Bible Strands
Leviticus 16:34
This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The passage records a divine command delivered through Moses to the Israelites, concluding the instructions for the high priest’s sanctuary and altar purification. It formally establishes an annual ritual following the completion of the Day of Atonement procedures.
The words — The phrase לְ/חֻקַּת עוֹלָם (le./chu.Kat o.Lam) translates literally to "into a statute of perpetuity," marking the practice as a fixed ordinance. The verb לְ/כַפֵּר (le./kha.Per) means "to make atonement," defining the ritual’s specific function for the people of Israel.
The thread — The annual atonement requirement appears in Exodus 30:10 regarding altar purification and is referenced in Hebrews 9:7 and Hebrews 9:25 to contrast the repeated earthly ritual with a singular heavenly offering.
Why it lands — The text declares the ordinance permanent and explicitly ties its execution to the LORD’s command to Moses. It requires the reader to treat the established frequency and scope as non-negotiable rather than a flexible tradition.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 9:7 But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
- Hebrews 9:25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
- Exodus 30:10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”
- Hebrews 10:3 Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,
- Hebrews 10:14 because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.
- Leviticus 23:31 You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.
- Numbers 29:7 On the tenth day of this seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you shall humble yourselves; you must not do any work.