Placed Before the Holy: Future Imperatives and Sacred Space in Leviticus 16:7 LXX

Καὶ λήμψεται τοὺς δύο χιμάρους καὶ στήσει αὐτοὺς ἔναντι Κυρίου παρὰ τὴν θύραν τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου (Leviticus 16:7)

And he will take the two goats and he will set them before the LORD beside the door of the tent of the testimony.

A Quick Orientation

This verse stands at the heart of the Day of Atonement ritual: the priest “takes” and “sets” the two goats in a precise location. The grammar does more than narrate; it legislates. The future indicative forms function like commands, while the prepositional phrases choreograph sacred space with exactness.

Q&A with a Student of the LXX

Q1. Why does the verse use futures instead of explicit imperatives?

A. The forms λήμψεται and στήσει are futures (3rd sg.). In Pentateuchal legal style, the future indicative commonly carries imperatival force—“he shall take,” “he shall set.” This registers the line as binding instruction, not mere narrative detail.

Q2. What is the nuance of λήμψεται?

A. λήμψεται is the future middle of λαμβάνω. The middle voice highlights the priest’s involved agency in the cultic act—he takes the goats as part of his sacred duty, not as a detached mover of objects.

Q3. And στήσει—is this simply “place,” or something stronger?

A. στήσει (future active of ἵστημι) often bears a causative sense: “he will cause [them] to stand,” i.e., position them. In ritual choreography, precision matters: the animals are not merely “put” anywhere; they are caused to stand ἔναντι Κυρίου.

Q4. How do the prepositions map the sacred geography?

A. Three pieces lock together:

• ἔναντι κυρίου — “before the Lord”: ἔναντι governs the genitive and marks direct orientation toward the divine presence.
• παρὰ τὴν θύραν — “beside/at the door”: παρά with the accusative indicates proximity along/at a boundary—the threshold.
• τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου — genitive chain defining the sacred venue: “the tent of the testimony.” The double genitive creates a hierarchy of specificity: tent → characterized as testimony/witness.

Q5. Why specify “the two goats” (τοὺς δύο χιμάρους) so explicitly?

A. The article + numeral + noun sequence marks a definite, legally delimited pair. In the Day of Atonement rite, distinction (lot for the LORD / lot for the scapegoat) follows. The grammar primes us for that binary allocation by first fixing the pair as a single ritual unit.

Micro-Notes on Form and Case

• τοὺς δύο χιμάρους — accusative plural as direct object of λήμψεται; χιμάρος = he-goat, a cultically standard term.
• αὐτούς — accusative plural pronoun referring back to the goats; object of στήσει.
• κυρίου — genitive with ἔναντι; the orientation is toward the Lord, not merely toward the sanctuary furniture.
• τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου — a genitive chain (head noun + attributive genitive), standard LXX rendering for “tent of meeting/testimony.”

Aspect and Ritual Tempo

The future forms don’t highlight internal duration; they legislate event-points in ritual time: first take, then set, then (in the subsequent context) lot and offer. The aspect is subordinated to order: a grammar of steps that aligns human action with holy space.

Compact Morphology Panel

Ritual Theology in a Single Line

By fusing imperatival futures with exact prepositional mapping, the verse teaches that access to God is ordered and situated. The goats stand ἔναντι Κυρίου—not just anywhere, but precisely where divine presence is confessed. Grammar here is liturgy’s blueprint.

Grammatical Echo

“He shall take … he shall set … before the LORD.” The cadence of futures guides priestly hands to holy space. In Leviticus 16:7, sacred geography is spoken into being—one clause, two verbs, and a threshold that becomes the stage of atonement.