He 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB He 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.
- KJV And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
- ESV And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar.
- NKJV And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.
- NASB And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
- NLT Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 worshiper lays his hand on the offering, kills it, and the priests apply the blood. Fellowship with God still rests upon substitution and shed blood.
Overview
Even the peace offering, focused on communion, begins with the laying on of hands and the shedding of blood at the altar. Fellowship with a holy God is never apart from atonement. The shared meal of the peace offering is grounded in sacrifice, just as the believer's fellowship with God rests entirely on the blood of Christ, who reconciled us to God (Colossians 1:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Exod 29:10You 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.
- Lev 1:4–5He 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.
- 1 Jn 1:9–10If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Acts 3:15You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.
- Acts 3:26When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
- Acts 4:10–12then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
- Acts 2:36–38Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”
- Zech 12:10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
- 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.
- Lev 16:21–22Then 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.
- Lev 8:22After that, Moses presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
- 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 1:11He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
- Acts 4:26–28The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 3:2 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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