Exodus, Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Verses 1-46: The Consecration of the Priests

1. “This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect.
2. And unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; make them of fine wheat flour.
3. Put them in a basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.
4. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
5. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband.
6. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban.
7. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.
8. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics
9. and wrap sashes around them, Aaron and his sons. Put headbands on them. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
10. “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
11. Then slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
12. Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar.
13. Take all the fat that covers the internal organs, the covering of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
14. But burn the bull’s flesh and its hide and its offal outside the camp. It is a sin offering.
15. “Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
16. Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar.
17. Cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with its head and the other pieces.
18. Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
19. “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
20. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash blood against the sides of the altar.
21. And take some blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.
22. “Take from this ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the internal organs, the covering of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (it is a ram of consecration),
23. along with one loaf of bread, one cake of oil bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.
24. Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.
25. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma before the LORD. It is an offering made to the LORD by fire.
26. “Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your share.
27. Consecrate those parts of the ram of consecration that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented.
28. This is always to be the regular share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the LORD from their fellowship offerings.
29. “Anoint Aaron and his garments, his sons and their garments, with him. They and their garments will be holy.
30. Aaron’s sons who succeed him and who come to serve in the tent of meeting will wear them for seven days.
31. You must take the ram of consecration and cook the meat in a sacred place.
32. At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket.
33. They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred.
34. And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.
35. “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them.
36. Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it.
37. For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.
38. “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old.
39. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight.
40. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest 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.
41. Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.
42. “For the generations to come, this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you;
43. there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.
44. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
45. I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
46. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Interpretation: Exodus 29 details the elaborate and sacred process of consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests, underscoring the significance of the priesthood in mediating between God and the Israelites. The rites of consecration, including sacrifices and offerings, signify purification, dedication, and the establishment of a holy priesthood. The daily offerings underscore the continuous nature of Israel’s worship and commitment to God. Through these rituals, God establishes a system of worship that facilitates His dwelling among His people, symbolizing His ongoing relationship and covenant with Israel. The presence of God, consecrated through the rituals and the consecrated space of the tent of meeting, highlights the transformative power of God’s glory and His desire to be intimately connected with His chosen people. This chapter reinforces the themes of holiness, atonement, and the divine-human relationship central to the narrative of Exodus and the broader theological framework of the Torah.