Then he 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB He 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.
- KJV And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.
- BSB Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.
- NKJV And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering,
- NLT Then Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the bull’s 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 of the sin offering is brought, and Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. They identify with the sacrifice that will make atonement for them.
Overview
Laying on hands signified the transfer of guilt and the priests' identification with the offering that bore their sin. Even the priests needed atonement before they could serve. This highlights that all stand in need of cleansing, ultimately provided by Christ, who needed no sin offering for Himself (Hebrews 7:27).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ezek 43:19You shall give to the priests the Levites who are of the offspring of Zadok, who are near to me, to minister to me, says the Lord Yahweh, a young bull for a sin offering.
- Exod 29:10–14“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.
- Lev 4:3–12if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without defect to Yahweh for a sin offering.
- 1 Pet 3:18Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
- 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.
- Rom 8:3For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;
- 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.
- Isa 53:10Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
- Ps 66:15I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals, with the offering of rams, I will offer bulls with goats. Selah.
- Lev 16:6“Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.
- 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.
- Lev 8:2“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;
- Heb 7:26–28For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
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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 8:14 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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