Leviticus 4:18

Verse

He is also to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting, and he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

American Standard Version (1901)

And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before Jehovah, that is in the tent of meeting; and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.

Bible in Basic English

And he is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord in the Tent of meeting; and all the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar of burned offering at the door of the Tent of meeting.

Douay-Rheims 1899

And he shall put of the same blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony: and the rest of the blood he shall pour at the foot of the altar of holocaust, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.

Free Bible Version

He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that stands before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. Then he is to pour out the rest of the bull's blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Geneva Bible 1599

Also he shall put some of ye blood vpon the hornes of the altar, which is before the Lord, that is in the Tabernacle of the Congregation: then shall he powre all the rest, of the blood at ye foote of the altar of burnt offring, which is at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation,

King James (Authorized) Version

And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

One Unity Resource Bible

He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Adonai , that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

Translation for Translators

Then he must put some of the blood on the projections at the corners of the altar that is in the presence of Yahweh in the Sacred Tent. The remaining part of the bull’s blood, he must pour out at the base of the altar where sacrifices are burned, at the entrance of the Sacred Tent.

Unlocked Literal Bible

He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting, and he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Noah Webster Bible

And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

World English Bible

He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

Young's Literal Translation

and [some] of the blood he doth put on the horns of the altar which [is] before Jehovah, which [is] in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he doth pour out at the foundation of the altar of the burnt-offering, which [is] at the opening of the tent of meeting;

Context

Laws for Sin Offerings

¹⁷and he is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.¹⁸He is also to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting, and he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.¹⁹And he is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar.

Summary

Leviticus 4 outlines the sin offering for unintentional sins committed by the anointed priest, the whole congregation, a ruler, or an individual. In verse 18, it specifies that if the sin offering is for the entire congregation, the elders are to lay their hands on the bull's head before it is sacrificed. This act symbolizes the transfer of sin and guilt from the people to the sacrificial animal, highlighting the concept of substitutionary atonement in the Old Testament sacrificial system. The ritual underscores the seriousness of sin, the need for repentance, and the provision of forgiveness through the shedding of blood as a foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

Commentary