He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.
- KJV And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
- NKJV And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
- NASB And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
- NLT They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered.
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 and kills it at the place of burnt offering. He participates personally in the substitution for his sin.
Overview
The same identifying hand-laying and slaughter are required of the common Israelite as of the leader. Atonement is never automatic; it engages the sinner himself in acknowledging that life must be given for sin. This personal reckoning with guilt finds its answer in faith that lays hold of Christ as one's own substitute.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Lev 4:4He must bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the LORD.
- Lev 4:24He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
- 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 4:15The elders of the congregation are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and it shall be slaughtered before the LORD.
- Heb 10:4–14because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
- Lev 4:33And he is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:29 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.