Day of Atonement

Biblical Text and Content

The procedure for the Day of Atonement is set out in detail in Leviticus 16. Regulations for its observance appear in Leviticus 23:26-32 and Numbers 29:7-11. The day fell on the tenth day of the seventh month. On it Israel was to do no work at all, and the people were commanded, "ye shall afflict your souls" (Leviticus 16:29). Jewish tradition has understood this expression as referring to fasting.

On this day, once a year, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place (Exodus 30:10). Aaron, clothed in linen garments, first offered a bullock as a sin offering (a sacrifice offered to cleanse from sin) for himself and his house. He then cast lots over two goats.

• One goat was offered to the LORD as a sin offering. The high priest sprinkled its blood on the mercy seat atop the Ark of the Covenant.
• Over the other goat the high priest laid both his hands and confessed the sins of the people; it was then sent away into the wilderness "for Azazel" (KJV "for the scapegoat") (Leviticus 16:21-22).

Through this rite not only the people but also the sanctuary and the altar were cleansed.

Background and Terminology

The Hebrew name is Yom HaKippurim. The root of kippur, kaphar, is variously rendered "to cover" or "to cleanse," though scholars differ on its precise meaning. Other passages and practices associated with the Day of Atonement include the following:

• The Jubilee was proclaimed by the sounding of the trumpet on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 25:9).
• "The fast" mentioned in Acts 27:9 is commonly taken to be the Day of Atonement.
• Since the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, Judaism has observed the day with fasting and prayers of repentance in place of sacrifice. Today it is called Yom Kippur.

Significance in the New Testament

The Epistle to the Hebrews reads the Day of Atonement as a shadow prefiguring the work of Christ. The high priest entered the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of animals. By contrast, Hebrews says, Jesus Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary once for all with His own blood (Hebrews 9:7-12; 9:24-26; 10:1-4). Hebrews 13:11-12 links the requirement that the bodies of the sacrificial animals be burned outside the camp with the suffering Jesus endured "without the gate."

The word "propitiation" (Greek hilasterion) in Romans 3:25 is the same term the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses for the mercy seat. For this reason the verse is sometimes read in connection with the Day of Atonement.

Interpretations and Points of Debate

• Azazel: Interpretations vary, taking the term as the name of an evil being dwelling in the wilderness, as "the goat that is sent away," or as the name of a rugged place.
• The two goats: Many Protestant interpreters read both goats as depicting Christ's atonement—one representing His substitutionary death, the other the carrying away of sin.
• Adventist interpretation: The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that in 1844 Christ began an investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary corresponding to the Day of Atonement. It also regards the scapegoat (Azazel) as a symbol of Satan. Many other denominations criticize this interpretation as lacking a firm biblical basis.
• Dispensationalist interpretation: Some within dispensationalism connect the feasts of the seventh month with the future repentance of Israel (Zechariah 12:10).
• A story not found in the text: The story that a rope was tied to the high priest's ankle before he entered the Most Holy Place is often cited in sermons. However, it does not appear in the Bible and is generally regarded as a later tradition.

In the Korean Church

Korean Protestant churches do not observe the Day of Atonement as a feast. However, in sermons and Bible studies on Leviticus and Hebrews, it is frequently treated as a type (a figure that foreshadows what is to come) illustrating the atonement accomplished on the cross.