Leviticus8
New King James Version
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, a bull as the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;
3and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.”
4So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
5And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord commanded to be done.”
6Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
7And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him.
8Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate.
9And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
11He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them.
12And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
13Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put hats on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
14And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering,
15and Moses killed it. Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.
16Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
17But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
18Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,
19and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar.
20And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burned the head, the pieces, and the fat.
21Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
22And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,
23and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
24Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar.
25Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh;
26and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh;
27and he put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord.
28Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the Lord.
29And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ part of the ram of consecration, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.
31And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’
32What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire.
33And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.
34As he has done this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you.
35Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.”
36So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 8.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The consecration of Aaron and his sons. (1–13). The offerings of consecration. (14–36).
vv1-13
The consecration of Aaron and his sons had been delayed until the tabernacle had been prepared, and the laws of the sacrifices given. Aaron and his sons were washed with water, to signify that they ought to purify themselves from all sinful dispositions, and ever after to keep themselves pure. Christ washes those from their sins in his own blood whom he makes kings and priests to our God, Re 1:5, 6; and those that draw near to God must be washed in pure water, Heb 10:22. The anointing of Aaron was to typify the anointing of Christ with the Spirit, which was not given by measure to him. All believers have received the anointing.
vv14-36
In these types we see our great High Priest, even Christ Jesus, solemnly appointed, anointed, and invested with his sacred office, by his own blood, and the influences of his Holy Spirit. He sanctifies the ordinances of religion, to the benefit of his people and the honour of God the Father; who for his sake accepts our worship, though it is polluted with sin. We may also rejoice, that he is a merciful and faithful High Priest, full of compassion to the feeble-minded and tempest-tossed soul. All true Christians are consecrated to be spiritual priests. We should seriously ask ourselves, whether in our daily walk we study to maintain this character? and abound in spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Christ? If so, still there is no cause for boasting. Let us not despise our fellow-sinners; but remembering what we have done, and how we are saved, let us seek and pray for their salvation.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest 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.)
בֶּגֶד: a covering, i.e. clothing; also treachery or pillage
מִשְׁחָה: unction (the act); by implication, a consecratory gift
שֶׁמֶן: grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
פַּר: a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
Cross References
Leviticus 8The original divine command and detailed blueprint for the consecration ritual described here.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The original divine blueprint and instruction for the consecration ritual of Aaron and his sons.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Direct poetic description of the precious anointing oil running down Aaron's head and beard.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament fulfillment showing Jesus suffered outside the gate, typified by burning the bullock outside the camp.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct command for placing ram's blood on the right ear, thumb, and great toe.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Prescribed instructions for offering the fat, kidneys, and right shoulder of the consecration ram.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Command to sprinkle anointing oil and blood upon Aaron, his sons, and their garments.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The command to seethe the flesh of the consecration ram in the holy place.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Command for the seven-day duration of the consecration ceremony.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament application of the priests' washing with water to believers drawing near to God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Christ washing believers in His blood, making them spiritual kings and priests to God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The direct command for vesting Aaron with the coat, robe, ephod, and breastplate.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The specific instruction to put the mitre and the holy crown upon Aaron's head.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The command to take the anointing oil and pour it on Aaron's head.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The exact legislative instruction being executed for the consecration's sin offering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identical ritual applying blood to ear, thumb, and toe for cleansing a leper.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Command to burn any remaining consecration flesh or bread that is not eaten.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The detailed recipe and sacred restrictions regarding the holy anointing oil.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prescription for placing the Urim and Thummim inside the high priest's breastplate.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prescription to cleanse and anoint the altar daily to sanctify it.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The divine patterns for the coats, girdles, and bonnets of Aaron's sons.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prior instruction for the presentation and burning of the ram for the burnt offering.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Instruction to cut the ram into pieces and wash its inwards and legs.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament parallel of inward and outward cleansing required to draw near to God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Moses' designated portion of the wave offering from the ram of consecration.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Further legislation regarding the high priest upon whose head the anointing oil was poured.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Seven-day consecration period for the altar in Ezekiel's temple vision.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Matches the pattern of Moses doing precisely as the Lord commanded him.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Christ washing believers from sins in His blood to make them priests.
Supported by Matthew Henry