Leviticus 8:4-36
8:4 a The text repeatedly emphasizes that Moses followed the Lord’s instructions, obeying the commands given in Exod 29 b (see also Lev 8:9 c, 13 d, 17 e, 21 f, 29 g, 36 h).8:6 i Being washed ... with water was the first step for cleansing from impurity. The priests had to be ceremonially clean before they could serve the Lord in holiness (Exod 29:4 j; see Ps 24:4 k).
8:7 l The tunic (see Exod 28:39 m) was woven of patterned linen cloth.
• The same type of material used for the Tabernacle curtains was used for the embroidered ephod (see Exod 28:4 n, 6-14 o). This garment’s precise shape and size are unclear, but it seems to have been a long, sleeveless vest, fitted close to the body and tied about the waist. It was joined at the shoulders by gold settings; each setting bore an onyx stone engraved with the names of six of the tribes of Israel (Exod 28:9 p). Later, an ephod also referred to a venerated image (Judg 8:27 q; 18:17 r).
• The decorative sash was embroidered and was made of the same materials as the ephod (see Exod 28:8 s).
8:8 t The chestpiece (see Exod 28:15-30 u) was made of embroidered linen folded double. It bore twelve stones, each engraved with the name of a tribe of Israel. It was suspended over the heart by a gold chain from the gold shoulder-pieces of the ephod.
• The Urim and the Thummim were placed in the pocket of the chestpiece (Exod 28:30 v; 1 Sam 23:9-12 w; 30:7-8 x); the precise function of these items is uncertain. They are generally thought of as two stones, perhaps each different in color, that were cast as lots. They apparently could give a positive, neutral, or negative answer to questions that could not otherwise be resolved (Exod 28:30 y; Num 27:21 z; 1 Sam 28:6 aa). Their mention in Old Testament prophetic literature written centuries later (Ezra 2:63 ab; Neh 7:65 ac) demonstrates how important these items were to the office of priest.
8:9 ad The turban worn by the high priest was made of linen and was distinct from the headdresses of the common priests (Exod 28:40 ae). The gold medallion was suspended from the turban and bore an inscription that read, “Holy to the Lord” (Exod 28:36 af). With the names of the tribes on his shoulders and over his heart and the dedication to the Lord on his forehead, the high priest was clearly marked as the people’s representative to God and God’s representative to the people. In this mediating role, the high priest modeled the standard for all priests.
8:10 ag making them holy: God is the Holy One (Pss 22:3 ah; 78:41 ai). In the strictest sense, only God can make a person or thing holy (Lev 20:8 aj; 21:15 ak, 23 al; 22:9 am, 16 an, 32 ao; Exod 31:13 ap; see Heb 2:11 aq); the actions of Moses simply recognized and declared what God had done (also in Lev 8:11 ar, 12 as, 15 at).
8:13 au For the attire of the common priests, see Exod 28:40-41 av.
8:14 aw sin offering (see 4:3-12 ax): Two atoning offerings were made—the sin offering (8:14-17 ay) and the whole burnt offering (8:18-21 az).
• By placing their hands on the bull’s head (see 1:4 ba), Aaron and his sons were identifying themselves with the sacrifice (also in 8:18 bb, 22 bc).
8:15 bd Normally, the high priest performed these priestly duties. However, it would not be proper for the priests to ordain themselves, so Moses, acting as God’s representative, instituted the priesthood.
8:18 be ram for the burnt offering: See study note on 1:10-13.
8:22 bf ram of ordination: See Exod 29:19-34 bg.
8:23 bh Aaron’s [ear]lobe, thumb, and big toe represented his total person. This act emphasized the role of the priestly office, with the blood stressing the ties to the sacrificial system. The priest’s basic function was mediation between God and his people. To do this effectively, he needed ears that could hear the words of God and the needs of his people, hands ready to do God’s bidding, and feet ready to take him where he was needed.
8:29 bi Moses functioned as a priest in the ordination ceremony and so received the priest’s portion of the offering (see 8:15 bj).
8:30 bk anointing oil: See study note on 8:2; see also Ps 133:2 bl.
8:31 bm The ordination offering was a variation of the peace offering (Exod 29:28 bn). It was a meal (Lev 7:11-18 bo, 28-34 bp) shared between God (the parts burned on the altar) and the priests. The command to boil ... and eat the ordination offering first appears in Exod 29:32 bq.
8:34 br commanded by the Lord: The details of the sacrifice rituals were symbolic and important in their own right. Yet most important, the priests were to obey God’s commands. Complete obedience to God is a major theme in both the Old Testament and the New Testament: “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22 bs).
8:35 bt seven days: This command emphasized God’s absolute holiness and mandated strict compliance with his commands. The priests, now anointed as God’s holy servants, were to remain in the Tabernacle court for seven days before venturing out into everyday life.
Leviticus 9
9:1 bu eighth day: The priests had finished the seven-day period of probation commanded in 8:35 bv.• elders: See study note on 4:15.
Summary for Lev 9:2-4: 9:2-4 bw These sacrifices—the sin and whole burnt offerings for the priests and the sin, burnt, peace, and grain offerings for the people—were offered at the beginning of the priests’ ministry to make certain that all sin was atoned for and the covenant with God affirmed. Only the guilt offering was omitted.
9:6 bx Just as holiness describes God’s person and nature, the glory of the Lord tangibly expresses his power and majesty (see Ezek 1:28 by; 10:4 bz). His glory was revealed on Mount Sinai (Exod 24:16 ca), at the dedication of the Tabernacle (Exod 40:34-35 cb), and in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 8:11 cc; 2 Chr 7:1 cd). Yet it remained as vast as the heavens (Ps 19:1 ce). The New Testament speaks of Christ’s glory as the image of God (2 Cor 4:4 cf), who manifested God’s glory to the world (John 1:14 cg). He was glorified in his death and resurrection (John 17:1-5 ch). See also Exod 24:15-17 ci.
9:7 cj your sin offering ... burnt offering: Before the high priest could make atonement for the people, he had to be right with God himself.
9:9 ck Both Aaron, the high priest (9:8 cl, 12 cm), and his sons, the common priests (9:9 cn, 12 co, 13 cp), participated in the sin offering (9:8-11 cq) and the burnt offering (9:12-14 cr). This made the atonement effective for the entire priesthood.
• horns of the altar: See study note on 4:25; see also Exod 27:1-8 cs.
9:17 ct regular burnt offering for the morning: A lamb was offered as a whole burnt offering each morning and evening (6:9 cu; Num 28:2-4 cv).
9:22 cw blessed them: See Num 6:22-27 cx.
9:24 cy Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence, indicating that God had accepted the offerings, the atonement, and the priesthood (9:7 cz; cp. 1 Kgs 18:36-38 da).
Leviticus 10
Summary for Lev 10:1-20: 10:1-20 db A fire was to burn constantly on the bronze altar (6:9 dc) to supply coals for burning incense (16:12 dd). Perhaps careless from drinking wine (10:8-11 de), Nadab and Abihu took coals from another source. This violation of God’s instruction resulted in their deaths. 10:1 df Aaron’s two older sons, Nadab and Abihu (Exod 6:23 dg), had accompanied Moses and the seventy elders on Mount Sinai (Exod 24:1 dh, 9 di) and had witnessed the great theophany (appearance of God) there. They died without male heirs (see also Exod 28:1 dj; Num 3:2-4 dk; 26:60-61 dl; 1 Chr 6:3 dm; 24:1-2 dn).• The incense burners were fire pans or trays that held hot coals. Incense was sprinkled on them (Exod 30:34-38 do; see also Lev 16:12-13 dp; 2 Chr 26:19 dq; Rev 8:3-4 dr).
• The wrong kind of fire (Hebrew ’esh zarah, “strange fire”) could mean “foreign,” and thus “unauthorized” (see Exod 30:9 ds) or even “pagan” (as in Ps 44:20 dt; 81:9 du). Apparently, Nadab and Abihu used fire from a source not approved by God (Num 3:4 dv; 26:61 dw), possibly even a pagan source. It is also possible that they offered incense not prepared according to God’s specifications (Exod 30:34-38 dx), although the text does not mention that. They did not enter God’s presence on his terms but on their own.
10:2 dy In 9:24 dz, the fire blazed forth to show God’s acceptance. It now indicates his disapproval by bringing death to Nadab and Abihu, who had demonstrated a careless approach toward the worship of God (cp. Acts 5:1-11 ea).
10:3 eb God’s holiness is his very essence, substance, and character, and it stands in contrast to the creaturely world. By performing this rash act, Nadab and Abihu failed to consider God’s holiness and failed to honor him.
10:4 ec Mishael and Elzaphan ... uncle Uzziel: See Exod 6:18 ed, 22 ee.
• carry away the bodies of your relatives: Aaron, the high priest, and the priests Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev 10:6 ef) could not defile themselves by making contact with a dead person (21:10-12 eg).
10:5 eh Carrying the bodies by their garments avoided defilement.
10:6 ei Eleazar and Ithamar were Aaron’s two remaining sons (Exod 6:23 ej).
• leaving your hair uncombed: This practice and others like it were ways to show grief in biblical times (cp. Gen 37:29 ek; 44:13 el; Deut 14:1 em; 2 Sam 1:11 en; Job 1:20 eo; Jer 16:6 ep; 47:5 eq). As high priest, Aaron was prohibited from participating in these rituals or in any way displaying his grief (Lev 21:10 er). The injunction extended to Eleazar and Ithamar; if God’s representatives had shown grief on this occasion, it might have been interpreted by observers as disagreeing with God’s justice. However, the laypeople were allowed to mourn.
10:7 es must not leave: Eleazar and Ithamar were not to attend the funeral.
• the Lord’s anointing oil: Because they had recently been anointed as priests (see 7:36 et), they were to avoid any association with the dead.
Summary for Lev 10:8-10: 10:8-10 eu The placement of this instruction suggests that Nadab and Abihu were under the influence of alcohol when they offered “the wrong kind of fire” (10:1 ev). Priests were not to drink anything that could impair their judgment before serving in the Tabernacle.
• the Lord said to Aaron: God had been communicating only to Moses, but he now accepted Aaron as the people’s representative, and he communicated directly with Aaron as well.
• The word common means “secular” or “ordinary.”
• ceremonially unclean ... clean: See 7:19-21 ew; 11:1–15:33 ex.
10:11 ey The decrees that the Lord has given were laws that came directly from God, rather than from a court decision.
10:12 ez The grain offering was part of the ordination ceremony (see 8:26 fa; Exod 29:2 fb, 23 fc).
• no yeast, for it is most holy: Realizing that some time had passed, Moses wanted to be certain that no fermentation had occurred in the priest’s portion of the grain offering (Lev 6:14-18 fd).
Summary for Lev 10:13-15: 10:13-15 fe The priest’s share of the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering was “most holy” (see 2:3 ff; 6:29 fg; 7:6 fh). Only the males in the priest’s family could eat it, and it had to be consumed in a holy place (that is, the Tabernacle court). The priest’s portion of the peace offering, though, was considered simply “holy.” It could be eaten by any family member in any clean place (22:10-13 fi).
Summary for Lev 10:16-17: 10:16-17 fj The goat of the sin offering was the offering for the people (9:3 fk, 15-17 fl; cp. 9:2 fm, 8-11 fn). On this special occasion, its blood was not carried into the Holy Place as required. The remaining portion, after the portions allocated to God had been offered, should have been eaten by the priests (see 6:29 fo). But the goat was entirely burned, even though its blood had not been taken into the sanctuary (10:18 fp; see 6:30 fq).
10:19 fr yet this tragedy has happened to me: Aaron was saying either that eating the goat of the sin offering would not have prevented the deaths of Nadab and Abihu or that it would not have been appropriate for him to eat it on the heels of such a grievous event.
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