Exodus 29

This is what you must do to set Aaron and his sons apart, so they can serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two rams that have no defect,

1And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

Note"Hallow" and "consecrate" both translate Hebrew words meaning to set something apart for exclusive sacred use, the opposite of "common," not a statement about a person's inner character. "Without blemish" means physically flawless: no injury, sickness, or deformity. Only unblemished animals were acceptable for sacrifice.

2along with bread made without yeast, loaves without yeast mixed with olive oil, and thin wafers without yeast brushed with oil. Make all of them from fine wheat flour.

2And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.

NoteBread "without leaven" is made without any fermenting starter, so it does not rise. The three items differ in form: ordinary flat loaves, thicker cakes with oil worked into the dough, and thin crisp wafers with oil smeared on top.

3Put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

3And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

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

4And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

NoteThe KJV's "tabernacle of the congregation" renders a Hebrew phrase better understood as "tent of meeting", the portable sanctuary described in the preceding chapters, named for its function as the place where God and Moses met. The washing is a ritual cleansing, not a bath for hygiene.

5Take the garments and dress Aaron in the tunic, the robe that goes under the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece. Tie the ephod's skillfully woven waistband around him.

5And thou shalt take the 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:

NoteThe ephod was a sleeveless outer garment, something like an apron, worn over the robe and held by a woven band. The breastplate (better "breastpiece") was a folded square pouch of cloth set with twelve engraved stones, attached to the front of the ephod. "Gird" simply means to tie around the waist; "curious" in 1611 English meant skillfully or intricately made, not strange.

6Put the turban on his head, and fasten the holy crown to the turban.

6And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

Note"Mitre" is a turban of wound linen; it has nothing to do with the pointed hat later worn by bishops. The "holy crown" is a small engraved gold plate tied across the front of the turban, described earlier in Exodus 28.

7Then take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him with it.

7Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

NoteAnointing means pouring or smearing perfumed olive oil on someone as the public act that installs him in an office. In the ancient Near East kings and priests were installed this way; the oil marks the change of status.

8Bring his sons forward as well, and dress them in tunics.

8And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

9Tie sashes around Aaron and his sons, and put the headbands on them. The work of the priests will belong to them by a rule that lasts forever. This is how you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.

9And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

Note"Bonnets" are cloth caps or wound headbands for the ordinary priests, plainer than Aaron's turban. "A perpetual statute" means a standing, permanent regulation. The word translated "consecrate" is literally "fill the hand", an old idiom for installing someone in an office, which is why the ceremony is called the filling of hands throughout this chapter.

10Have the bull brought to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the bull's head.

10And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

NoteLaying hands on the animal's head is a formal gesture of designation: it identifies this particular animal as belonging to these particular people, so that what happens to it is done on their behalf.

11Then kill the bull in front of the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

11And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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

12And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

NoteThe altar had four upward projections at its corners, called "horns" from their shape. They were the highest and most prominent points, and blood was applied there in several rituals. "The bottom" is the base or foundation ledge at ground level.

13Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.

13And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.

Note"The inwards" are the entrails or internal organs, and "the caul above the liver" is the lobe or fatty appendage attached to it. Fat was regarded as the richest and best part of an animal, which is why these portions in particular are burned rather than eaten.

14But burn the bull's meat, its hide, and its dung with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

14But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

NoteA "sin offering" (the Hebrew word also carries the sense of purification) dealt with impurity and wrongdoing. Unlike most sacrifices, this one is not eaten at all: the carcass is destroyed outside the camp, away from the area where Israel lived.

15Then take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head.

15Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

16Kill the ram, take its blood, and sprinkle it on every side of the altar.

16And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

Note"Sprinkle" here translates a word meaning to throw or dash liquid, the blood is flung against the sides of the altar from a basin, not flicked drop by drop.

17Cut the ram into pieces, wash its inner organs and its legs, and put them with the pieces and the head.

17And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.

18Then burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It has a pleasing smell, an offering made to the LORD by fire.

18And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

NoteA "burnt offering" is one burned up entirely, with no part kept back for anyone to eat; the Hebrew name means "that which goes up." "A sweet savour" is a stock phrase, literally "a soothing smell," used throughout these laws to mean the offering is accepted.

19Then take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head.

19And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

20Kill the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the tips of the right ears of his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle the blood on every side of the altar.

20Then shalt thou kill the ram, and 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.

NoteEar, thumb and big toe are the extremities of the body, the far edges of a person, as the horns are of the altar. The right side was regarded as the favored side.

21Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments with him. Then he and his garments, and his sons and their garments with him, will be holy.

21And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of 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 hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

22Also take from the ram the fat and the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh, because this is the ram used to ordain them.

22Also 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:

Note"The rump" is the broad fatty tail of the fat-tailed sheep common in the region, a prized cut of fat that hardly exists on modern Western breeds. The KJV's "right shoulder" translates a word for the upper hind leg, that is, the thigh.

23Take also one loaf of bread, one loaf made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of bread without yeast that is placed before the LORD.

23And 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:

24Put all of it in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD.

24And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

NoteA "wave offering" was presented by a ritual gesture, the portion was held out or moved before the LORD to transfer it formally into God's possession, after which some of it could be given back for the priests to eat. The exact motion is uncertain; "waving" is the traditional guess.

25Then take these things from their hands and burn them on the altar with the burnt offering, as a pleasing smell before the LORD. It is an offering made to the LORD by fire.

25And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and 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.

26Take the breast of the ram used to ordain Aaron, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD. That part will be yours.

26And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.

Note"Thy part" is addressed to Moses, who is conducting this ceremony and so takes the officiating priest's share on this one occasion.

27Set apart as holy the breast of the wave offering, which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering, which is lifted up. These come from the ram used for the ordination, both the part that is for Aaron and the part that is for his sons.

27And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the 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:

NoteA "heave offering" is a portion lifted up or set aside as a contribution; the KJV word "heave" reflects an older understanding of the gesture as raising the portion, though the Hebrew term may simply mean a levy or portion removed from a larger whole.

28This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a rule that lasts forever, given by the Israelites, because it is a heave offering. It will be the Israelites' heave offering, taken from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, their heave offering to the LORD.

28And 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.

Note"Peace offerings" (also translated fellowship or well-being offerings) are sacrifices in which the worshiper eats most of the meat in a shared meal. This verse assigns the priests a standing share of every such sacrifice, as their income.

29Aaron's holy garments will belong to his sons after him. They are to be anointed and ordained while wearing them.

29And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.

30The son who becomes priest in his place is to wear them seven days, when he comes into the tent of meeting to serve in the holy place.

30And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.

Note"The holy place" is the outer room inside the tent, entered daily by priests, as distinct from the innermost room behind the curtain.

31Take the ram used for the ordination and boil its meat in a holy place.

31And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place.

Note"Seethe" is simply the old word for boil. The meat must be cooked within the sanctuary area, not carried home.

32Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

32And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

33They are to eat the things that were used to make atonement, so they may be ordained and set apart as holy. But an outsider must not eat any of it, because these things are holy.

33And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

Note"Atonement" translates a Hebrew verb meaning to wipe clean, purge, or pay a ransom; in these laws it describes the ritual removing impurity so that people and objects can be used in sacred service. "A stranger" here does not mean a foreigner but any unauthorised person, anyone outside the priestly family.

34If any of the meat from the ordination, or any of the bread, is left until morning, burn what is left with fire. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.

34And 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.

NoteSacred food could not simply be stored or thrown out; once its use was over it had to be destroyed by fire so it could not be treated as ordinary food.

35Do all this for Aaron and his sons, following everything I have commanded you. Take seven days to ordain them.

35And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

36Every day offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Cleanse the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to set it apart as holy.

36And thou shalt offer every day 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 anoint it, to sanctify it.

37For seven days make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches the altar will be holy.

37Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

Note"Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy" can be read two ways, and the Hebrew does not settle it: either that whatever touches the altar becomes holy, or that only what is already holy may touch it. In either reading holiness is treated as contagious and dangerous to handle.

38This is what you are to offer on the altar: two lambs, each a year old, every day without stopping.

38Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

Note"Of the first year" means up to a year old, yearling lambs, not newborns.

39Offer one lamb in the morning, and offer the other lamb in the evening.

39The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

Note"At even" translates a Hebrew phrase literally meaning "between the two evenings." Its precise sense was already disputed in ancient times: some understood mid-afternoon to sunset, others the interval between sunset and full dark.

40With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.

40And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Note"A tenth deal" is a tenth of an ephah, roughly two quarts or two liters of flour. A hin was about a gallon or four liters, so a quarter hin is about a quart or a liter. "Beaten oil" is oil from olives crushed by hand rather than pressed with weights, the finest grade. A "drink offering" is wine poured out beside the altar rather than drunk.

41Offer the other lamb in the evening, and with it offer the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning. It has a pleasing smell, an offering made to the LORD by fire.

41And 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.

NoteThe KJV's "meat offering" means a grain offering. In 1611 "meat" meant food in general, not flesh; this offering contains no meat at all.

42This is to be a regular burnt offering for all your generations to come, at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD. That is where I will meet you, to speak with you there.

42This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

43There I will meet with the Israelites, and the tent will be made holy by my glory.

43And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

Note"My glory" translates a word for weight or substance, used of the visible blaze of God's presence described elsewhere in Exodus as cloud and fire.

44I will make the tent of meeting and the altar holy, and I will also make Aaron and his sons holy, so they can serve me as priests.

44And 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.

45I will live among the Israelites and be their God.

45And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

NoteThe verb "dwell" is built on the same root as the word for the tabernacle itself, which means "dwelling place", the tent is named for what this verse promises.

46And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might live among them. I am the LORD their God.

46And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.