Leviticus9
New American Standard
1Now it came about on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel;
2and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the Lord.
3Then you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Take a male goat as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, as a burnt offering,
4and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’”
5So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord.
6And Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”
7Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, so that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, so that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.”
8So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself.
9Aaron’s sons then presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
10The fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering he then offered up in smoke on the altar, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
11The flesh and the hide, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.
12Then he slaughtered the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar.
13They brought the burnt offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar.
14He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.
15Then he presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first.
16He also presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance.
17Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.
18Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar.
19As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver,
20they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar.
21But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.
22Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings.
23And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
24Then fire went out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell face downward.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 9.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The first offerings of Aaron for himself and the people. (1–21). Moses and Aaron bless the people, Fire cometh upon the altar from the Lord. (22–24).
vv1-21
These many sacrifices, which were all done away by the death of Christ, teach us that our best services need washing in his blood, and that the guilt of our best sacrifices needs to be done away by one more pure and more noble than they. Let us be thankful that we have such a High Priest. The priests had not a day's respite from service allowed. God's spiritual priests have constant work, which the duty of every day requires; they that would give up their account with joy, must redeem time. The glory of God appeared in the sight of the people, and owned what they had done. We are not now to expect such appearances, but God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him, and the offerings of faith are acceptable to him; though the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are spiritual likewise. When Aaron had done all that was to be done about the sacrifices, he lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them. Aaron could but crave a blessing, God alone can command it.
vv22-24
When the solemnity was finished, and the blessing pronounced, God testified his acceptance. There came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed the sacrifice. This fire might justly have fastened upon the people, and have consumed them for their sins; but its consuming the sacrifice signified God's acceptance of it, as an atonement for the sinner. This also was a figure of good things to come. The Spirit descended upon the apostles in fire. And the descent of this holy fire into our souls, to kindle in them pious and devout affections toward God, and such a holy zeal as burns up the flesh and the lusts of it, is a certain token of God's gracious acceptance of our persons and performances. Nothing goes to God, but what comes from him. We must have grace, that holy fire, from the God of grace, else we cannot serve him acceptably, Heb 12:28. The people were affected with this discovery of God's glory and grace. They received it with the highest joy; triumphing in the assurance given them that they had God nigh unto them. And with the lowest reverence; humbly adoring the majesty of that God, who vouchsafed thus to manifest himself to them. That is a sinful fear of God, which drives us from him; a gracious fear makes us bow before him.
Key Words
שְׁמִינִי: eight
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
אַהֲרוֹן: Aharon, the brother of Moses
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
זָקֵן: old
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
Cross References
Leviticus 9Aaron had to offer for his own sins first, unlike sinless Christ who offered once for all.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The prescribed priestly formula of blessing that Aaron used to bless the people.
Supported by JFB
The high priest's obligation to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the people's.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Contrast between the Aaronic high priest's daily/annual offerings for himself and Christ's perfect offering.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Direct parallel where fire falls from heaven to consume the sacrifices at the temple's dedication.
Supported by Matthew Poole
God answers by miraculous fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, validating His true worship.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The significance of the 'eighth day' for the dedication and entrance into active priestly service.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The physical manifestation of the glory of the Lord filling the Tabernacle, validating the priesthood.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The burning of the sin offering's carcass outside the camp prefigures Christ suffering outside the gate.
Supported by JFB
Jesus, our great High Priest, lifts up his hands and blesses his disciples before ascending.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Fulfillment of Moses' promise that the glory of the Lord would appear to them today.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
David calls on the Lord, and He answers him from heaven by fire on the altar.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The seven days of consecration which directly preceded this climactic eighth-day service.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Aaron's requirement to first make atonement for himself and his house before the people's offering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Typological connection of burning the offering without the camp to Christ's sanctifying suffering outside Jerusalem.
Supported by JFB
The explicit law requiring the flesh and hide of the priest's sin offering to be burned.
Supported by JFB
The theological principle that the less is blessed of the better, referencing Melchizedek and Aaron.
Supported by JFB
The glory of the Lord abiding on Mount Sinai, initiating the covenant worship pattern.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Hebrew 'turn to ashes' refers to God accepting a burnt offering by fire.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The holy fire initiated by God must be kept burning continually and never go out.
Supported by JFB
Compare the young bullock required for a priest's specific sin with the young calf here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The standard command to select young bullocks and rams without blemish for consecration.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prophetic vision of the return of the glory of God of Israel, shining resplendently.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Fire rises out of the rock and consumes Gideon's offering as a sign of acceptance.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The same divine fire that accepted Aaron's sacrifice consumes his sons for offering strange fire.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Scriptural pattern of animals being acceptable for sacrifice starting from the eighth day onward.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The historical manifestation of God's glory on Mount Sinai parallel to this tabernacle manifestation.
Supported by Matthew Poole