And you shall offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
every day
Exodus 29:10-14 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock…
Ezekiel 43:25,27 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish…
Ezekiel 48:18-20 And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city…
cleanse
Leviticus 16:16-19,27 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness…
Hebrews 9:22,23 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission…
anoint it
Exodus 30:26,28,29 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, …
Exodus 40:9-11 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy…
Leviticus 8:10,11 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them…
Purify the altar by making atonement for it,
The altar, as the central place of sacrifice, required purification to be fit for its holy purpose. This reflects the biblical principle that even sacred objects must be cleansed from the defilement of sin. The act of making atonement for the altar signifies the pervasive nature of sin, affecting not only people but also the instruments of worship. This purification process is a type of Christ's work, who cleanses and sanctifies the Church, making it holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27). The altar's purification also parallels the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary by Christ's blood, as described in Hebrews 9:23-24.
and anoint it to consecrate it.
Anointing the altar with oil was a symbolic act of setting it apart for God's service, marking it as holy. In the ancient world, anointing was a common practice for consecrating priests, kings, and sacred objects, signifying the presence and favor of God. This act of consecration is a foreshadowing of the anointing of Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One, who fulfills the roles of prophet, priest, and king. The anointing of the altar also reflects the broader biblical theme of sanctification, where believers are set apart for God's purposes through the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:9).
“Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement.” (Exodus 29:36a)
• God required a full-grown bull—costly, strong, and without defect (Leviticus 4:3 - 12)—to underscore the weight of sin that even priests carried.
• The sacrifice was repeated daily for the seven-day ordination (Exodus 29:35, 37). Holiness is not a one-time event; it must be guarded continually (Hebrews 7:27).
• Atonement means a real covering of guilt, making fellowship possible. Leviticus 16:15-16 shows the same principle on the Day of Atonement, and Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
• While these bulls provided temporary cleansing, they also pointed forward to the ultimate, once-for-all offering of Christ (Hebrews 10:10-14).
“Purify the altar by making atonement for it…” (Exodus 29:36b)
• Even the altar—mere wood overlaid with bronze (Exodus 27:1-2)—needed purification because anything serving in God’s presence must be holy (Habakkuk 1:13).
• Blood was applied to the altar’s horns (Exodus 29:12), symbolizing that the place of sacrifice itself is cleansed. Hebrews 9:21-22 notes Moses’ sprinkling of both the tabernacle and its vessels with blood, echoing this scene.
• By atoning for the altar, God signified that sin defiles not only people but also the environment in which they worship (Haggai 2:13-14).
• A cleansed altar assures worshipers that their gifts are accepted; likewise, believers approach the heavenly altar—“the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16)—only because it, too, has been purified by Christ’s blood.
“…and anoint it to consecrate it.” (Exodus 29:36c)
• After blood came oil (Exodus 30:25-29). Blood removes sin; oil sets apart for service.
• Anointing identified the altar as uniquely belonging to God, much as priests (Exodus 29:7) and kings (1 Samuel 16:13) were marked for divine use.
• Psalm 133:2 pictures oil running down Aaron’s beard, tying anointing to harmony among God’s people. Here, the altar’s anointing fosters harmony between God and Israel.
• For believers, God “anointed us… and put His Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22), consecrating us as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
Exodus 29:36 teaches that sin must be seriously addressed, that even sacred spaces are affected by human guilt, and that God personally sets apart what He cleanses. Daily bulls highlighted continual need; blood purified; oil consecrated. In every part, the passage foreshadows Jesus—the perfect sacrifice, the purifier of all that touches God’s presence, and the One who anoints His people with the Spirit for holy service.
(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. Leviticus 8:11, where we find that the altar was anointed by having the holy oil sprinkled upon it seven times. It is not quite clear at what period in the ceremonial this was done.
Verse 36. - Thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it. Rather, "thou shelf purify the altar by making an atonement for it." The sin-offering for the altar was the same bullock which served for Aaron and his sons. Its virtue was applied to the altar by smearing the blood upon its horns and pouring the remainder at its base (ver. 12). See Leviticus 8:15: - "And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it." And thou shalt anoint it. In his execution of these directions, Moses separated the anointing of the altar from the cleansing, placing it even before the anointing of Aaron. He anointed it by sprinkling the holy oil upon it seven times (Leviticus 8:11).