Leviticus 16:8

Leviticus 16:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.
• New Living Translation (NLT)He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.

Context of Leviticus 16:8

6“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 9Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

Leviticus 16:8 word by word

וְנָתַ֧ן אַהֲרֹ֛ן עַל־שְׁנֵ֥י הַשְּׂעִירִ֖ם גּוֹרָל֑וֹת גּוֹרָ֤ל אֶחָד֙ לַיהוָ֔ה וְגוֹרָ֥ל אֶחָ֖ד לַעֲזָאזֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
• shall castנָתַןnâthan · to give: throwH5414
• lotsגּוֹרָלgôrâl gôrâl · allottedH1486
• upon the twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• goatsשָׂעִירώâ‛îyr ώâ‛ir · he-goatH8163
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• for the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• for the scapegoatעֲזָאזֵל‛ăzâ'zêl · AzazelH5799

Cross-references for Leviticus 16:8

• Numbers 26:55Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe.
• Numbers 33:54Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.
• Joshua 18:10Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.
• 1 Samuel 14:41Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.
• Proverbs 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
• Ezekiel 48:29“This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
• Jonah 1:7Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
• Acts 1:23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

Commentaries on Leviticus 16:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats - The Jews inform us that there were two lots made either of wood, stone, or any kind of metal. On one was written לשם Lashshem, for the Name, i. e., יהוה Jehovah, which the Jews will neither write nor pronounce: on the other was written לעזאזל Laazazel, for the Scape-Goat: then they put the two lots into a vessel which was called קלפי kalpey, the goats standing with their faces towards the west. Then the priest…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8The two goats formed a single sin-offering, Leviticus 16:5. To bring out the meaning of the sacrifice it was necessary that the act of a living being should be performed after death. See Leviticus 16:22 note. As this could not possibly be visibly set forth with a single victim, two were employed, as in the case of the birds in the rite for the healed leper Leviticus 14:4-6. For the scapegoat - Rather, for Azazel. The word occurs nowhere else in the Old…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8scapegoat: The Hebrew term 'aza'zel (Azazel) appears only in Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26. The word has four general interpretations: a term meaning "the goat of going away"; a demon that lived in the wilderness; a stronger form of the Hebrew word for "go, leave," meaning "complete loss"; and a rocky cliff over which someone pushed the goat. Since this goat represented the removal of Israel's sins from the camp, the first interpretation is probably the simplest…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-105-10. shall take of the congregation ... two kids of the goats ... and one ram--The sacrifices were to be offered by the high priest, respectively for himself and the other priests, as well as for the people. The bullock (Le 16:3) and the goats were for sin offerings and the rams for burnt offerings. The goats, though used in different ways, constituted only one offering. They were both presented before the Lord, and the disposal of them determined by…Read the comment

Topics related to Leviticus 16:8

• Atonement
• Azazel
• Church
• Lot, the
• Offerings
• Scapegoat

In the dictionaries

• Aaron
• Lot
• Atonement, Day of
• Attire
• Azazel
• Burnt offering
• Coat
• Divination
• Goat
• High priest

Commentaries on Leviticus 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings