And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Aaron must place both his hands on the head of the living goat and confess all the wrongdoings of the people of Israel—all their sins and rebellious acts—transferring them onto the goat's head. Then he must send the goat away into the wilderness with a man chosen for this task.
This verse describes how Aaron symbolically transferred all of Israel's sins onto a goat that was then sent away into the wilderness, representing God's removal of their guilt.
📚 Historical Context
This is part of the Day of Atonement ceremony, the most sacred day in ancient Israel's religious calendar. Two goats were used in this ritual—one was sacrificed to God, while this 'scapegoat' carried away the people's sins symbolically into the wilderness, never to return. This annual ceremony allowed the nation to start fresh spiritually before God.
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