Overview
Leviticus contains the regulations given at Mount Sinai concerning offerings, the priesthood, purity, the appointed feasts, and holy living. The principle that the people must be holy in order for the holy God to dwell among them runs throughout the book. The Day of Atonement (chapter 16) stands at its center.
Theme Living as a holy people before the holy God
Historical background
Leviticus records instruction given while Israel remained at Mount Sinai, immediately after the tabernacle was erected at the close of Exodus. Its sacrificial system and purity regulations invite comparison with ancient Near Eastern cultic texts, yet they are clearly distinguished by covenant faith in the one God. The regulations for the Sabbath, the appointed feasts, and the jubilee became foundational to Israel's later faith and social order.