Leviticus 8

King James Version

Full text for Leviticus Chapter 8

1¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;

3And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

4And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

5And Moses said unto the congregation, This [is] the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.

6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

7And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound [it] unto him therewith.

8And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.

9And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, [even] upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.

10And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that [was] therein, and sanctified them.

11And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.

12And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

13And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.

14¶ And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering.

15And he slew [it]; and Moses took the blood, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.

16And he took all the fat that [was] upon the inwards, and the caul [above] the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned [it] upon the altar.

17But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the LORD commanded Moses.

18And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

19And he killed [it]; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.

20And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.

21And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it [was] a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, [and] an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

22And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

23And he slew [it]; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put [it] upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.

24And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.

25And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that [was] upon the inwards, and the caul [above] the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder:

26And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that [was] before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put [them] on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:

27And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them [for] a wave offering before the LORD.

28And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt [them] on the altar upon the burnt offering: they [were] consecrations for a sweet savour: it [is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29And Moses took the breast, and waved it [for] a wave offering before the LORD: [for] of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses.

30And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which [was] upon the altar, and sprinkled [it] upon Aaron, [and] upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, [and] his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

31¶ And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that [is] in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.

32And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire.

33And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation [in] seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you.

34As he hath done this day, [so] the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.

35Therefore shall ye abide [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded.

36So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Leviticus chapter 8 details the solemn consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, performed by Moses as commanded by the LORD. Moses washes and vests them in their priestly garments, then anoints the Tabernacle and Aaron with sacred oil. Various sacrifices, including a sin offering, burnt offering, and a ram of consecration, are performed, with blood applied to the altar and the priests. The chapter concludes with the command for Aaron and his sons to remain at the tabernacle for seven days to complete their ordination.

Medium Summary

Leviticus chapter 8 describes the elaborate ceremony for consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, executed by Moses according to divine instruction. Before the assembled congregation, Moses first ritually washes Aaron and his sons, then dresses Aaron in his full high priestly attire, including the ephod and breastplate, and vests his sons. The Tabernacle and its furnishings are anointed with oil, followed by Aaron himself, signifying their sanctification for holy service. A bullock is offered as a sin offering, its blood purifying the altar, and a ram as a burnt offering, wholly consumed on the altar as a sweet savour. A second ram, the ram of consecration, is sacrificed, with its blood applied to Aaron and his sons' right ear, thumb, and great toe, symbolizing their dedication. Specific fat portions and unleavened bread offerings are waved before the LORD and burned on the altar. Finally, Moses sprinkles a mixture of anointing oil and altar blood upon the priests and their garments, completing their sanctification. Aaron and his sons are then instructed to remain at the tabernacle for seven days to fulfill the full period of their consecration.

Long Summary

Leviticus chapter 8 meticulously records the detailed process of consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, executed by Moses precisely as the LORD commanded. The entire congregation is gathered at the tabernacle door to witness this significant event. Moses begins by ritually washing Aaron and his sons with water, symbolizing purification before their holy service. He then meticulously dresses Aaron in his full high priestly attire, including the coat, girdle, robe, ephod with its curious girdle, breastplate containing the Urim and Thummim, and the mitre bearing the holy crown, symbolizing his exalted office. Aaron's sons are also clothed in their designated priestly garments. Following this, Moses takes the anointing oil and sanctifies the Tabernacle and all its vessels by anointing and sprinkling them, setting them apart for divine use. He then pours the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, anointing him to sanctify him for his sacred office. The sacrificial rites commence with a bullock for a sin offering, upon which Aaron and his sons lay their hands; Moses slays it, applies its blood to the altar's horns to purify it, and burns the fat, while the remainder is burned without the camp. Next, a ram is offered as a burnt offering, its blood sprinkled on the altar, and the entire animal consumed by fire as a sweet savour to the LORD, signifying complete dedication. A second ram, designated the ram of consecration, is then sacrificed, and its blood is uniquely applied to the tip of Aaron's and his sons' right ear, right thumb, and right great toe, signifying their complete dedication and sanctification for service. Specific fat portions, the right shoulder, and unleavened cakes from a basket are placed on the priests' hands and waved as a wave offering before being burned on the altar. Moses takes the breast of this ram as his designated portion. To culminate the consecration, Moses sprinkles a mixture of anointing oil and blood from the altar upon Aaron, his garments, and his sons and their garments, thoroughly sanctifying them for their holy duties. Finally, Aaron and his sons are commanded to boil and eat the remaining consecrated flesh and bread at the tabernacle door, and to remain within the tabernacle precincts for seven full days, fulfilling the period of their consecration and keeping the LORD's charge to avoid death. This entire elaborate ritual serves to make atonement for them and establish them in their holy office.

Core Concepts

  • Consecration of PriesthoodThis chapter details the formal, divinely commanded process by which Aaron and his sons were set apart and inducted into the priestly office, involving washing, vesting, anointing, and specific sacrifices.
  • Anointing OilA sacred oil used by Moses to sanctify the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and especially Aaron, symbolizing divine appointment, the presence of God, and setting apart for holy service.
  • Priestly GarmentsThe specific, detailed vestments worn by Aaron as High Priest (e.g., ephod, breastplate, mitre) and by his sons, signifying their office, holiness, and the glory and beauty of their service.
  • Sacrificial RitesThe performance of various offerings—sin offering, burnt offering, and the ram of consecration—each with distinct purposes of atonement, dedication, and purification, essential for the priests' inauguration.
  • Blood ApplicationThe ritualistic use of blood from the sacrifices, applied to the altar for purification and reconciliation, and uniquely to the right ear, thumb, and great toe of the priests, symbolizing their complete dedication and sanctification for service.
  • Seven Days of OrdinationThe prescribed period of seven days during which Aaron and his sons were to remain at the tabernacle, completing their consecration and demonstrating their full commitment to their newly appointed holy office.
  • Divine Command and ObedienceThe overarching theme that all actions performed by Moses were precisely 'as the LORD commanded Moses,' emphasizing the divine origin and authority of the rituals and the importance of strict adherence.