Leviticus 16:13

Christian Standard Bible ®

He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony, or else he will die.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
and he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, so that he will not die.

King James Version
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord , that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

Lexham English Bible
and he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud of incense might cover the atonement cover, which is on the covenant text, so that he might not die.

New Century Version
He must put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense will cover the lid on the Ark. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die.

New English Translation
He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord , and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die.

Amplified Bible
and put the incense on the fire [in the censer] before the LORD, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on [the ark of] the Testimony, otherwise he will die.

New American Standard Bible
"He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of incense may cover the atoning cover that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And shal put the incense vpon the fire before the Lorde, that the cloude of the incense may couer the Merciseat that is vpon the Testimonie: so he shal not dye.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die.

Contemporary English Version
There you will present them to me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there!

Complete Jewish Bible
He is to put the incense on the fire before Adonai , so that the cloud from the incense will cover the ark-cover which is over the testimony, in order that he not die.

Darby Translation
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat which is upon the testimony, that he die not.

Easy-to-Read Version
He will put the incense on the fire before the Lord . Then the cloud of incense will hide the mercy-cover that is over the Box that holds the Agreement. This way Aaron will not die.

English Standard Version
and put the incense on the fire before the Lord , that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

George Lamsa Translation
And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not;

Good News Translation
There in the Lord 's presence he shall put the incense on the fire, and the smoke of the incense will hide the lid of the Covenant Box so that he will not see it and die.

Literal Translation
And he shall put the incense on the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of the incense shall cover the mercy-seat on the testimony; and he shall not die.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and put the incense vpon the fyre before ye LORDE, that the cloude of the incense maye couer the Mercyseate, which is vpon the witnesse, that he dye not.

American Standard Version
and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

Bible in Basic English
And let him put the perfume on the fire before the Lord so that the ark may be covered with a cloud of the smoke of the perfume, in order that death may not overtake him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And put the incense vpon the fire before the Lorde, that the cloude of the incense may couer the mercy seate that is vpon the witnesse, and he shall not dye.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the ark-cover that is upon the testimony, that he die not.

King James Version (1611)
And he shall put the incense vpon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may couer the mercie seate that is vpon the testimonie, that he die not.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense shall cover the mercy-seat over the tables of testimony, and he shall not die.

English Revised Version
and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

Berean Standard Bible
He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the testimony, so that he will not die.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that whanne swete smellynge spiceries ben put on the fier, the cloude and `vapour of tho hile Goddis answeryng place, which is on the witnessyng, and he die not.

Young's Literal Translation
and he hath put the perfume on the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of the perfume hath covered the mercy-seat which [is] on the testimony, and he dieth not.

Update Bible Version
and he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is on the testimony, that he will not die:

Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that [is] upon the testimony, that he may not die.

World English Bible
and he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the testimony, that he not die:

New King James Version
And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.

New Living Translation
There in the Lord 's presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark's cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. If he follows these instructions, he will not die.

New Life Bible
He will put the special perfume on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of the special perfume covers the mercy-seat on the special box of the agreement or he will die.

New Revised Standard
and put the incense on the fire before the Lord , that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the covenant, or he will die.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and shall put the incense upon the fire before Yahweh, - and the cloud of incense shall cover the propitiatory which is over the testimony, and he shall not die.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That when the perfumes are put upon the fire, the cloud and vapour thereof may cover the oracle, which is over the testimony, and he may not die.

Revised Standard Version
and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat which is upon the testimony, lest he die;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die.

Contextual Overview

⁵He is to take from the Israelite community two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. ⁶“Aaron will present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. ⁷Next he will take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for an uninhabitable place, ⁹he is to present the goat chosen by lot for the Lord and sacrifice it as a sin offering. ¹⁰But the goat chosen by lot for an uninhabitable place is to be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement with it by sending it into the wilderness for an uninhabitable place. ¹¹“When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he will slaughter the bull for his sin offering. ¹²Then he is to take a firepan full of blazing coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the curtain. ¹³He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony, or else he will die. ¹⁴He is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And he: Exodus 30:1, Exodus 30:7, Exodus 30:8, Numbers 16:7, Numbers 16:18, Numbers 16:46, Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:4

the cloud: Exodus 25:21, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 9:24, 1 John 2:1, 1 John 2:2

Reciprocal: Exodus 30:6 - before the mercy seat that is over the testimony Leviticus 16:2 - that he die not Numbers 16:6 - General 1 Chronicles 23:13 - to burn incense Luke 1:11 - the altar Hebrews 9:5 - the mercyseat

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became contemptible to her. May the Lord judge between me and you.”

Genesis 16:7
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.

Genesis 16:9
The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.”

Genesis 16:10
The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.”

Genesis 16:12
This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will settle near all his relatives.”

Genesis 22:14
And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

Genesis 28:17
He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

Genesis 31:42
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and he issued his verdict last night.”

Judges 6:24
So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord,.... Both the incense and burning coals of fire being carried within the vail, the incense was put upon the coals, and so it burned before the Lord, whose seat was between the cherubim; and from whence it appears, that this was done, not without but within the vail: the Sadducees under the second temple would have it, that the incense was put upon the fire without the vail, wherefore the high priest, on the evening of this day, was sworn by the messengers of the sanhedrim not to make any alteration in what they should say to him; and this oath was given him in the house of Abtines, where the incense was made, with a special respect to that, since it being within the vail, they could not see it performed: the manner of his performance of this part of his service is thus related; he went in between the rails, till he came to the north; when he was come to the north, he turned his face to the south; he went on his left hand near the vail, till he came to the ark; he put the censer between the two bars, and heaped the incense upon the top of the coals, and the whole house was filled with the smoke; he then went out backwards, and prayed a short prayer in the outward house (the holy place), and he did not continue long in prayer, lest the people of Israel should be frightened l: the prayer he made is given us by the Jews m: now the incense being put upon the coals may denote the fervour and ardency of Christ's intercession, and that his sufferings are the foundation of it, on which it proceeds, and are what give it a grateful odour, or make it acceptable to the Lord:

and this was done, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that [is] upon the testimony; where was the Shechinah, or glorious majesty of God, and which was not to be seen, and therefore to be covered after this manner; which shows, that there is no access to God but as upon a seat of mercy and a throne of grace; and even that there is no coming to him upon that, but through the mediation and intercession of Christ:

that he die not; as his sons did, boldly intruding where, and doing what they should not: there is no approaching to God as an absolute God, and live; but through Christ the Mediator, and his intercession, believers may draw nigh and see the face of God in Christ, and live, as Jacob did, Genesis 32:30.

l Misn. Yoma, c. 5. sect. 1. m Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is important, in reference to the meaning of the day of atonement, to observe the order of the rites as they are described in these verses.

Leviticus 16:12

A censer - See Exodus 25:38 note.

The altar before the Lord - i. e. the altar of burnt-offering on which the fire was always burning.

Leviticus 16:14

The high priest must have come out from the most holy place to fetch the blood, leaving the censer smoking within, and then have entered again within the veil. He sprinkled the blood seven times upon the mercy-seat, on its east side (not “eastward”), and then seven times upon the floor in front of it. If the mercy-seat may be regarded as an altar, the holiest one of the three, on this one occasion in the year atonement was thus made for it, as for the other altars, with sacrificial blood.

Leviticus 16:15

Having completed the atonement in the holy of holies on behalf of the priests, the high priest had now to do the same thing on behalf of the people.

Leviticus 16:16

The “holy place” - Here the place within the veil, the holy of holies.

Tabernacle of the congregation - tent of meeting. atonement was now to be made for the tabernacle as a whole. The sense is very briefly expressed, but there seems to be no room to doubt that the high priest was to sprinkle the blood of each of the victims before the altar of incense, as he had done before the mercy-seat within the veil; and also to touch with blood the horns of the altar of incense Exodus 30:10.

That remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness - Compare Leviticus 16:19. The most sacred earthly things which came into contact with the nature of man needed from time to time to be cleansed and sanctified by the blood of the sin-offerings which had been taken into the presence of Yahweh. See Exodus 28:38 note.

Leviticus 16:18

The order of the ceremony required that atonement should first be made for the most holy place with the mercy-seat, then for the holy place with the golden altar, and then for the altar in the court. See Leviticus 16:20, Leviticus 16:33. The horns of the brazen altar were touched with the blood, as they were in the ordinary sin-offerings. Leviticus 4:25, Leviticus 4:30, Leviticus 4:34.

Of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat - Some of the blood of the two victims was mingled together in a basin.

Leviticus 16:21

Confess over him - The form of confession used on this occasion in later times was: “O Lord, Thy people, the house of Israel, have transgressed, they have rebelled, they have sinned before Thee. I beseech Thee now absolve their transgressions, their rebellion, and their sin that they have sinned against Thee, as it is written in the law of Moses Thy servant, that on this day he shall make atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins, and ye shall be clean.”

A fit man - literally, a timely man, or a man at hand. Tradition says that the man was appointed for this work the year before.

Leviticus 16:22

Unto a land not inhabited - Unto a place cut off, or (as in the margin) a place “of separation.”

It is evident that the one signification of the ceremony of this goat was the complete removal of the sins which were confessed over him. No symbol could so plainly set forth the completeness of Yahweh’s acceptance of the penitent, as a sin-offering in which a life was given up for the altar, and yet a living being survived to carry away all sin and uncleanness.