LEV 16

Leviticus 16:4

WEB

He shall put on the holy linen tunic. He shall have the linen trousers on his body, and shall put on the linen sash, and he shall be clothed with the linen turban. They are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and put them on.

BSB

He 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.

KJV

He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–4

Leviticus 16:1–4

Here is, I. The date of this law concerning the day of atonement: it was after the death of the two sons of Aaron (Lev 16:1), which we read, Lev 10:1. 1. Lest Aaron should fear that any remaining guilt of that sin should cleave to his family, or (seeing the priests were so apt to offend) that some after-sin of his other sons should be the ruin of his family, he is directed how to make atonement for his house, that it might keep in with God; for the atonement for it would be the establishment of it, and preserve the entail of the blessing upon it. 2. The priests being warned by the death of Nadab and Abihu to approach to God with reverence and godly fear (without which they came at their peril), directions are here given how the nearest approach might be made, not only without peril, but to unspeakable advantage and comfort, if the directions were observed. When they were cut off for an undue approach, the rest must not say, "Then we will not draw near at all," but, "Then we will do it by rule." They died for their sin, therefore God graciously provides for the rest, that they die not. Thus God's judgments on some should be instructions to others.

II. The design of this law. One intention of it was to preserve a veneration for the most holy place, within the veil, where the shechinah, or divine glory, was pleased to dwell between the cherubim: Speak unto Aaron, that he come not at all times into the holy place, Lev 16:2. Before the veil some of the priests came every day to burn incense upon the golden altar, but within the veil none must ever come but the high priest only, and he but on one day in the year, and with great ceremony and caution. That place where God manifested his special presence must not be made common. If none must come into the presence-chamber of an earthly king uncalled, no, not the queen herself, upon pain of death (Est 4:11), was it not requisite that the same sacred respect should be paid to the Kings of kings? But see what a blessed change is made by the gospel of Christ; all good Christians have now boldness to enter into the holiest, through the veil, every day (Heb 10:19, Heb 10:20); and we come boldly (not as Aaron must, with fear and trembling) to the throne of grace, or mercy-seat, Heb 4:16. While the manifestations of God's presence and grace were sensible, it was requisite that they should thus be confined and upon reserve, because the objects of sense the more familiar they are made the less awful or delightful they become; but now that they are purely spiritual it is otherwise, for the objects of faith the more they are conversed with the more do they manifest of their greatness and goodness: now therefore we are welcome to come at all times into the holy place not made with hands, for we are made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places by faith, Eph 2:6. Then Aaron must not come near at all times, lest he die; we now must come near at all times that we may live: it is distance only that is our death. Then God appeared in the cloud upon the mercy-seat, but now with open face we behold, not in a dark cloud, but in a clear glass, the glory of the Lord, Co2 3:18.

III. The person to whom the work of this day was committed, and that was the high priest only: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place, Lev 16:3. He was to do all himself upon the day of atonement: only there was a second provided to be his substitute or supporter, in case any thing should befal him, either of sickness or ceremonial uncleanness, that he could not perform the service of the day. All Christians are spiritual priests, but Christ only is the high priest, and he alone it is that makes atonement, nor needed he either assistant or substitute.

IV. The attire of the high priest in this service. He was not to be dressed up in his rich garments that were peculiar to himself: he was not to put on the ephod, with the precious stones in it, but only the linen clothes which he wore in common with the inferior priests, Lev 16:4. That meaner dress did best become him on this day of humiliation; and, being thinner and lighter, he would in it be more expedite for the work or service of the day, which was all to go through his hands. Christ, our high priest, made atonement for sin in our nature; not in the robes of his own peculiar glory, but the linen garments of our mortality, clean indeed, but mean.

Cross-references: Lev 16:1 · Lev 10:1 · Lev 16:2 · Esth 4:11 · Heb 10:19 · Heb 10:20 · Heb 4:16 · Eph 2:6 · 2Cor 3:18 · Lev 16:3 · Lev 16:4

Hebrew interlinear

H3801

כְּתֹנֶתkᵉthôneth/keth-o'-neth/

n-f — shirt

Derivation: or כֻּתֹּנֶת; from an unused root meaning to cover (compare 3802);

a shirt

KJV: coat, garment, robe.

כֻּתֹּ֫נֶת

n.f — tunic

כֻּתֹּ֫נֶת, כְּתֹ֫נֶת n.f. tunic

H906

בַּדbad/bad/

n-m — thread, linen

Derivation: perhaps from 909 (in the sense of divided fibres);

flaxen thread or yarn; hence, a linen garment

KJV: linen.

בַּד

n.[m.] — white linen

בַּד, בָּ֑ד n.[m.] white linen (deriv. unknown)

H6944

קֹדֶשׁqôdesh/ko'-desh/

n-m — sacred, sanctity

Derivation: from 6942;

a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity

KJV: consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (× most) holy (× day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.

קֹ֫דֶשׁ

n.m — apartness

קֹ֫דֶשׁ 469 n.m. apartness, sacredness

H3847

לָבַשׁlâbash/law-bash'/

v — wrap around, put on a garment, clothe

Derivation: or לָבֵשׁ; a primitive root;

properly, wrap around, i.e. (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively

KJV: (in) apparel, arm, array (self), clothe (self), come upon, put (on, upon), wear.

לָבֵשׁ

vb — put on

לָבֵשׁ, לָבַשׁ vb. put on (a garment), wear, clothe, be clothed

Qal

1.

a. lit. put on (one’s own) garment; = wear (more or less habitually)

b. very oft. fig., put on, be clothed with

c. lit. put on

d. once

e. clothed with

f. and the spirit of י׳ clothed itself with Gideon

Pu. arrayed

Hiph. clothe, array with

H4370

מִכְנָסmiknâç/mik-nawce'/

n-m — drawers, concealing

Derivation: from 3647 in the sense of hiding;

(only in dual) drawers (from concealing the private parts)

KJV: breeches.

מִכְנָס

n.m — drawers

[מִכְנָס] n.m. Ez 44:18 only du. (or pl.) drawers

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H5921

עַלʻal/al/

prep — above, over, upon, against

Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

עַל

subst — above

עַל, עָ֑ל

I. subst. height

II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

a.

(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears

(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done

2. It expresses excess

3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence

4. It expresses addition

5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over

6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)

7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)

8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative

9. With other particles:

III. As conj.

a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that

b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent

c. עַל alone:

(a). because

(b). notwithstanding that, although

IV. Compounds:

1. with כְּ (rare and late)

a. as concerning, as upon

b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay

2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by

H1320

בָּשָׂרbâsâr/baw-sawr'/

n-m — flesh, freshness, body, person, pudenda

Derivation: from 1319;

flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man

KJV: body, (fat, lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-) kind, nakedness, self, skin.

בָּשָׂר

n.m — flesh

בָּשָׂר 266 n.m. flesh

1. of the body

2. flesh for the body itself

3. male organ of generation (euphemism)

4. flesh for kindred, blood-relations

5. man over against God as frail or erring

H73

אַבְנֵטʼabnêṭ/ab-nate'/

n-m — belt

Derivation: of uncertain derivation;

a belt

KJV: girdle.

אַבְנֵט

n.[m.] — girdle

אַבְנֵט n.[m.] girdle

H2296

חָגַרchâgar/khaw-gar'/

v — gird

Derivation: a primitive root;

to gird on (as a belt, armor, etc.)

KJV: be able to put on, be afraid, appointed, gird, restrain, × on every side.

חָגַר

vb — gird

[חָגַר] vb. gird, gird on, gird oneself

H4701

מִצְנֶפֶתmitsnepheth/mits-neh'-feth/

n-f — tiara, turban

Derivation: from 6801;

a tiara, i.e. official turban (of a king or high priest)

KJV: diadem, mitre.

מִצְנֶ֫פֶת

n.f — turban

מִצְנֶ֫פֶת n.f. turban of high priest

H6801

צָנַףtsânaph/tsaw-naf'/

v — wrap, roll, dress

Derivation: a primitive root;

to wrap, i.e. roll or dress

KJV: be attired, × surely, violently turn.

צָנַף

vb — wrap

[צָנַף] vb. wrap, or wind up, together

H899

בֶּגֶדbeged/behg'-ed/

n-m — covering, clothing, treachery, pillage

Derivation: from 898;

a covering, i.e. clothing; also treachery or pillage

KJV: apparel, cloth(-es, ing), garment, lap, rag, raiment, robe, × very (treacherously), vesture, wardrobe.

בֶּ֫גֶד

n.m — garment

בֶּ֫גֶד n.m. garment, covering

בֶּ֫גֶד

n.[m.] — treachery

בֶּ֫גֶד n.[m.] treachery Is 24:16 Je 12:1.

H1992

הֵםhêm/haym/

p — they

Derivation: or (prolonged) הֵמָּה; masculine plural from 1931;

they (only used when emphatic)

KJV: it, like, × (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, × so, × such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.

הֵ֫מָּה

pron — they

הֵ֫מָּה and הֵם (without appreciable distinction in usage, except prob. in so far as the longer or shorter form was better adapted to the rhythm of particular sentences) pron. 3 pl. masc. they

H7364

רָחַץrâchats/raw-khats'/

v — lave

Derivation: a primitive root;

to lave (the whole or a part of a thing)

KJV: bathe (self), wash (self).

רָחַץ

vb — wash

רָחַץ 72 vb. wash, wash off, away, bathe

Qal 69

1. trans. wash (with water)

2. intrans. wash, bathe (oneself)

Pu. be washed

Hithp. if I washed myself in snow

H4325

מַיִםmayim/mah'-yim/

n-m — water, juice, urine, semen

Derivation: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense);

water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen

KJV: piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).

מַי

n.m — waters

[מַי] 580 n.m. only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

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