The Second Book of Moses, called Exodus
Exodus 29
Chapter XXIX · Vol. I, pp. 343–345
1 The sacrifice and ceremonies of consecrating the priests. 38 The continual burnt-offering. 43 God's promise to sanctify and dwell among the children of Israel.
1 AND this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: a Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish,
a Le. 8.2-30; 9.2; 14.4-32. ch. 12.5. Mal. 1.13. He. 7.26. 1 Pe. 1.19. 2 Co. 5.21.
2 And b unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil; of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
b ch. 12.8. Le. 2.1; 6.20. 1 Pe. 2.22. Jn. 3.34. 1 Co. 5.7. 2 Co. 1.21, 22.
3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring untoc the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt d wash them with water.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
c Le. 1.3, 5; 4.4; 8.3-5; 12.6. Nu. 8.9-11.
d Le. 8.6; 14.9; xv. Nu. 8.7. Lu. 1.35. Jn. 1.14. Re. 1.5, 6. He. 9.13, 14; 10.22. Tit. 3.5. Re. 1.5, 6.
5 And thou shalt take the e garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod;
6 And thou shalt f put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
f ch. 28.36-38. Le. 8.9. He. 1.3; 2.8, 9. Phi. 2.8-11. Ps. 21.3, 4.
8 Andh thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.
h Le. 8.13. ch. 28.40-42; 39.27-29. 2 Co. 5.21. Ro. 5.19. Is. 61.10. Ps. 132.9, 16.
9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, (Aaron and his sons,) and put4 the bonnets on them; and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt i consecrate Aaron and his sons.5
4 Heb. bind.
i Heb. fill the hand of, ch. 28.41. He. 10.5; 7.28. Is. 61.1. Jn. 3.34. Re. 1.5, 6. Le. viii. ix. Nu. viii. Zec. 13.7. Ps. 80.17.
5 The mode of consecration, or formal designation to the priestly office, is indicated in these words: 'Thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons,' i.e. thou shalt place in their hands the instruments and emblems of their office—probably the parts of the sacrifice and oblation mentioned in ver. 22-24.—P.
10 And thou shalt cause a k bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation; and l Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.6
k Le. 4.3, 4; 8.2, 14. Nu. 8.8-10.
l Le. 1.4; 8.14. Is. 53.6-8. 2 Co. 5.21.
6 The putting of their hands on the head of the bullock symbolized the transference of their guilt to the animal about to be offered in sacrifice. Here, in fact, the great doctrine of sacrifice is set forth.—P.
11 And thou shalt m kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
m Le. 1.3; 4.4, 15; 16.11. Nu. 8.11. He. 9.14, 28. Mat. 20.28. 1 Pe. 2.24; 3.18.
12 And thou shalt n take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the o horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
13 And p thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul7 that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
14 Butq the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin-offering.
15 Thour shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
r Le. 1.2-13; 8.18. ver. 10. Ga. 4.4, 5. Is. 53.6; 4.24.
16 And s thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
s See ver. 11, 12.
17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and t wash the inwards of him and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto8 his head.
18 And thou shalt burn u the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt-offering9 unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
u Le. 1.9, 13. Mat. 20.28. Tit. 2.14. 1 Pe. 2.24; 3.18. Is. 53.10. Ep. 5.2.
9 Every sacrifice of an innocent animal, implied the sinfulness of the offerer, and its being offered in his stead. In this case also, Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the victim, to denote that their guilt was transferred to it. This sacrifice also denoted the entire surrender of the offerer to the service of God, in soul and body, in the duties to which he should be called.—P.
19 And thou shalt take the x other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall y put their hands upon the head of the ram.
y ver. 10, 15. Le. 3.2, 8, 13. Mi. 5.5. Ep. 2.14, 15.
20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and z take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of a the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be b hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.1
a Le. 8.30. ch. 30.25-31. This purification by blood and oil, signifying the righteousness and blood of Christ, imported that their whole man was dedicated to, and fitted for, the immediate service of God, Is. 11.2-4; 61.1-3. Jn. 3.34. Eze. 36.26, 27.
1 This remarkable ceremony appears to have been intended to indicate the complete dedication of the priests to the service of the Lord, and their complete purification by blood. The ears, as organs of hearing, were representatives of the mental powers; the hands and feet, as instruments of acting, represented the life and walk.—P.
22 Alsoc thou shalt take of the ram the fat, and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration;
c Le. 8.25-27; 9.14. ver. 2, 3.
23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD:
24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons, and shalt d wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD.
25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and e burn them upon the altar for a burnt-offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD; it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
e Le. 8.28; 1.9, 13, 17. Is. 53.4, 5; 42.21. Ep. 5.2. Ps. 22.13, 14.
26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and f wave it for a wave-offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.
27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the g heave-offering which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons.
28 Andh it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel; for it is an heave-offering: and it shall be an heave-offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace-offerings, even their heave-offering unto the LORD.
h Le. 7.30-34. See ver. 27.
29 And i the holy garments of Aaron shall be his son's after him, to be k anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.
30 And that son8 that is priest in his stead shall put them on l seven days,9 when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation, to minister in the holy place.
8 Heb. he of his sons.
l Nu. 20.28. He. 7.26. Jn. 8.29. Phi. 2.8. Lu. 1.74, 75.
9 The number seven is what is called among the Hebrews a number of perfection; and it is often used to denote the completion, accomplishment, fullness, or perfection of a thing, as this period contained the whole course of that time in which God created the world, and appointed the day of rest. As this act of consecration lasted seven days, it signified a perfect consecration; and intimated to the priest that his whole body and soul, his time and talents, should be devoted to the service of God and his people.—Clarke.
32 And Aaron and his sons shall n eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a o stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.
34 And p if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
p ch. 12.10; 16.19. Le. 7.18, 19.
35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: q seven days shalt thou consecrate them.
q See ver. 30, 37. Le. 8.33.
36 And thou shalt r offer every day2 a bullock for a sin-offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt s anoint it, to sanctify it.
r ch. 40.12. Le. 8.33, 34. Eze. 43.26; 45.18. Jn. 17.19. He. 2.10; 9.14.
2 A young bull was to be offered every day during the seven days' consecration for atonement, or rather atonements, for cleansing or expiating both them and the altar. When the victim was slain, the altar was sprinkled with blood, thus denoting that all things were purged with blood of atonement in the service of God.—I.
s ch. 30.29; 40.10.
37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar t most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.3
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
t Mat. 23.19. Hag. 2.13. ch. 30.29. He. 7.26; 10.10, 14; 9.14. 1 Co. 3.10.
3 This signifies, 1. That nothing unclean ceremonially should ever be permitted to touch the altar; and 2. That the altar itself being consecrated as the medium of sacrifice to God, whatever offering was laid upon it was made holy.—P.
38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar: u two lambs of the first year, day by day, continually.4
u ver. 42. Nu. 28.3-6, 10, 15, 23, 24, 31; 29.11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 31, 34, 38. Da. 9.27; 12.11.
4 The morning and evening, in every well regulated family, afford such relaxation from business, as to mark the ordinary hours of united prayer. The day and the night are faithful in their courses, Ge. 8.22, should not Christian families remember their stated hours of prayer?—C.
39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer x at even:
x ch. 12.6. 1 Pe. 1.20. He. 9.26.
40 And with5 the one lamb a y tenth-deal[≈ 2.2 litres · 3.9 pints]6 of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin[≈ 930 ml · 1.6 pints] of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin[≈ 930 ml · 1.6 pints]7 of wine for z a drink-offering.8
5 The annexing of meat-offering and drink-offering imported that Christ's oblation of himself for us brings not only redemption, but a fulness of spiritual provision and comforts.
y ch. 16.36. Nu. 28.5; 5.5. Jn. 6.55, 56.
6 A tenth-deal, about three quarts, wine measure.—C.
7 An hin, about five quarts.—C.
8 The sacrifice indicated the necessity for an atonement by blood—without shedding of blood there could be no remission. The offering of flour, oil, and wine indicated the necessity for a dedication of our persons and property to the service of God.—P.
41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
42 This shall be a a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; b where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle9 shall be sanctified c by my glory.
9 Or, Israel.
c ch. 40.34-38. Nu. 9.15-22. 1 Ki. 8.10. Is. 6.1, 3; 60.3.
44 And d I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar; I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.
45 And e I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
e Le. 26.12. 2 Co. 5.19; 6.16. ch. 25.8. Ps. 78.60. Re. 21.3. Zec. 2.10; 13.9. Jn. 14.21-24.
Notes
Ver. 1. Their oblations signified that they and their services should be holy, gracious, and excellent. Their washing signified justification and regeneration by the blood and Spirit of Christ.—[The priest's office. The priestly office, being not only an eminent type of Christ, but likewise of all believers, who are 'a royal priesthood,' 1 Pe. 2. 9, the work of consecration demands our special notice. (1) In the three animals for sacrifice we have the surrender of life to God. (2) In the three forms of bread the surrender of the means of life. (3) In the consecration, we may remark the washing of Aaron and his sons. In this we have set forth, in emblem, the introduction of believers, 'by the washing of regeneration,' and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tit. 3. 5; in the clothing we have their justification by 'the righteousness which is of God through faith,' Phi. 3. 9; in the crowning we have that honour to which the Father raises all who serve the Son, Jn. 12. 26; in the anointing we have that outpouring of the Spirit by which believers are endowed, instructed, and qualified for the holy offices and duties to which they are called, 1 Jn. 2. 20, 27; while in the girding of the garments we have that firm determination with which true believers maintain their principles and protect their graces. Farther, in the laying of their hands on the head of the sacrifice, Le. 16. 23, we have Christ confessing, not his own sins (for he knew no sin), but our sins which he bore, 1 Pe. 12. 24; and we have believers repeating daily in the Lord's prayer, 'forgive us our trespasses.' In the killing of the sacrifices we have the mortification of sin as an indweller, and the death to sin as a ruler, Ro. 8. 13; 6. 18. In the commencement of the sacrifice with the inwards, especially with the fat, as the emblem of abundance, health, ease, we have that purification as by fire of the inner man, which God specially desires, Ps. 51. 6, while in the final and total burning of the outwards, and more worthless inwards, we have the final and total deliverance of believers from the body of sin and death, Ro. 7. 24, 25. The ear of Aaron and his sons was first touched with the blood, for 'faith cometh by hearing,' and nothing to a sinner is worth the hearing but the 'blood that cleanseth from all sin,' 1 Jn. 1. 7. The thumb, the chief instrument of holding, and the thumb of the right hand, as the emblem of active power, was next touched; then the great toe of the right foot, the chief supporter of speedy and equable movement in walking or running, the Spirit signifying the need of pardon to the active powers of the whole man. Next the blood was sprinkled round about the altar, to remind believers of the sinfulness of their holy things. Finally the blood, the emblem of redemption; the oil, the emblem of the Spirit, were conjointly sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, and their garments, thus reminding us that it is the Spirit that 'applies to the redemption purchased by Christ, provoking faith and thereby uniting us to Christ in our spiritual life.' Aaron and his sons thus consecrated, appear to give a wave-offering, which moved by their hands, as a branch moves in every wind, and to every quarter of the earth, acknowledged the Lord, who, 'as far as the east is from the west, removes our transgressions,' Ps. 103. 12. He likewise offered a heave-offering; that is, heaving upwards the sacrifice, as an emblematic address to 'our Father who is in heaven,' and 'who, as the heaven is high above the earth, hath love so great to them that fear him,' Ps. 103. 11. The high-priest's garments were hereditary, ver. 28, so is the righteousness of God, upon the High-priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, He. 3. 1, 'unto all and upon all that do believe,' Ro. 3. 22. Aaron and his sons did eat in the holy place; even so, 'whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, (should be) all to the glory of God,' 1 Co. 10. 3. They were consecrated seven days, which represent all time; one week being a repetition of another, and denote the perpetual service which the eternal One requires. C.]
Ver. 7. The common priests were, at least at first, anointed by sprinkling; but the high-priest had oil poured out plentifully upon his head, Ps. 133. 3.
Ver. 12. The brazen altar was thus solemnly sanctified, that it might sanctify the offerings of the people.
Ver. 19. This was a kind of peace-offering, to thank God for calling them to the office, and to solicit his assistance in the discharge of it.
Reflections.—Through these dark shadows of good things to come, these washings, arrayings, oblations, and unctions, I look to Jesus and his ransomed offspring. I see his solemn call to his work, and theirs to their station. The infinite purity of his Godhead, the perfect holiness of his manhood; the complete humanity which he assumed; the extensive office which he undertook; the humble obedience which he fulfilled; the unbounded influences of the Holy Ghost which he received—fully qualified him to offer himself in his death, and to make continual intercession for us. Promised before the foundation of the world, promised and typified at the fall, and manifested in the evening and end of the world, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, he is the daily, the continued salvation, provision, and comfort of our souls; and as reconciled in him, God dwells with and blesses us with all spiritual blessings.—Let none then approach to the sacred ministry without being washed in Jesus' blood, regenerated by his Spirit, endowed with his gifts and graces, and, at the same time, using due care and deliberation to prepare for their awful work. In the exercise of that ministry, let them daily exhibit Jesus as the atonement, food, and consolation of sinners; so shall God be present in his ordinances and bless the attenders.—Let every Christian likewise, as a redeemed priest unto God, always improve Jesus, as made of God unto him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; that being purged in his atoning blood, clothed with his blessed righteousness, and endowed with his Spirit, he may daily live by faith on the Son of God, and offer up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer, praise, and good works; nay, his whole self, as acceptable to God through him; and let him constantly hold fellowship with a sanctifying God as his God, and his ALL IN ALL.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.