Lamb

The lamb (Hebrew kebes, a male lamb of the first to third year; also seh for a young sheep or goat) was the principal animal in Israel's daily sacrificial system. A lamb was offered each morning and evening as a burnt offering (Ex. 29:38–42) — the tamid or continual offering that anchored the temple liturgy. Lambs were central to the Passover (Ex. 12:5), to Pentecost (Lev. 23:18), and to numerous individual offerings. The lamb's role in sacrifice gave rise to its most significant typological use: John the Baptist's declaration "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of all Israel's sacrificial lambs. The imagery culminates in Revelation, where Christ is worshipped as the slain Lamb who redeems people from every nation (Rev. 5:6, 12–13).