Leviticus 1:4
New International Version
You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.

New Living Translation
Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the LORD will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.

English Standard Version
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Berean Standard Bible
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

King James Bible
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

New King James Version
Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

New American Standard Bible
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

NASB 1995
‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

NASB 1977
‘And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

Amplified Bible
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering [transferring symbolically his guilt to the sacrifice], that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

Christian Standard Bible
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

American Standard Version
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Contemporary English Version
Lay your hand on its head, and I will accept the animal as a sacrifice for taking away your sins.

English Revised Version
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Place your hand on the animal's head. The burnt offering will be accepted to make peace with the LORD.

Good News Translation
You shall put your hand on its head, and it will be accepted as a sacrifice to take away your sins.

International Standard Version
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him as an atonement on his behalf.

Majority Standard Bible
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

NET Bible
He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.

New Heart English Bible
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

World English Bible
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he has laid his hand on the head of the burnt-offering, and it has been accepted for him to make atonement for him;

Young's Literal Translation
and he hath laid his hand on the head of the burnt-offering, and it hath been accepted for him to make atonement for him;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he placed his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering, and it was accepted for him to expiate for him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the victim, and it shall be acceptable, and help to its expiation.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he shall place his hand on the head of the sacrifice, and so it shall be acceptable and effective, in its expiation.

New American Bible
and shall lay a hand on the head of the burnt offering, so that it may be acceptable to make atonement for the one who offers it.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be acceptable in your behalf as atonement for you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he shall put his hand upon the head of his burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and he will be reconciled for it to make atonement for himself.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt-offering as a thing acceptable for him, to make atonement for him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws for Burnt Offerings
3If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD. 4He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.…

Cross References
Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Isaiah 53:5-6
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. / We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Hebrews 10:4
because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 10:10-14
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. / Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. / But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. ...

1 Peter 2:24
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”

Ephesians 5:2
and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Romans 3:25
God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

Hebrews 9:12-14
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. / For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, / how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

1 John 2:2
He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Colossians 1:20-22
and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. / Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds. / But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—

Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

Exodus 29:10-14
You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. / And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. / Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

put

Leviticus 3:2,8,13
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about…

Leviticus 4:4,15,24,29
And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD…

Leviticus 8:14,22
And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering…

be accepted

Leviticus 22:21,27
And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein…

Isaiah 56:7
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

atonement

Leviticus 4:20,26,31,35
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them…

Leviticus 5:6
And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.

Leviticus 6:7
And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

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Leviticus 1
1. The law of burnt offerings
3. of the herd
10. of the flocks
14. of the fowls














He shall lay his hand
The Hebrew phrase here is "וְסָמַךְ יָדוֹ" (vesamach yado), which literally means "and he shall lean his hand." This act of laying one's hand on the offering is deeply symbolic, representing the transfer of the individual's identity and sin onto the animal. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, this gesture was a common practice in sacrificial rituals, signifying ownership, identification, and substitution. The laying on of hands is a profound act of faith, acknowledging one's need for atonement and the belief that God provides a means for reconciliation.

on the head of the burnt offering
The "head" (רֹאשׁ, rosh) of the burnt offering is significant because it represents the entirety of the animal. The burnt offering, or "olah" (עֹלָה), is a sacrifice that is wholly consumed by fire, symbolizing complete surrender to God. The head, being the most prominent part, signifies the totality of the offering. This act of laying hands on the head underscores the comprehensive nature of the atonement being sought, as the offerer identifies fully with the sacrifice.

so that it may be accepted on his behalf
The phrase "accepted on his behalf" (לִרְצֹנוֹ, lirtzono) indicates that the offering is meant to be pleasing to God, aligning with His will. The acceptance of the sacrifice is not based on the merit of the offerer but on the grace of God, who provides a means for reconciliation. This acceptance is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who is the perfect and final offering, accepted by God on behalf of all who believe.

to make atonement for him
The Hebrew word for "atonement" is "כִּפֶּר" (kipper), which means to cover or to make reconciliation. In the context of Leviticus, atonement involves the covering of sin, allowing the individual to be in right standing with God. This concept is central to the sacrificial system and points forward to the atoning work of Jesus Christ, who covers our sins with His righteousness. The sacrificial system in Leviticus is a shadow of the greater reality fulfilled in Christ, who makes atonement once and for all.

(4) And he shall put his hand.--Or, lay his hand, as the same phrase is rendered in Leviticus 3:2-3; Leviticus 3:17, &c. The laying on of hands by the offerer on the victim was enjoined not only in the case of burnt offerings, but also in peace offerings (Leviticus 3:2; Leviticus 3:7; Leviticus 3:13; Leviticus 8:22, &c.) and in sin offerings (Leviticus 4:4; Leviticus 4:15; Leviticus 4:24; Leviticus 4:29; Leviticus 4:33; Leviticus 8:14, &c.). The offerer indicated thereby both the surrender of his ownership of the victim, and the transfer to it of' the feelings by which he was influenced in performing this act of dedication to the Lord. From the practice which obtained during the second Temple, we know that the offerer himself laid both his hands between the two horns of the animal whilst alive, and that no proxy could do it. If several offered one sacrifice, each one laid his hand separately on the victim, confessing his sins and saying, "I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have transgressed and I have done this and this, but I repent before Thee, and this is my atonement." . . . Verse 4. - And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering. This putting, or forcibly leaning, the hand on the victim's head, which is the most essential part of the oblation of the victim, was a symbolical act implying "This animal is now for present purposes myself, and its life is my life." It was this act of identification with the offerer which made it be accepted for him to make atonement (literally, covering) for him. The sin offering is the sacrifice which especially symbolizes and ceremonially effects atonement, but the idea of atonement is not absent from the burnt sacrifice. The aspect under which atonement is presented here and elsewhere in the Old Testament is that of covering. But it is not the sin that is covered, but the sinner. Owing to his sin, the latter is exposed to the wrath of a just God, but something intervenes whereby he is covered, and he ceases, therefore, to attract the Divine anger and punishment. No longer being an object of wrath, he becomes at once an object of benevolence and mercy. The covering provided by a sacrifice is the blood or life of an animal, symbolically representing the offerer's own life freely surrendered by him for his acceptance, and typically foreshadowing the blood of Christ.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He is to lay
וְסָמַ֣ךְ (wə·sā·maḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5564: To prop, to lean upon, take hold of

his hand
יָד֔וֹ (yā·ḏōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

on
עַ֖ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the head
רֹ֣אשׁ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of the burnt offering,
הָעֹלָ֑ה (hā·‘ō·lāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

so it can be accepted
וְנִרְצָ֥ה (wə·nir·ṣāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7521: To be pleased with, to satisfy a, debt

on his behalf
ל֖וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to make atonement
לְכַפֵּ֥ר (lə·ḵap·pêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3722: To cover, to expiate, condone, to placate, cancel

for him.
עָלָֽיו׃ (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Law: Leviticus 1:4 He shall lay his hand (Le Lv Lev.)
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