and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed here is that the altar itself needs to be purified and consecrated. It wasn't just the priests; even the sacred objects, being made by human hands, were viewed as potentially tainted by sin and required atonement before they could be used to approach a holy God.
and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage details the ongoing consecration of the altar, which mirrors the seven-day ordination of the priests described earlier. Each day, a bull is sacrificed as a sin offering specifically for the altar, and then the altar itself is cleansed and anointed. This ritual emphasizes that even the place where God's presence will dwell requires purification and sanctification through blood and oil before it can be consecrated for sacred service.
We often think of atonement as something for people, but what if a place needed it too? This verse reveals God's deep concern for holiness, even in inanimate objects.
This passage highlights a crucial concept: even the altar, a physical structure, required atonement. It wasn't just a piece of furniture; it was the focal point for approaching God.
The Altar's 'Sin'
The text speaks of 'purifying' or 'cleansing' the altar 'by making atonement for it.' This might sound strange, but the ancient Israelites understood that sin could 'infect' even a material object. Because people, who were sinful, would interact with the altar, and because it was a place where God's presence would powerfully rest, it needed to be ritually cleansed from any potential contamination.
Preparing for God's Presence
This daily ritual with the bullock for sin offering and the subsequent cleansing of the altar emphasizes that God's presence demands absolute purity. Everything connected with His worship had to be meticulously prepared, reflecting His perfect holiness.
Imagine a sacred space being set apart. This verse describes not just a cleaning, but a deep consecration, using powerful symbols that speak to us even today.
The purification of the altar wasn't a one-step process. After the atonement, it was further consecrated through anointing.
The Dual Action: Atonement and Anointing
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The verse links cleansing 'by making atonement' with 'anointing it to consecrate it.' This signifies two essential aspects of setting apart for God:
A Pattern for Our Lives
This pattern—dealing with sin and then being set apart by the Spirit—mirrors our own spiritual journey. We are cleansed through Christ's atoning sacrifice, and then empowered and consecrated by the Holy Spirit for God's purposes.
Why was this cleansing and consecration repeated every single day? This reveals something profound about God's unchanging standards and our ongoing need for Him.
The instruction to offer a bull for a sin offering and purify the altar every day is striking. It wasn't a one-time event but a continuous necessity.
God's Unwavering Standards
This daily ritual underscored that holiness is not a static achievement but an ongoing pursuit. Even with the finest materials and the most devoted priests, the approach to God required a constant reaffirmation of atonement for sin.
A Shadow of Things to Come
The repeated nature of this sacrifice also points forward. The book of Hebrews explains that Old Testament sacrifices could not perfect those who offered them, because they had to be offered repeatedly. This daily ritual was a powerful foreshadowing of Christ's single, perfect, and eternal sacrifice.
Our Daily Dependence
Just as the altar and priests needed daily cleansing and consecration, we too have a daily need for Christ's atoning blood and the Holy Spirit's renewing power to remain in fellowship with God and live lives set apart for Him.
Understand the original words
chattâ'âh · Hebrew Noun
A sacrifice offered to God to make reparation for sin or ritual impurity, serving as a means to restore a proper relationship between God and humanity.
kippurim · Hebrew Noun
The act of making reconciliation between God and humanity, covering or removing the barrier of sin and impurity. In the Old Testament, this was achieved through the shedding of blood.
chata' · Hebrew Verb
To cleanse or purge from ritual impurity, making something ritually fit or acceptable for holy use in the presence of God.
mashach · Hebrew Verb
To smear with oil, symbolizing the setting apart of a person, place, or object for exclusive use by God, signifying that it is under His authority and ownership.
qadash · Hebrew Verb
To dedicate or set apart for a sacred purpose, removing an object from common or profane use and making it exclusively holy for God.
This passage directly parallels the purification and atonement of the altar described in Exodus 29:36, detailing how Moses applied the blood to the altar's horns.
Ezekiel 43:20The prophet Ezekiel describes a similar cleansing and atonement ritual for the altar in the future Temple, highlighting the ongoing need to purify sacred spaces from sin.
Hebrews 13:11This New Testament passage connects the Old Testament sin offerings, whose bodies were burned outside the camp, to Christ's sacrifice outside the city gates, drawing a parallel between the blood of atonement for the altar and Christ's blood for believers.
Matthew 23:19Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their misplaced focus, stating that the altar sanctifies the gift, underscoring the concept that the altar itself needed consecration to be a proper channel for offerings.
John 17:19Jesus prays that His followers may be sanctified by the truth, reflecting the Old Testament principle seen in Exodus 29:36 where both priests and the altar were consecrated through specific rituals for God's service.
clarkeExodus 29:36: "And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it."
Thou shalt cleanse the altar - The altar was to be sanctified for seven days; and it is likely that on each day, previously to the consecration service, the altar was wiped clean, and the former day's ashes, etc., removed.
ellicottExodus 29:36: "And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it."
(36) Thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it. —Rather, by making an atonement for it. The atonement was made by smearing the blood of the bullock upon the horns of the altar ( Exodus 29:12 , compared with Leviticus 8:15 ). And thou shalt anoint it.—Comp. Leviti…
What's easily missed here is that the altar itself needs to be purified and consecrated. It wasn't just the priests; even the sacred objects, being made by human hands, were viewed as potentially tainted by sin and required atonement before they could be used to approach a holy God.
This passage details the ongoing consecration of the altar, which mirrors the seven-day ordination of the priests described earlier. Each day, a bull is sacrificed as a sin offering specifically for the altar, and then the altar itself is cleansed and anointed. This ritual emphasizes that even the place where God's presence will dwell requires purification and sanctification through blood and oil before it can be consecrated for sacred service.
This passage details the ongoing consecration of the altar, which mirrors the seven-day ordination of the priests described earlier. Each day, a bull is sacrificed as a sin offering specifically for the altar, and then the altar itself is cleansed and anointed. This ritual emphasizes that even the place where God's presence will dwell requires purification and sanctification through blood and oil before it can be consecrated for sacred service.
"and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it." — What's easily missed here is that the altar itself needs to be purified and consecrated. It wasn't just the priests; even the sacred objects, being made by human hands, were viewed as potentially tai…
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Last reviewed October 2026