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The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

Week 2 of 3 in The Autumn Feasts · next: Tabernacles: God Dwelling with His People

Week 3 of 5 in The Gospel in the Old Testament · next: The Kinsman Redeemer: Boaz, Ruth, and the Right to Buy Back

The mercy seat sprinkled with blood on a half-gold moon: the sacrifice fulfilled, Israel's day ahead One day a year, one man went behind the veil. "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die" (Leviticus 16:2, ESV). On the tenth day of the seventh month he went in with blood, and came out having made atonement for the whole people.

In one sentence: Once a year the high priest carried blood to the mercy seat and sent Israel's sins away on a goat, so that the holy God could keep dwelling among His people; Jesus has done this once for all with His own blood in heaven itself, so you may draw near to God with confidence; and the day of national mourning and cleansing the prophets foresee for Israel still waits for His return.

✝️ Leviticus 16:29-30 (ESV)

29 "And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.

Key Takeaways

(This section follows the Key Takeaways format — see that page for what each part is for.)

Types & Prophecy

  • Type, named by Hebrews. The high priest went in "once a year, and not without taking blood"; Christ "entered once for all into the holy places ... by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:7, 12, ESV).
  • The national day, inferred from prophecy. Zechariah foresees Israel mourning when "they look on me, on him whom they have pierced", and "a fountain opened ... to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness" (Zechariah 12:10; 13:1, ESV). Reading that day as the fulfilment of Yom Kippur is an inference from shared themes; the events themselves are prophesied.

Lessons about Jesus

  • He is the High Priest who needed no sacrifice for Himself. He is "holy, innocent, unstained", and "has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins" (Hebrews 7:26-27, ESV).
  • He is the propitiation. God "put forward" Jesus "as a propitiation by his blood" (Romans 3:25, ESV), and "he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2, ESV).
  • He will come out again. "Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28, ESV).

Memory verses

✝️ Hebrews 9:12 (ESV)

12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

✝️ Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Be Transformed

  • Think. Your sins are put away for good: "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (Hebrews 10:17, ESV, quoting Jeremiah 31:34).
  • Attitude. Israel humbled itself on this day. Come to God with the same honesty about sin, and with the confidence of one whose High Priest has already gone in: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
  • Do. This week, confess a specific sin to God by name. Then "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22, ESV), and thank Him by name for the blood of Jesus that has taken it away.

Prayer

Father, you are holy, and no one could come into your presence and live. Thank you that you made a way, first through the blood on the mercy seat once a year, and now through the blood of your Son Jesus, offered once for all. He is our propitiation and our great High Priest. We draw near with confidence because He has gone in for us. Remember our sins no more, as you have promised. And pour out on Israel the spirit of grace, that they may look on Him whom they pierced and be cleansed.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Study outline

The day

The day was born out of judgment. Leviticus 16 opens "after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died" (Leviticus 16:1, ESV; Leviticus 10:1-2). The ESV Study Bible notes that their sin seems to have been entering, or trying to enter, the Most Holy Place. God then told Moses the only way in.

On the tenth day of the seventh month Israel was to "afflict yourselves and ... do no work" (Leviticus 16:29, ESV). "Afflict yourselves" is תְּעַנּוּ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם, literally "humble your souls", the phrase this site's study of Fasting traces. It was "a Sabbath of solemn rest", from evening to evening (Leviticus 23:32, ESV), and anyone who would not humble himself that day "shall be cut off from his people" (Leviticus 23:29, ESV). By the first century it was simply "the Fast" (Acts 27:9, ESV).

The verb for "make atonement", כִּפֶּר (kipper, H3722), occurs forty-nine times in Leviticus and sixteen times in chapter 16 alone. The lid of the ark where the blood was sprinkled is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet, H3727), from the same root, translated "mercy seat". On this one day, atonement was made for everything: "for the holy sanctuary ... for the tent of meeting and for the altar, ... for the priests and for all the people of the assembly" (Leviticus 16:33, ESV).

This shows that God, who is holy, chose to dwell among a sinful people and provided the way to do it. The tent of meeting stood "in the midst of their uncleannesses" (Leviticus 16:16, ESV), and once a year God cleansed it.

Inside the veil

The ritual moved inward and then out again:

  1. Washing and linen. The high priest bathed and put on plain linen garments (Leviticus 16:4).
  2. A bull for himself. He offered a bull "as a sin offering for himself" to "make atonement for himself and for his house" (Leviticus 16:6, ESV).
  3. Incense and blood behind the veil. He took coals and incense inside the veil, "that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat ... so that he does not die", and sprinkled the bull's blood on and before the mercy seat seven times (Leviticus 16:13-14, ESV).
  4. The LORD's goat. He killed the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and did the same with its blood for the people (Leviticus 16:15).
  5. The altar. He came out and cleansed the altar with the blood of both (Leviticus 16:18-19).
  6. The live goat. He laid both hands on the second goat, confessed Israel's sins over it, and sent it into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:20-22).
  7. Outside the camp. The bodies of the bull and goat were burned outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27).

Hebrews reads the same day in Christ. The Leviticus column follows the order of the day; the Hebrews column pairs each step with the verse that answers it (Hebrews 7:26; 9:12, 26, 28; 13:12):

flowchart TD
    subgraph lev["Leviticus 16 · once a year"]
      direction TB
      L1["The high priest's bull<br/>for his own sin"] --> L2["The LORD's goat<br/>blood on the mercy seat"]
      L2 --> L3["The live goat<br/>carries the sins away"]
      L3 --> L4["He comes out<br/>to the waiting people"]
      L4 --> L5["Bodies burned<br/>outside the camp"]
    end
    subgraph heb["Hebrews · once for all"]
      direction TB
      H1["A high priest<br/>holy and without sin"] ~~~ H2["His own blood<br/>in heaven itself"]
      H2 ~~~ H3["Sin put away<br/>by His sacrifice"]
      H3 ~~~ H4["He will appear<br/>a second time"]
      H4 ~~~ H5["He suffered<br/>outside the gate"]
    end

The two goats

Two goats were taken "for a sin offering" (Leviticus 16:5, ESV), and lots were cast, "one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel" (Leviticus 16:8, ESV). The first goat died, and its blood went to the mercy seat. The second was not killed:

✝️ Leviticus 16:21-22 (ESV)

21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

עֲזָאזֵל (ʿazazel, H5799) occurs four times, all in this chapter (Leviticus 16:8; twice in 16:10; 16:26). Its meaning is contested. The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible gives three readings: "the goat that departs", "rough ground", or the name of a wilderness demon, and the LSB's footnote reads "goat of removal". On every reading the goat's work is the same: Israel's sins were carried away and did not come back.

The two goats show one atonement from two sides. The first shows sin paid for by death; the second shows sin removed. David sang the second: "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12, ESV). Isaiah joined both in the Servant: "the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6, ESV).

Christ our High Priest

Hebrews reads Christ's work as the Day of Atonement fulfilled:

✝️ Hebrews 9:11-12 (ESV)

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Point by point:

  • The priest. Aaron offered first for himself. Jesus "has no need ... to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins" (Hebrews 7:27, ESV).
  • The sanctuary. "Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands ... but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (Hebrews 9:24, ESV).
  • Once. Aaron went in every year. Christ "has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26, ESV).
  • The veil. At His death "the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51, ESV), and believers now enter "by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh" (Hebrews 10:20, ESV).
  • Outside the camp. The bodies of the sin offerings were burned outside the camp, "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood" (Hebrews 13:12, ESV).

The mercy seat's own word

The Greek Old Testament calls the mercy seat ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion, G2435). It does so through Leviticus 16 (16:2, 13-15), including verse 14, where the blood is sprinkled. In the New Testament the word occurs twice: Hebrews 9:5 uses it for "the mercy seat", and Paul uses it of Jesus, "whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood" (Romans 3:25, ESV). The ESV Study Bible explains propitiation as Christ's blood satisfying God's wrath against sin, so that God could forgive without compromising His holiness. That is the doctrine this day pictured. God Himself provided the sacrifice that turns away His own wrath, so that He is "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26, ESV). Whether Paul means the mercy seat itself or a propitiating sacrifice in general is debated, and The Ark of the Covenant weighs the case.

The day still ahead for Israel

Hebrews ends its reading of the day with the High Priest's return, a promise to the believers it writes to: Christ "will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28, ESV). On the Day of Atonement the people waited outside while the high priest was in the sanctuary, until he came out (Leviticus 16:17-18, 24). Hebrews does not draw that picture explicitly; it is the order of the day it is reading.

For Israel as a nation, the prophets foresee a national day of mourning and cleansing for Israel:

✝️ Zechariah 12:10 (ESV)

10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

John applies the verse to Jesus at the cross: "They will look on him whom they have pierced" (John 19:37, ESV), and Revelation 1:7 places the looking at His coming: "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him" (ESV).

"On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness" (Zechariah 13:1, ESV). Paul expects the same: "all Israel will be saved ... when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:26-27, ESV).

How sure is the link? The events are prophesied. Reading them as the fulfilment of Yom Kippur is an inference from the shared themes, the nation humbled and mourning, and sin cleansed, and no New Testament text names the feast. It fits this site's dispensational reading of Israel's future. The atoning sacrifice itself is finished; what waits is Israel looking on Him. See Israel's Regathering and Refining.

The jubilee year was announced on this day. "On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land" (Leviticus 25:9, ESV). Release began on the Day of Atonement.

For where this day sits among the feasts, see The Appointed Times.

Discussion questions

  1. The language. The mercy seat (kapporet) and "make atonement" (kipper) share a root, and the Greek hilastērion names both the mercy seat and Christ (Romans 3:25). What does that add to your picture of the cross?
  2. The text in its context. Leviticus 16 begins with the death of Aaron's sons (Leviticus 16:1). Why does God's instruction for the holiest day start there?
  3. Christ. Hebrews says Christ entered "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12). What would it mean for your assurance if His sacrifice had to be repeated?
  4. The hard part. The meaning of "Azazel" is uncertain (Leviticus 16:8). Does the goat's work depend on settling it?
  5. Israel. Zechariah 12:10 has Jerusalem mourning for "him whom they have pierced". How should a Christian pray for Israel in the light of that promise?
  6. Be transformed. Israel humbled itself on this day. What would it look like for you to come to God this week with that honesty, and with Hebrews 10:22's confidence?
Group study sheet for a 40-minute group: two A4 sheets, or one with the guided path

The point, the passage, the questions and the response, from this study. Print on both sides of two A4 sheets, flipping on the long edge. While this block is open, printing the page prints the sheet; close it to print the study.

Group study · 40 minutes

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

Leviticus 16:1-34; Leviticus 23:26-32; Hebrews 9:6-28

The point Once a year the high priest carried blood to the mercy seat and sent Israel's sins away on a goat, so that the holy God could keep dwelling among His people; Jesus has done this once for all with His own blood in heaven itself, so you may draw near to God with confidence; and the day of national mourning and cleansing the prophets foresee for Israel still waits for His return.

0–5min

Ask: what comes to mind when you hear The Day of Atonement? Hear a few answers before anyone reads.

5–12minRead it aloud BSB

Leviticus 16:1-34 1Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD. 2And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. 3This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them. 5And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 7Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, 9he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. 11When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. 13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 14And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. 15Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. 16So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities.

Also read: Leviticus 16:1-34 from 16:17; Leviticus 23:26-32; Hebrews 9:6-28

12–25minLook closer
What does it say?
What did it mean to them?
What does it mean for us?
Page 1 of 4 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

The study in brief
  1. The day. What Leviticus commanded, and why it began with two deaths.
  2. Inside the veil. The ritual of Leviticus 16 step by step, beside Hebrews.
  3. The two goats. One for the LORD, one sent away, and what "Azazel" may mean.
  4. Christ our High Priest. How Hebrews reads the day, and the mercy seat's word in Romans 3:25.
  5. The day still ahead for Israel. Zechariah's mourning and cleansing, and how sure the link is.
Notes
Page 2 of 4 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

12–21minStep 1 · The day

1The text in its context. Leviticus 16 begins with the death of Aaron's sons (Leviticus 16:1). Why does God's instruction for the holiest day start there?

2The hard part. The meaning of "Azazel" is uncertain (Leviticus 16:8). Does the goat's work depend on settling it?

21–26minStep 2 · Inside the veil

3Christ. Hebrews says Christ entered "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12). What would it mean for your assurance if His sacrifice had to be repeated?

Step 3 · The two goats
26–30minStep 4 · Christ our High Priest

4The language. The mercy seat (kapporet) and "make atonement" (kipper) share a root, and the Greek hilastērion names both the mercy seat and Christ (Romans 3:25). What does that add to your picture of the cross?

30–35minStep 5 · The day still ahead for Israel

5Israel. Zechariah 12:10 has Jerusalem mourning for "him whom they have pierced". How should a Christian pray for Israel in the light of that promise?

Page 3 of 4 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

35–40minBe transformed

6Be transformed. Israel humbled itself on this day. What would it look like for you to come to God this week with that honesty, and with Hebrews 10:22's confidence?

  • Think. Your sins are put away for good: "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (Hebrews 10:17, ESV, quoting Jeremiah 31:34).
  • Attitude. Israel humbled itself on this day. Come to God with the same honesty about sin, and with the confidence of one whose High Priest has already gone in: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
  • Do. This week, confess a specific sin to God by name. Then "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22, ESV), and thank Him by name for the blood of Jesus that has taken it away.
Memory verse

he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:12 (ESV)
Pray together

Father, you are holy, and no one could come into your presence and live. Thank you that you made a way, first through the blood on the mercy seat once a year, and now through the blood of your Son Jesus, offered once for all. He is our propitiation and our great High Priest. We draw near with confidence because He has gone in for us. Remember our sins no more, as you have promised. And pour out on Israel the spirit of grace, that they may look on Him whom they pierced and be cleansed.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Notes
The whole study, with every verse a tap awayhttps://the-way.lewy.au/feasts/day-of-atonement/
Page 4 of 4 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission
Group study · step by step

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

Leviticus 16:1-34; Leviticus 23:26-32; Hebrews 9:6-28

Open Ask: what comes to mind when you hear The Day of Atonement? Hear a few answers before anyone reads.

Read it aloud Leviticus 16:1-34; Leviticus 23:26-32; Hebrews 9:6-28

Step 1The day — What Leviticus commanded, and why it began with two deaths.

1The text in its context. Leviticus 16 begins with the death of Aaron's sons (Leviticus 16:1). Why does God's instruction for the holiest day start there?

2The hard part. The meaning of "Azazel" is uncertain (Leviticus 16:8). Does the goat's work depend on settling it?

Step 2Inside the veil — The ritual of Leviticus 16 step by step, beside Hebrews.

3Christ. Hebrews says Christ entered "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12). What would it mean for your assurance if His sacrifice had to be repeated?

Step 3The two goats — One for the LORD, one sent away, and what "Azazel" may mean.Key verses: Leviticus 16:21-22
Step 4Christ our High Priest — How Hebrews reads the day, and the mercy seat's word in Romans 3:25.

4The language. The mercy seat (kapporet) and "make atonement" (kipper) share a root, and the Greek hilastērion names both the mercy seat and Christ (Romans 3:25). What does that add to your picture of the cross?

Step 5The day still ahead for Israel — Zechariah's mourning and cleansing, and how sure the link is.Key verses: Zechariah 12:10

5Israel. Zechariah 12:10 has Jerusalem mourning for "him whom they have pierced". How should a Christian pray for Israel in the light of that promise?

Be transformed

6Be transformed. Israel humbled itself on this day. What would it look like for you to come to God this week with that honesty, and with Hebrews 10:22's confidence?

  • Think. Your sins are put away for good: "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (Hebrews 10:17, ESV, quoting Jeremiah 31:34).
  • Attitude. Israel humbled itself on this day. Come to God with the same honesty about sin, and with the confidence of one whose High Priest has already gone in: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
  • Do. This week, confess a specific sin to God by name. Then "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22, ESV), and thank Him by name for the blood of Jesus that has taken it away.
Page 1 of 2 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission

The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All

The point Once a year the high priest carried blood to the mercy seat and sent Israel's sins away on a goat, so that the holy God could keep dwelling among His people; Jesus has done this once for all with His own blood in heaven itself, so you may draw near to God with confidence; and the day of national mourning and cleansing the prophets foresee for Israel still waits for His return.

The whole study, with every verse a tap awayhttps://the-way.lewy.au/feasts/day-of-atonement/
Page 2 of 2 · print double-sided, flip on long edgeScripture: BSB, public domain · ESV® © 2001 Crossway, used by permission
  • ESV Study Bible (Crossway) — verse text throughout; notes on Leviticus 16:1-2, 16:1-34, 16:3-10 and Romans 3:25.
  • NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Zondervan) — note on Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26 (Azazel).
  • CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible and Legacy Standard Bible — footnotes on Leviticus 16:8.
  • Septuagint — ἱλαστήριον at Leviticus 16:14, via the LXX lemma data in this site's reference database.
  • Macula Hebrew (WLC) and Macula Greek (SBLGNT) — occurrence data for כִּפֶּר, כַּפֹּרֶת, עֲזָאזֵל and ἱλαστήριον; unfoldingWord ULT interlinear for Leviticus 16:29.

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