Leviticus 16:4

King James Version (KJV)

He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

He shall put on the holy linen coat - He was not to dress in his pontifical garments, but in the simple sacerdotal vestments, or those of the Levites, because it was a day of humiliation; and as he was to offer sacrifices for his own sins, it was necessary that he should appear in habits suited to the occasion. Hence he has neither the robe, the ephod, the breastplate, the mitre, etc.; these constituted his dress of dignity as the high priest of God, ministering for others and the representative of Christ: but now he appears, before God as a sinner, offering an atonement for his transgressions, and his garments are those of humiliation.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

The high priest when he changed his dress on this day was required to bathe himself. In his “golden garments” he had, on this day, and for the previous week, to offer the regular daily sacrifices, and to perform the other sacerdotal duties of the sanctuary, which were usually performed by a common priest. The dress of white linen, which he now put on, appears to have been like the ordinary dress of the common priests, except in the substitution of a linen mitre for the bonnet (or cap), and of a plain linen girdle for the variegated one (Exodus 28:40-43 notes). In preparing to enter the holy of holies, he attired himself in spotless white as a token of the holiness without which none, in a spiritual sense, can enter the divine presence. He thus became a more distinct foreshadow of the greater high priest Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 6:19-20. This significance belonged to the high priest only in his official capacity as mediator: in his own person he had infirmity, and was required “to offer up sacrifice, “first” for his own sins, and then for the people‘s.” Hebrews 7:27. See the notes at Leviticus 9:7-14. On the same ground it was that, although as a mediator he had to enter the most holy place, as sinful man he needed the cloud of incense as a veil to come between him and the holiness of Yahweh. See Leviticus 16:13.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Without entering into particulars of the sacrifices on the great day of atonement, we may notice that it was to be a statute for ever, till that dispensation be at an end. As long as we are continually sinning, we continually need the atonement. The law of afflicting our souls for sin, is a statue which will continue in force till we arrive where all tears, even those of repentance, will be wiped from our eyes. The apostle observes it as a proof that the sacrifices could not take away sin, and cleanse the conscience from it, that in them there was a remembrance made of sin every year, upon the day of atonement, Heb 10:1,3. The repeating the sacrifices, showed there was in them but a feeble effort toward making atonement; this could be done only by offering up the body of Christ once for all; and that sacrifice needed not to be repeated.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

4. Holy garments. At first there were but few priests, and the high priest generally assisted the common priests in their work. As the numbers of the priests increased, he did so less frequently. Eventually, he assisted his brother priests only upon the Sabbath days, the new moons,and at the three annual feasts. The common priests were considered his deputies, and when they officiated, their ministry was accepted as if the high priest himself had performed it, except that they could not officiate in his stead on the Day of Atonement. He was the priest; and whenever he officiated he wore the glorious golden garments that pertained to his exalted office. These costly garments not only were adorned with gold and precious stones (Ex. 28:13-36) but were also embroidered with the colors of the sanctuary and with fine thread of pure gold (Ex. 28:4-6). Clad thus the high priest represented Christ in His divine glory as the Son of God.

On the Day of Atonement the high priest himself officiated in all parts of the service, assisted by the other priests. He conducted the daily morning and evening services arrayed in these golden garments. But for the unique ritual of the Day of Atonement the high priest wore the holy “linen garments” (Lev. 16:23) used exclusively upon this occasion. These “holy garments” resembled those of the common priests, except for the variegated embroidery of the latter. They were probably also of a finer texture than those of the common priests.

The high priest changed his garments several times during the day, and with each change washed his entire body. At the first light of dawn, according to the Talmud, he removed his personal clothing and attired himself in the golden garments; in these he conducted the regular morning service. This completed, he removed the golden garments and put on the “holy garments” for the special services of the day (v. 4). These he later exchanged for his golden garments, for the evening service (vs. 23, 24). At the conclusion of the evening service he changed once more to his personal clothing and retired from the sacred precincts of the sanctuary. Whereas the high priest clad in his golden garments represented Christ to the people, in his “holy garments” he typified Christ in His mediatorial capacity as a representative of the people before God (GC 422).

The spotless white of the garments of the high priest upon the Day of Atonement typified the perfection of character he and the people sought through the rites of that day. As the high priest “came forth to the waiting congregation in his pontifical robes; so Christ will come the second time, clothed in garments of whitest white” (AA 33). And as at the close of the special services of that day the people were “clean” from all their sins (v. 30), so when Christ appears before His people they will be “without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:5; Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22; Jude 24; Rev. 19:8).

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Ellen G. White
Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 9-10

These sacred apartments had no windows to give light. The candlestick was made of purest gold, and was kept burning night and day, and gave light to both apartments. The light of the lamps upon the candlestick reflected upon the boards plated with gold, at the sides of the building, and upon the sacred furniture, and upon the curtains of beautiful colors with cherubims wrought with threads of gold and silver, which appearance was glorious beyond description. No language can describe the beauty and loveliness, and sacred glory, which these apartments presented. The gold in the sanctuary reflected the colors of the curtains, which appeared like the different colors of the rainbow. 4aSG 9.1

Only once a year could the high priest enter into the most holy place, after the most careful and solemn preparation. No mortal eye but that of the high priest could look upon the sacred grandeur of that apartment, because it was the especial dwelling-place of God's visible glory. The high priest always entered it with trembling, while the people waited his return with solemn silence. Their earnest desires were to God for his blessing. Before the mercy-seat God conversed with the high priest. If he remained an unusual time in the most holy, the people were often terrified, fearing that because of their sins, or some sin of the priest, the glory of the Lord had slain him. But when the sound of the tinkling of the bells upon his garments was heard, they were greatly relieved. He then came forth and blessed the people. 4aSG 9.2

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