Exodus 29:22

22 "Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination^[a]);

Exodus 29:22 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 29:22

Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump
The fat which was upon it: the sheep in Arabia and about Judea were remarkable for their large tails; according to Rauwolff ^F26, they were half a span thick, and one and a half broad, and very fat; and so in Africa and Egypt were rams of large tails often and twenty pounds weight ^F1; and Aristotle ^F2 speaks of sheep in Syria that had tails a cubit broad; and Herodotus ^F3 makes mention of two sorts in Arabia, one sort have tails three cubits long, which if drawn upon the ground would ulcerate, wherefore the shepherds make little carts to bear them upon ^F4, and the other sort have tails a cubit broad; and Vartomanus

---

FOOTNOTES:

F5 relates, how in Arabia are fat sheep whose tails weigh eleven, twelve, seventeen, nay, forty four pounds, and of a cubit long:

and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and
the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them:
(See Gill on Exodus 29:13)

and the right shoulder;
what was to be done with it is afterwards observed as well as with the rest:

for it is a ram of consecration;
or "of fillings" ^F6; Jarchi says, the Scripture declares these fillings to be peace offerings, for they minister peace to the altar, and to him that does the service, and to the owners; wherefore the breast was necessarily his that did the service for his portion, and this was Moses, for he ministered in the fillings, and the rest Aaron and his sons ate, for they were the owners.

F26 Travels, p. 221.
F1 Leo. African. Descript. Africae, l. 9. p. 753.
F2 Hist. Animal. l. 8, c. 28.
F3 Thalia sive, l. 3. c. 113.
F4 The same is observed in T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 2. & Gloss. in. ib.
F5 Navigat. l. 2. c. 5, 9, 15.
F6 (Myalm) "impletionum", Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator.

Exodus 29:22 In-Context

20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron's right earlobe, on his sons' right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the [remaining] blood on all sides of the altar.

21 Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle [them] on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. In this way, he and his garments will become holy, as well as his sons and their garments.

22 "Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination);

23 take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread [made] with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord;

24 and put all of them in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them as a presentation offering before the Lord.

Footnotes

• [a]. Normally the priest would receive the right thigh to be eaten, but here it is burned; Lv 7:32-34