Exodus 29:36-37
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. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What’s striking here is that the altar, this inanimate object, is treated as if it could be contaminated by sin and needs atonement. It wasn't just about cleaning off ashes; it was a ritual purification to prepare this structure, made by human hands, to be a holy place for God's presence. This reveals a profound understanding that even the physical spaces where we meet God need to be cleansed from the lingering effects of our sin.
This passage details the ongoing, daily rituals for consecrating the altar, which ran parallel to the seven-day ordination of the priests. After the blood of the sin offering had been applied to the altar horns and base for atonement, the altar itself needed to be cleansed and anointed to be fully consecrated. This daily purification and anointing continued for the entire week, ensuring the altar, like the priests, was made holy for God's service.
We often think of sin as something only people do. But what if even a sacred object, like the altar, needed to be cleansed from sin?
This verse reveals a profound truth: even inanimate objects in God's service could be considered 'infected' with sin. The altar, being the focal point of sacrifices where sin was laid, needed a daily purification. This wasn't because the altar itself sinned, but because it was the place where sin was brought, processed, and atoned for. The Hebrew word used here carries the idea of removing or purging sin, even from a physical structure. It highlights that sin's influence is pervasive and requires God's direct intervention to cleanse.
Think of it like this: a surgical table is clean, but after an operation, it needs to be sterilized not because the table is inherently dirty, but because of the biological materials (blood, tissue) it came into contact with. Similarly, the altar, while meant for holy purposes, became the site where the 'messiness' of sin was dealt with, necessitating its own purification.
The sacrifices for the altar weren't a one-time event. What does this daily ritual tell us about God's standards and our ongoing need for Him?
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Exodus 29:36-37 is available in the Sola app.
The instruction to offer a bull daily for sin and atonement underscores the immense gravity of sin and God's unwavering commitment to provide a way for it to be dealt with. This wasn't just about appeasing God; it was about meeting His holy standard.
This daily ritual points to several crucial aspects:
After the sin was cleansed, the altar was anointed. What does this sacred oil signify for God's appointed places and people?
The anointing of the altar with holy oil signifies its consecration – its setting apart for sacred use. This oil wasn't ordinary; it was specially prepared and signified the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
This concept extends to us. As believers, we are also anointed by the Holy Spirit, set apart for God's service, and empowered to live holy lives. What was true for the altar is now true for us: we are consecrated to God.
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.
qodesh qodashim · Hebrew Noun phrase
A state of being set apart exclusively for God; it denotes absolute purity, transcendence, and being removed from common or ordinary use.
qodesh · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
The state of being dedicated to God. In the Old Testament, it implies that something touched by a holy object shares in its sanctified status, requiring careful handling or restricted access.
This passage describes Moses taking the blood of the sin offering and putting it on the horns of the altar, directly illustrating the action of purifying and consecrating the altar as mentioned in Exodus 29:36.
Ezekiel 43:20This verse shows a similar ritual for the altar in Ezekiel's vision of the future temple, where blood is applied to its horns and it is purified, highlighting the consistent importance of atonement for the altar across different covenants.
Hebrews 13:11The author of Hebrews explains that the bodies of animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary for sin are burned outside the camp, referencing the concept that sin offerings, like the bull in Exodus 29:36, were dealt with definitively outside the community.
Matthew 23:19Jesus critiques the Pharisees by asking if the altar is greater than the offering that sanctifies it, implicitly referencing the Old Testament concept that the altar itself, like the offerings made upon it, was consecrated and had a holy significance.
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 striking here is that the altar, this inanimate object, is treated as if it could be contaminated by sin and needs atonement. It wasn't just about cleaning off ashes; it was a ritual purification to prepare this structure, made by human hands, to be a holy place for God's presence. This reveals a profound understanding that even the physical spaces where we meet God need to be cleansed from the lingering effects of our sin.
This passage details the ongoing, daily rituals for consecrating the altar, which ran parallel to the seven-day ordination of the priests. After the blood of the sin offering had been applied to the altar horns and base for atonement, the altar itself needed to be cleansed and anointed to be fully consecrated. This daily purification and anointing continued for the entire week, ensuring the altar, like the priests, was made holy for God's service.
This passage details the ongoing, daily rituals for consecrating the altar, which ran parallel to the seven-day ordination of the priests. After the blood of the sin offering had been applied to the altar horns and base for atonement, the altar itself needed to be cleansed and anointed to be fully consecrated. This daily purification and anointing continued for the entire week, ensuring the altar, like the priests, was made holy for God's 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. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate i…" — What’s striking here is that the altar, this inanimate object, is treated as if it could be contaminated by sin and needs atonement. It wasn't just about cleaning off ashes; it was a ritual purificat…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
