Exoduschapter 29
46 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th or 13th century BC · The Law
“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish,
Introduction
Moses, by tradition, The Law, Exodus Overview.
This chapter gives the rite by which Aaron and his sons would be made priests. The garments of the last chapter are put on here, and the ceremony lasts seven days. A reader today meets unfamiliar animals, portions and gestures, and each of them did something a first hearer understood. Listen for the order of the offerings, and for the parts of the body that are marked. Then listen for the promise near the end, which explains why the whole tabernacle was being built.
Context
- Who
- Israel in the wilderness, learning that even priests had to be made clean before serving
- What
- The seven-day ordination of the priests, followed by the lamb offered every morning and every evening.
- Where
- The summit of Mount Sinai, where Moses received the pattern while the camp waited at the foot of the mountain.
- When
- The forty days Moses spent on Sinai after the covenant was sealed, about 1446 BC on the early date this site follows.
- Why
- To make the priests clean and set apart for service, so that God could dwell among Israel.
Historical context
The chapter belongs to the law Exodus says Moses wrote at God's command, recorded at 17:14, at 24:4 and at 34:27, while he was going up and down the mountain between God and the people. The critical reading takes the legal sections for a later compilation from several sources, a position argued by Julius Wellhausen and the tradition following him, and the site states no verdict on it.
Show the rest of the historical context, 8 more paragraphs
The chapter gives the ordination of Aaron and his sons, and ends with the daily offering and the promise that God will dwell among the Israelites.
A first hearer knew the idiom, since the Hebrew for ordaining is to fill the hands, and seven days was the standard span for a consecration in that world.
Adam Clarke explains the ram of ordination as the ram of filling up, because the emblems of the office were put into the man's grip.
He knew what each animal did, a bull for a sin offering, one ram burned whole, and a second ram whose blood went on the right earlobe, thumb and big toe of each man.
What the priest heard, what he did and where he walked were all claimed.
Portions are waved before the LORD and then eaten by the priests, and sacrificial food supporting the clergy was standard across that region.
Albert Barnes distinguishes the waving, a movement repeated several times, from the heaving, which was one lifting up.
The chapter closes with a lamb every morning and a lamb at twilight, continually, at the entrance of the tent.
Significance
The men who would handle Israel's sin offerings had to bring a sin offering for themselves first, so the priesthood was never a caste of the innocent.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The promise at the end is the reason for all of it. I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. That sentence is what the whole tabernacle exists to make possible, and it answers the reason given at 25:8.
This chapter in Jewish lifeWhat this chapter is in Jewish life and reading.
How it is read
The chapter is the order of service for making a priest, and Rashi reads it as a rubric. The washing of the fourth verse is a full immersion of the body (Rashi on Exodus 29:4:1, citing Targum Jonathan). The three kinds of unleavened bread are held apart by how each was made, with the oil measured between them (Rashi on Exodus 29:2:1, citing Menachot 89a). The anointing he describes as a shape drawn on the head. A drop of oil went on the head and another between the eyebrows, and the priest joined them with his finger (Rashi on Exodus 29:7:1, citing Keritot 5b). The blood of the sin offering goes "on top of the horns actually", placed there by the finger (Rashi on Exodus 29:12:1, citing Zevachim 53a). The blood of the burnt offering is thrown from a vessel against the horn so that it shows on both sides of it (Rashi on Exodus 29:16:1). The pleasing odour he explains as a gratification of spirit before God, "that I commanded and My will was carried out" (Rashi on Exodus 29:18:1, citing Zevachim 46b). The part of the ear touched with blood is the inner cartilage (Rashi on Exodus 29:20:1). The waving of the breast is done by two people at once. The priest places his hand beneath the owner's hand and waves, and here Aaron and his sons were the owners and Moses the priest (Rashi on Exodus 29:24:1, citing Menachot 61b). The filling of the hands is for a priesthood that lasts (Rashi on Exodus 29:9:1). Rashi is quoted from the Rosenbaum and Silbermann edition of 1929 to 1934, public domain. Ibn Ezra comments at Exodus 29:8:1, 29:10:1, 29:15:1, 29:19:1 and 29:21:1 under a licence that keeps his text off this page.
What the rabbis say
The corpus records forty places where the Midrash and the Talmud draw on this chapter, cited here by reference. Midrash Lekach Tov follows the ordination at Exodus 29:2:1, 29:2:2, 29:3:1 and 29:5:1. It continues at Exodus 29:9:1 and 29:36:1, and at Leviticus 1:4:1. Bamidbar Rabbah reads the chapter at 10:23, 12:6, 14:12, 14:19 and 15:17, and again at 22:4. Sifra carries the ordination at Tzav, Mekhilta DeMiluim I 3 and at Tzav, Section 5 2. The Jerusalem Talmud reads the service at Yoma 1:1:9, 1:1:15, 2:2:9 and 7:3:3. It reads it again at Challah 2:1:12, Shabbat 1:1:19, Makkot 3:2:1 and Horayot 3:2:32. Midrash Aggadah draws on the blood rites at Deuteronomy 9:9:1 and 12:27:2, and at Numbers 20:13:3. Midrash Tanchuma reads the chapter at Tetzaveh 11:1 and Bo 11:3, and Kohelet Rabbah at 7:1:2. Seder Olam Rabbah 7:2 reads the seven days, and Menachot 51a:4 the daily offering.
Sources: Rashi, Rashi on Exodus 29:1 to 29:24, the Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A. M. Silbermann, 1929 to 1934, public domain, 1040 to 1105; Ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra on Exodus 29:8:1, 29:10:1, 29:15:1, 29:19:1 and 29:21:1, cited by reference, CC-BY-NC, 1089 to 1164; Babylonian Talmud, Keritot 5b, Zevachim 53a and 46b and Menachot 61b, as Rashi cites them, and Menachot 51a:4, cited by reference; Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma 1:1:9, 1:1:15, 2:2:9 and 7:3:3, cited by reference; Sifra, Tzav, Mekhilta DeMiluim I 3 and Tzav, Section 5 2, cited by reference; Bamidbar Rabbah, 10:23, 12:6, 14:12, 14:19, 15:17 and 22:4, cited by reference; The Sefaria corpus, scripts/data/sources/sefaria/exodus/29.json, fetched 2026-09-19, 2026; MannaFest, the commentators and their dates, src/app/featured/the-jewish-writings/page.tsx, 2026.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Washed, Clothed, and Anointed
Chapter 28 made the garments and this chapter fills them. The command runs for seven days, and Exodus never reports it carried out, because the ordination itself is recorded in Leviticus 8, which follows this text almost line by line. The bread brought in the basket is unleavened, the bread of the passover night, carried now for a priesthood rather than for a road.
Exodus 29:1
“UNDER the Law, only one family could serve God in the priest's office, but under the Gospel all the saints are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). In the Christian Church no persons whatever are set apart to the priesthood above the rest of their Brethren, for in us is fulfilled the promise which Israel, by reason of her sin, failed to obtain—"You shall be a kingdom of priests unto Me." Paul, in addressing all the saints, bids them present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Exodus 29:1
“Hence we gather that true purity and innocence, which was but typical in the Law, is found in Christ alone. "For such an high priest became us," says the Apostle, "who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners," to present Himself before God for us.”
John Calvin · Commentaries (1554)reformed
Exodus 29:2
“Unleavened bread - Three kinds of bread as to its form are mentioned here, but all unleavened: 1. מצות matstsoth, unleavened bread, no matter in what shape. See Exo 12:8. 2. חלת challoth, cakes, pricked or perforated, as the root implies. 3. רקיקי rekikey, an exceeding thin cake, from רק rak, to be attenuated, properly enough translated wafer. The manner in which these were prepared is sufficiently plain from the text, and probably these were the principal forms in which flour was prepared for household use during their stay in the wilderness.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The consecration runs water, then garments, then oil, and each of the three falls differently on Aaron than on his sons. Aaron alone has the anointing oil poured on his head at verse 7, while the sons receive theirs at verse 21 by sprinkling, with blood mixed into it. Psalm 133:2 remembers the ointment running down upon the beard of Aaron. Verse 6 sets the holy crown on the mitre, and Exodus 39:30 gives the words engraved on it, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Exodus 29:4
“The high priest washes himself, then offers incense; for Aaron was first washed, then became high priest. For how could one who had not yet been cleansed by water pray for others? Further, the laver had been set within the tabernacle, as a symbol of baptism.”
Cyril of Jerusalem · written before 386 · Catechetical Lecture 3.5patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 29:4
“Those that would perfect holiness must cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, 2 Cor. vii. They were now washed all over; but afterwards, when they went in to minister, they washed only their hands and feet ( ch. xxx. 19 ); for he that is washed needs no more, John xiii.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Exodus 29:5
“Thou shalt take the garments - As most offices of spiritual and secular dignity had appropriate habits and insignia, hence, when a person was appointed to an office and habited for the purpose, he was said to be invested with that office, from in, used intensively, and vestio, I clothe, because he was then clothed with the vestments peculiar to that office.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:7
“Then shalt thou take the anointing oil - It appears, from Isa 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.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The English word consecrate here stands for a Hebrew idiom that reads to fill the hand, and verse 24 acts the idiom out by putting the offering into the priests' hands. The office is granted as a perpetual statute, the first use of that phrase in Scripture, and it is granted to a family rather than to a man. Three chapters later Aaron makes the calf, and the priesthood promised here is still given to him.
Exodus 29:8
“And thou shalt bring his sons,.... Order the sons of Aaron to come to the same place where he was: and put coats upon them: such as were ordered to be made for them, Exo 28:40.”
Bull and Rams for Consecration
This is the first place in Scripture where hands are laid on the head of a sacrifice, and it happens three times in this chapter, at verses 10, 15 and 19. The men who will stand at the altar begin by putting their hands on the animal that is killed in the same hour. Leviticus 4:15 makes the same act the opening of a sin offering for the whole congregation, and Leviticus 16:21 puts the confession of the people's sins into it.
Exodus 29:10
“Shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock - By this rite the animal was consecrated to God, and was then proper to be offered in sacrifice. Imposition of hands also signified that they offered the life of this animal as an atonement for their sins, and to redeem their lives from that death which, through their sinfulness, they had deserved.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The words sin offering occur here for the first time in Scripture, and they arrive at the ordination of the priests rather than at the passover. The flesh, the skin and the dung are burned outside the camp, which is also the first occurrence of that phrase on the floor. Hebrews 13:11-13 takes up the arrangement by name and reads the crucifixion outside the gate against it, so the link is one the New Testament makes itself.
Exodus 29:14
“Indeed consequently, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed," as the apostle says. Offering himself to the Father as a new and real sacrifice of reconciliation, he was crucified—not in the temple whose due worship is now completed, nor within the enclosure of the city which was to be destroyed because of its crime, but "outside and beyond the camp." That way, as the mystery of the ancient sacrifices was ceasing, a new victim would be put on a new altar, and the cross of Christ would be the altar not of the temple but of the world.”
Leo the Great · written before 461 · SERMON 59.5patristic
The first ram goes up whole, and the two animals are handled in opposite directions. The body of the sin offering was carried out of the camp and burned there, while this one is cut, washed and burned on the altar with every part kept. The phrase sweet savour goes back to Genesis 8:21, where the LORD smelled it after the flood and said he would not curse the ground again for man's sake.
Exodus 29:15
“Thou shalt also take one ram,.... One of the two he was bid to take, Exo 29:1, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram; confessing their sins, acknowledging their guilt, and by this act transferring the same to the ram, which was to be a burnt offering, and was typical of the imputation of sin to Christ, as before observed.”
Exodus 29:16
“What we must first observe here is, that the priest must be sprinkled with blood, in order that he may conciliate the favor of God towards himself for the purpose of intercession. Thus the priesthood of Christ was dedicated with blood, so that it might be efficacious to reconcile God with us.”
John Calvin · Commentaries (1554)reformed
Exodus 29:18
“It is a burnt-offering - See Clarke’s note on Lev 7:1, etc.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Blood goes on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the great toe of the right foot, so what a priest hears, handles and walks on is marked before he serves. Leviticus 8:23 and 8:24 record Moses doing it, and Leviticus 14:14 puts the same three marks on a leper being cleansed, the only other place in Scripture they appear. Blood from the altar and anointing oil are then sprinkled together on the men and on their clothes, so the two things used separately in this chapter are finally used at once.
Exodus 29:19
“The other ram - There were two rams brought on this occasion: one was for a burnt-offering, and was to be entirely consumed; the other was the ram of consecration, Exo 29:22, איל מלאים eil milluim, the ram of filling up, because when a person was dedicated or consecrated to God, his hands were filled with some particular offering proper for the occasion, which he presented to God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:20
“Then shall thou kill the ram,.... As the other: and take of his blood, some part of it being received into a basin: and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons; according to Jarchi, this is the middle gristle within the ear; but Saadiah more rightly says it is the tender part which joins to the orb of the ear.”
2 more voices on this verse
Exodus 29:20
“Take of his blood - The putting the blood of the sacrifice on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, was doubtless intended to signify that they should dedicate all their faculties and powers to the service of God; their ears to the hearing and study of his law, their hands to diligence in the sacred ministry and to all acts of obedience, and their feet to walking in the way of God’s precepts.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:20
“And there was a marked peculiarity in the manner in which this other ram was to be disposed of. The former was for the glory of God--this was for the comfort of the priest himself; and as a sign of a mutual covenant being ratified, the blood of the sacrifice was divided--part sprinkled on the altar round about, and part upon the persons and garments of the priests.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Exodus 29:21
“Thus the benefit of the expiation made by the sacrifice was applied and assured to them, and their whole selves from head to foot sanctified to the service of God. The blood was put upon the extreme parts of the body, to signify that it was all, as it were, enclosed and taken in for God, the tip of the ear and the great toe not excepted.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The Wave Offering and the Priest's Portion
The fat, the right shoulder and three pieces of bread are put into the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved, which is the first wave offering in Scripture. Moses then receives them back and burns them, so the first thing placed in a priest's hand is the thing he gives up. This is the verse the idiom at verse 9 was pointing at, since to consecrate in Hebrew is to fill the hand.
Exodus 29:22
“The fat and the rump - The rump or tail of some of the eastern sheep is the best part of the animal, and is counted a great delicacy.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 29:22
“Hence under the divine law the priest receives the shoulder for sacrifice, and this the right one and separate; to signify that his action should be not only profitable, but even singular; and that he should not merely do what is right among bad men, but transcend even the well-doers among those that are under him in the virtue of his conduct, as he surpasses them in the dignity of his order.”
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 3patristic
Exodus 29:23
“And one loaf of bread - The bread of different kinds, (see Clarke on Exo 29:2 (note)), in this offering, seems to have been intended as a minchah, or offering of grateful acknowledgment for providential blessings. The essence of worship consisted in acknowledging God, 1. As the Creator, Governor, and Preserver of all things, and the Dispenser of every good and perfect gift. 2. As the Judge of men, the Punisher of sin, and he who alone could pardon it. The minchahs, heave-offerings, wave-offerings, and thank-offerings, referred to the first point.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:24
“For a wave-offering - See Clarke’s note on Lev 7:1 etc., where an ample account of all the offerings, sacrifices, etc., under the Mosaic dispensation, and the reference they bore to the great sacrifice offered by Christ, is given in detail.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:25
“Thou shalt receive them of their hands - Aaron and his sons are here considered merely as any common persons bringing an offering to God, and not having, as yet, any authority to present it themselves, but through the medium of a priest. Moses, therefore, was now to Aaron and his sons what they were afterwards to the children of Israel; and as the minister of God he now consecrates them to the sacred office, and presents their offerings to Jehovah.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Take the breast of the ram: Moses takes the breast as his own portion, and he performs every priestly act in this chapter while the office itself passes to his brother. The breast and the shoulder then become a standing share for Aaron and his sons out of the people's peace offerings, and this is the first heave offering in Scripture. The men who stand between the people and God are fed by the people they stand for, which is the beginning of the arrangement Paul argues from at 1 Corinthians 9:13.
Exodus 29:26
“And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecrations,.... The ram being slain and cut to pieces, this part is particularly disposed of: and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord; in the manner before described: and it shall be thy part: the part of Moses, he officiating now as a priest; and we find accordingly in later times that this part of the sacrifice belonged to the priest, Lev 7:31.”
Exodus 29:27
“The breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the heave-offering - As the wave-offering was agitated to and fro, and the heave-offering up and down, some have conceived that this twofold action represented the figure of the cross, on which the great Peace-offering between God and man was offered in the personal sacrifice of our blessed Redeemer.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:28
“The breast also together with the shoulder is assigned to him for eating, that he may learn to immolate to the Giver of all that of himself which he is enjoined to take of the Sacrifice; that he may not only in his breast entertain right thoughts, but with the shoulder of work invite those who behold him to things on high; that he may covet no prosperity of the present life, and fear no adversity; that, having regard to the fear within him, he may despise the charm of the world, but considering the charm of inward sweetness, may…”
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 3patristic
The garments outlast the man who wears them and pass to the son who takes his place, which makes the clothing of chapter 28 an office rather than a wardrobe. Each successor puts them on for seven days before he ministers in the holy place. Hebrews 7:23-24 turns on this very arrangement, that the Levitical priests were many because death would not suffer them to continue, and that Christ holds an unchangeable priesthood.
Exodus 29:29
“The holy garments - shall be his son’s after him - These garments were to descend from father to son, and no new garments were to be made.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:30
“Seven days - The priest in his consecration was to abide seven days and nights at the door of the tabernacle, keeping the Lord’s watch. See Lev 8:33, etc. The number seven is what is called among the Hebrews a number of perfection; and it is often used to denote the completion, accomplishment, fullness, or perfection of a thing, as this period contained the whole course of that time in which God created the world, and appointed the day of rest.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Seven Days to Consecrate the Altar
The word atonement occurs for the first time in Scripture at verse 33, seventeen chapters after the passover and four after the tabernacle instructions began. It arrives with the priesthood, and the priests eat the very offering by which the atonement was made, so their first meal in office is the sacrifice that put them there. Nothing may remain until the morning, which is the rule Exodus 12:10 laid down for the passover lamb.
Exodus 29:31
“And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration,.... For the other ram was cut in pieces and burnt, even the whole of it: and seethe his flesh in the holy place; not in that part of the tabernacle which was properly the holy place, as distinguished from the holy of holies, and from the court of the tabernacle; for in that there was no convenience for boiling, but in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation, even at the door of it, as in Lev 8:31.”
Exodus 29:33
“He supped with them, and they with him. Their eating of the things wherewith the atonement was made signified their receiving the atonement, as the expression is ( Rom. v. 11 ), their thankful acceptance of the benefit of it, and their joyful communion with God thereupon, which was the true intent and meaning of a feast upon a sacrifice.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 29:33
“But a stranger shall not eat thereof - That is, no person who was not of the family of Aaron - no Israelite, and not even a Levite.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:34
“Burn the remainder with fire - Common, voluntary, and peace-offerings, might be eaten even on the second day; see Lev 7:16; Lev 19:5, Lev 19:6. But this being a peculiar consecration, in order to qualify a person to offer sacrifices for sin, like that great sacrifice, the paschal lamb, that typified the atonement made by Christ, none of it was to be left till the morning lest putrefaction should commence, which would be utterly improper in a sacrifice that was to make expiation for sin, and bring the soul into a state of holiness and perfection with God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Seven days are required, and a bullock is offered every one of them for the altar as well as for the men, so the furniture is cleansed alongside the priests. The section closes with a sentence it leaves unexplained, that whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. Jesus takes up that clause at Matthew 23:19, asking whether the gift is greater or the altar that sanctifieth the gift. Haggai 2:11-13 puts the reverse question to the priests and gets the answer that uncleanness spreads by touch in a way holiness does not.
Exodus 29:36
“An atonement was made for the altar. Though that was not a subject capable of sin, nor, having never yet been used, could it be said to be polluted with the sins of the people, yet, since the fall, there can be no sanctification to God but there must first be an atonement for sin, which renders us both unworthy and unfit to be employed for God.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Exodus 29:37
“Whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy - To this our Lord refers Mat 23:19, where he says the altar sanctifies the gift; and this may be understood as implying that whatever was laid on the altar became the Lord’s property, and must be wholly devoted to sacred uses, for in no other sense could such things be sanctified by touching the altar.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 29:37
“And atonement was made for the altar. The altar was also sanctified, not only set apart itself to a sacred use, but made so holy as to sanctify the gifts that were offered upon it, Matt. xxiii, 19. Christ is our altar, for our sakes he sanctified himself, that we and our performances might be sanctified and recommended to God, John xvii, 19.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Daily Lambs; God Dwells Among Them
The daily service of Israel begins here, a lamb in the morning and a lamb at evening with flour, oil and wine, without a break. Numbers 28:3-6 repeats the order and calls it the continual burnt offering ordained in mount Sinai. The evening lamb fixed an hour that the rest of Scripture keeps returning to, at 1 Kings 18:36 where Elijah prays at the time of the evening sacrifice, at Ezra 9:4-5, and at Acts 3:1 where Peter and John go up to the temple at the ninth hour.
Exodus 29:38
“This daily service, a lamb offered upon the altar every morning, and every evening, typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make in the virtue of his satisfaction for the continual sanctification of his church: though he offered himself once for all, yet that one offering thus becomes a continual offering.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 29:38
“Exo 29:38 The continual burnt-offering - The primary purpose of the national altar is here set forth. The victim slain every morning and every evening was an acknowledgment that the life of the people belonged to Yahweh; the offering of meal was an acknowledgment that all their works rightly done were His due (see Lev. 2); while the incense symbolized their daily prayers. Exo 29:39 At even - See Exo 12:6. Exo 29:40 A tenth deal - i. e. the tenth part of an Ephah; it is sometimes called an Omer (Exo 16:36; see Lev 23:13).”
ConnectionsJohn 1:29
Exodus 29:39
One lamb thou shalt offer in the morning - These two lambs, one in the morning, and the other in the evening, were generally termed the morning and evening daily sacrifices, and were offered from the time of their settlement in the promised land to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. The use of these sacrifices according to the Jews was this: “The morning sacrifice made atonement for the sins committed in the night, and the evening sacrifice expiated the sins committed during the day.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:40
“A tenth deal of flour - Deal signifies a part, from the Anglo-Saxon word, to divide; hence, a part, a portion taken from the whole. From Num 28:5 we learn that this tenth deal was the tenth part of an ephah, which constituted what is called an omer. See Exo 16:36; and see Clarke’s note on Exo 16:16 of the same chapter, where an account is given of different measures of capacity among the Hebrews. The omer contained about three quarts English. The fourth part of a hin - The hin contained one gallon and two pints.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:41
“For do not think that the omnipotent God commanded this and consecrated this in the law that incense be brought to him from Arabia. But this is the incense that God seeks to be offered by human beings to him, from which he receives "a pleasing odor," prayers from a pure heart and good conscience in which God truly receives a pleasing warmth.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 13.5.2patristic
The tent is given its purpose in one clause, where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. The name used all through these chapters, the tabernacle of the congregation, renders a Hebrew phrase that reads tent of meeting, and this verse is the meeting it is named for. Verse 43 promises that the place will be sanctified by God's glory, and Exodus 40:34-35 reports it, when the cloud covers the tent and Moses cannot go in.
Exodus 29:43
“There I will meet with the children of Israel - See Clarke’s note on Exo 25:22.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Three verses give the reason for everything commanded since chapter 25, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 had asked for a sanctuary in those same words, and this is the answer to it. The refrain that ran through the plagues, that they shall know that I am the LORD, was first spoken to Israel at Exodus 6:7 and lands here again on Israel, and what they are to know it by is the dwelling. John 1:14 uses a Greek verb built on the word for a tent when it says the Word dwelt among us.
Exodus 29:44
“I will sanctify - both Aaron and his sons - So we find the sanctification by Moses according to the Divine institution was only symbolical; and that Aaron and his sons must be sanctified, i.e., made holy, by God himself before they could officiate in holy things. From this, as well as from many other things mentioned in the sacred writings, we may safely infer that no designation by man only is sufficient to qualify any person to fill the office of a minister of the sanctuary.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:45
“I will dwell among the children of Israel - This is the great charter of the people of God, both under the Old and New Testaments; see Exo 25:8; Lev 26:11, Lev 26:12; 2Co 6:16; Rev 21:3. God dwells Among them: he is ever to be found in his Church to enlighten, quicken, comfort, and support it; to dispense the light of life by the preaching of his word, and the influences of his Spirit for the conviction and conversion of sinners.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 29:46
“And they shall know that I am the Lord their God - That is, They shall acknowledge God, and their infinite obligations to him. In a multitude of places in Scripture the word know should be thus understood. That I may dwell among them - For without this acknowledgment and consequent dependence on and gratitude and obedience to God, they could not expect him to dwell among them.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: Ordination ritual given as instruction, seven days of consecration for Aaron and his sons, as Barnes classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Hands laid on the head, three times | Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the bull at verse 10, on the first ram at verse 15, and on the second ram at verse 19. Counted in the Berean text of the chapter the gesture stands three times, once before each animal is killed. Adam Clarke reads it as consecrating the animal and as offering its life in atonement.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Exodus 29:10. | Exodus 29:10, Exodus 29:15, Exodus 29:19 |
| The right ear, the right thumb, the right toe | Verse 20 puts the blood of the second ram on three extremities of each priest in one sentence. Matthew Henry reads the placing as taking the whole man in for God, from the tip of the ear to the great toe. The rest of the blood goes on the altar, and verse 21 sprinkles blood and anointing oil together on the men and their garments.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710, on Exodus 29:21. | Exodus 29:20, Exodus 29:21 |
| Seven days, said of the men and of the altar | Verse 30 gives seven days of wearing the garments to the son who succeeds. Verse 35 gives seven days to the ordaining of Aaron and his sons. Verses 36 and 37 give seven days to the atonement and consecration of the altar. The same count is applied to the priest and to the furniture he serves at. | Exodus 29:30, Exodus 29:35, Exodus 29:36, Exodus 29:37 |
| I will dwell among the Israelites, said at the close | The chapter ends by answering the reason given at 25:8, that they are to make a sanctuary so that God may dwell among them. Verse 45 says I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. Verse 46 says they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. Matthew Henry reads the pair as the comfortable evidence of a covenant interest in God.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710, on Exodus 29:45. | Exodus 25:8, Exodus 29:45, Exodus 29:46 |
The chapter stands between the garments of chapter 28 and the last pieces of furniture in chapter 30, and it is the only chapter in the run that ordains people rather than describing objects. Its last two verses close the argument that began at 25:8. The building was designed so that God could dwell among them, and here He says that He will.
13 more paragraphs on the patterns
The daily offering of verses 38 to 42 is the service the rest of the Old Testament assumes. Two lambs a day, morning and twilight, for the generations to come, at the entrance of the tent where God says He will meet them.
The historical value
The chapter's own account is of a ceremony rather than of an event, and the store's notes bring no archaeological evidence to it. What the commentators supply is the sequence. Adam Clarke sets the consecration after the erection of the tabernacle and refers the reader to Leviticus 8. Albert Barnes distinguishes the waving of the breast from the heaving of the thigh, and calls the waving the more solemn of the two, a movement repeated several times where heaving was one lifting up.
The New Testament's use
Verse 14 sends the body of the sin offering outside the camp, and Hebrews 13:11 to 13 turns on that instruction. The high priest brings the blood into the Holy Place and the bodies are burned outside the camp, and so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. The conclusion drawn is that His people should go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.
The washing of verse 4 is read by Cyril of Jerusalem as a symbol of baptism. His ground is that Aaron was washed before he became high priest, and that the laver stood within the tabernacle.
The unblemished animals of verse 1 are read by John Calvin through Hebrews 7:26, where the high priest who befits us is holy, harmless and undefiled. Hebrews 9:11 to 14 sets the blood of goats and bulls against the blood of Christ in the same terms this chapter uses.
The debated reading
When this ceremony happened is the chapter's contested point, and it is a question of sequence rather than of doctrine. The instruction is given here, in the middle of the tabernacle pattern, before anything has been built. Adam Clarke holds that the consecration did not take place until after the erection of the tabernacle, and points to Leviticus 8. Albert Barnes refers the whole chapter to Leviticus 8 and 9 in the same way. On that reading the instruction stands months before its performance, and the text of Exodus does not record the ceremony at all.
The second question is what the wave offering and the heave offering were. Albert Barnes gives the distinction as a repeated movement against one lifting up, and calls the waving more solemn. Adam Clarke records that some have read the two motions together as tracing the figure of the cross, and he reports the reading without adopting it. He also notes at verse 22 that the fat tail of the eastern sheep was counted a delicacy, which is a matter of fact rather than of dispute.
The typological reading of the ordination follows the pattern set out in the study of chapter 25. John Calvin reads the priest sprinkled with blood as the dedication of Christ's priesthood. John Wesley reads the two daily lambs as the continual intercession of Christ, and says that the one offering thus becomes a continual offering. Matthew Henry reads the priests eating the flesh of the atonement as receiving the atonement, and cites Romans 5:11. Those readings are theirs.
Where to go deeper
The office stands at the priest, the anointing at the anointing, and the garments at the garment. The altar stands at the altar and the blood at the blood. The bodies burned outside the camp stand at outside the camp, and the daily lamb at the lamb. The once for all offering stands at once for all. The ordination itself has no page yet and is owed.
Keep studying
People1
Places1
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Exodus 29:19; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, 1832 to 1869, on Exodus 29:1 and John Calvin, Commentaries, 1554, on Exodus 29:16.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Chuck Missler, Learn the Bible in 24 Hours; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Sir Robert Anderson, Types in Hebrews.