The Meaning of Leviticus 16:6 Explained

Leviticus 16:6

KJV: And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

YLT: and Aaron hath brought near the bullock of the sin-offering which is his own, and hath made atonement for himself, and for his house;

Darby: And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.

ASV: And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Aaron  shall offer  his bullock  of the sin offering,  which [is] for himself,  and make an atonement  for himself, and for his house. 

What does Leviticus 16:6 Mean?

Study Notes

Atonement
Atonement. The biblical use and meaning of the word must be sharply distinguished from its use in theology. In theology it is term which covers the whole sacrificial and redemptive work of Christ. In the O.T. atonement is the English word used to translate the Hebrew words which mean "cover," "coverings," or "to cover." Atonement (at-one-ment) is, therefore, not a translation of the hebrew, but a purely theologic concept. The Levitical offerings "covered" the sins of Israel until, and in anticipation of the Cross, but did not "take away" Hebrews 10:4 those sins. These were the "sins done aforetime" ("covered" meantime by the Levitical sacrifices), which God "passed over" Romans 3:25 for which "passing over" God's righteousness was never vindicated until, in the Cross, Jesus Christ was "set forth a propitiation." See "Propitiation," . It was the Cross, not the Levitical sacrifices which made "at-one-ment." The O.T. sacrifices enabled God to go on with a guilty people because they typified the Cross. To the offerer they were the confession of his desert of death, and the expression of his faith; to God they were the "shadows" Hebrews 10:1 of which Christ was the reality.
atonement .
propitiation
Lit. a propitiatory sacrifice, through faith by his blood; (Greek - ἱλαστήριον , "place of propitiation)." The word occurs, 1 John 2:2 ; 1 John 4:10 as the trans. of hilasmos, "that which propitiates," "a propitiatory sacrifice." Hilasterion is used by the Septuagint, and Hebrews 9:5 for "mercy-seat." The mercy-seat was sprinkled with atoning blood in the day of atonement Leviticus 16:14 in token that the righteous sentence of the law had been (typically) carried out, so that what must else have been a judgment-seat could righteously be a mercy-seat; Hebrews 9:11-15 ; Hebrews 4:14-16 , a place of communion Exodus 25:21 ; Exodus 25:22 .
In fulfilment of the type, Christ is Himself the hilasmos, "that which propitiates," and the hilasterion, "the place of propitiation" --the mercy-seat sprinkled with His own blood-- the token that in our stead He so honoured the law by enduring its righteous sentence that God, who ever foresaw the cross, is vindicated in having "passed over" sins from Adam to Moses Romans 5:13 and the sins of believers under the old covenant (See Scofield " Exodus 29:33 ") and just in justifying sinners under the covenant. There is no thought in propitiation of placating a vengeful God, but of doing right by His holy law and so making it possible for Him righteously to show mercy.
remission passing over of sins done aforetime, i.e. since Adam. Cf. Hebrews 9:15 .
atonement
Heb. kaphar, "to cover." The English word "atonement" (at-one-ment) is not a translation of the Heb. kaphar, but a translator's interpretation. According to Scripture the legal sacrifice "covered" the offerer's sin and secured the divine forgiveness; according to the translators it made God and the sinner at- one. But the O.T. sacrifices did not at-one the sinner and God. "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." Hebrews 10:4 . The Israelite's offering implied confession of sin and of its due desert, death; and God "covered" (passed over," Romans 3:25 his sin, in anticipation of Christ's sacrifice, which did, finally, "put away" the sins "done aforetime in the forbearance of God."; Romans 3:25 ; Hebrews 9:15 . (See Scofield " Romans 3:25 ") . The word "atonement" does not occur in the N.T.; Romans 5:11 meaning reconciliation, and so rendered in the R.V.
See "Sacrifice," Genesis 4:4 , and refs. (See Scofield " Genesis 4:4 ")
(See Scofield " Leviticus 16:5 ")

Context Summary

Leviticus 16:1-14 - The Offerings For Atonement Day
This chapter contains the ritual of the great Day of Atonement, when the high priest entered within the veil, and in virtue of the blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat, and still more of the faith exercised therein, Israel was cleansed from every sin before the Lord, Leviticus 16:30. The death of his two sons acted as a solemn warning that Aaron should not deviate from the prescribed ceremonial in the smallest particular.
Every step is worthy of notice, each illustrates some feature in the sacrifice of Calvary, each is meant by the Holy Spirit of God to signify something. See Hebrews 9:8-9. The first goat was "for the Lord," representing the work of Christ in its Godward aspect. The second, like the second bird in Leviticus 14:6, signified its manward aspect. It is necessary that we should personally avail ourselves of its efficacy. Our faith must "lay its hand on that dear head of thine!" It was necessary that Aaron, as himself a sinner, must first offer for his own sins; and his offerings had to be repeated every year. See the triumphant contrast of Hebrews 9:24.
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Chapter Summary: Leviticus 16

1  how the high priest must enter into the holy place
11  The sin offering for himself
15  The sin offering for the people
20  The scapegoat
29  The yearly feast of the expiations

What do the individual words in Leviticus 16:6 mean?

And shall offer Aaron - the bull as a sin offering which [is] for himself and make atonement for himself for his house
וְהִקְרִ֧יב אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־ פַּ֥ר הַחַטָּ֖את אֲשֶׁר־ ל֑וֹ וְכִפֶּ֥ר בַּעֲד֖וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד בֵּיתֽוֹ

וְהִקְרִ֧יב  And  shall  offer 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
אַהֲרֹ֛ן  Aaron 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַהֲרֹון  
Sense: brother of Moses, a Levite and the first high priest.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פַּ֥ר  the  bull 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פַּר  
Sense: .
הַחַטָּ֖את  as  a  sin  offering 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
אֲשֶׁר־  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
ל֑וֹ  for  himself 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
וְכִפֶּ֥ר  and  make  atonement 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
בַּעֲד֖וֹ  for  himself 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.
בֵּיתֽוֹ  his  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.