And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
Once a year, Aaron must put the blood from the sin offering on the corners of the altar to make things right with God. This must be done every year for all future generations. This altar is completely sacred to the Lord.
God is establishing that once a year, the high priest must perform a special ceremony with sacrificial blood to purify the altar, making it holy before Him.
📚 Historical Context
In the context of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, God was giving detailed instructions to Moses for building and maintaining the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary for worship in the wilderness. Aaron, as the newly appointed high priest, was commanded to perform an annual atonement on the horns of the altar of incense using blood from a sin offering, symbolizing the purification of the altar and the people's sins before a holy God. This ritual highlighted the ongoing need for atonement in Israel's covenant relationship with God and was to be observed throughout their generations.
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