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.
Parallel translations
- WEB “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.
- 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.
- 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 is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
- Lev 8:14Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
- Exod 29:19Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head.
- Exod 29:15Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
- Lev 8:18Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
- Lev 16:21Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.
- Isa 53:6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
- Lev 3:2He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar.
- 2 Cor 5:21God made Him who knew no sin 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.