The Day of Atonement Was a Type of Christ’s Atonement

John W. Welch

King Benjamin then explains in Mosiah 3:14–15 that the Lord gave the people many things in the Law of Moses that were types and shadows of things to come. This was to aid them in recognizing the Messiah when He came. For example, the very Day of Atonement is a type and shadow of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in many ways. The holy name of Jehovah (YHWH) was an important part of the Day of Atonement. It was so important that the Rabbis tell us that this sacred name could not be spoken out loud on any other day. But it needed to be spoken on the Day of Atonement, and it could only be spoken ten times, a perfect number of times. When one counts the number of times that King Benjamin’s speech contains the compound phrases "Lord God," "Lord Omnipotent," or "Lord God Omnipotent," there happen to be ten of them. This bears witness to us that the Lord is perfect, and that through our following Him He "may seal [us] His" (5:15).

Further Reading

John W. Welch, "Counting to Ten," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 2 (2003): 42–57, 113–114.

John W. Welch Notes

References