The Meaning of Leviticus 16:17 Explained

Leviticus 16:17

KJV: And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

YLT: 'And no man is in the tent of meeting in his going in to make atonement in the sanctuary, till his coming out; and he hath made atonement for himself, and for his house, and for all the assembly of Israel.

Darby: And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the sanctuary until he come out; and he shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and for the whole congregation of Israel.

ASV: And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And there shall be no man  in the tabernacle  of the congregation  when he goeth  in to make an atonement  in the holy  [place], until he come out,  and have made an atonement  for himself, and for his household,  and for all the congregation  of Israel. 

What does Leviticus 16:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Leviticus 16:15-34 - The Scapegoat
The loneliness of the high priest, Leviticus 16:17; the sprinkling of blood within the veil upon the mercy seat, Leviticus 16:16; the fragrant incense, emblematic of a well-pleasing offering, Leviticus 16:13; the confession of sin and its bearing-away into a solitary land, Leviticus 16:22; the linen garments of simplicity and humility, Leviticus 16:23; the destruction of the carcasses of the beasts "without the camp," Leviticus 16:27; the ultimate coming forth of the high priest to bless the people, bringing them the assurance of a finished and accepted work, Leviticus 16:24, compare Hebrews 9:28 all these points are carefully elaborated in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
The fate of the scapegoat was very moving! Laden with the sins of the people, it is led forth through the crowd of penitents, innocent yet execrated, dumb yet eloquent of the doom of the sin bearer, escaping death by the knife, to be forsaken even unto death! So Jesus died, with the cry of "Forsaken" on His lips. [source]

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 16:17 mean?

And man no there shall be in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy [Place] until he comes out that he may make atonement for himself for his household all the assembly of Israel
וְכָל־ אָדָ֞ם לֹא־ יִהְיֶ֣ה ׀ בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֗ד בְּבֹא֛וֹ לְכַפֵּ֥ר בַּקֹּ֖דֶשׁ עַד־ צֵאת֑וֹ וְכִפֶּ֤ר בַּעֲדוֹ֙ וּבְעַ֣ד בֵּית֔וֹ כָּל־ קְהַ֥ל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

אָדָ֞ם  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִהְיֶ֣ה ׀  there  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּאֹ֣הֶל  in  the  tabernacle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.
מוֹעֵ֗ד  of  meeting 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹועֵד  
Sense: appointed place, appointed time, meeting.
בְּבֹא֛וֹ  when  he  goes  in 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְכַפֵּ֥ר  to  make  atonement 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
בַּקֹּ֖דֶשׁ  in  the  Holy  [Place] 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
צֵאת֑וֹ  he  comes  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
וְכִפֶּ֤ר  that  he  may  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.
בַּעֲדוֹ֙  for  himself 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.
בֵּית֔וֹ  his  household 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
קְהַ֥ל  the  assembly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָהָל  
Sense: assembly, company, congregation, convocation.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.