Leviticus 6:26 kjv
The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 6:26 nkjv
The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.
Leviticus 6:26 niv
The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.
Leviticus 6:26 esv
The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
Leviticus 6:26 nlt
The priest who offers the sacrifice as a sin offering must eat his portion in a sacred place within the courtyard of the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 6 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 6:16-17 | "...What is left of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; it shall be eaten with unleavened bread in a holy place... It is most holy..." | Pertains to grain offering eaten by priests in a holy place, also "most holy." |
| Lev 6:29 | "Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy." | Reiterates the holy status and who can eat the sin offering. |
| Lev 7:6-7 | "Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. The sin offering... belongs to the priest who offers it." | Confirms the privilege and location for priests to eat the most holy sin offering. |
| Lev 10:12-18 | "Moses said to Aaron... 'Eat what is left... for it is most holy... why have you not eaten the sin offering in the sacred place, since it is most holy and God has given it to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord?'" | Moses' instruction and rebuke highlights the priest's obligation to eat for "bearing iniquity." |
| Num 18:9-10 | "This shall be yours from the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs... eaten by every male among you." | Details the priest's designated share of the offerings. |
| Deut 18:1 | "The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the Lord's offerings by fire, and his inheritance." | Establishes the priests' sustenance comes from the offerings. |
| Exo 29:32-34 | "And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket... It shall be eaten, because it is consecrated." | Early command for priests to eat consecrated offerings. |
| Eze 44:28-29 | "And they shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance... They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering." | Future provision for priests in Ezekiel's temple vision. |
| Lev 4:26, 31, 35 | "...Thus the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven." | Context for the purpose of the sin offering, atonement for forgiveness. |
| Lev 6:30 | "But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any of the blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned with fire." | Crucial contrast: this verse applies to sin offerings not taken into the Most Holy Place. |
| Heb 13:11-12 | "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp... So Jesus also suffered outside the gate..." | Relates Lev 6:30 to Christ's sacrifice, a powerful contrast highlighting His uniqueness. |
| Isa 53:4-6 | "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted... the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." | Prophetic imagery of the Servant bearing the people's sins, a New Covenant fulfillment. |
| Isa 53:11-12 | "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities... because he poured out his soul to death." | Directly mentions bearing iniquities, fulfilled by Christ. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." | Christ perfectly embodies the concept of "bearing sin" or being treated as sin itself for humanity's sake. |
| Rom 8:3 | "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh." | Christ's sacrifice dealt with sin directly and fully. |
| Gal 3:13 | "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'" | Another aspect of Christ's bearing of humanity's penalty for sin. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." | Clear New Testament statement on Christ's atoning work fulfilling the purpose of sin offerings. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "But when Christ appeared as a high priest... he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." | Christ's once-for-all sacrifice replaces the repetitive Tabernacle rituals. |
| Heb 9:26 | "Else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." | Reinforces the finality and efficacy of Christ's atonement compared to animal sacrifices. |
| 1 Cor 10:18 | "Consider Israel according to the flesh: are not those who eat of the sacrifices participants in the altar?" | Refers to participation and communion through eating sacrifices, relevant to the sacredness of priestly eating. |
Leviticus 6 verses
Leviticus 6 26 Meaning
Leviticus 6:26 details the protocol for the eating of a specific portion of the sin offering (chattat). It mandates that the priest who performs the sacrificial rite for atonement is obligated to consume the designated part of the offering. This consumption must occur within a "holy place," specifically defined as the court of the Tabernacle of Meeting. This was not merely sustenance but a profound act symbolizing the priest's role in the atonement process, wherein he partook in and, in a sense, bore the guilt of the community, distinguishing it as a most holy portion of the offering.
Leviticus 6 26 Context
Leviticus chapter 6 transitions from explaining the various types of offerings (Chapter 1-5) to giving specific instructions for the priests regarding the offering procedures and their priestly portions. Verses 24-30 specifically detail the sin offering (Hebrew: chattat) as distinct from earlier general descriptions. This section outlines how the offering must be handled after the animal is killed, where its blood must be applied, and who is permitted to eat the meat. The overarching theme of Leviticus is holiness – how a holy God dwells among an unholy people, and the meticulous regulations needed for their worship to be acceptable and for them to remain ritually pure. Eating consecrated meat in a holy place emphasizes the sanctity of the atonement process and the specific role of the priests as mediators, set apart by God. This context underscores the vital importance of purity, order, and adherence to divine instruction in Israelite worship.
Leviticus 6 26 Word analysis
- The priest:
- Hebrew: hakkohen (הַכֹּהֵן). Refers specifically to the descendant of Aaron, set apart for service in the Tabernacle. This highlights his divinely appointed and exclusive role as mediator between God and the people.
- Significance: The eating is not for everyone but reserved for the consecrated individual acting on behalf of the community and God. This reinforces the hierarchical nature of worship in the Mosaic covenant.
- who offers it for sin:
- Hebrew: ham'khapper 'otah (הַמְכַפֵּר אֹתָהּ). Literally, "who performs atonement/expiation with it" or "purifies with it." This active participle indicates the priest's direct involvement in the atoning ritual.
- Significance: This phrase links the eating of the offering directly to the priest's function in effecting atonement and purification for the offerer. The consumption is not casual but part of the sacred transaction of covering or purifying sin. It suggests an identification, though not sinful absorption, with the offering’s purpose.
- shall eat it:
- Hebrew: yo'khalenah (יֹאכֲלֶנָּה). This is a strong imperative, implying a divine command rather than an option.
- Significance: The eating of the offering signifies both the priest's sustenance derived from their holy duties (their "inheritance" from the Lord) and, more profoundly, their partaking in the purification process. Some rabbinic traditions and ancient commentators suggest this act symbolized the priest 'taking upon himself' or 'bearing' the sin/guilt in order to purge it from the community, similar to the idea found in Lev 10:17. It's an act of deep identification with the atoning work.
- in a holy place:
- Hebrew: bim'qom qadosh (בְּמָקֹום קָדֹושׁ). "Place of holiness" or "sacred place." This denotes any consecrated area within the Tabernacle precinct, distinct from common ground.
- Significance: This restriction emphasizes the extremely holy nature of the sin offering’s meat, which was considered "most holy" (Lev 6:25). It highlights the strict demarcation between the holy and the common, crucial for maintaining God’s presence. The sacredness of the offering required consumption within consecrated boundaries to prevent defilement and maintain ritual purity.
- it shall be eaten:
- Hebrew: te'akhel (תֵּאָכֵל). Passive voice, reiterating the divine decree and command regarding its consumption. The repetition stresses its mandatory nature and the specific conditions for it.
- Significance: Reinforces the non-negotiable nature of the command and emphasizes the divinely ordained requirement for proper disposal of the sacred offering, contrasting it with common food consumption.
- in the court of the tabernacle of meeting:
- Hebrew: bachatzar 'ohel mo'ed (בַּחֲצַר אֹהֶל מֹועֵד). Refers to the outdoor courtyard area immediately surrounding the Tabernacle tent itself, which was also consecrated space.
- Significance: This provides the specific, definitive location for the eating. It ensures that even though it’s eaten outside the inner sanctuary, it is still within the sacred, dedicated space, demonstrating strict adherence to ritual purity and the hierarchy of holy places.
Words-group analysis:
- The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it: This phrase highlights the intimate and binding connection between the priest's performance of the atonement rite and his subsequent obligatory consumption of the offering. It's a closed loop of divine service and participation.
- in a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting: This specifies the spatial limitations. The dual emphasis on "holy place" and then "court of the tabernacle of meeting" is redundant for emphasis, reinforcing the necessity of strict adherence to God's defined holy boundaries for handling and partaking of consecrated things. This separation ensured reverence for God's holiness.
Leviticus 6 26 Bonus section
The act of the priest eating the sin offering for the community's atonement has been interpreted by some scholars as a priestly means of removing or "bearing" the uncleanness of sin, rather than literally ingesting sin. It was a physical and symbolic participation in the transference of sin's effects, by divine decree. This parallels, in a limited and anticipatory way, Christ's definitive "bearing" of sins (Isa 53:11; 1 Pet 2:24) – though the Old Testament priest did not absorb sin or become defiled himself by eating; rather, through this divinely commanded act within holiness, sin's effects were ritualistically purged. The very "eating" transforms it from merely being sacrificed to being symbolically absorbed into the one who stands between the defiled and the holy, demonstrating God's provision for dealing with sin within the covenant framework.
Leviticus 6 26 Commentary
Leviticus 6:26 provides precise instructions for the handling and consumption of the sin offering, underlining its profound sanctity. The priestly eating of this "most holy" meat served multiple purposes: it provided sustenance for the priests, affirming their reliance on God’s provisions; and, more importantly, it was a symbolic act of "bearing the iniquity" or guilt of the people for whom atonement was made. By consuming the offering within the consecrated space of the Tabernacle court, the priest identified with the process of purification, acting as a spiritual conduit to facilitate the removal of defilement from the community. This act highlighted the crucial role of the Levitical priesthood in mediating between God and humanity, setting the stage for the ultimate, perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ, who did not merely bear the offering but truly became the offering, bearing all sins in His body outside the gate. The meticulous regulations underscore the immense holiness of God and the seriousness of sin, preparing God’s people for a deeper understanding of atonement.