Exodus 29

1 "Here is what you are to do to consecrate them for ministry to me in the office of cohen. Take one young bull and two rams without defect,

2 also matzah, matzah cakes mixed with olive oil, and matzah wafers spread with oil - all made from fine wheat flour;

3 put them together in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

4 "Bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water.

5 Take the garments, and put on Aharon the tunic, the robe for the ritual vest, the vest itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the vest on him with its belt.

6 Put the turban on his head and attach the holy ornament to the turban.

7 Then take the anointing oil, and anoint him by pouring it on his head.

8 Bring his sons; put tunics on them;

9 wrap sashes around them, Aharon and his sons; and put the headgear on their heads. The office of cohen is to be theirs by a permanent regulation. Thus you will consecrate Aharon and his sons.

10 "Bring the young bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the bull's head,

11 and you are to slaughter the bull in the presence of ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

12 Take some of the bull's blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.

13 Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.

14 But the bull's flesh, skin and dung you are to destroy by fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

15 "Take one of the rams: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head;

16 and you are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splash it on all sides of the altar.

17 Quarter the ram, wash the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs, and put them with the quarters and the head.

18 Then offer up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering for ADONAI, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

19 "Take the other ram: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head;

20 and you are to slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of Aharon's right ear, on the lobes of his sons' right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Take the rest of the blood and splash it on all sides of the altar.

21 Then take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aharon and his clothing and on his sons and the clothing of his sons with him; so that he and his clothing will be consecrated, and with him his sons and his sons' clothing.

22 Also take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat covering them and the right thigh - for it is a ram of consecration -

23 along with one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of matzah which is before ADONAI -

24 and put it all in the hands of Aharon and his sons. They are to wave them as a wave offering in the presence of ADONAI.

25 Then take them back; and burn them up in smoke on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, to be a pleasing aroma before ADONAI; it is an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

26 "Take the breast of the ram for Aharon's consecration, and wave it as a wave offering before ADONAI; it will be your share.

27 Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of any contribution that has been waved and raised up, whether from the ram of consecration, or from anything else meant for Aharon or his sons;

28 this will belong to Aharon and his sons as their share perpetually due from the people of Isra'el - it will be a contribution from the people of Isra'el from their peace offerings, their contribution to ADONAI.

29 "The holy garments of Aharon will be used by his sons after him; they will be anointed and consecrated in them.

30 The son who becomes cohen in his place, who comes into the tent of meeting to serve in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days.

31 Take the ram of consecration, and boil its meat in a holy place.

32 Aharon and his sons will eat the ram's meat and the bread in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

33 They are to eat the things with which atonement was made for them, to inaugurate and consecrate them; no one else may eat this food, because it is holy.

34 If any of the meat for the consecration or any of the bread remains until morning, burn up what remains; it is not to be eaten, because it is holy.

35 Carry out all these orders I have given you concerning Aharon and his sons. You are to spend seven days consecrating them.

36 "Each day, offer a young bull as a sin offering, besides the other offerings of atonement; offer the sin offering on the altar as your atonement for it; then anoint it to consecrate it.

37 Seven days you will make atonement on the altar and consecrate it; thus the altar will be especially holy, and whatever touches the altar will become holy.

38 "Now this is what you are to offer on the altar: two lambs a year old, regularly, every day.

39 The one lamb you are to offer in the morning and the other lamb at dusk.

40 With the one lamb offer two quarts of finely ground flour mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives; along with one quart of wine as a drink offering.

41 The other lamb you are to offer at dusk; do with it as with the morning grain and drink offerings - it will be a pleasing aroma, an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

42 Through all your generations this is to be the regular burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting before ADONAI. There is where I will meet with you to speak with you.

43 There I will meet with the people of Isra'el; and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar, likewise I will consecrate Aharon and his sons to serve me in the office of cohen.

45 Then I will live with the people of Isra'el and be their God:

46 they will know that I am ADONAI their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order to live with them. I am ADONAI their God.

Exodus 29 Commentary

Chapter 29

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)

Verses 1-37 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, ( Hebrews 2:10 ) . All believers are spiritual priests, to offer spiritual sacrifices, ( 1 Peter. 2:5 ) priests, ( revelation 1:5 revelation 1:6 ) . They also are clothed with the beauty of ( 1 John. 2:27 ) Spirit of God is called the finger of God, ( ( Luke 11:20 ) , compared with ( Matthew 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.

Verses 38-46 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.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 29

This chapter gives an account of the form and order of the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priestly office; preparatory to which Moses is ordered to take a young bullock, two rams, bread, cakes, and wafers unleavened, and bring them and Aaron and his sons to the door of the congregation, where the ceremony was to be publicly performed, and which began with washing them, Ex 29:1-4 and then proceeded by putting on the priestly garments directed to be made in the preceding chapter, first on Aaron, who also was anointed, Ex 29:5-7 and then upon his sons, Ex 29:8,9 after which the bullock and the two rams were to be slain, and orders are given what was to be done with their blood, and the several parts of them, as well as with the cakes and wafers, Ex 29:10-23 and directions are given to make these wave and heave offerings, Ex 29:24-28 and that the garments of Aaron's should be his son's that succeeded him, Ex 29:29,30, and that the flesh of the ram of consecration with the bread should be eaten by Aaron and his sons and no other, Ex 29:31-35, the altar also where they were to officiate was to be cleansed, sanctified, and an atonement made for it, Ex 29:36,37 after which two lambs every day, morning and evening, were to be offered on it in all succeeding generations, Ex 29:38-42, and the chapter is closed with a promise that the Lord would meet with the children of Israel at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and would sanctify the tabernacle, and dwell among them, and be their God, Ex 29:43-46.