y sin--the
life of the innocent beast instead of the life of the guilty offerer.
This general idea of the vicarious and propitiatory nature of sacrifices
comes out with beautiful simplicity and clearness in the book of Job:
"And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job
sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered
burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, _It
may be that my sons have sinned_, and cursed God in their hearts." Chap.
1:5. And again: "My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two
friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my
servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven
rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a
burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I
accept: lest I deal with you after your folly." Chap. 42:7, 8. The
sacrifices of the Mosaic law were of various kinds, implying various
accessory ideas. But underlying them all was the fundamental idea of
_propitiation through blood_. Hence the writer to the Hebrews, when
commenting on the transaction recorded in Exodus, chap. 24:4-8, says:
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without
shedding of blood is no remission." Heb. 9:22. The only exception was in
the case of the poor man who was "not able to bring two turtle doves or
two young pigeons." He was allowed to "bring for his offering the tenth
part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin-offering" (Lev. 5:11), upon the
principle that God "will have mercy and not sacrifice."

No orderly classification of sacrifices is to be sought without the pale
of the Jewish ceremonial. The burnt-offerings, for example, mentioned in
the book of Job, had the force of proper sin-offerings. Chaps. 1:5;
42:8. The classification in the book of Leviticus is into
burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, and peace-offerings.
But they may be most conveniently considered in the order of their
presentation, when two or more of them were offered on the same
occasion, as when Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priesthood,
and the people sanctified in connection with this transaction (Lev.
chaps 8, 9), and in the offerings of the great day of atonement (Lev.
chap. 16).

Here the _sin-offering_ naturally held the first place; for this, as its
name indicates, was wholly expiatory and propitiatory, bringing the
offere