What is the context?
The Lord instructs that an unblemished bull be offered on the first day of the first month to purify the sanctuary. Blood is placed on the temple doorposts, the altar’s ledge and the inner court’s gateposts.
In the BSB, the same is done on the seventh day for those who stray unintentionally or in ignorance. The stated purpose is atonement for the temple.
The provision recognizes that failures among the people affect their common life of worship. The holy place is not to be treated as indifferent to what happens among those who approach it.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Cambridge understands this as cleansing the sanctuary from the people’s defilements. It follows a different reading of the date, placing the second cleansing in the seventh month. The BSB gives the seventh day of the month.
The difference concerns the calendar. Both readings recognize a deliberate provision for purification rather than casual use of the sanctuary.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.