The Role Of Lambs In The Hebrew Bible

Lambs played a crucial role in the Hebrew Bible, as they were offered and served as sacrifices for sins. Lambs were even used as a symbol for Jesus Christ, who is called “the Lamb of God”. Yet, why is Jesus being the Lamb of God? What is the relationship between Jesus and lambs? In this paper, these questions will be discussed in detail, based on the contents of the Bible. To begin with, the association of Jesus with lambs is shown in the New Testament. First, the title “the Lamb of God” originates from the Gospel of John, where John gave the title to Jesus, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), “Look, the Lamb of God!”(John 1:36). Second, the association can also be found in the Book of 1 Peter, where Peter described Jesus as a lamb without blemish or defect: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as

First, in Genesis, Abraham was tested by sacrificing his son, Isaac, to be the offering at Moriah (Genesis 22). However, God stopped Abraham from slaying his son when he was prepared to do so. A ram was provided by God and it was sacrificed instead of Isaac. The second event was the origin of the Passover which is recorded in Exodus. It was about the deliverance of Israelites from slavery and Egypt by God who brought them to the promised land (Exodus 12). The Israelites were told to slaughter an unblemished lamb and wipe its blood over the doorframe of their house. Then the angel of death killed all the firstborn in Egypt, unless he saw the lamb’s blood on the doorframe where he passed over. Third, two lambs were sacrificed and offered in the temple every day, one in the morning and one at twilight, for the people’s sins (Exodus 29:38). Besides, the prophecies foretold the coming of Messiah who would be sacrificed “like a lamb”, being the substitute to atone for our sins (Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah