“You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
Parallel translations
- KJV And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
- BSB You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head.
- NKJV “You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull.
- NASB “Then you shall bring the bull in front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
- NLT “Bring the young bull to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The bull was brought before the tent, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. This identified them with the sacrifice offered in their place.
Overview
Laying hands on the bull symbolized transferring guilt to the animal, which would die as a sin offering for the priests. The act expressed substitution: the innocent suffering for the guilty. This points directly to Christ, on whom our sins were laid as he became our substitute (Isa. 53:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Lev 1:4He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
- Lev 8:14He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.
- Exod 29:19“You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
- Exod 29:15“You shall also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
- Lev 8:18He presented the ram of the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
- Lev 16:21Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
- Isa 53:6All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- Lev 3:2He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
- 2 Cor 5:21For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 29:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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