Leviticus 16:3 kjv
Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:3 nkjv
"Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:3 niv
"This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:3 esv
But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:3 nlt
"When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 16:2 | "...not to come at all times into the Holy Place within the veil..." | God's holiness demands precise access protocols. |
| Lev 16:4 | "...He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen breeches" | Specific garments for the holy entry. |
| Lev 16:6 | "And Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself..." | Aaron's personal need for atonement affirmed. |
| Lev 4:3 | "If it is the anointed priest who sins..." | Guidelines for a high priest's sin offering. |
| Heb 5:1 | "For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act..." | High priest mediates for humanity, handling sins. |
| Heb 7:27 | "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily..." | Christ, our High Priest, needed no self-offering. |
| Heb 9:7 | "But into the second part only the high priest goes once a year..." | Solemn, once-yearly entry by high priest. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "...Christ appeared as a high priest... not by means of the blood of goats..." | Christ entered heaven by His own perfect blood. |
| Heb 10:4 | "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." | Animal blood cannot finally remove sin. |
| Isa 53:6 | "All we like sheep have gone astray... laid on him the iniquity of us all." | Foreshadows the ultimate sin-bearer, Christ. |
| Rom 3:23-25 | "for all have sinned... God presented Christ as a propitiation..." | Universal sin, God's provision for atonement. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin..." | Christ became sin for our righteousness. |
| Lev 1:3 | "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd..." | Regulations for the voluntary burnt offering. |
| Ps 24:3-4 | "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?... He who has clean hands..." | Purity and integrity required to approach God. |
| Ex 3:5 | "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place..." | God's holy presence demands reverence. |
| Num 16:40 | "...so that no outsider... may come near to offer incense before the Lord" | Warnings against unauthorized approaches to God. |
| Jn 14:6 | "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father..." | Christ is the only path to the Father. |
| Eph 2:18 | "For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father." | Believers gain direct access to God through Christ. |
| Col 2:13-14 | "...he forgave us all our trespasses, by canceling the record..." | Sin's record cancelled; the spiritual "veil" removed. |
| Zech 3:3-4 | "Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments... 'Behold, I have taken your iniquity away...'" | Priestly garments symbolize righteousness given. |
| Lev 10:1-3 | Nadab and Abihu's unauthorized offering and death. | Highlighting the consequence of improper approach. |
Leviticus 16 verses
Leviticus 16 3 Meaning
Leviticus 16:3 specifies the mandatory purification and dedication offerings Aaron, the High Priest, must present for himself before he can enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. This verse outlines his initial, personal ritual actions: bringing a young bull to serve as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, crucial steps to enable his sacred access.
Leviticus 16 3 Context
Leviticus chapter 16 delineates the sole divinely prescribed method for Aaron, the High Priest, to enter the Most Holy Place and perform rites of atonement for the entire community of Israel. This profound ritual, occurring annually on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), was established after the fatal unauthorized offering by Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, underscoring the extreme sacredness of God's dwelling place and the absolute necessity of following His explicit commands for access. Verse 3 introduces the initial steps Aaron must take, which involve his own purification and dedication before he can even begin to intercede for the people, thereby highlighting the deep gulf between a holy God and sinful humanity, and the essential need for mediation.
Leviticus 16 3 Word analysis
- "Thus" (כה - koh): Signifies that the instructions are precise, divinely ordained, and non-negotiable. It mandates adherence to the subsequent steps as the sole acceptable method.
- "shall Aaron come" (יבא אהרן - yavo Aharon):
- Aaron: Identifies the sole individual divinely permitted this unprecedented entry, underscoring his unique role as the mediatorial High Priest for Israel.
- come: Emphasizes a purposeful and commanded entry, not a casual or spontaneous act, into the most sacred space.
- "into the Holy Place" (אל הקדש - el ha-qodesh): This phrase, in the context of Leviticus 16, specifically refers to the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), the innermost sanctuary of the tabernacle/temple, where the Ark of the Covenant resided and God's glory manifested.
- "with a young bull" (פר בן בקר - par ben baqar):
- Young bull: A male bovine, symbolizing a substantial, valuable, and pure animal sacrifice. Its costliness emphasizes the gravity of the High Priest's need for atonement.
- "for a sin offering" (לחטאת - lekhata't):
- Sin offering (חטאת - chatta't): Also rendered "purification offering." Its purpose was to cleanse from unintentional sins and impurity, allowing the High Priest to be made clean before God. This was necessary because even the High Priest was sinful and stood in need of atonement.
- "and a ram" (איל - ayil):
- Ram: A male sheep, a significant and pure animal sacrifice, often used for burnt offerings or peace offerings.
- "for a burnt offering" (לעלה - le'olah):
- Burnt offering (עלה - olah): Literally, "that which ascends." The entire animal was consumed by fire on the altar, symbolizing complete dedication, worship, and the worshiper's total consecration and acceptance by God. It atoned for general sin and expressed devotion.
- "Thus shall Aaron come into the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering." (Words-group Analysis):
- Sequence of Sacrifices: The sin offering preceding the burnt offering is significant. It reveals God's divine order: purification from sin (atonement) must happen first, paving the way for dedication, complete surrender, and acceptable worship (consecration and fellowship). You must be cleansed before you can offer yourself wholly to God.
- Aaron's Personal Accountability: The immediate purpose of these offerings is for Aaron himself and his household (Lev 16:6), highlighting that even the one chosen to mediate God's presence is a sinner requiring expiation. This demonstrates the immense holiness of God and the depth of human sinfulness.
- Precursor to Public Atonement: These personal offerings are the non-negotiable prerequisite before Aaron can perform the broader atonement for the sins of the people, emphasizing the absolute standard of holiness required in God's presence.
Leviticus 16 3 Bonus section
The type of animals specified – a "young bull" and a "ram" – reflects specific, valuable male animals designated for particular covenantal acts, emphasizing the gravity and cost of the Day of Atonement. The explicit details in these initial verses (Lev 16:1-3) reinforce the ongoing covenant principle of "come My way, not your way," contrasting starkly with any form of self-devised worship or presumptuous access. The shadow of Aaron's need for purification for his own sins is perfectly overcome by Christ's singular, all-sufficient sacrifice, providing perfect access to the believer into God's very presence, not through the blood of bulls and goats, but through His own eternal Spirit.
Leviticus 16 3 Commentary
Leviticus 16:3 outlines the initial, personal sacrifices required of Aaron, the High Priest, to qualify for his momentous annual entry into the Most Holy Place. This bull for a sin offering and ram for a burnt offering are critical not only because they precede his intercession for Israel, but because they signify his own profound need for atonement and cleansing before God. This divine insistence on the High Priest's own purity underscores a central truth: a holy God cannot be approached by one defiled. The sequence—purification (sin offering) followed by consecration (burnt offering)—is foundational, demonstrating that removal of sin must precede acceptable worship and dedication. This rigid system of animal sacrifices, while divinely commanded for the covenant people, intrinsically highlighted its own temporary and incomplete nature. The repeated, costly, and vicarious nature of these offerings constantly pointed to the future need for a perfect, singular sacrifice, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who, unlike Aaron, needed no offering for Himself, being without sin, but perfectly fulfilled both roles of High Priest and ultimate, self-offered Lamb for humanity (Heb 9:11-14).