Leviticus 16:21
“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.”
What does Leviticus 16:21 mean?
On the Day of Atonement, Aaron would place his hands on a live goat and speak all of Israel's sins over it, symbolically transferring the people's guilt onto the animal. The goat would then be sent away into the wilderness, carrying those sins far from the community and God's sanctuary. This ritual, called the "scapegoat," expressed a profound truth: sin creates a burden that must be removed and dealt with, not hidden or ignored. For those of us familiar with Christian teaching, this ceremony pointed forward to Jesus, who took our sins upon himself so we could be freed from their weight and shame.