Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"And the bullock of the sin-offering, and the goat of the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung." — Leviticus 16:27 (ASV)
And the bullock. — That is, the bodies of the sin offerings for the priests and the people (see Leviticus 16:5-6, Leviticus 16:9, Leviticus 16:11), whose blood the high priest carried into the Holy of Holies (See Leviticus 16:14-15, with Leviticus 4:11-12).
Shall one carry forth. — Better shall be carried forth. During the second Temple four men carried the carcasses upon two poles to the place set aside outside Jerusalem for burning . Hence the ancient Palestinian Targum translates it, “they shall be carried out on poles by the hands of the younger priests.” As has already been remarked, the priest performed this part of the service immediately after the goat was dispatched by the messenger to the wilderness.
While the victims were being burned outside the camp, the high priest read in the women’s court the appointed lessons for the Day of Atonement (namely, Leviticus 23:26, Numbers 29:7–11). He did this in the presence of the congregation, who were all standing.
At the conclusion of the reading, he pronounced the eight benedictions: