Exodus chapter 29 details the elaborate seven-day ritual for consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. This process involves washing, dressing in holy garments, anointing with oil, and offering specific sacrifices, including a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a ram of consecration. The chapter also establishes the perpetual daily burnt offering of two lambs at the tabernacle. These rituals ensure the priests and the altar are hallowed for service, enabling God to dwell among the children of Israel.
“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,
You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod;
You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them: and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute: and you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
Also you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration),
You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:
and it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering: and it shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to the LORD.
They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy.
If anything of the flesh of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
and with the one lamb a tenth part of an efah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning, and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you.
They shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.
Study Notes for Exodus 29
Verse 1
This chapter details the elaborate, seven-day ritual necessary to hallow (sanctify) Aaron and his sons, separating them from the community for sacred service. The materials listed here correspond to the three types of sacrifices required.
Verse 4
Washing the candidates with water symbolizes the necessary purification and cleansing required before anyone could approach the divine presence or enter ministry.
Verse 7
The anointing oil was poured specifically upon Aaron’s head, marking him as the High Priest (the 'Anointed One') and symbolizing the setting apart by divine power for his office.
Verse 9
This establishes the priesthood as a hereditary office ('perpetual statute'), passed down through Aaron's lineage, emphasizing the permanence of the institution within the Mosaic covenant.
Verse 10
The laying on of hands signifies identification; Aaron and his sons transfer their sin and unworthiness onto the sacrificial animal, making it their substitute.
Verse 12
Applying blood to the horns of the altar sanctifies the altar itself, concentrating the atonement at the point where God and man meet.
Verse 14
The sin offering was burned 'without the camp' because it was considered highly contaminated by the sin it carried; it could not remain within the holy space of the community.
Verse 18
The burnt offering (olah) was entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing the total dedication and surrender of the worshiper to God, providing a 'sweet savor' (an offering acceptable to the Lord).
Verse 19
This second ram is specifically called the 'ram of consecration' (v. 22) and involves a unique rite focused on the physical sanctification of the new priests.
Verse 20
Applying the blood to the right ear, hand, and foot sanctified the priests’ entire being—their hearing (obedience), their actions (service), and their walk (lifestyle) were dedicated to God.
Verse 21
The combination of blood (atonement) and anointing oil (sanctification) sprinkled on the priests and their garments signifies that they are set apart and made holy through both purification and divine endowment.
Verse 24
The 'wave offering' ritual (tenufah) involved the priest moving the offering horizontally before the altar, symbolizing the presentation of the offering to God and its subsequent reception back by the priest.
Verse 26
The breast of the ram was assigned to Moses (Israel's mediator) for this specific ceremony, illustrating the relationship between the priesthood and the prophetic leadership.
Verse 28
This verse establishes the permanent regulation concerning the priests' income: specific portions of the sacrificial meals (the heave offerings) were their sustenance, guaranteeing their livelihood from Israel’s worship.
Verse 30
The successor High Priest had to wear the holy garments for seven full days during his own installation, linking him ritually to the original consecration and validating his authority.
Verse 33
Only consecrated priests could eat the consecrated food, as it was the means by which atonement was made. Eating it symbolized participation in the holiness of the ritual; a 'stranger' (layman) eating it would profane the holiness.
Verse 35
The seven-day period signifies completeness and perfection, ensuring the full and total sanctification of Aaron and his sons before their ministry could begin.
Verse 36
The altar itself required seven days of sin offerings and anointing, demonstrating that even the instruments of worship must be cleansed and sanctified before they can mediate holiness.
Verse 37
The altar becomes 'most holy' (qodesh qodeshim); anything that touches it is automatically dedicated to God, highlighting the extreme sanctity of the sacrificial site.
Verse 38
This section establishes the *Tamid* (continual) offering, the essential daily ritual of two lambs (morning and evening), forming the permanent rhythm of worship for the nation.
Verse 42
The continual offering is not just sacrifice but covenant maintenance; it establishes the place 'where I will meet you' (the Israelites) and speak to Moses, linking the daily ritual to divine communication.
Verse 43
God promises to sanctify the Tabernacle, not merely through ritual, but through the manifestation of His glory (the *kavod*), affirming His acceptance of the sanctuary.
Verse 45
This verse states the ultimate purpose of the Tabernacle and the priestly system: God desires to dwell physically among His people. This is the goal of the covenant relationship.
Verse 46
The dwelling of God among them serves as the culmination and proof of the Exodus; they know Yahweh is their God because He brought them out of Egypt specifically to establish His presence among them.
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