Leviticus8

Leviticus chapter 8 details the solemn consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, performed by Moses as commanded by the LORD. Moses washes and vests them in their priestly garments, then anoints the Tabernacle and Aaron with sacred oil. Various sacrifices, including a sin offering, burnt offering, and a ram of consecration, are performed, with blood applied to the altar and the priests. The chapter concludes with the command for Aaron and his sons to remain at the tabernacle for seven days to complete their ordination.
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Preparation for Consecration

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; ​
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And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. ​
5
And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.

Robing and Anointing the Priests

6
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. ​
7
And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
8
And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. ​
9
And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
10
And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. ​
11
And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
12
And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. ​
13
And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Sin Offering and Atonement

14
And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. ​
15
And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it. ​
16
And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned it upon the altar.
17
But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses. ​

The Burnt Offering

18
And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.
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And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
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And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.
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And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, and an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Ram of Consecration (Installation)

22
And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ​
23
And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. ​
24
And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
25
And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder:
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And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:
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And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD. ​
28
And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
29
And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30
And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. ​

Instructions for the Seven-Day Consecration

31
And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.
32
And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire.
33
And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. ​
34
As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. ​
35
Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. ​
36
So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. ​

Study Notes for Leviticus 8

Verse 2

This list specifies the necessary elements for the ordination ritual, emphasizing that the installation of the priesthood was a highly detailed and non-negotiable divine command (Exod. 29).

Verse 4

The assembly was gathered to witness the ceremony, underscoring that the priesthood’s authority derived from God and was publicly confirmed before the entire community.

Verse 6

Washing with water symbolizes purification, necessary for the priests before they could approach the holy God or handle sacred objects.

Verse 8

The Urim and Thummim were objects of divine lot or divination placed in the breastplate, used by the High Priest to discern God’s will and give authoritative judgment to Israel.

Verse 10

The anointing oil sanctified the dwelling place and its furnishings first, confirming that the place of worship must be set apart as holy before the priests could function within it.

Verse 12

Pouring the oil upon Aaron’s head formally sets him apart as the High Priest. This action is the literal meaning of 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' and symbolizes the divine enabling for his service.

Verse 14

The ordination process begins with the sin offering (Hebrew: *hattat*), indicating that atonement and purification are prerequisites even for those chosen for high office.

Verse 15

The application of blood to the altar purified it from the defilement of the people, making the altar a consecrated space where God could accept subsequent sacrifices. This act is necessary for 'reconciliation' (atonement).

Verse 17

Burning the sin offering outside the camp signifies that the offering, having absorbed the sin and impurity, must be completely removed from the holy community.

Verse 22

This third sacrifice is unique to the priestly installation (Exod. 29:22). It is often called the ram of 'filling' (Hebrew: *millu’im*), referring to the filling of the priests' hands with sacrificial portions so they could begin their service.

Verse 23

The blood application symbolizes the complete dedication of the priest’s body to God’s service: the ear (hearing and obedience), the hand (work and action), and the foot (walk and conduct).

Verse 27

The wave offering involved moving the offering horizontally before the Lord, signifying its presentation to God and its subsequent return to the priest/Moses as a consecrated portion.

Verse 30

The mixture of anointing oil and blood underscores that the priests are sanctified by both divine appointment (oil) and by the reality of atonement (blood). The entire person and their clothing are set apart.

Verse 33

The seven-day period signifies a complete, perfect cycle of setting apart. The priests were confined to the Tabernacle court to maintain ritual purity and focus exclusively on their transition into holy office.

Verse 34

Moses affirms that the detailed, repeated rituals performed daily were necessary to fully atone for the priests, preparing them to handle sacred things without incurring God's wrath.

Verse 35

The command to 'keep the charge of the LORD' emphasizes that priestly service is a sacred duty requiring strict adherence to divine mandate, lest they profane the sanctuary and die (cf. Lev. 10:1-2).

Verse 36

This concluding statement stresses the theme of obedience that runs throughout the entire consecration narrative, confirming the successful establishment of the legitimate priesthood according to God’s exact specifications.

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