Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 10:17
Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it [is] most holy, and [God] hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
17. and he hath given it you to bear [mg. to take away ] the iniquity of the congregation ] Two interpretations of this clause have been proposed, ( a) God has given the Sin-Offering for the purpose of taking away the iniquity of the congregation, ( b) God has given to you the Sin-Offering (the part not burnt on the altar) to eat for the purpose of bearing (or taking away) the iniquity The first is a general statement as to the efficacy of the Sin-Offering; the second attributes an atoning value to the eating by the priests, although not to this action apart from the ceremonial of which it formed a constituent portion. The acceptance of a sacrifice depends on the due observance of the whole appointed ritual, and each action as contributing towards the acceptance of the whole may be said to have an atoning value.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
To bear the iniquity – See Exo 28:38 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. To bear the iniquity of the congregation] See on “Le 6:26“, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. As a reward of your service and function, whereby you do expiate, bear, and take away their sins, by offering those sacrifices, and performing those rites, by which God through Christ is reconciled to the penitent and believing offerers.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Wherefore have ye not eaten of the sin [offering] in the holy place, seeing it [is] most holy,…. The sin offering was one of the most holy things, and therefore to be eaten only in the sanctuary; though this was not the fault they are here charged with that they had eat it, but not in the holy place; for they had not eaten it at all, but burnt it, as appears from the preceding verse; this is what they are blamed for particularly, though they are reminded of the whole law concerning it, that it was to he eaten by them, that it was to be eaten in the holy place, the reason of which is given; but they had not eaten it any where:
and [God] hath given it to you, to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? for by eating the sin offering, or sin itself, as it is in the original text, see Ho 4:8 they made the sins of the people, for whom the offering was, in some sense their own; and they bore them, and made a typical atonement for them; in which they were types of Christ, who was made sin for his people, took their sins upon him, and by imputation they were made his own, and he bore them in his own body on the tree, and made full satisfaction and atonement for them. Now since the eating of the sin offering of the people was of so great importance and consequence, the neglect of it by the priests was very blameworthy.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) Wherefore have ye not eaten? . . . As enjoined in Lev. 6:26.
God hath given it.That is, He has given to you the flesh of the sin offering to cat. (See Lev. 6:29.)
To bear the iniquity of the congregation.Better, to remove the iniquity of the congregation, which the priests did by making atonement for them before the Lord, as is explained in the next clause. Accordingly the flesh of the sin offering is given to the priests, that by the act of eating it they may visibly show the offerer that God has graciously accepted the expiatory sacrifice, and that it is a most holy thing. The phrase to bear iniquity often signifies to bear away, to remove, to forgive iniquity. (Comp. Gen. 1:17; Exo. 32:32; Psa. 32:1; Psa. 32:5, &c.) Hence the most ancient Versions translate it here, that ye may take away or remove (LXX., the Chaldee, the Syriac, &c.). The rendering of the Authorised Version, however, is that of the Vulgate, which has been followed by the Reformers both in England and on the continent, as well as by several modern expositors. This is supported by the meaning of the phrase to bear the iniquity in Exo. 28:38; Num. 18:1; Eze. 4:4-6. Those who follow this rendering take the passage to mean that the priest, by eating or incorporating the victim on which the offerer had laid his guilt, actually took away the sin, or neutralised it in a mysterious way, by virtue of the sanctifying power belonging to the sacerdotal office. Others, again, who also take the phrase to mean that the priest literally takes the sin upon himself, do not explain it, but simply say, that by eating the sin-laden victim the sins of the offerer were, in some sort, laid upon the priest to be taken away by him, thus prefiguring Christ, who should be both priest and sacrifice.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. To bear the iniquity The Hebrew , nasah, he bore, with its derivatives, occurs in the Old Testament eight hundred and ninety-five times, or about once to every chapter. In relation to sin it occurs sixty-four times. It may be interpreted by portare peccatum, to bear or suffer the penalty of sin, or by auferre peccata, to remove sins. The predominant signification is that of removal; yet the other, of bearing, is by no means excluded thereby; rather was the bearing in this case a removal. “When the priests ate they incorporated sin, as it were, and the people received forgiveness unto themselves, that it might be prefigured that at some time the priest and the victim would be one person, namely, the Messiah, a prediction exactly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.” Deyling. This singular episode between Moses and Aaron sheds much light upon the sacrifices. The goat of the sin offering and whatever touched it were most holy. The priests were to eat it, and thus the sins of the people, having been transferred through the animal to the priests, were representatively borne. See Num 9:13, note.
Atonement Lev 1:4; Lev 4:20, notes.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 10:17. God hath given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation i.e. according to Bishop Patrick, it was given them by God as an encouragement to the careful performance of that part of their duty, whereby they became intercessors for the people, and atoned for their sins: and, indeed, the very eating of the people’s sin-offering argued, that the sins of the people were in some sort laid upon the priests, to be taken away by them: which being done, they had reason to rejoice also in a feast upon this sacrifice, which God had been pleased to accept for the taking away the sins of the people: whence the sacrifice of Christ may be explained; who is said to bear our iniquity, as the priest is said here to do; all our sins being laid on him, who took upon him to make an expiation for them by the sacrifice of himself: for the priest here, receiving the guilt upon himself by eating of the sin-offering, may well be thought to prefigure one who should be both Priest and Sacrifice for sin, as was accomplished in CHRIST.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Lev 10:17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it [is] most holy, and [God] hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
Ver. 17. To bear the iniquity. ] This the sinner doth subjectively, the priest typically, the Lord Christ really.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Wherefore . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis (App-6) to call attention to Ch. Lev 6:26.
sin. Hebrew. chat’a. App-43and App-44.
to bear = to bear away, or remove. Compare Gen 50:17, Exo 32:32. Psa 32:1, Psa 32:5. Mat 8:17. So here, the Chaldee, Syriac, and Septuagint render it “take away” or “remove”. The Authorized Version follows the Vulgate here.
iniquity. Hebrew. a’vah. App-44.
make atonement. See note on Exo 29:33.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
atonement
(See Scofield “Exo 29:33”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Wherefore: Lev 6:26, Lev 6:29, Lev 7:6, Lev 7:7
to bear: Lev 16:22, Lev 22:16, Exo 28:38, Exo 28:43, Num 18:1, Isa 53:6-11, Eze 4:4-6, Eze 18:19, Eze 18:20, Joh 1:29, 2Co 5:21, Heb 9:28, 1Pe 2:24
Reciprocal: Lev 5:15 – in the Lev 7:18 – bear Lev 8:31 – eat it Lev 14:13 – as the sin Lev 24:9 – they shall Num 18:9 – every sin Num 18:10 – In the 1Ch 23:13 – sanctify Ezr 2:63 – should not Neh 7:65 – that they should Eze 42:13 – they be holy
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 10:17. God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation It was given them as an encouragement to, and a reward of the careful performance of that part of their duty, whereby they expiated, bore, and took away the sins of the people by offering those sacrifices, by which, as being typical of the sacrifice of the Messiah, God was reconciled to the penitent and believing offerers.