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41 With these you shall clothe your brother Aaron and his sons. Anoint and install them,[a] consecrating them as my priests.

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Footnotes

  1. 28:41 Install them: lit., “fill their hands,” a technical expression used for the installation of priests.

Aaron and his sons you shall also bring to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there wash them with water. Take the vestments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastpiece, fastening the embroidered belt of the ephod around him. Put the turban on his head, the sacred diadem on the turban. Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, and anoint him. Bring forward his sons also and clothe them with the tunics, gird them with the sashes, and tie the skullcaps on them.(A) Thus shall the priesthood be theirs by a perpetual statute, and thus shall you install Aaron and his sons.

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II. Ceremony of Ordination

Chapter 8

Ordination of Aaron and His Sons.[a] (A)The Lord said to Moses: Take Aaron along with his sons, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull for a purification offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, then assemble the whole community[b] at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Moses did as the Lord had commanded. When the community(B) had assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, Moses told them: “This is what the Lord has ordered to be done.” Bringing forward Aaron and his sons, Moses first washed them with water. [c]Then he put the tunic on Aaron,(C) girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, placed the ephod on him, and girded him with the ephod’s embroidered belt, fastening the ephod on him with it. He then set the breastpiece on him, putting the Urim and Thummim[d] in it. He put the turban on his head, attaching the gold medallion, the sacred headband,[e] on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses to do.

10 [f]Taking the anointing oil, Moses anointed and consecrated the tabernacle and all that was in it.(D) 11 Then he sprinkled some of the oil seven times on the altar, and anointed the altar, with all its utensils, and the laver, with its base, to consecrate them. 12 He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.(E) 13 Moses likewise brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, girded them with sashes, and put skullcaps on them, as the Lord had commanded him to do.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:1–2 This chapter presents the fulfillment of the commands in Ex 28–29; 30:26–30; and 40:9–15.
  2. 8:3–4 Community: this word (Heb. ‘edah) may refer to tribal leaders, all adult males, or the entire nation. The last is probably intended here.
  3. 8:7–9, 13 On the priestly clothing, see Ex 28–29. Ephod: according to Ex 28:6–14, the term for one of Aaron’s special vestments made of gold thread, with multicolored woolen thread woven into it as well as fine linen. In appearance it resembled a kind of apron, hung on the priest by shoulder straps and secured by an embroidered belt. A somewhat simpler “apron” was presumably worn by other priests (1 Sm 22:18).
  4. 8:8 The Urim and Thummim: see Ex 28:30 and note there. Although these terms and the object(s) they refer to are still unexplained, they appear to be small objects that functioned like dice or lots to render a decision for those making an inquiry of God, perhaps originally in legal cases where the guilt of the accused could not otherwise be determined (cf. Ex 28:30; Nm 27:21; Dt 33:8; 1 Sm 28:6; Ezr 2:63; Neh 7:65).
  5. 8:9 Headband: see Ex 39:30–31. The gold medallion, together with its cords, comprises the sacred headband.
  6. 8:10–12 Anointing with the specially prepared oil (cf. Ex 30:22–33) is one of the means of making objects and persons holy by setting them apart for a special function or purpose.