Exodus 29:7

Then thou shall take the anointing oil, After ordered to be made of principal spices, myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and oil olive, Exodus 30:23 and pour it upon his head, and anoint him; this was

And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Which signified the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, wherewith Christ; as, and the priests ought to be, replenished. See . But here ariseth a difficulty; for this anointing is sometimes spoken of as peculiar to the high priest, as , sometimes as common to all the priests, 40:14,15, which may be thus reconciled: the oil, was sprinkled upon all the priests, and their right ears, thumbs, and toes, and their garments, ,21 Le 8:30, but it was poured out upon the head only of the high priest, , who herein was a type of Christ, who was anointed above his fellows, .

Exodus 29:7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour [it] upon his head, and anoint him.Ver. 7. The Anointing oil.] Typing out that abundance of the Holy Spirit poured upon Christ, and upon Christions.

(7) The anointing oil—i.e., the oil mentioned in Exodus 25:6, and recently glanced at in Exodus 28:41. On its composition see Exodus 30:23-25. Pour it upon his head.—As the ablution typified cleansing from sin, so the anointing was emblematic of the outpouring of Divine grace upon the person anointed. The pouring of the oil on Aaron’s head was perhaps to indicate the freeness and abundance with which God gives His grace to His servants. (Comp. Psalms 133:2.) Coats—i.e., tunics. (See Note 1 on Exodus 28:40.) The bonnets.—Rather, caps. (See Note 3 on Exodus 28:40.) The priest’s office shall be their’s for a perpetual statute.—That is, not only shall they individually be priests, but the office shall descend to their posterity, and so be theirs perpetually. Thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.—Heb., Thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons. Induction into an office was usually effected in the East by placing its insignia in the hand of the person appointed to it. Aaron and his sons were to be inducted by having a portion of the sacrifices placed in their hands (Exodus 29:24).

Verse 7. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil] It appears, from Isaiah 61:1, that anointing with oil, in consecrating a person to any important office, whether civil or religious, was considered as an emblem of the communication of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. This ceremony was used on three occasions, viz., the installation of prophets, priests, and kings, into their respective offices. But why should such an anointing be deemed necessary? Because the common sense of men taught them that all good, whether spiritual or secular, must come from God, its origin and cause. Hence it was taken for granted, 1. That no man could foretell events unless inspired by the Spirit of God. And therefore the prophet was anointed, to signify the communication of the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge. 2. That no person could offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of men, or profitably minister in holy things, unless enlightened, influenced, and directed by the Spirit of grace and holiness. Hence the priest was anointed, to signify his being Divinely qualified for the due performance of his sacred functions. 3. That no man could enact just and equitable laws, which should have the prosperity of the community and the welfare of the individual continually in view, or could use the power confided to him only for the suppression of vice and the encouragement of virtue, but that man who was ever under the inspiration of the Almighty. Hence kings were inaugurated by anointing with oil. Two of these officers only exist in all civilized nations, the sacerdotal and regal; and in some countries the priest and king are still consecrated by anointing. In the Hebrew language משח mashach signifies to anoint, and משיח mashiach, the anointed person. But as no man was ever dignified by holding the three offices, so no person ever had the title mashiach, the anointed one, but Jesus the Christ. He alone is King of kings and Lord of lords: the king who governs the universe, and rules in the hearts of his followers; the prophet, to instruct men in the way wherein they should go; and the great high priest, to make atonement for their sins. Hence he is called the Messias, a corruption of the word המשיח hammashiach, THE anointed ONE, in Hebrew; which gave birth to ὁΧριστος, ho Christos, which has precisely the same signification in Greek. Of him, Melchizedek, Abraham, Aaron, David, and others were illustrious types. But none of these had the title of THE MESSIAH, or THE ANOINTED of GOD. This does, and ever will, belong exclusively to JESUS the CHRIST.

7. the anointing oil] see, for its ingredients and use, Exodus 30:22-33. Here only the high priest is anointed, in accordance with the expression ‘anointed priest,’ by which he is distinguished from the ordinary priests (Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 4:5; Leviticus 4:16; Leviticus 6:22). On some other passages in P in which the ordinary priests are represented as anointed, see on Exodus 30:30.

7. The anointing oil — The composition of which is described in Exodus 30:23-25. Compare the allusion in Psalms 133:2.