Leviticus 9

Worship at the Tent of Assembly

1 Then on the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and Israel's elders,

2 and he said to Aaron, "Take for yourself {a bull calf} as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without defect, and present [them] {before} Yahweh.

3 Then you must speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'Take {a he-goat} as a sin offering and a bull calf and a male sheep, {yearlings} without defect, as a burnt offering,

4 and an ox and a ram as fellowship offerings to sacrifice {before} Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you."

5 So they took what Moses had commanded to [the] {front of} [the] tent of assembly, and the whole community presented [themselves], and they stood {before} Yahweh.

6 Then Moses said, "This [is] the word that Yahweh commanded you to do {so that} the glory of Yahweh might appear to you."

7 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Approach the altar and {sacrifice} your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. And {sacrifice} the people's offering and make atonement for them, [just] as Yahweh has commanded."

8 Then Aaron approached the altar, and he slaughtered the bull calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.

9 Then Aaron's sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he put [it] on the altar's horns, and he poured out the blood on the altar's base.

10 And the fat and the kidneys and the lobe {from the sin offering's liver} he turned into smoke on the altar, [just] as Yahweh had commanded Moses,

11 but the meat and the skin he burned {with fire} {outside the camp}.

12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around;

13 and they brought the burnt offering to him by its pieces, as well as the head, and he turned [them] into smoke on the altar;

14 and he washed the inner parts and the lower leg bones, then he turned [them] into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Then he presented the people's offering, and he took the goat of the sin offering, which [was] for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered it [as] a sin offering like the first one.

16 Then he presented the burnt offering, and he {sacrificed} it according to the regulation.

17 Then he presented the grain offering, and he filled his palm {with some of} it, and he turned it into smoke on the altar besides the morning's burnt offering.

18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the fellowship offerings that [are] for the people, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around.

19 And [as for] the fat portions from the ox and from the ram (the fat tail and the layer of fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver),

20 they placed the fat portions on the breast sections, and he turned the fat portions into smoke on the altar.

21 Then Aaron waved the breast sections and the right upper thigh [as] a wave offering {before} Yahweh, [just] as Moses had commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, and he blessed them, and he came down {after} {sacrificing} the sin offering and the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.

23 Then Moses and Aaron entered [the] tent of assembly. When they came out, they blessed the people, and Yahweh's glory appeared to all the people.

24 Then a fire went out {from before} Yahweh, and it consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And all the people saw [it], so they shouted [for joy], and they fell on their faces.

Leviticus 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The first offerings of Aaron for himself and the people. (1-21) Moses and Aaron bless the people, Fire cometh upon the altar from the Lord. (22-24)

Verses 1-21 These many sacrifices, which were all done away by the death of Christ, teach us that our best services need washing in his blood, and that the guilt of our best sacrifices needs to be done away by one more pure and more noble than they. Let us be thankful that we have such a High Priest. The priests had not a day's respite from service allowed. God's spiritual priests have constant work, which the duty of every day requires; they that would give up their account with joy, must redeem time. The glory of God appeared in the sight of the people, and owned what they had done. We are not now to expect such appearances, but God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him, and the offerings of faith are acceptable to him; though the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are spiritual likewise. When Aaron had done all that was to be done about the sacrifices, he lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them. Aaron could but crave a blessing, God alone can command it.

Verses 22-24 When the solemnity was finished, and the blessing pronounced, God testified his acceptance. There came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed the sacrifice. This fire might justly have fastened upon the people, and have consumed them for their sins; but its consuming the sacrifice signified God's acceptance of it, as an atonement for the sinner. This also was a figure of good things to come. The Spirit descended upon the apostles in fire. And the descent of this holy fire into our souls, to kindle in them pious and devout affections toward God, and such a holy zeal as burns up the flesh and the lusts of it, is a certain token of God's gracious acceptance of our persons and performances. Nothing goes to God, but what comes from him. We must have grace, that holy fire, from the God of grace, else we cannot serve him acceptably, ( Hebrews 12:28 ) . The people were affected with this discovery of God's glory and grace. They received it with the highest joy; triumphing in the assurance given them that they had God nigh unto them. And with the lowest reverence; humbly adoring the majesty of that God, who vouchsafed thus to manifest himself to them. That is a sinful fear of God, which drives us from him; a gracious fear makes us bow before him.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "And it happened"
• [b]. Literally "a bull-calf a son of cattle" or "a bull-calf a son of [the] herd"
• [c]. An adjective in masculine plural to modify both animals; see NET
• [d]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [e]. Or "And"
• [f]. Singular
• [g]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [h]. Literally "a he-goat of goats"
• [i]. Literally "sons of a year"
• [j]. An adjective in masculine plural to modify both animals; see NET
• [k]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [l]. Plural
• [m]. Or "And"
• [n]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [o]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [p]. Or "And"
• [q]. Plural
• [r]. Or "and"
• [s]. Plural
• [t]. Or "And"
• [u]. Or "Draw near unto"
• [v]. Literally "do" or "make"
• [w]. Literally "do" or "make"
• [x]. Or "And"
• [y]. Or "drew near unto"
• [z]. Or "And"
• [aa]. Literally "from the liver from the sin offering"
• [ab]. Or "and"
• [ac]. Literally "in the fire"
• [ad]. Literally "from an outside place to/of the camp"
• [ae]. Or "And"
• [af]. Or "and"
• [ag]. Or "entrails"
• [ah]. Or "and"
• [ai]. Or "And"
• [aj]. Or "he offered"
• [ak]. Or "And"
• [al]. Literally "did" or "made"
• [am]. Or "And"
• [an]. Literally "from"
• [ao]. Or "And"
• [ap]. Or "And"
• [aq]. Literally "to the faces of"
• [ar]. Or "And"
• [as]. Or "to"
• [at]. Literally "from"
• [au]. Literally "doing" or "making"
• [av]. Or "And"
• [aw]. Or "And"
• [ax]. Or "and they blessed"
• [ay]. Or "And"
• [az]. Literally "from to the faces of"
• [ba]. Or "and"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 9

Aaron and his sons, being consecrated to and invested with the priest's office, are called upon to the exercise of it, to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for themselves, and all sorts of offerings, a sin offering, a burnt offering, peace offerings, and a meat offering, for the people; and a promise is made for their encouragement, that the glory of the Lord would appear to them, Le 9:1-7 and which were in their course accordingly offered; first, Aaron's sin offering for himself, Le 9:8-11 then his burnt offering, Le 9:12-14 after that the several offerings of the people before mentioned, Le 9:15-21 when Aaron and Moses blessed the people, the one as soon as he had done offering, and both together when they came out of the tabernacle, Le 9:22,23 upon which a fire came forth from the Lord, and consumed the burnt offering upon the altar, Le 9:24.