The Day of Atonement
(Hebrew: Yom Kippur)
was the most solemn and important holy day
in the Old Testament calendar.
Observed once a year
on the tenth day of the seventh month,
it was the day when
the high priest entered the Most Holy Place
with blood to make atonement
for the sins of the entire nation of Israel.
It is described in detail in Leviticus 16
and is rich in symbolism that points forward to
the finished work of Jesus Christ.
God established the Day of Atonement with these instructions to Moses:
“On this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins… It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves.” (Leviticus 16:30-31)
Key features of the day included:
- The high priest washing and putting on special linen garments.
- Offering a bull as a sin offering for himself and his household.
- Casting lots over two goats — one “for the Lord” (the sin offering) and the other as the scapegoat (Azazel).
- Entering the Most Holy Place with incense and with the blood of the bull and the goat, sprinkling the blood on and before the mercy seat.
- Laying both hands on the head of the live goat, confessing over it all the iniquities of Israel, and sending it away into the wilderness.
- Burnt offerings and the disposal of the remains of the sin offerings outside the camp.
¶ Meaning and Purpose
The Day of Atonement taught Israel several critical truths:
- The seriousness of sin and the holiness of God.
- The necessity of blood for atonement (Leviticus 17:11).
- That even the priests and the sanctuary itself needed cleansing.
- That God, in His mercy, provided a way for a sinful people to remain in relationship with Him.
- The principle of substitution and the removal of sin (symbolized by the scapegoat).
It was a day of national humility, fasting, and repentance (“you shall afflict yourselves”).
The New Testament, especially the book of Hebrews, presents the Day of Atonement as a type that finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
- Christ is the greater High Priest who entered the true Most Holy Place in heaven once for all (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24).
- His own blood, not the blood of bulls and goats, secured eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12-14).
- He is both the sin offering that satisfies God’s justice and the one who removes sin far from His people.
- Because His sacrifice is perfect and complete, no further annual repetition is needed (Hebrews 9:25-28; 10:11-14).
- Through Him, believers have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by a new and living way (Hebrews 10:19-22).
- Leviticus 16
- Leviticus 23:26-32
- Numbers 29:7-11
- Hebrews 9:6-14, 23-28
- Hebrews 10:1-22
- Romans 3:25
- 1 John 2:2
The Day of Atonement stands at the heart of the Old Testament sacrificial system. It vividly portrayed both the gravity of sin and the grace of God in providing a substitute. All of its ceremonies and symbols find their perfect and final fulfillment in the once-for-all atoning work of Jesus Christ. Because of Him, the need for repeated animal sacrifices has ended, and believers now enjoy full and permanent access to God.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.