Meaning of Leviticus 16:21

Leviticus 16:21 describes a pivotal moment in the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ritual, where the High Priest symbolically transfers the sins of the entire Israelite community onto a live goat, which is then sent into the wilderness. This act serves as a powerful visual representation of expiation and the removal of sin from the presence of God. The confession of "all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins" over the goat's head signifies a complete and comprehensive transfer, emphasizing that the community's transgressions are being vicariously borne away. The designated individual leading the goat into the wilderness further underscores the definitive removal of these sins, ensuring they are no longer within the camp or the sacred space of Israel, thereby restoring communal purity and relationship with God.

Context and Background

This verse is situated within Leviticus chapter 16, which outlines the detailed procedures for the most sacred day of the Israelite calendar, the Day of Atonement. This annual observance was designed to cleanse the entire nation, including the sanctuary itself, from the accumulated sins and defilements of the past year. The ritual involved specific sacrifices, purifications, and symbolic actions, with the two goats mentioned in Leviticus 16:5-10 playing a crucial role. One goat was sacrificed as a sin offering for the Lord, while the other, the "scapegoat," was designated to bear the sins away. This verse focuses on the latter, elaborating on the High Priest's role in its consecration and dispatch.

Key Themes and Messages

The central themes are atonement, sin transfer, removal, and communal purification. The act of confessing sins over the goat's head signifies the direct imputation of guilt onto an innocent substitute. The subsequent sending of the goat into the wilderness communicates the complete removal of sin from the community, ensuring that it is no longer a barrier to their relationship with God. This ritual highlights God's provision for dealing with sin and His desire for His people to be holy and unblemished before Him.

Spiritual Significance and Application

Spiritually, this ritual prefigures the ultimate atonement provided by Jesus Christ. The live goat acts as a type or foreshadowing of Christ, who, as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), bore the sins of humanity upon Himself. The confession of sins over the goat parallels the Christian confession of sins and the understanding that Christ's sacrifice has removed our transgressions. The wilderness represents a place of separation and remoteness, mirroring how Christ's atoning work separates believers from their sins, making them spiritually clean.

Relation to the Broader Biblical Narrative

This passage is foundational to understanding the biblical concept of atonement. It establishes the principle that sin requires a propitiation and that a substitute can bear the penalty. This theme is carried throughout the Old Testament sacrificial system and finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament with Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. The concept of sin being carried away and removed is a recurring motif, culminating in God's promise in Jeremiah 31:34: "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Analogies

One analogy is that of a garbage collector. Just as a garbage collector gathers all the refuse from a household and takes it away to a landfill, the High Priest gathered the sins of the nation and symbolically sent them away with the goat. Another analogy is that of clearing a debt. The sins are like an overwhelming debt that the community cannot pay. The goat, in this ritual, acts as a representative who takes on that debt and is sent away, signifying that the debt has been dealt with.

Relation to Other Verses

• Leviticus 16:15-16: These verses immediately preceding describe the sacrifice of the first goat for a sin offering, emphasizing the blood's role in atonement for the people and the sanctuary.
• Isaiah 53:4-6: This prophetic passage speaks of a suffering servant who "has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" and that "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." This strongly echoes the concept of sin transfer seen in Leviticus 16.
• Hebrews 9:11-14: The author of Hebrews explicitly connects the Old Testament sacrificial system, including the Day of Atonement rituals, to the superior and final sacrifice of Christ.
• 1 Peter 2:24: Peter directly applies the concept of Christ bearing sins: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness."
• John 1:29: John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" directly relates to the scapegoat's function of removing sin.