Bible Strands
Leviticus 16:26
The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records a command directed to the priestly officiant immediately after the designated goat is sent into the wilderness during the Day of Atonement ritual.
The words — מְשַׁלֵּ֤חַ (m.sha.Le.ach) translates as "[one who] let go," and יְכַבֵּ֣ס (ye.kha.Bes) means "he will wash," identifying the agent and the specific purification action required.
The thread — The mandate to wash garments after contact with ritual impurity parallels Leviticus 11:25, while the scapegoat’s role is defined in Leviticus 16:10 and contrasted with the law's limitations in Hebrews 7:19.
Why it lands — The text mandates physical cleansing before communal reentry, establishing that handling sacred or contaminated items requires a defined purification step prior to resuming normal life.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 16:10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
- Hebrews 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
- Leviticus 11:25 and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 14:8 The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.
- Leviticus 15:5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 15:27 Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Leviticus 16:21 Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.
- Leviticus 16:28 The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
- Numbers 19:7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
- Numbers 19:21 This is a permanent statute for the people: The one who sprinkles the water of purification must wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening.