Leviticus 16:23-28
Atonement is followed by purification and the removal of what is associated with sin from the community.
23 “Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there.
24 Then he shall bathe himself in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.
25 The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.
26 “He who lets the goat go as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
27 The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp; and they shall burn their skins, their flesh, and their dung with fire.
28 He who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Atonement is followed by purification and the removal of what is associated with sin from the community.
This passage prescribes the required actions following the atonement rituals, including the high priest’s change of garments, further offerings, and the proper disposal of sacrificial remains outside the camp.
Leviticus 16:23-28 follows the blood rites and live-goat removal of Leviticus 16:11-22. It concludes the active ritual sequence by describing priestly washing, garment change, burnt offerings, altar fat, and disposal of the sin-offering remains outside the camp. It prepares for the calendar command and annual statute in Leviticus 16:29-34.
Leviticus 16 legislates the Day of Atonement within Israel's wilderness sanctuary order after the deaths of Nadab and Abihu. The instructions regulate priestly access, sanctuary cleansing, communal atonement, and the safe handling of impurity-bearing ritual elements. Israel under the Sinai covenant, especially Aaron and the priesthood, with implications for the whole covenant community gathered around the tabernacle.
The Day of Atonement: Cleansing the Sanctuary and Bearing Away Israel's Sins
The holy LORD provides annual atonement through His appointed high priest, blood, substitution, confession, cleansing, and removal so that He may continue dwelling among His sinful and unclean people.