But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
But the goat chosen by lot to be the scapegoat must be brought alive before the LORD to make atonement, and then it will be sent away as a scapegoat into the wilderness.
This verse describes how one goat was chosen to symbolically carry away the people's sins by being sent into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement.
📚 Historical Context
This is part of the elaborate Day of Atonement ceremony that God gave to Moses for the Israelites. Two goats were used - one was sacrificed, and this one (the scapegoat) was sent into the wilderness carrying the symbolic weight of all the people's sins. This annual ceremony was the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the entire nation.
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