This verse, Leviticus 16:7, is part of the detailed instructions for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Hebrew Bible. It describes a crucial moment in the ritual:
"He shall take the two goats": This refers to the High Priest taking two male goats. These goats are specifically chosen for this ceremony.
"and set them before Yahweh": This indicates that the goats are placed in a position of being presented or offered to Yahweh (God).
"at the door of the Tent of Meeting": The Tent of Meeting (also known as the Tabernacle) was a portable sanctuary where God was believed to dwell. The door of the Tent was the entrance to this sacred space, marking the boundary between the outer court and the inner sanctuary.
In essence, the verse describes the act of the High Priest bringing two selected goats to the entrance of the Tabernacle to present them to God. This is a prelude to the casting of lots to determine the roles of the two goats in the atonement ritual: one would be sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other would become the scapegoat, symbolically bearing the sins of the people into the wilderness.
This verse, Leviticus 16:7, is part of the detailed instructions for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Hebrew Bible. It describes a crucial moment in the ritual:
"He shall take the two goats": This refers to the High Priest taking two male goats. These goats are specifically chosen for this ceremony.
"and set them before Yahweh": This indicates that the goats are placed in a position of being presented or offered to Yahweh (God).
"at the door of the Tent of Meeting": The Tent of Meeting (also known as the Tabernacle) was a portable sanctuary where God was believed to dwell. The door of the Tent was the entrance to this sacred space, marking the boundary between the outer court and the inner sanctuary.
In essence, the verse describes the act of the High Priest bringing two selected goats to the entrance of the Tabernacle to present them to God. This is a prelude to the casting of lots to determine the roles of the two goats in the atonement ritual: one would be sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other would become the scapegoat, symbolically bearing the sins of the people into the wilderness.