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Exodus 29

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And 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,

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

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

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

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And 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:

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

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

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

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And 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.

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And 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.

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

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And 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.

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And 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.

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

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

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

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And 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.

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And 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.

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

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Then 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.

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And 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.

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Also 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:

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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:

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And 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.

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And 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.

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And 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.

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And 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:

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And 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.

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

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And 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.

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

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And 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.

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And 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.

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And 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.

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And 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.

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And 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.

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Seven 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.

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

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

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And 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.

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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.

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This 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.

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

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And 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.

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

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And 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.

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Exodus 29

Exodus 29 details the ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons — a week-long consecration process involving sacrifices, washings, anointing oil, and the transfer of blood that marks the beginning of Israel's priestly system. A bull for a sin offering, two rams for a burnt offering and an ordination offering, and unleavened bread made from fine wheat flour are the elements of the ceremony. The candidates are washed, robed, and anointed; blood from the ordination ram is placed on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of each priest — covering hearing, doing, and walking in holiness. Portions of the offering are waved before the Lord and then eaten by the priests in the sanctuary courtyard; what remains is burned. This ritual is performed for seven consecutive days, mirroring the creation week and the Passover duration, signaling a new beginning. The chapter closes with one of the most intimate statements in Exodus: I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. The whole elaborate system exists for this: God's presence among His people. Hebrews 7:27 notes that Jesus offered Himself once for all, accomplishing permanently what Aaron's sons repeated every day.

Exodus 29:46

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. The knowledge formula that has appeared throughout the Exodus — you will know that I am the Lord — here reaches its covenant climax: they will know that I am the Lord their God. The knowledge is grounded in the Exodus: who brought them out of Egypt. The purpose of the Exodus is now fully stated: so that I might dwell among them. The whole sequence — Egypt, plagues, sea, wilderness, Sinai, tabernacle — leads to the dwelling of God among His people. Revelation 21:3 says God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them — the purpose stated in Exodus 29:46 is the purpose that the entire biblical narrative is moving toward.

Exodus 29:38

This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. The daily offering — two lambs, one in the morning and one at evening — is the regular worship that sustains the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The daily rhythm of morning and evening sacrifice mirrors the daily rhythm of the manna and the lampstand's light: every day has its sacrifice, every evening its offering. Numbers 28:3–8 specifies the daily burnt offering in detail. The regularity of the daily offering is the regularity of the covenant relationship: not seasonal, not occasional, but constant — two lambs every day, morning and evening, as long as the tabernacle stands.

Exodus 29:39

Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. The morning and evening sacrifice structure the day around the worship of God: the day begins and ends in the presence of the altar. The morning sacrifice consecrates the day's beginning; the evening sacrifice closes the day in the presence of God. Psalm 55:17 says evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Daniel 6:10 records Daniel praying three times a day — the morning and evening sacrifice structure becomes the pattern for Israel's personal prayer life. Acts 3:1 records Peter and John going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon — the daily sacrificial rhythm creates the prayer rhythm that the New Testament community inherits.

Exodus 29:40

Together 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. The daily grain and drink offering accompanies each lamb: a tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with oil, and a quarter of a hin of wine. The complete daily offering includes animal, grain, and drink — every category of Levitical offering represented in the daily sacrifice. The finest flour and pressed olive oil for the grain offering, the wine for the drink offering — the daily sacrifice uses the same quality of materials as the ordination offerings. There is no distinction between the quality of the daily worship and the quality of the special occasions.

Exodus 29:41

Offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning — a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord. The evening sacrifice is identical to the morning sacrifice: same lamb, same grain offering, same drink offering, same pleasing aroma. The consistency of the morning and evening offerings communicates the consistency of God's covenant: no difference between morning worship and evening worship, no distinction between the sacrifice that begins the day and the sacrifice that ends it. The covenant relationship sustained by the daily offering is sustained equally throughout the day — morning and evening, the same Lord receives the same sacrifice with the same acceptance.

Exodus 29:42

For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. This is where I will meet you and speak to you. The daily burnt offering at the tent of meeting's entrance is a lasting ordinance — for the generations to come. And the purpose of the daily offering is also the promise of daily meeting: this is where I will meet you and speak to you. The daily sacrifice is not only an act of worship but the occasion for daily divine speech. The covenant God who spoke from the mercy seat also speaks at the entrance where the daily offerings are presented. The regular offering creates the regular meeting — the ritual creates the relationship.

Exodus 29:43

There also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. The meeting that happens at the tent of meeting's entrance is not only Moses' private encounter with God but the community's. I will meet with the Israelites — the whole covenant people are met by God at the place of daily sacrifice. The place's consecration comes from God's glory, not from human ritual or architectural quality. The consecration that matters is the divine one: the glory that fills the tabernacle in Exodus 40:34–35 is the glory that the daily sacrifice calls down. The place becomes holy because God meets there; the daily offering creates the occasion for the meeting.

Exodus 29:44

So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. God will consecrate all three: the tent, the altar, and the priests. The divine consecration is the foundation of all human consecration: the water, oil, and blood that the ordination ceremony uses are the means; God's act is the consecration itself. Hebrews 9:11–12 says Christ entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle — the tabernacle and priesthood that God consecrated through the ordination ceremonies are the type of the perfect sanctuary and perfect priest that Christ provides.

Exodus 29:45

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. The purpose of the entire tabernacle and priestly system is stated again, as it was in Exodus 25:8: I will dwell among them. The sanctuary and its servants, the daily offerings and the ordination ceremonies — all of it exists for this: divine presence among the people. I will be their God is the covenant formula — the same words that form the heart of the covenant promise in Exodus 6:7. Every element of the tabernacle system is in service of the covenant relationship: God dwelling with His people and being their God.

Exodus 29:9

And put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priestly office will be theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. The installation of Aaron and his sons to the priestly office is declared a lasting ordinance — the same permanent status given to the Sabbath, the Passover, and the feast calendar. The Aaronic priesthood is not a temporary administrative arrangement but a covenant institution that will govern Israel's worship for generations. Hebrews 7:12 says when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also — the permanence of the Aaronic priesthood in Exodus 29:9 is precisely what the author of Hebrews argues has been superseded by the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ.

Exodus 29:10

Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. The sin offering bull is brought to the tent of meeting's entrance, and Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. The hand-laying is the act of identification and transfer: the worshipper identifies with the animal and transfers their sin to it. Leviticus 16:21 records the high priest confessing all Israel's sins and laying hands on the scapegoat — the sin-transfer through hand-laying is established in the ordination and continues through all subsequent atoning acts. Isaiah 53:6 says the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all — the hand-laying of ordination is the type of the sin-transfer that the suffering servant bears.

Exodus 29:11

Slaughter it in the Lord's presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The slaughter of the sin offering bull at the tent of meeting's entrance establishes the geography of atonement: the entrance, the threshold between the outside world and the presence of God, is where sin is dealt with before approach. Every worshipper who approaches the tent of meeting approaches through the space where the sin offering was slaughtered. The physical geography of the tabernacle communicates the theological necessity of atonement before presence: sin must be addressed before the holy God can be approached.

Exodus 29:12

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. The blood applied to the horns of the altar consecrates the altar itself for use: the altar is made holy by the blood of the consecration offering before any other sacrifice is placed on it. The blood poured at the base of the altar is returned to the earth — the life-substance that came from the earth returns to it. The blood on the horns (the sacrifice-receiving parts of the altar) and the blood at the base (returned to the earth) together represent the complete offering of the animal's life to God.

Exodus 29:13

Then take all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. The internal fat, the liver lobe, and the kidneys are the portions of the sin offering that are burned on the altar — the same portions that Leviticus 3 and 4 consistently describe as the parts that belong to God. The burning of the internal organs — the seat of life and emotion in ancient anthropology — represents the offering of the most vital, most personal parts of the sacrifice. The internal fat around the organs is the richest part of the animal; giving the richest to God is the principle of firstfruits applied to the sacrifice's own body.

Exodus 29:14

But burn the bull's flesh and its hide and its intestines outside the camp. It is a sin offering. The sin offering's flesh, hide, and intestines are burned outside the camp — not on the altar. What was not consumed on the altar is consumed outside the sacred precinct. Hebrews 13:11–12 cites this explicitly: the animals whose blood is brought into the Most Holy Place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. The burning outside the camp that disposes of the sin offering is the pattern fulfilled at the crucifixion: Jesus died outside Jerusalem, outside the sacred precinct, as the sin offering whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place.

Exodus 29:15

Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. The first ram — the burnt offering ram — receives the same hand-laying as the sin offering bull. Aaron and his sons identify themselves with the sacrifice before it is offered. The burnt offering is a total offering: the entire animal is consumed on the altar, nothing retained for the priests or the people. The complete consumption of the burnt offering represents total consecration — the whole animal given without reservation to God. The ordination that begins with a sin offering (addressing guilt) continues with a burnt offering (total consecration) — the two movements of every genuine approach to God.

Exodus 29:16

Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. The burnt offering blood is splashed against the sides of the altar — not applied to the horns as the sin offering blood was, but splashed broadly. The different treatment of the blood signals the different function of the sacrifice: the sin offering's blood on the horns addresses the altar's need for atonement; the burnt offering's blood splashed against the sides addresses the offering's dedication. The splash of blood covers the altar's surface with the mark of consecration. The priests who have been washed and clothed are now serving at an altar that has been consecrated by their own ordination offerings.

Exodus 29:17

Cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. The preparation of the burnt offering involves cutting it into pieces and washing the internal organs and legs. The washing removes the contents of the digestive system — the practical preparation that makes the animal appropriate for the altar. Every part of the ram — head, pieces, washed organs and legs — is placed on the altar. The comprehensive preparation ensures that every part of the total offering is genuinely presented: the burnt offering leaves nothing behind, retains nothing, gives everything to God.

Exodus 29:18

Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord. The entire ram burned on the altar — the total offering — produces a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. The language of pleasing aroma throughout Leviticus and Numbers connects the sacrificial system to the Genesis 8:21 promise: when Noah offered burnt offerings, the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and promised never again to curse the ground. The pleasing aroma that moves God to promise is the same aroma produced by the ordination's burnt offering. Ephesians 5:2 says Christ gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God — the pleasing aroma of the ordination burnt offering is the type of the aroma of the cross.

Exodus 29:19

Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. The second ram — the ordination ram — receives the same hand-laying as the first. The three sacrificial animals of the ordination (bull, first ram, second ram) all receive the hand-laying, establishing the complete identification of the priests with their ordination offerings. The ordination ram's distinctive role — ordination offering rather than burnt offering — will be indicated by what is done with its blood in verse 20. The three offerings together address the three dimensions of the priestly vocation: sin (bull), consecration (first ram), ordination (second ram).

Exodus 29:20

Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Also put it on the lobes of the right ears of 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. The blood applied to the right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe of every priest is the most personal act of blood application in the entire sacrificial system. The ear that hears, the hand that works, and the foot that walks are all marked with the blood of ordination. The priest who has been washed, clothed, and anointed is now marked at the three organs of active obedience: hearing God's commands, serving God's people, walking in God's ways. The blood that covers these three points covers the priest's entire active life.

Exodus 29:21

And take some of the blood on 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. The sprinkling of blood mixed with anointing oil on the priests and their garments is the completion of their consecration. The blood that has marked the ear, thumb, and toe is now combined with the oil that anointed the high priest's head and sprinkled over everything and everyone. The combination of blood and oil — atonement and consecration — creates the double consecration: the priests are consecrated by blood (atonement for sin) and by oil (gift of the Spirit). The two elements that together make the priestly service possible are the two elements of the new covenant: the blood of Christ and the anointing of the Spirit.

Exodus 29:22

Take from this ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. This is the ordination offering. The fat portions and the right thigh of the ordination ram are the specific parts designated as the ordination offering — the waved offering before God. The fat portions that burn on the altar and the right thigh that goes to the priest together constitute the ordination sacrifice's distinctive parts. The right thigh — the portion given to the officiating priest — is the portion Moses receives, since he performs Aaron's ordination. The priest who ordains receives the thigh; the ordained receives the wave breast (verse 26). The distribution of portions is the distribution of the covenant community's honor.

Exodus 29:23

From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf. From the basket of three bread types presented in verse 3, one of each type is taken for the wave offering. The three bread types that were prepared together are divided: one of each goes into the wave offering. The completeness of the grain offering — every type represented — mirrors the completeness of the animal offerings. The ordination involves the full range of offering types: sin offering, burnt offering, ordination offering, and grain offering. Every category of worship is initiated in the first complete act of priestly service.

Exodus 29:24

Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. The wave offering — placing the offerings in the priests' hands and waving them before the Lord — is the act from which the phrase filling the hands (ordination in Hebrew) comes. The priests' hands are literally filled with the ordination offerings and waved before God. The hand-filling that constitutes ordination is the act that initiates the priestly career: from this moment, the priests' hands are dedicated to offering, always available to be filled with what will be presented to God. The hands waved before the Lord are the hands that will wave every subsequent offering.

Exodus 29:25

Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a food offering presented to the Lord. The wave offerings that were placed in the priests' hands are burned on the altar with the burnt offering — the grain offering and the animal offering together constitute one offering presented to God. The combined pleasing aroma of grain and animal is the complete offering — the fullness of what the covenant community presents to God. Every subsequent burnt offering and grain offering presented together in Israel's worship reaches back to this ordination moment, when the first complete offering was made in the presence of God.

Exodus 29:26

After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron's ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share. The wave breast — the breast of the ordination ram waved before the Lord — is Moses' portion as the officiating priest. The distribution of the ordination offering's portions begins with Moses receiving the breast. The wave offering that Moses receives establishes the principle that the priest who officiates at sacrifice receives a portion of the offering. This provision for the officiating priest is the beginning of the system by which the priesthood is supported through the offerings: Leviticus 7:31–34 establishes the wave breast and the right thigh as the priests' regular portions.

Exodus 29:27

Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. The consecration of the wave breast and the presented thigh — the two human portions of the ordination offering — makes them permanently and specifically the priests' portions. What is consecrated to the priests in the ordination becomes the rule for all subsequent priestly portions: the breast and the thigh of every peace offering and fellowship offering from this point forward belong to the priests. The ordination sacrifice establishes the pattern that all future sacrifices will follow.

Exodus 29:28

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. The priestly portion is always — tamid — the Israelites' contribution to the priests. The fellowship offerings that Israel brings throughout the year provide the priests' regular food through the portions designated in the ordination ceremony. The priests who serve at the altar are fed by the altar: 1 Corinthians 9:13–14 says those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar. The ordination that establishes the priestly portions is the ordination that establishes the priestly community's economic provision.

Exodus 29:29

The sacred garments of Aaron will belong to his descendants so they may be anointed and ordained in them. The priestly vestments are inheritable — when Aaron dies, his garments pass to his son and successor. The garments that gave Aaron dignity and honor continue to give the same dignity and honor to every subsequent high priest who wears them. The material continuity of the priestly office — the same garments, worn by succeeding generations — is the material expression of the office's permanence. The garments outlast the individual priest: the office of the high priest is greater than any person who fills it, and the vestments that declare the office are passed down to ensure the continuity of what they declare.

Exodus 29:30

The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them for seven days. The seven-day ordination wearing period for each successor high priest mirrors the seven-day ordination of Aaron and his sons. Every new high priest goes through the same seven-day process: the ordination is not a single event but a week-long formation. The seven days of wearing the garments before active ministry ensure that the new high priest is formed by the vestments before he serves in them. The garments shape the person who wears them as much as the person shapes how the garments are worn.

Exodus 29:31

Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. The ordination ram's meat — the portions not burned on the altar — is cooked in a sacred place and eaten by the priests. The ordination offering is not only presented to God but consumed by the priests: the sacrifice that consecrates the priests also feeds them. The sacred place where the meat is cooked is the courtyard — the same space where the priests will serve. The meal that concludes the ordination is eaten in the place of service: the priests are fed in the place where they will spend their lives serving. The eating and the serving are inseparable dimensions of the priestly vocation.

Exodus 29:32

Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priests eat at the entrance to the tent of meeting — the threshold that separates the outside world from the sanctuary. The meal is not inside the sanctuary and not outside the camp but at the boundary: the priests eat at the point of transition between the ordinary and the holy. Their meals are liminal meals — eaten at the threshold between worlds. John 6:51 says the bread that Jesus gives is his flesh for the life of the world — the bread eaten at the tent of meeting's entrance is the type of the bread that Christ gives to those who approach him at the boundary of life and death.

Exodus 29:33

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. The ordination offerings that are eaten are restricted to Aaron and his sons: no outsider may eat them because they are sacred. The holiness of the ordination meal requires that only those who have been consecrated by the ordination ceremony share in it. The restricted meal of the ordination is the prototype of the restricted table of Exodus 12:43 (no foreigner may eat the Passover) and ultimately of the covenantal restriction on the Lord's Supper. The table of atonement is set for those who have received the atonement it celebrates.

Exodus 29:34

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. The leftover instruction mirrors the manna and Passover lamb instructions: what is not consumed must be burned, not saved. The ordination meal, like the Passover meal, is for the night of its offering — the sacred food does not carry over to the next day. The same-day consumption requirement communicates the completeness and urgency of the consecration: the ordination is not a process that continues into the next day. The night of ordination is complete in itself — the fire that consumes what remains disposes of what was holy before the next day requires the priests to serve in their new capacity.

Exodus 29:35

Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. The seven-day ordination is the comprehensive instruction: everything I have commanded, seven days. The completeness of the ordination — every element of the ceremony repeated for seven days — creates the most thoroughly consecrated priests in Israel's history. The seven days of ordination mirror the seven days of creation and the seven-day feast calendar: every covenant institution takes seven days to establish. Hebrews 10:14 says by one sacrifice Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being made holy — the seven days that make the Aaronic priests holy are the type of the one sacrifice that makes permanent perfection available.

Exodus 29:36

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. A bull as sin offering every day for seven days — the altar itself requires daily atonement throughout the ordination week. The altar that will receive all subsequent offerings must itself be made holy through repeated atonement. The principle of daily atonement for the altar before any other sacrifice is placed on it communicates the holiness required of the place where God receives worship. Hebrews 9:23 says the copies of the heavenly things must be purified with these sacrifices — the purification of the earthly altar is the purification required before the earthly sanctuary can function as a copy of the heavenly.

Exodus 29:37

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. The seven days of atonement and consecration make the altar most holy — the highest category of holiness in the tabernacle. What is most holy makes holy what touches it: the altar's sanctity transfers to whatever comes into contact with it. Matthew 23:19 records Jesus asking: which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? The altar's capacity to make holy what touches it is the principle Jesus invokes. The most holy altar of the ordination week is the altar that makes Israel's offerings holy through contact with the most holy place of sacrifice.

Exodus 29:2

And from the finest wheat flour make round loaves without yeast, thick loaves without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves without yeast and brushed with olive oil. The bread offerings for the ordination ceremony — unleavened bread in three forms: round loaves, thick loaves mixed with oil, thin loaves brushed with oil. The three forms of unleavened bread correspond to the three categories that appear throughout the grain offering system of Leviticus. The completeness of the grain offering — three forms covering all the standard unleavened bread categories — signals that the ordination is a comprehensive offering: every form of grain worship is included. The same absence of leaven that characterized the Passover characterizes the ordination: the consecration of the priests is as leaven-free as the night of liberation.

Exodus 29:3

Put them in a basket and present them along with the bull and the two rams. The basket of bread and the animals together constitute the ordination offerings. The combination of animal sacrifice and grain offering in the ordination ceremony mirrors the combination of burnt offering and grain offering in the regular Levitical system. Ordination is not a different category of worship but the complete form of worship: every offering that will later be regularly presented begins as part of the ordination. The first full sacrifice of the priestly system is the sacrifice that creates the priestly system.

Exodus 29:4

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. The ordination ceremony begins at the entrance — the same threshold that will be the daily site of the priests' ministry. The washing with water is the first act of the ordination: before the vestments, before the anointing, before any sacrifice, the priests are washed. John 13:8 records Jesus saying: unless I wash you, you have no part with me — the washing that initiates relationship and service precedes every other act of consecration. The water that washes the priests before their ordination is the type of the water that initiates all who enter the new covenant community.

Exodus 29:5

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. The dressing of Aaron follows the order from inner to outer: tunic first, then robe of the ephod, then the ephod, then the breastpiece. The waistband is fastened at the end, securing the ephod in place. The ordination follows the same dressing sequence that every subsequent high priestly service will follow. The first dressing is also the establishment of the protocol: this is how the high priest is clothed, in this order, from inner garment to outer vestment. The order of dressing is itself a liturgical act, as structured as any sacrifice.

Exodus 29:6

Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban. The turban is placed last — the head covering that completes the vestment. The sacred emblem — the gold plate engraved holy to the Lord — is attached to the turban as the final element of Aaron's dressing. The completion of the dressing with the holy to the Lord plate is the completion of the declaration: Aaron is now entirely in the garment of his office, with the declaration of complete consecration on his forehead. The priest who enters God's presence for the first time carries the declaration of his consecration as the last thing put on and the most visible thing about him.

Exodus 29:7

Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. The anointing of the high priest is performed by pouring oil on his head — not dabbing or sprinkling but a full pour that runs down over the head and beard. Psalm 133:2 describes the anointing oil running down over Aaron's beard, onto the collar of his robe — a generous, abundant anointing. The oil that pours over the high priest is the visual image of divine blessing flowing down from the head. 1 John 2:27 says the anointing you received from him remains in you — the anointing oil poured on Aaron's head is the type of the anointing Spirit poured on all who belong to the anointed one.

Exodus 29:8

Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. The dressing of Aaron's sons is simpler than their father's: tunics, sashes, and headbands — three garments rather than six. The simpler vestment of the priests reflects their lower level of access in the sanctuary: Aaron alone enters the Most Holy Place; his sons serve in the Holy Place and the courtyard. The gradation of vestment mirrors the gradation of access. The sons are fully dressed for their office — the three garments they receive give them dignity and honor — but the fullness of priestly investiture belongs to the high priest who alone wears the breastpiece, the ephod, and the holy to the Lord plate.

Exodus 29:1

This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests: take a young bull and two rams without defect. The ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons begins with the specification of animals: one bull (sin offering) and two rams (burnt offering and ordination offering). All three must be without defect — the same standard as the Passover lamb and all covenant sacrifices. The ordination of the priests requires the same standard of sacrifice as any other priestly act: the best available, without defect. Hebrews 9:14 says Christ offered himself unblemished to God — the spotless animals that inaugurate the priesthood are the type of the one spotless offering that inaugurates the permanent priesthood.