Exodus29
World English Bible · Public Domain
1“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,
2unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
3You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.
4You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
5You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
6You shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban.
7Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him.
8You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.
9You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10“You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
11You shall kill the bull before Yahweh at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
12You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.
13You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.
14But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering.
15“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
16You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar.
17You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head.
18You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Yahweh; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
19“You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.
20Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
21You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
22Also you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration),
23and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh.
24You shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands, and in his sons’ hands, and shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh.
25You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before Yahweh: it is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
26“You shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh. It shall be your portion.
27You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is raised up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons.
28It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering. It shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to Yahweh.
29“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them.
30Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the holy place.
31“You shall take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place.
32Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
33They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy.
34If anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35“You shall do so to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days.
36Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
37Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
38“Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
39The one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at evening;
40and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
41The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
42It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you.
43There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory.
44I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office.
45I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
46They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 29.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The sacrifice and ceremony for the consecration of the priests. (1–37). The continual burnt-offerings, God's promise to dwell among Israel. (38–46).
vv1-37
Aaron and his sons were to be set apart for the priest's office, with ceremony and solemnity. Our Lord Jesus is the great High Priest of our profession, called of God to be so; anointed with the Spirit, whence he is called Messiah, the Christ; clothed with glory and beauty; sanctified by his own blood; made perfect, or consecrated through sufferings, Heb 2:10. All believers are spiritual priests, to offer spiritual sacrifices, 1Pe 2:5, washed in the blood of Christ, and so made to our God priests, Re 1:5, 6. They also are clothed with the beauty of holiness, and have received the anointing, 1Jo 2:27. The Spirit of God is called the finger of God, (Lu 11:20, compared with Mt 12:28,) and by him the merit of Christ is applied to our souls. This consecration signifies the admission of a sinner into the spiritual priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
vv38-46
A lamb was to be offered upon the altar every morning, and a lamb every evening. This typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make for his church. Though he offered himself but once for all, that one offering thus becomes a continual offering. This also teaches us to offer to God the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise every day, morning and evening. Our daily devotions are the most needful of our daily works, and the most pleasant of our daily comforts. Prayer-time must be kept up as duly as meal-time. Those starve their own souls, who keep not up constant attendance on the throne of grace; constancy in religion brings in the comfort of it.
Key Words
אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
קָדַשׁ: to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)
כָּהַן: to officiate as a priest; figuratively, to put on regalia
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
אֶחָד: properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first
פַּר: a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
בָּקָר: beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gender (as used for plowing); collectively, a herd
שְׁנַיִם: two; also (as ordinal) twofold
אַיִל: properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically a chief (politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support); an oak or other strong tree
Cross References
Exodus 29The burning of the sin offering bullock outside the camp prefigures Christ's suffering outside the gate.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The historical fulfillment of sprinkling the anointing oil and blood on Aaron and his garments.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Explicit parallel of God's promise to meet and speak with Israel there.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The historical fulfillment and enactment of these very consecration rites by Moses.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Describes the oil poured on Aaron's head, running down his beard, signifying the Spirit's abundance.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The anointing of the priest typifies Christ being anointed with the Holy Spirit for ministry.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Contrast between earthly priests offering daily sacrifices and Christ's once-for-all perfect sacrifice.
Supported by JFB
Jesus references this law, confirming that the altar is what sanctifies the gift placed upon it.
Supported by JFB
The parallel liturgical law detailing the morning and evening continual burnt offerings.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The historical fulfillment where the tabernacle was sanctified by God's glory.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The ultimate eschatological fulfillment of God dwelling with His people.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Paul cites the promise of God dwelling in them to describe the church.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Washing with water signifies the absolute necessity of spiritual cleansing before serving God.
Supported by JFB
Laying hands on the sacrifice's head to confess sin and transfer guilt.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The burnt offering's sweet savor typifies Christ's offering of Himself as a sweet-smelling savor.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Identical ritual of applying blood to the right ear, thumb, and toe for cleansing.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Celebrates the precious anointing oil running down Aaron's head onto his priestly garments.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Moses takes the breast of the ram of consecration as his portion, just as commanded.
Supported by JFB
The general statute reserving the wave breast and heave shoulder of peace offerings for the priests.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Moses executes the command to boil the ram of consecration and eat it at the tabernacle door.
Supported by JFB
The spiritual application of the daily sacrifices, equating prayer with the evening incense and sacrifice.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Daniel refers to the 'evening oblation', showing the continuity of this practice.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The evening sacrifice as a type of the believer's daily prayers.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms the continual burnt offering was ordained in Mount Sinai.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Pentateuchal parallel reiterating the promise to walk and dwell among Israel.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Contrasts the imperfect, sinful Levitical priests who needed sacrifices with our holy, undefiled High Priest.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Unleavened bread signifies sincerity and truth, typified by Christ's freedom from all malice.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the holy crown placed upon the mitre as the engraved plate of gold.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Explains that according to the law, almost all things are purged and dedicated with blood.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Matthew Henry
The literal transfer of Aaron's holy garments to his son Eleazar at his death.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms that holy food is reserved exclusively for Aaron and his sons to eat in a holy place.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Further instructions on the meeting place before the testimony.
Identifies the tabernacle as the place where God meets with Moses.
Believers are washed in Christ's blood to become a spiritual priesthood.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The foundational covenant formula: 'I will be to you a God'.
Believers are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.