The priests ate part of the sin offering in a holy place because they acted as mediators between God and the people, and consuming the offering symbolized their role in bearing the iniquity of the congregation. Eating the sacrifice in a sanctified location emphasized the holiness of the act and the need for purity in those who served.
Leviticus 6:26 says:
“The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting.”
By eating the sin offering, the priests identified with the offering and with the people they represented, signifying the transfer of guilt and the priest’s role in interceding for atonement. It demons/”>demonstrated that the sin had been dealt with according to God’s requirements.
This act foreshadowed Christ, our Great High Priest, who did not simply symbolically bear sin but fully took it upon Himself. Isaiah 53:12 says:
“And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
The requirement that this be done in a holy place highlighted that atonement is a sacred act, carried out under God’s holiness and order.
