And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it on 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, to make reconciliation on it.
he slew it
Leviticus 1:5,11 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation…
Leviticus 3:2,8 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…
Exodus 29:10,11 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…
Moses
Leviticus 4:7,17,18,30 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation…
Exodus 29:12,36,37 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar…
Ezekiel 43:19-27 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering…
to make
Leviticus 6:30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
Leviticus 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
2 Chronicles 29:24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
Exodus 29:11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
took some of the blood
Blood is a central element in the sacrificial system, symbolizing life and atonement. In Leviticus, blood is often used for purification and consecration. The taking of the blood signifies the transfer of sin from the people to the sacrificial animal, a concept that is foundational in the theology of atonement.
and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar
The altar's horns are significant as they represent strength and power. Applying blood to the horns symbolizes the sanctification and purification of the altar, making it holy and acceptable for offerings to God. This act also signifies the altar's role as a place of divine encounter and atonement.
purifying the altar
The purification of the altar is necessary to make it a suitable place for sacrifices. In the ancient Near Eastern context, purification rituals were common to remove any defilement. This act underscores the holiness required in worship and the need for a mediator between God and humanity.
He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar
Pouring the remaining blood at the base of the altar completes the sacrificial ritual. This act signifies the totality of the offering and the complete surrender to God's will. It also represents the cleansing of the community from sin, as the blood covers the altar, symbolizing the covering of sin.
and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it
Consecration sets the altar apart for holy use, indicating that it is now dedicated to God. Atonement involves reconciliation between God and humanity, achieved through the sacrificial system. This phrase highlights the purpose of the altar as a means for atonement, pointing to the ultimate atonement through Jesus Christ, who fulfills the sacrificial system by offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin.
Moses carries out the sin offering exactly as God instructed (Exodus 29:10–14). Ordination begins with substitutionary death: the bull’s life stands in place of the priests’. Sin must be judged before ministry can begin, echoing Hebrews 9:22, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Blood—“the life of every creature” (Leviticus 17:11)—is set apart for atonement. Taking “some” underscores both the preciousness of life and God’s precise pattern. Nothing in redemption is random; every drop reminds us of Christ’s deliberate sacrifice (1 Peter 1:18–19).
The horns symbolize strength and outreach in every direction. By touching each horn, Moses proclaims that God’s cleansing power extends to all who draw near (Leviticus 4:7; 2 Chronicles 29:20-22). Hebrews 9:23 explains that even earthly symbols had to be purified because they pointed to the true heavenly altar Christ would sanctify with His own blood.
The remaining blood is not wasted; it is “poured out” in complete surrender. This act saturates the foundation, showing that atonement is total—nothing held back (Leviticus 4:18; Revelation 6:9). The base soaks up the offering, just as the cross absorbed the full judgment we deserved.
With the altar now holy, it becomes the meeting place where sinful people receive mercy (Leviticus 16:18-19). Romans 3:25 says God presented Christ “as an atoning sacrifice, through faith in His blood.” The consecrated altar foreshadows Calvary, where the ultimate atonement was accomplished once for all (Hebrews 13:10-12).
Leviticus 8:15 shows God’s orderly path from sin to service: the substitute dies, the life-blood purifies, the altar is fully claimed, and atonement becomes possible. Each step points ahead to Jesus, whose perfect sacrifice makes every believer a “royal priesthood” equipped for worship and witness.
(15) And he slew it.--Better, and he killed it, as it is rendered in the Authorised Version, in Leviticus 8:19. In ordinary cases the offerer himself slaughtered the victim (see Leviticus 1:5), but in the case before us Moses performed this act in accordance with the command in Exodus 29:11.And Moses took the blood.--That is, having caught the blood in the bowl, he threw it upon the four corners of the altar, as described in Leviticus 1:5--not, however, on the horns of the altar of incense, or in the tabernacle, as in the case of the sin offering for the high priest and for the nation. (See Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:16-18.) . . .
Verses 15-17. - And Moses took the blood. Moses continues still to act as priest, and the new sacrifice is once offered by him. He performs the priestly act of presenting the blood; but on this occasion, which is special, the blood is not dealt with in the manner prescribed for the high priest's offerings (Leviticus 4:6). The reason of this is that Aaron was not yet high priest, and also that the offering was made not only for Aaron, but also for his sons; and further, the blood as well as the anointing oil was required to purify the altar, and sanctify it (see Hebrews 9:21). Although the blood was not "brought into the tabernacle," yet the bullock was burnt with fire without the camp, not eaten according to the rule of Leviticus 7:26, 30. This was necessary, as there were as yet no priests to eat it.