Leviticus 8
PATverse, he speaks of the altar of incense, as well as of the altar of buvnt-offerings. But it is plain by those places in fexodus it was the altar of burnt-offerings, which’ was thus sanctified; and here the lavcr and its foot (which stood in the same court) is said to be sanctified with it. As for the altar of incense, it is included in what is said in the foregoing verse, that he anointed the tabernacle and all therein. Both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them."] It may be thought that he sprinkled with oil the laver and its foot, as well as anointed them; which is the opinion of the forenamed Fort. Scapchus. But the Hebrew words will not warrant it; for they only signify that they were anointed as the altar was after its aspersion.
Leviticus 8:1
JjLND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Sco iv.I.
Leviticus 8:2
Take Aaron and his so7is with him. Having de^ livcred the laws and rules about sacrifices and the rites’ Microsoft® 3B A’ COMMENTARY [chap. vnr. belonging to them, he now prepares the priests to offer them, as had been commanded. And there is not much said in this chapter, but what had been explained in Exod. xxix. and other neighbouring chapters; where he relates tho orders he received in Mount Sinai about those things which were now performed. And the garments.*] Exod. xxviii. 2. 4. And the anointing oil.] Exod. xxx. 24, &c. And a bnllockfor the sin-offering, and two rams, and a basket of xtnleavened bread.] See Exod. xxix. 1 — 3, &c. These w r erc in their kind the very best of the legal sacrifices, as appears, in part, from that expression of the Psalmist, Psalm lxix. 30, 31. where he prefers thanksgiving and praise, before a bullock that hath horns and hoofs (a young bullock, which began to spread its horns and hoofs), that is, before the very best of all their bloody sacrifices. Vcr. 3. And gather thou all the congregation together, Sec] All the elders of the people, with the great officers who were set over thousands and hundreds, &c. For these are frequently called by the name of col ha edah> which we translate all the congregation; particularly in Numb. xxv. 7. xxxv. 12. Josh. xx. 6. Judg. xxi. 10. 13. 1G. where the elders of the congregation, and the congregation, and all the congregation, arc plaiuly the same thing. Which is further confirmed from the next chapter of this book, (ver. 1.) where it is said expressly, Moses called Aardn and his sons, arid the elders of Israel.
Leviticus 8:4
And Moses did as the Lord commanded. Summoned them to appear before the Lord. And the assembly was gathered together.] The word wo translate assembly, is the same with that in the foregoing verse, which we translate congregation rthvA, is, as I said, the assembly of the elders. Unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.] That they might be witnesses of what was done, and satisfy all the people, that Aaron and his sons did not intrude themselves into his office; but were solemnly called and consecrated to it by Moses, the servant of the Lord. It is likely, also, that as many of the people as the place would conveniently hold, met together to be spectators of this solemnity.
Leviticus 8:5
And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. I am now about to execute what God hath formerly c()mmanded, when I was with him in the holy mount, (Exod. xxix. 4.) At what time this was executed, is a question among learned men. And our great primate of Ireland places this consecration of Aaron and his sons, together with the ( tabernacle and all things belonging to it, in; the second month of the second year, after they came out of Egypt: moved thereunto, I suppose, by what is said in Numb. vii. 1, 2. So that, according to his opinion, the numbering of the people, and the separation of the Levites to God’s service, preceded this action. Hut I do not sec any rcasou why we should not think all things were done in the order wherein they are here related. And then this consecration was performed in the -first month of that year; after the tabernacle had been erected aud set apart for the habitation of the Divine Majesty. (Sec Exod. xl. Y7, 18.) Vcr. G. And Moses brought Aaron and his soiis.] To the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; as he had been directed, (Exod. xxix. 4.) And washed them with water.] As Is there dlso directed; having first likewise washed himself, (xl. 31.)
Leviticus 8:7
And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, &c. Moses, by an extraordinary commission from God, performed the office of a high-priest on this day, and the six days following: and put Aaron in possession of this office by clothing him with the garments here mentioned, (according to the orders which had been given, Exod. xxix. 5, 8cc.) which was thought sufficient for the consecration of a high-priest, after the captivity of Babylon; when they wanted the holy oil, as hath been before observed. Whence Philo often calls Moses by the name of’Apx^P^c, t c. high-priest* And in Schcmoth Rabba the tradition is, that he continued high-priest all the time they continued iii the wilderness: though others, thoy confess, tire of opinion (which is the truth) that he officiated only the seven days of the consecration; after \Vhidi this office was settled in Aaron. (Sec Seldcu, lib. i. de Succession, in Pontificatum, cap. 1.) Vcr. S. And he put the breast-plate upon him: also he put in the breast-plate the xtrim and the Ihummim.] See Exod. xxviii. 30. It is’observable that ho saith nothing here in this place of the prccibus stones, but only mentions xirim and thummim; as in Exod. xxxix. 10. (where he describes the same thing) he makes mention only of the four rows of stones, but saith not one word of arim and thummim: which I look upon as a proof that they were all one,
Leviticus 8:9
And he put the mitre vpon his head; and upon the mitre, the golden plate, (lie holy crown, &c. According as God commanded him in Exod. xxviii. 36, 37, &c. xxix. G.
Leviticus 8:10
And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed tlie tabernacle, and all that was therein. See Exod xxix. 2G, &c. and Exod. xl. 9—11. There being several ways of anointing a thing or person, either by pouring oil upon them, or by putting it upon them with the finger, or by sprinkling; it is not an improbable conjecture of Fortunatus Scacchus, that Moses anointed the tabernacle and its utensils, by dipping his finger in the oil, and putting, it upon them. For though the word mascah, which he useth for anointing, be general, yet the Vulgar expressing it by linivit, and the LXX. by txP 1 ™ (which import this particular sort of anointing), and there being different words used to express the anointing of the altar and of Aaron, it may well incline one to his opinion; (Myrothec. 2. Sacr. Elseochrysm. cap. 70.) And sanctified them.] Set them apart by this miction for the holy use; for which they were designed. Vcr. 11. And lie sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times; and anointed the altar, and all its vessels, &c] AiVc do not find this expressly before directed: but the intention of anointing the altar being to make it most holy, (because it was to sanctify all that was laid upon it, Exod. xxx. 29. xl. 10.) it was very fit it should be both sprinkled seven times with oil, and also anointed: in token of its extraordinary sanctity, which was put upon it by this very solemn rite. For here arc two distinct Words about this anointing; the first is jaz, he sprinkled of the oil upon it; and then jimshach, he anointed it, by putting some of the oil on it: whereas it is said of the tabernacle, and of the things there, only jimshach, he anointed them; without any sprinkling. Some think, that the altar beiug mentioned twice in this
Leviticus 8:12
And he poured of the anointing oilupon Aaron’s head. Here now is a third word distinct from the two former, viz. jitzok, which signifies there was more done to Aaron than to any of the holy things, to sanctify him to his office; for the holy oil was poured on his head. And anointed him.*] Perhaps he drew the oil with his finger upon his forehead, after it was poured on his head, as the Jews think he did, (See Exod. xxix. 7, 8. xxx. 30. xl. 13.) To sanctify him.] t e. Set him apart to this sacred office. Now this consecration of Aaron and his sons being mentioned here together with the consecration of the tabernacle and all belonging to it, it hath made some conclude, that both wero done at the very same time. But I have given some arguments to prove the contrary, upon Exod. xl. 17, 18. And the meaning of these three verses (tenth, eleventh, and twelfth of this chapter) may be, not that they were consecrated at the same time, but with the same oil. For first he says, Moses took the anointing oil; and shews how it was employed after a different manner upon the tabernacle and its utensils, upon the altar, and upon Aaron, on whose head it was poured; whereas tho former had it only put upon them with the finger, or were sprinkled with it. But though they were not consecrated together, yet their consecration immediately followed one another. For seven days being spent in sanctifying the tabernacle and the altar, then immediately began the sanctification of Aaron and his sons: during which time Mo’ses may be supposed to have received the foregoing laws about sacrifices, in which they wero to be employed as soon as they were consecrated. And tho seven days for the consecration of Aaron and his sons, immediately succeeding the other seven days which were spent in the consecration of the tabernacle and the altar; it may be the reason why they arciiere succinctly mentioned both together, and neither of them mentioned before. For if the account wc have in the fortieth of Exodus concerning these things be well attended to, it will appear that nothing is there said of the anointing of the tabernacle, or any thing else; but only that he set it up the first day of the month, as he was commanded ver. 2, &c. and 17, &c. And he is commanded in like manner to take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all therein, (ver. 9, &c.) and then to anoint Aaron and his sons; (ver. 13. 15.) but he relates nothing of his doing either of them till now, when he executed those commands.
Leviticus 8:13
And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, &c. See Exod. xxviii. 40, 41. xxix. 30. xl. 14. As the Lord commanded Moses.] He commanded him also to anoint them at the same time, (Exod. xxviii. 41. xl.l5.)but it is not here mentioned; because they were not anointed as he was, by pouring oil upon their heads; but sprinkling it on their garments, with the blood of the sacrifice offered for them. And that he did afterward as he had been ordered, ver. 30. (See Exod. xxviii. 41. xxix. 7.) Ver..14. And he brought the bullock*’] See Exod. xxix. 1. 10. &c. For. a sin-offering.] So it was designed to be, Exod. xxix. 14, And Aaron and his sons laid their hands ttpon the head of the bullock for the sin-offering.] See Exod. xxix. 10* Levit. i. 4.
Leviticus 8:15
And he slew it. Exod. xxix. 11. And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar roundabout with his finger.] As he had been dir xectcd, Exod. xxix. 12. And purified the altar.] It was purified before; but thi^ was a further purification of it; that it might be the more fitted to be a place to make reconciliation upon it, as it follows in the conclusion of the verse. And poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, &c] The Vulgar Latin, I think, gives the true interpretation of these words, rather than translate them in this manner; it being expiated and sanctified, he poured out the blood at the bottom of 1 the altar, &c. Fort. Scacchus hath taken a. great deal of pains to prove that this expiation (as the Vulgar Latin calls it) went before the anointing or consecration of the altar; in his Myrothec. (par. ii. cap. 34.) But his arguments seem to me of no force to overthrow the opinion of Abulensis and Philo, that these words do not speak of a proper expiation of the altar; but that it was only hereby more particularly set apart (as the word sanctify signifies), to be the place where siu-oflerings might be made; that men who had committed offences might be expiated by these sacrifices.
Leviticus 8:16
And he took all the fat that teas ttpon the inwards, and the caul, &c. See Exod. xxix. 13.
Leviticus 8:17
But the bullock and his skin, his flesh and Jtis clung, he burnt with fire without the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses. See Exod. xxix. 14. Yet wc do not find that the blood of this sacrifice was carried into the holy place; and therefore it did not fall under the rule in the sixth chapter of this book, (ver. 30.) but might have been eaten by the priests, as is there allowed, (ver. 2G.) Some think it sufficient, for the solution of this, to s&y that Aaron and his sons were not yet completely consecrated, and therefore had not a right to eat of the flesh of this sin-offering. But such.persons do not consider that Moses, who now acted as a priest, could not be debarred of that benefit by this reason. And therefore it is better to say, that no high-priest, whether ordinary or extraordinary (such as Moses now was), might eat of any sin-offering, offered for the priests themselves; although the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary. From whence Ave may draw this consequence: that although the sins of the people were taken away by the priests; who, by eating of their sin-offering, plainly shewed that they bare their sin, (as the phraso is, x. 17.) yet the sins of the priests themselves could not betaken away, by any sacrifice they could offer for sin, of which they might not eat: but they were 3H2 [chap. vnr. to expect, as an excellent person of our own speaks, (Dr. Jackson, book ix. upon the Creed, chap. 26.) a better sacrifice, made by a better high-priest, the Son of God. But these legal sacrifices, in the mean time, were offered in such a place, as prefigured the place where this better sacrifice should be offered, viz. without the camp: as when they came to their rest, without the city of Jerusalem, where our Saviour’s body was offered for our redemption.
Leviticus 8:18
And he brought the ram for the burnt-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands vpon the head of the ram. According to the direction given to Moses, when he was with God in Mount Sinai, (Exod. xxix. 15, 16.) where all that follows here, to the end of the twenty-first verse, is explained: this being nothing else but the execution of what was before ordered. Vcr. 22. And he brought the other ram.] For he was commanded to bring two, (ver. 2. and Exod. xxix. 1.) The ram of consecration.] So it is called Exod xxix. 22. 31- for the reason there given.
Leviticus 8:23
And he slew it, and Moses took of the blood of it, &c. These two verses are explained Exod. xxix. 20. where order was given for what was now done. I shall only add a remark of R. Levi ben Gersom, upon the order wherein these sacrifices were offered; which was most rational. For, first, there was a sacrifice for sin offered, (ver. 14.) before they could be worthy to have any gift or present which they made to God received by him. But upon their expiation, a whole bnrnt-offering was accepted; (ver. 18.) and after that followed this sacrifice, which was a peace-offering, (as appears from ver. 31.) part of which was burnt npon the altar, part given to the priest, and the rest they themselves ate for whom it was offered; that it might appear they were so far in the favour of God, as to eat with him of his meat from his table. Abarbinel hath the same observation. Vcr. 25. And he took the fat, and the rump, &c] All this verse likewise is there explained, Exod. xxix. 22. Ver. 26— 2S. And out of the basket of unleavened bread, &c] These three verses shew, that Moses exactly followed the orders he had received Exod. xxix. 23—25. where they have been explained.
Leviticus 8:28
Burnt them vpon the burnt-offering J. This shews that they were not a burnt-offering properly, as I there observed, but an appendix to it. They were consecrations for a sweet savour.] Because they were offered to consecrate and sanctify them, as this is explained Exod. xxix. 33. (See there.)- Vcr. 29. And Moses took the breast and waved it, &c] According to the direction given Exod. xxix. 26. where it is also ordered that this should be Moses’s part.
Leviticus 8:30
And he took of the anointing oil, and of the blood that was upon the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, &cj See Exod. xxix. 21. where it appears plainly this blood that was mixed with the oil, was the blood of the ram of consecration.
Leviticus 8:31
And Moses said unto Aaron and his sons, boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and there eat it, &c. God having had his part, (ver. 28.) and Moses, who performed the office of a priest at this time, having had that which belonged to him on that account, (ver. 29.) the rest was given (as the manner was in peace-offerings) to those for whom the sacrifice was offered: that is, all but the right shouller, which was burnt upon the altar, and the wave breast, which was given to Moses, as priest. (See Exod. xxix. 31, 32.)
Leviticus 8:32
That which remains of the flesh and the blood shall ye burn with fire. See Exod. xxix. 34. This shews it was of the nature of a peace-offering, (vii. 15. 17.)
Leviticus 8:33
And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle in seven days, &c. For till then their consecration was not perfected (as the following words signify), no more than the consecration of the altar was, till a bullock had been offered, to cleanse it, and make an atonement for it, seven days together. (See Exod. xxix. 35 — 37.) This was to make them more sensible of the great weight, as well as dignity of their office. Vcr. 34. As he had done this day, so the Lord hath cwnmanded to do, to make an atonement for you.] Every day of these seven those sacrifices were to be repeated, the sin-offering, the burnt-offering, and the peace-offering; and their garments were to be sprinkled with the blood and the anointing oil, as the Lord required when Moses was with him in the mount, (Exod. xxix. 35.) This shews the imperfection of all the legal sacrifices; which would not have been so often repeated, if they had been of greater efficacy: yet the continuance of them seven days, doth signify the complete consecration of these priests, according to the rites of those times. In conformity to which, our great high-priest, the Lord Christ, who was perfected by one sacrifice of himself, spent seven days in his consecration to his office. For as Aaron is commanded to attend at the tabernacle so many days together, in like manner our Lord Christ, (as Dr. Jackson observes in the forenamed book, chap. 25.) did attend the temple five days one after another, before his death; (sec John xii. 1. 12, &c. Matt. xxi. 8, 9, &c.) and having purged it on the first or second of those days, from the profancness that was exercised in it by merchandizing; and afterward hallowed it by his doctrine, and by his’Divine presence, which appeared in several miraculous cures, he went the sixth day into his heavenly sanctuary, into paradise itself; to purify and sanctify it with his own blood: as Moses, at Aaron’s consecration, did the material sanctuary and altar with the blood of beasts. And having rested the seventh day, finished all by his resurrection early the next day in the morning.
Leviticus 8:35
Tlierefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Where all things mentioned in this chapter had been done, and were still to be repeated, (ver. 3, 4.) for they could not go into the sanctuary till they were completed. Day and night.] This was to make their consecration more solemn, and taken notice of by all the people. Seven days.] By which means, a sabbath, as the Jews observe, passed over their heads: without which, they conceive, Aaron and his sons could not have been completed. But the sabbath of the Lord did never so exactly pass over any high-priest in his consecration, as it did over the Highpriest of the New Testament. For however it were of Aaron’s it was to our blessed Saviour (as the forenamed Dr. Jackson notes) a day of rest indeed, after six days of labour, watching, praying, and fasting, which concluded in his bloody death and passion. And keep the charge of the Lord.] That which he had now Microsoft ® ciiAP. rx.] UPON LEVITICUS. enjoined. Or -rather, watch the tabernacle and his vessels, &e. as they were to do in time to come. The Hebrew doctors have here raised a great difficulty, about the necessary easements of nature; for which they had no convenience, if they might not stir for seven days from the door of the tabernacle; and therefore they fancy, there was a hole digged in the ground for such occasions. But it is more likely they were not so confined, as not to be allowed this liberty: and one cannot well doubt of it, who considers the word mismoroth here used (which we translate keep the charge of the Lord), which is a military phrase, signifying the stations and watches kept in their turns for certain hours: after which they were at liberty to attend their own affairs. Such was the charge here one may reasonably think, of not departing from the door of the tabernacle, while they were upon the guard (as we speak), which some or other of them kept night and day; in such order, that while some watched, others might sleep, or step out about the necessary occasions of nature. Tfiat ye die not.’] It may seem hard that they should be in peril of their life, if they omitted any of these rites. But this was necessary, to make those serious and intent upon their business, who were to save the lives of others, by making expiation for them, when they deserved to perish. For so lam commanded.’] These orders, as hath been already observed, he received in the v holy mount. So Aaron and his sons did all things tvhich the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.] This was necessary to be added, that all generations might be assured, whatsoever was performed by their ministry, would be effectual, to the end for which it was appointed; they being exactly consecrated to God’s service, without the least omission of any thing that he had required. In like manner, our great Highpriest was consecrated to his eternal priesthood, by fulfilling all the will of God; and that in a far more solemn and public way than Aaron’s was; it being performed by suffering such things, as nothing but a perfect filial obedience to his heavenly Father could have moved him to admit, because it was accomplished by shedding his own blood in a lingering death;