Leviticus chapter 8
Aaron is anointed high priest.
Note: Many people find it morally objectionable that a religion requires the killing of innocent animals.
AARON IS ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST
VERSE 1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
VERSE 2. “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;
VERSE 3. and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
assemble all the congregation. How many people was this?
If it were the entire Hebrew people, the number of people would be in the millions.
VERSE 4. Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
VERSE 5. Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded to be done.”
VERSE 6. Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
VERSE 7. He put the tunic on him, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and he tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod on him and fastened it to him with it.
tied the sash. The sash was securely attached.
tied the … ephod on him. The ephod was securely attached.
VERSE 8. He placed the breastplate on him. He put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate.
the breastplate. This was a stylized box used for storing the Urim and Thummim.
the Urim and Thummim. They were sacred dice.
When posed with a question, the High Priest rolled the dice.
How the dice fell provided the answer. It was considered to be the authentic answer from the LORD God.
VERSE 9. He set the turban on his head. He set the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as the LORD commanded Moses.
He set the turban on his head. Aaron wore a turban.
VERSE 10. Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
and sanctified them. At this moment, the tabernacle became “sanctified.”
Prior to that moment, the tabernacle was NOT “sanctified.”
What was it sanctified from?
VERSE 11. He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
VERSE 12. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
poured some of the anointing oil. Moses POURED oil on the head of Aaron.
The Hebrew word for “poured” is וַיִּצֹק֙ (“yatsaq”). It means to pour, to cast, to flow.
In our day, “to anoint” means to slightly moisten a cotton ball with a tiny amount of oil, and then lightly dab it on a person.
VERSE 13. Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and tied sashes on them, and put headbands on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
put headbands on them. Aaron wore a turban; his sons wore headbands.
VERSE 14. He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.
Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull. Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »
VERSE 15. He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
He killed it. It is not entirely clear who “he” is. Is it Aaron?
at the base of the altar. In sin offerings, some of the blood was smeared on the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood was poured at the base of the altar. Why the base of the altar? Read more »
to make atonement for it. Moses made atonement for the altar.
VERSE 16. He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it on the altar.
all the fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »
VERSE 17. But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.
VERSE 18. He presented the ram of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. This was the “laying on of hands” in the ordination of Aaron.
The priest laid his hands on the head of the sacrificial animal.
Many people assume that Moses laid his hands on the head of Aaron, as is seen during ordination rituals in our day.
Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »
VERSE 19. He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
He killed it. It is not entirely clear who “he” is. Is it Aaron?
VERSE 20. He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat.
and the fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »
VERSE 21. He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
VERSE 22. He presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
Someone laid their hands on the head of an animal, transferring human sins to it, and killed it. This is called “scapegoating.” Read more »
VERSE 23. He killed it; and Moses took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.
They killed the bull, and then Moses smeared its blood on Aaron.
In our day, we Christians are far too squeamish to tolerate such a thing.
VERSE 24. He brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
Moses also smeared its blood on Aaron’s sons.
VERSE 25. He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh;
He took the fat. In ancient days, animal fats were prized. The visceral fats were burned in the temple. But the eating of animal fat as part of a meal was still permitted. Read more »
VERSE 26. and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.
VERSE 27. He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD.
VERSE 28. Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to the LORD.
VERSE 29. Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration, as the LORD commanded Moses.
VERSE 30. 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, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
VERSE 31. Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’
Boil the meat. In our day, few people prepare meat by boiling.
there eat it. They will eat the boiled meat in the holy place.
VERSE 32. What remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire.
VERSE 33. You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days.
VERSE 34. What has been done today, so the LORD has commanded to do, to make atonement for you.
VERSE 35. You shall stay at the door of the Tent of Meeting day and night seven days, and keep the LORD’s command, that you don’t die: for so I am commanded.”
day and night seven days. Right after his ordination, Aaron was in prayer, day and night, for a week.
Many Christians have dedicated a special time of day when they pray. But the Bible calls us to pray continually. Read more »
VERSE 36. Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD commanded by Moses.
LEVITICUS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, The Scapegoat, Female Sacrificial Animals
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.