UTN uW Translation Notes:

Leviticus 16 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter explains the rules for the Day of Atonement, the most important holy day for Israel. The structure of this chapter is as follows:

1. Introduction and basic requirements (16:1–5)
2. The sacrifices and rituals (16:6–28)
   1. The sin offering for Aaron (16:6–14)
   2. The sin offering for the people (16:15–19)
   3. The scapegoat ritual (16:20–28)
3. Rules for observing the Day of Atonement (16:29–34)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The Day of Atonement

This was the most important holy day for Israel because:

• It happened only once a year.
• Only the high priest could perform the rituals.
• It was when sins were dealt with for the whole nation.
• Special rules had to be followed exactly.

Symbolic Actions

The chapter includes actions that had special meaning:

• Putting hands on the goat’s head showed the transfer of sin.
• Sprinkling blood showed cleansing.
• Sending away the scapegoat showed removing sin from the people.

Holy Places and Things

The chapter talks about different sacred areas:

• the most holy place (where only the high priest could go)
• the holy place (where regular priests could go)
• the altar in the courtyard
• special clothes for the high priest

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Special terms for clothing and objects

This chapter uses several special terms that might be hard to translate:

• Undergarments are clothes worn under other clothes.
• A sash is a long piece of cloth worn around the waist.
• A turban is a cloth wrapped around the head.
• A censor is a special container for carrying fire and incense.
• T horns of the altar are the corners of the altar that stick out like animal horns.

Metaphors about cleanness

The chapter uses many word pictures about being clean or unclean:

• Sin is described as if it were dirt that makes things physically unclean.
• Making things acceptable to God is described as “cleansing” them.
• Setting things apart for God is described as “separating” them from uncleanness.

Time references

The chapter mentions specific times using the Hebrew calendar:

• “Seventh month” and “tenth day” are ordinal numbers.
• These dates match with late September in our calendar.
• You could explain this in a note if it would be helpful to your readers.

(See: holy, highpriest, atonement, and sin)