Leviticus 8 17

Leviticus 8:17 kjv

But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:17 nkjv

But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:17 niv

But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its intestines he burned up outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:17 esv

But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:17 nlt

He took the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burned it on a fire outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded him.

Leviticus 8 verses

Leviticus 8 17 Meaning

Leviticus 8:17 describes the final disposal of the remains of the bull that served as the sin offering for the consecration of Aaron and his sons. After its blood was used for purification, the remaining parts—the hide, the flesh, and even the dung—were to be thoroughly consumed by fire outside the boundary of the holy camp. This act signified the complete removal and bearing away of sin's defilement, which could not remain within the holy precinct of God's dwelling among His people. It underscored the absolute purity God demands and the thoroughness required to cleanse sin.

Leviticus 8 17 Context

Leviticus 8 narrates the seven-day consecration ceremony of Aaron and his sons as priests, fulfilling the divine command given in Exodus 29. This elaborate ritual established the priesthood, providing a divinely appointed mediator between a holy God and His people, Israel. The chapter meticulously details their ritual washing, robing, anointing with sacred oil, and the offering of specific sacrifices. The first sacrifice performed was a sin offering (a young bull), designed to cleanse and atone for the priests' sin and prepare them for holy service. Verse 17 concludes the account of this sin offering's disposal, specifically emphasizing that its remaining parts—everything from the hide to the dung—had to be taken "outside the camp" and utterly consumed by fire. This act of expulsion and destruction reinforced the severity of sin and its incompatibility with the holiness of the Tabernacle and God's dwelling presence within the community. In the broader literary context of Leviticus, this disposal highlights God's demand for purity and the foundational understanding that sin must be entirely removed to maintain communion with Him. Historically, the "camp" represented the divinely ordered and holy dwelling place of God with Israel in the wilderness, making its boundaries critical to spiritual purity.

Leviticus 8 17 Word analysis

• But the bull: (Hebrew: וְאֵת הַפָּר - və'ēt hapar) The opening connective "But" highlights a particular instruction regarding this sin offering, contrasting it with general disposition rules for other offerings. "The bull" (par) signifies a strong, valuable male animal, a significant offering for a sin of grave defilement, particularly fitting for the consecration of the high priest and priests. This specific bull (mentioned in Lev 8:2, 8:14) was essential for cleansing Aaron and his sons.

• its hide: (Hebrew: עֹרָו - ‘orav) Refers to the skin of the animal. Unlike certain offerings where the priest could keep the hide (e.g., Lev 7:8 for the burnt offering), its inclusion for destruction here emphasizes that nothing associated with this specific sin offering was permitted to remain within the holy camp or be consumed by the priests. It points to a complete severance from the object symbolizing sin.

• its flesh: (Hebrew: וּבְשָׂרֹו - uvəśarōw) The muscle and meat of the animal. This signifies the bulk of the offering. For a sin offering whose blood was brought into the holy place (like this one, Lev 8:15), the flesh could not be eaten (Lev 6:30), underscoring the severity of the sin it covered and the fact that its expiation was so complete it couldn't become food for those remaining inside the camp.

• and its dung: (Hebrew: וּפִרְשֹׁו - uphirsho) This refers to the offal, intestines, and digestive waste. Including the dung emphasizes the totality of the disposal. Nothing, however foul or useless, that comprised or came from this animal (which bore the sin) was to be kept. It symbolizes the complete and utter rejection and removal of every aspect associated with sin's defilement.

• he burned: (Hebrew: שָׂרַף - śāraph) The verb means to utterly consume by fire, signifying destruction and eradication, not consumption for sustenance on the altar. Fire, in this context, cleanses and destroys that which is impure and cannot stand in God's presence.

• with fire: (Hebrew: בָאֵשׁ - bā'ēsh) The explicit mention of fire emphasizes the intensity and completeness of the destruction. Fire is a biblical motif for purification, judgment, and thorough consumption. Here, it signifies the eradication of sin's residue.

• outside the camp: (Hebrew: מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה - miḥuṣ lammaḥaneh) This is a critical theological and physical boundary. The "camp" (maḥaneh) was the dwelling place of the Israelites, ordered around the Tabernacle and thus considered sacred by God's presence. Anything considered utterly defiling, like this sin offering which bore the accumulated impurity, had to be removed beyond its borders to maintain ritual purity within. This physical expulsion teaches the spiritual reality that sin has no place in God's holy presence or among His people. It powerfully foreshadows Christ's sacrifice, bearing our sin "outside the gate" (Heb 13:11-12).

• as the LORD had commanded Moses: (Hebrew: כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה - ka'ăšer ṣivvāh YHVH et-Mosheh) This recurring phrase throughout Leviticus 8 emphasizes the divine origin and authority behind every aspect of the consecration ceremony and the sacrificial system. It affirms that these rituals were not human inventions but God’s specific instructions, ensuring their efficacy and demonstrating His precise method for dealing with sin and approaching Him. This reiteration highlights Moses' perfect obedience to the divine will, setting a standard for all future worship and priestly conduct.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its dung": This comprehensive enumeration highlights that every single part of the animal that symbolized the transferred sin and defilement had to be handled, signifying that sin, in all its manifestations, needed to be addressed completely and without reservation. This entire representation of sin could not remain near God’s holy presence.
  • "he burned with fire outside the camp": This action encapsulates the ultimate removal and destruction of sin. The act of burning ensures complete disintegration and consumption, symbolizing judgment and cleansing. Performing this "outside the camp" visually reinforced the theological principle that sin must be utterly expelled and distanced from the holy community where God dwells. This exclusion emphasizes the sanctity and purity required within the consecrated space.
  • "as the LORD had commanded Moses": This concluding phrase underlines the divine origin and authoritative nature of this sacrificial command. It stresses that this elaborate, specific, and seemingly strange ritual of disposal was not an arbitrary human tradition, but a direct revelation from God, ensuring its perfect spiritual effectiveness and confirming its role in God’s design for atonement and reconciliation.

Leviticus 8 17 Bonus section

• The ritual of burning specific sin offerings outside the camp also served as a critical pedagogical tool for the Israelites. It provided a vivid, undeniable visual lesson on the profound separation required between a holy God and human sin, constantly impressing upon the people the gravity of defilement and the cost of atonement.
• The inclusion of the bull's dung (waste) to be burned reinforces the idea of utter loathsomeness and worthlessness of sin in God's eyes, and that everything connected with it, even the most defiling and ignoble parts, must be completely removed.
• This particular detail distinguishes the sin offering prescribed for the consecration of priests (and other grave sin offerings) from other categories of sacrifice. For instance, some sin offerings could be eaten by the priests, provided their blood was not brought into the holy place (Lev 6:26-29). The precise rules for disposal thus reveal the varied intensity and purpose of atonement based on the type of sin and status of the one for whom it was offered.
• The recurring phrase, "as the LORD had commanded Moses," found repeatedly throughout Leviticus 8, underscores the absolute necessity of faithful and precise adherence to divine instruction in worship. It is a testament to the unchanging nature of God's revealed will and the importance of obedience for effective priestly service and proper covenant relationship.

Leviticus 8 17 Commentary

Leviticus 8:17, though concise, delivers a powerful theological message concerning the nature of sin and God's requirements for its handling. The burning of the sin offering's hide, flesh, and dung outside the camp represents a profound truth: sin, with all its defilement and consequences, is utterly incompatible with God's holy presence. This ritual acts as a stark visual sermon, demonstrating that what symbolically bore the impurity of sin must be entirely expelled and consumed. It could not be consumed by priests as their portion, nor offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma, because it carried sin. The complete destruction by fire signifies divine judgment upon sin and its eradication, ensuring that no remnant of defilement remains within the consecrated community where God condescended to dwell. This Mosaic command finds its supreme fulfillment in Jesus Christ, our ultimate sin offering. Just as the Levitical bull was led outside the camp to bear sin and be destroyed, so too did Jesus "suffer outside the gate" of Jerusalem (Heb 13:11-12), carrying the weight and shame of humanity's sin far from the presence of God's holy dwelling. His once-for-all sacrifice definitively purged sin, allowing for a holy and lasting reconciliation.