete combustion and annihilation. This isn't for cooking or eating, but for absolute destruction of that which is thoroughly permeated by the impurity of sin, removing it entirely from existence.
Leviticus 16 27 Bonus section
The specific instruction to burn all parts, including hides and entrails, distinguishes these offerings from other sacrifices. Hides, for instance, were usually given to the officiating priest (Lev 7:8). This command reinforces the idea that these sin offerings, having absorbed the intense impurity from sins carried into God's immediate presence, became so permeated with spiritual "defilement" that absolutely nothing of them could remain with the people or within the holy precincts. The complete incineration ensures finality and symbolic purification by fire, separating the people completely from the taint of sin they bore. This powerful image of radical expulsion and destruction serves as a visual metaphor for how God views and deals with sin through the prescribed means of atonement—utter separation and removal.
Leviticus 16 27 Commentary
Leviticus 16:27 highlights the radical dichotomy within the Day of Atonement sacrifices. The blood of these specific animals, which bore the accumulated sins of the high priest and the nation, was sanctified to enter the very presence of God to effect annual cleansing. Yet, the physical bodies of these same animals became so saturated with sin’s defilement that they were deemed utterly profane and had to be expelled entirely from the holy camp. This removal "outside the camp" symbolizes the absolute separation of sin from God and His people, visually depicting sin's defiling power even after atonement. The complete burning of all parts further emphasizes sin’s utter unacceptability and necessary obliteration. This ritual vividly foreshadowed the atoning work of Jesus Christ, the ultimate sin offering, who "suffered outside the gate" of Jerusalem (Heb 13:12) to purify His people, bearing their sins away and enduring their shame, thus completing what these ancient rituals could only foreshadow. Just as the carcasses of these animals were seen as bearing sin’s defilement and were discarded, so Christ, by bearing our sin, was treated as accursed and outcast, making it possible for us to draw near to a holy God.