The goat will carry on itself all their iniquitiesThis phrase refers to the scapegoat, one of two goats used in the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) ritual. The high priest would lay hands on the goat, symbolically transferring the sins of the Israelites onto it. This act signifies the removal of sin from the community, a concept echoed in
Psalm 103:12, where God removes transgressions as far as the east is from the west. The scapegoat is a type of Christ, who bore the sins of humanity (
Isaiah 53:6,
1 Peter 2:24).
into a solitary place
The solitary place, or wilderness, represents a realm outside the camp, symbolizing separation from the community and from God’s presence. This desolate area underscores the complete removal of sin, as the goat is sent to a place where it cannot return. The wilderness is often depicted in Scripture as a place of testing and purification (e.g., Israel's 40 years of wandering, Jesus' temptation in the desert).
and the man will release it
The man responsible for releasing the goat was chosen for this specific task, ensuring the ritual was carried out properly. This act of release signifies the finality of the sin removal process. The man’s role is crucial, as it ensures the goat does not return, symbolizing the permanent removal of sin. This mirrors the New Testament teaching of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10).
into the wilderness
The wilderness serves as a symbolic location for the banishment of sin, emphasizing the separation from the holy community. In biblical times, the wilderness was seen as a place of chaos and danger, reinforcing the idea that sin leads to separation from God. This imagery is fulfilled in Christ, who was crucified outside the city (Hebrews 13:12), taking on the role of the scapegoat to remove sin permanently.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The High PriestThe central figure in the Day of Atonement rituals, responsible for performing the sacrifices and the scapegoat ceremony.
2.
The Scapegoat (Azazel)A goat chosen by lot to symbolically carry the sins of the Israelites into the wilderness, representing the removal of sin from the community.
3.
The WildernessA desolate place where the scapegoat is released, symbolizing the complete removal and isolation of sin from the people.
4.
The IsraelitesThe community of God's chosen people, whose sins are atoned for through the rituals of the Day of Atonement.
5.
The Man AppointedA designated individual responsible for leading the scapegoat into the wilderness, ensuring the sins are carried away from the camp.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of SinThe elaborate rituals of the Day of Atonement highlight the gravity of sin and the need for atonement. Sin separates us from God and requires a divine solution.
The Role of SubstitutionThe scapegoat serves as a powerful symbol of substitution, where the innocent bears the guilt of others. This foreshadows Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross.
God's Provision for ForgivenessThe Day of Atonement demonstrates God's desire to forgive and restore His people. It points to the ultimate provision of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
The Importance of RepentanceThe Israelites were required to afflict their souls and repent during the Day of Atonement. True repentance is essential for experiencing God's forgiveness.
Living in Freedom from SinJust as the scapegoat carried away the sins of Israel, believers are called to live in the freedom from sin that Christ provides, not returning to the bondage of sin.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 16
What does it mean Jesus became sin for us?
How does atonement restore our relationship with God?
Why does Leviticus 16 not address inevitable scientific gaps in the concept of sin transference and ritual purification despite later translations or commentaries?
Who or what is the figure Azazel in mythology?(22)
Unto a land not inhabited.--Literally,
unto a land cut off,that is, a place the ground of which is separated from all around it, hence a summit, a peak standing out by itself, a precipice.
In the wilderness.--Where no human beings dwell, but which is the abode of evil spirits. It will be seen that the directions here are simply to conduct the goat into the wilderness, where it is apparently to be let loose to pursue its own course. During the second Temple, however, the authorities decreed that the animal must be destroyed. Accordingly one of the priests who was appointed to execute this mission led the goat to a rock called Zuck, in the wilderness, situate about twelve miles, or ninety furlongs, from Jerusalem. Between the holy city and this steep rock, ten booths were erected at intervals of one mile, and persons were located in every booth to accompany the messenger to the next tent, which was distant a Sabbath day's journey. From the last booth to the rock, which was double this distance, the messenger had no companion, but he was carefully watched by the occupants of the last booth to see that he performed the ritual according to the prescribed order. On his arrival at the mountain he divided the crimson thread, which was the badge of the goat, into two; one half he fastened to the rock, and the other he tied between the two horns of the victim, and then pushed the animal down the projecting ledge of the rock, when it was dashed to pieces before it reached the bottom. Hereupon the persons stationed at the last booth to watch the proceedings waved linen cloths or white flags, thus signalling from station to station to the priests in the court of the Temple the arrival of the goat at its proper destination.
Verse 22. - Then the goat went forth,
bearing upon him all their iniquities. The slain goat had symbolized and ceremonially wrought full atonement or covering of sins; but in order to impress upon the mind of the nation a joyful sense of entire liberation from the burden of sin, the second symbol of the disappearing goat is used; so that not only sin, but the consciousness and the fear of the taint and presence of sin, might be taken away from the cleansed and delivered people. The goat is to bear the iniquities of the people
unto a land not inhabited. The latter words - in the original,
eretz gezerah - would be more correctly translated,
a laud cut off, that is, completely isolated from the surrounding country by some barrier of rock or torrent, which would make it impossible for the goat to come back again. Thus the sins were utterly lost, as though they had never been, and they could not return to the sanctified people. The Hebrew word
gazar, to cut (
1 Kings 3:25;
Psalm 136:18), is represented in Arabic by
jazara, and the substantive
gezerah by
jaziruh, which means an island, or an area surrounded by rivers. The word is still in use in countries where Arabic is spoken, as the designation of a district divided from the neighbouring territories by rivers cutting it off, and making it a sort of island or peninsula. Into such a district as this, the man who led the goat was
to let him go. In later times, contrary to the spirit of the Mosaic appointment, the goat was pushed over a projecting ledge of rock, and so killed, a device of man clumsily introduced for the purpose of perfecting a symbolism of Divine appointment. It was more in accordance with the original institution that "the arrival of the goat in the wilderness was immediately telegraphed by the waving of flags, from station to station, till a few minutes after its occurrence it was known in the temple, and whispered from ear to ear, that the goat had borne upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited" (Edersheim, 'Temple Service'). Both the goat that was sacrificed and the goat that served as remover of sins typified Christ. The first presents him to our faith as the Victim on the cross, the other as the Sin-bearer on whom the Lord laid "the iniquity of us all" (
Isaiah 53:4; cf.
2 Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:13). "The reason for making use of two animals is to be found purely in the physical impossibility of combining all features that had to be set forth in the sin offering in one animal" (Keil).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
The goatהַשָּׂעִ֥יר(haś·śā·‘îr)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8163:Shaggy, a he-goat, a faunwill carryוְנָשָׂ֨א(wə·nā·śā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375:To lift, carry, takeonעָלָ֛יו(‘ā·lāw)Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstitselfאֶת־(’eṯ-)Direct object marker
Strong's 853:Untranslatable mark of the accusative caseallכָּל־(kāl-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everytheir iniquitiesעֲוֺנֹתָ֖ם(‘ă·wō·nō·ṯām)Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5771:Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquityintoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toa solitaryגְּזֵרָ֑ה(gə·zê·rāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1509:Separationplace,אֶ֣רֶץ(’e·reṣ)Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776:Earth, landand [the man] will releaseוְשִׁלַּ֥ח(wə·šil·laḥ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971:To send away, for, out[it]הַשָּׂעִ֖יר(haś·śā·‘îr)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8163:Shaggy, a he-goat, a fauninto the wilderness.בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃(bam·miḏ·bār)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057:A pasture, a desert, speech
Links
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OT Law: Leviticus 16:22 The goat shall carry all their iniquities (Le Lv Lev.) 
