Leviticus 8:5
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Cross References
Exodus 29:4-37
4You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. 5You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 6You shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. 7Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them. 9You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them. They shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. You shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10“You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11You shall kill the bull before the LORD at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 12You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. It is a sin offering.
15“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
19“You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 21You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him. 22Also you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. 24You shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands, and in his sons’ hands, and shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
26“You shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD. It shall be your portion. 27You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is raised up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons. 28It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering. It shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to the LORD.
29“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 30Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the holy place.
31“You shall take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place. 32Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 33They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy. 34If anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35“You shall do so to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days. 36Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it. You shall anoint it, to sanctify it. 37Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
Study
Leviticus 8:1–36
In Exodus 28–29, the Lord gave Moses detailed instructions for clothing and ordaining Aaron and his sons as priests. In Exodus 39:1–31; 40:12–16; and Leviticus 8, they followed these commands. Moses did not only tell them the instructions. He performed the ceremonies to show the priests exactly what to do, as the Lord had commanded him (8:9, 13, 17, 21, 29). Since disobedience could lead to death, God ensured the priests understood their duties clearly.
8:3-5
gather thou all the congregation together, &c.--It was manifestly expedient for the Israelitish people to be satisfied that Aaron's appointment to the high dignity of the priesthood was not a personal intrusion, nor a family arrangement between him and Moses; and nothing, therefore, could be a more prudent or necessary measure, for impressing a profound conviction of the divine origin and authority of the priestly institution, than to summon a general assembly of the people, and in their presence perform the solemn ceremonies of inauguration, which had been prescribed by divine authority.
8:1-13
God had given Moses orders to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the priests' office, when he was with him the first time upon mount Sinai, Ex. 28 and Exo 29:1, where we have also the particular instructions he had how to do it. Now here we have,
I. The orders repeated. What was there commanded to be done is here commanded to be done now, Lev 8:2, Lev 8:3. The tabernacle was newly set up, which, without the priests, would be as a candlestick without a candle; the law concerning sacrifices was newly given, but could not be observed without priests; for, though Aaron and his sons had been nominated to the office, they could not officiate, till they were consecrated, which yet must not be done till the place of their ministration was prepared, and the ordinances were instituted, that they might apply themselves to work as soon as ever they were consecrated, and might know that they were ordained, not only to the honour and profit, but to the business of the priesthood. Aaron and his sons were near relations to Moses, and therefore he would not consecrate them till he had further orders, lest he should seem too forward to bring honour into his family.
II. The congregation called together, at the door, that is, in the court of the tabernacle, Lev 8:4. The elders and principal men of the congregation, who represented the body of the people, were summoned to attend; for the court would hold but a few of the many thousands of Israel. It was done thus publicly, 1. Because it was a solemn transaction between God and Israel; the priests were to be ordained for men in things pertaining to God, for the maintaining of a settled correspondence, and the negotiating of all affairs between the people and God; and therefore it was fit that both sides should appear, to own the appointment, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 2. The spectators of the solemnity could not but be possessed, by the sight of it, with a great veneration for the priests and their office, which was necessary among a people so wretchedly prone as these were to envy and discontent. It was strange that any of those who were witnesses of what was here done should afterwards say, as some of them did, You take too much upon you, you sons of Levi; but what would they have said if it had been done clandestinely? Note, It is very fit, and of good use, that ministers should be ordained publicly, plebe praesente - in the presence of the common people, according to the usage of the primitive church.
III. The commission read, Lev 8:5. Moses, who was God's representative in this solemnity, produced his orders before the congregation: This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. Though God had crowned him king in Jeshurun, when he made his face to shine in the sight of all Israel, yet he did not institute or appoint any thing in God's worship but what God himself had commanded. The priesthood he delivered to them was that which he had received from the Lord. Note, All that minister about holy things must have an eye to God's command as their rule and warrant; for it is only in the observance of this that they can expect to be owned and accepted of God. Thus we must be able to say, in all acts of religious worship, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.
IV. The ceremony performed according to the divine ritual. 1. Aaron and his sons were washed with water (Lev 8:6), to signify that they ought now to purify themselves from all sinful dispositions and inclinations, and ever after to keep themselves pure. Christ washes those from their sins in his own blood whom he makes to our God kings and priests (Rev 1:5, Rev 1:6); and those that draw near to God must be washed in pure water, Heb 10:22. Though they were ever so clean before and no filth was to be seen upon them, yet they must be washed, to signify their purification from sin, with which their souls were polluted, how clean soever their bodies were. 2. They were clothed with the holy garments, Aaron with his (Lev 8:7-9), which typified the dignity of Christ our great high priest, and his sons with theirs (Lev 8:13), which typified the decency of Christians, who are spiritual priests. Christ wears the breast-plate of judgment and the holy crown; for the church's high priest is her prophet and king. All believers are clothed with the robe of righteousness, and girt with the girdle of truth, resolution, and close application; and their heads are bound, as the word here is, with the bonnet or diadem of beauty, the beauty of holiness. 3. The high priest was anointed, and, it should seem, the holy things were anointed at the same time; some think that they were anointed before, but that the anointing of them is mentioned here because Aaron was anointed with the same oil with which they were anointed; but the manner of relating it here makes it more than probable that it was done at the same time, and that the seven days employed in consecrating the altar were coincident with the seven days of the priests' consecration. The tabernacle, and all its utensils, had some of the anointing oil put upon them with Moses's finger (Lev 8:10), so had the altar (Lev 8:11); these were to sanctify the gold and the gift (Mat 23:17-19), and therefore must themselves be thus sanctified; but he poured it out more plentifully upon the head of Aaron (Lev 8:12), so that it ran down to the skirts of his garments, because his unction was to typify the anointing of Christ with the Spirit, which was not given by measure to him. Yet all believers also have received the anointing, which puts an indelible character upon them, Jo1 2:27.
8:4-36
Leviticus 8:4-36
4. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4. Et fecit Moses quemadmodum praecperat ei Jehova. Et congregatus est coetus ad ostium tabernaculi conventionis.
5. And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.
5. Tunc dixit Moses ad congregaionem, Hoc est verbum quod praecepit Jehova facere.
6. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
6. Et accedere fecit Moses Aharon et filios ejus, quos lavit aqua.
7. And 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.
7. Postea induit eum tunica, et cinxit baltheo, et pallio induit eum, et superimposuit ephod, et cinxit eum cingulo ephod: cinxit inquam illo.
8. And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
8. Et superimposuit ei pectorale, et reposuit in pectorali Urim et Thummim.
9. And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his fore-front, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses.
9. Deinde cidarim imposuit capiti ejus, ponens super cidarim ante faciem ejus laminam auream, coronam sanetam, sicut praceperat Jehova Mosi.
10. And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle, and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
10. Accepit quoque Moses oleum unctionis, et unxit tabernaculum, et quaecunque erant in eo: et consecravit ilia.
11. And 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.
11. Et aspersit ex eo super altare septera vicibus, unxitque altare atque omnis vasa ejus, et concham et basim ejus, ut consecraret ea.
12. And he poured of the anoint oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
12. Fudit etiam ex oleo unctionis super caput Aharon, unxitque eum ut consecraret eum.
13. And 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.
13. Fecit praeterea Moses accedere filios Aharon, induitque filius tunicis, et cinxit filius baltheo, atque alligavit eis mitras, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova ipsi Mosi.
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.
14. Adduxit quoque juvencum in hostium pro peccato, imposuitque Aharon et filii ejus manus suas super caput juvenci hostiae pro peccato.
15. And 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.
15. Et mactavit, tulitque Moses sanguinem, posuitque super cornua altaris per circuitum digito suo, et expiavit altare: reliquum vero sanguinem fudit ad basim altaris, et sanctificavit illud ad expiandum illud.
16. And 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.
16. Tulit praeterea totum adipem qui erat super intestina, et fibram jecoris et duos renes, adipemque eorum, adolevitque ea Moses super altare.
17. But the bullock and his hide, his flesh and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the Lord commanded Moses.
17. Juvencum vero et pellem ejus, et carnero ejus, et fimum ejus combussit igni extra castra, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova ipsi Mosi.
18. And he brought the ram for the burnt-offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.
18. Post haec adduxit arietem holocausti, et admoverunt Aharon et filii ejus marius suas super caput arietis.
19. And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
19. Et mactavit, sparsitque Moses sanguinem super altare per circuitum.
20. And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.
20. Arietem quoque concidit in frusta sua, adolevitque Moses caput, et frusta et adipem.
21. And 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 savor, and an offering made by fire unto the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.
21. Intestina vero et crura lavit aqua, et adolevit Moses totum arietem super altare: holocaustum est in odorem quietis: oblatio est ignita Jehova, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova Mosi.
22. And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.
22. Accedere fecit et arietem secundum, arietem consecrationum: posueruntque Ahaxon et filii ejus marius super caput arietis.
23. And 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.
23. Et mactavit, tulitque Moses de sanguine ejus, et posuit super tenerum auris Aharon dextrae, et super pollicem manus ejus dextrae et super pollicem petits ejus dextri.
24. And 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.
24. Adduxit et filius Aharon, posuitque Moses de sanguine super tenerum auris eorum dextrae, et super pollicem marius eorum dextrae, et super pollicem pedis eorum dextri: sparsitque Moses sanguinem super altare per circuitum.
25. And 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:
25. Tulit deinde adipem, et caudam: totumque adipem qui erat super intestina, et fibram jecoris, duosque renes, et adipem eorum, et armum dextrum.
26. And 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:
26. De canistro quoque infermentatorum quae erant coram Jehova, tulit tortam infermentatam unam, et tortam panis oleati unam, et laganum unum, posuitque cum adipe et cum armo dextro.
27. And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them. for a wave-offering before the Lord.
27. Et posuit omnia haec in manibus Aharon, et in manibus filiorum ejus, et ea agitate fecit agitatione coram Jehova.
28. And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt-offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savor; it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
28. Dein accepit Moses ilia ex manibus eorum, adolevitque super altare in holocaustum, consecrationes enim sunt in odorem quietis, oblatio ignita est Jehovae.
29. And 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.
29. Tulitque Moses pectus, et agitavit illud agitatione coram Jehova: et ex ariete consecrationum ipsi Most fuit in partera, quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova ipsi Most.
30. And 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.
30. Tulit etiam Moses ex oleo unctionis, et de sanguine qui erat super altare, aspersitque super Aharon, super vestes ejus, et super filios ejus, et super vestes filiorum ejus cum eo: consecravitque Aharonem, et vestes ejus, et filios ejus, et vestes filiorum ejus cum eo.
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.
31. Et dixit Moses ad Aharon et ad filios ejus, Coquite carnes ad ostium tabernaculi conventionis, ibi deniqne comedite eam, et panem qui est in canistro consecrationum, quemadmodum praecepi, dicendo, Aharon et filii ejus comedent eam.
32. And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire.
32. Quod vero superfuerit de carne et pane, igni comburetis.
33. And 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.
33. Et ex ostio tabernaculi conventionis non egrediemini septem diebus, usque ad diem qua completi fuerint dies consecrationum vestrarum: septem enim diebus consecrabit manum vestram.
34. As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.
34. quemadmodum fecit in die hac, praecepit Jehova facere ad expiandum vos.
35. Therefore 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.
35. Et ad ostium tabernaculi conventionis manebitis die et nocte, septem diebus, observabitisque observationem eoram Jehova, et non moriemini: sic enim jussus sum.
36. So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
36. Fecit itaque Aharon et filii eius omnia verba quae praeceperat Jehova per manum Mosis.
4. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him Although these things relate to the priesthood, the authority and nature of which I expounded under the Second Commandment, yet, inasmuch as they are historical, it is not without reason that I have thought fit to defer them till this place: for, if I had referred to them in connection with the Commandment, unpractised readers would not have easily taken notice of their time. This distinction, however, will be of great assistance to them, that after the doctrine which was properly contained in the Decalogue has been set forth, they will now see how faithfully Moses fulfilled whatever he was commanded, and will be able to compare his obedience with the injunction, as they have done in the whole of the making and dedication of the tabernacle. Besides, there is no question but that the narrative must be thus connected; for it may be readily inferred from many passages, that the priests were anointed on the same day that the tabernacle was consecrated. I will now hastily run through the words. Moses says that he brought near Aaron and his sons, i.e., to set them before God and the people; and then that he "washed them with water," to make it manifest that they did not bring from their homes the purity which befitted the sanctity of their office, and, inasmuch as they were men, that they could not be clean before God, unless their impurity was washed off. A description of their apparel afterwards follows, which I pass over, lest I should weary my readers by twice repeating the same thing.
10. And Moses took the anointing oil I have stated why God commanded that the priest himself, as well as all the vessels, should be consecrated with oil, viz., because, without the influence of the Spirit, all the sacrifices would be unsavory. And it is by the operation of the same Spirit that Christ was made the peace-maker between God and men; because this dignity would not otherwise belong to flesh and human nature. Aaron was therefore anointed, together with his sons, before he was admitted to the priestly office; for it is afterwards added, that "the bullock for sin" [405] was brought, upon which Aaron laid his hands. Now, although even then he began to discharge his office, yet Moses still occupied the first place, and performed, as it were, the final act. Hence it was that he sprinkled the horns of the altar with the blood; poured the residue at its base for expiation; and burned the sacrifice upon the altar. Now, the imposition of hands in the sacrifices was not only a symbol of presentation, but also a testimony of guilt transferred to the victim. Since, however, this last statement may be obscure on account of its brevity, I will explain it a little more clearly. If any private person offered a victim, the imposition of hands signified that he cast the guilt of his sin upon the victim. Hence the name of piaculum; [406] because it sustained the curse of God, and was substituted in the sinner's stead, who disburdens himself upon it of whatever exposed him to the judgment of God. But, inasmuch as common hands were unworthy to consecrate a victim to God, the sacerdotal office interposed. This is the reason why Aaron and his sons put their hands on each of the sacrifices, in order that this kind of atonement (piaculi) might be the beginning of their consecration, which was completed in the second ram, with the blood of which Moses stained their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of their right feet. A multitude of questions here arises: Why only one side of the priests was consecrated, as if their left side remained polluted? Why consecration was not also imparted to their eyes, and especially to their mouth, which was to be the organ of the Holy Spirit? But this warning must be always borne in mind, that we should be soberly wise in those points, the certain knowledge of which cannot be elicited from Scripture; for our curiosity is not only frivolous, but also perverse and injurious, when we desire to know more than God has revealed. The conjecture, however, is probable, that the whole body was consecrated in the right side. We have already seen elsewhere, [407] that by the hands and feet the whole life and actions of men are designated. In which view the cleanness of the heart and the purity of the hands comprehend all that is internal and external in man, as the root and the fruit. As to the feet, the metaphor of walking is notorious; and the feet are said to run to evil, and to be swift to shed blood, when the wicked and the despisers of God betake themselves to evil deeds. Besides, since this consecration was not to the office of teaching, but to that of intercession, the ear rather than the tongue is stained with blood; because the chief virtue, which obtains grace in the sacrifices, is obedience. To this the passage in Psalm 40:6, refers, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou bored:" [408] to which the words of Jeremiah correspond,
"Did I command anything respecting sacrifices, and not rather that your fathers should obey my voice?" [409] (Jeremiah 7:22, 23.)
And hence Moses commenced the consecration at the ear, in order to devote the priest to God unto obedience. Paul shews how this was fulfilled in Christ, where he celebrates His obedience in the sacrifice of His death, in order to reconcile His Father to us. (Romans 5:19.) I have spoken elsewhere of the kind of wave-offering which they called tnupha. [410]
31. And Moses said unto Aaron and his sons, Boil the flesh This is the universal rule, as we have seen elsewhere. [411] One thing only is special, that God kept them in the tabernacle seven days, that they might learn to subordinate all their domestic cares and worldly business to their sacred duties. It has been elsewhere said, also, [412] that perfection is denoted by the number seven, which this passage confirms, for by the seven days they were reminded that they were no longer their own masters for the rest of their life.
Footnotes:
[405] "For the sin-offering." -- A. V.
[406] "Et voyla pourquoy les bestes ont porte le nom d'offense;" and behold wherefore the beasts bore the name of offence. -- Fr. "Piaculum; sacrum piaculare, et quicquid ad piandum et purgandum pertinet. Metonymice, ipsa res, qum piaculi causa adhibetur; sic AEn. 6:153. Duc nigos pecudes: ea prima piacula sunto." -- Facciolati.
[407] See ante, [63]vol. 2, p. 211.
[408] A. V., "Mine ears hast thou opened." Margin, "Heb., digged." See C.'s translation and note. Cal. Soc. edit., [64]vol. 2, p. 99.
[409] This quotation is much abbreviated. C.'s exposition of the passage, (Cal. Soc. edit., [65]vol. 1, p. 393,) and Mr. Owen's [66]note, are worthy of consultation.
[410] Heb., tnvphh, thenuphah. See ante, [67]vol. 2, p. 132, and [68]note
[411] See ante, [69]vol. 2, p. 133.
[412] Ibid., [70]p.26.
8:2-7
Take Aaron and his sons - The whole subject of this chapter has been anticipated in the notes, Exo 28:1 (note), etc., and Exo 29:1 (note), etc., in which all the sacrifices, rites, and ceremonies have been explained in considerable detail; and to those notes the reader is referred. It is only necessary to observe that Aaron and his sons were not anointed until now. Before, the thing was commanded; now, first performed.
8:5
And Moses said unto the congregation,.... Having convened them, he opened to them the reason of their being called together, which was not done of himself, but by divine direction:
this is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done; namely, what follows, concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons to be priests, and the investiture of them with that office, attended with various rites and ceremonies to be performed, of which they were to be witnesses.
8:1-5
Consecration of the Priests and the Sanctuary (cf. Ex 29:1-37). - The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests was carried out by Moses according to the instructions in Ex 29:1-36; Exo 40:12-15; and the anointing of the tabernacle, with the altar and its furniture, as prescribed in Exo 29:37; Exo 30:26-29, and Exo 40:9-11, was connected with it (Lev 8:10, Lev 8:11).
Lev 8:1-4
Lev 8:1-5 contain an account of the preparations for this holy act, the performance of which was enjoined upon Moses by Jehovah after the publication of the laws of sacrifice (Lev 8:1). Moses brought the persons to be consecrated, the official costume that had been made for them (Ex 28), the anointing oil (Exo 30:23.), and the requisite sacrificial offerings (Exo 29:1-3), to the door of the tabernacle (i.e., into the court, near the altar of burnt-offering), and then gathered "the whole congregation" - that is to say, the nation in the persons of its elders-there also (see my Archeologie ii. p. 221). The definite article before the objects enumerated in Lev 8:2 may be explained on the ground that they had all been previously and more minutely described. The "basket of the unleavened" contained, according to Exo 29:2-3, (1) unleavened bread, which is called חלּה in Lev 8:26, i.e., round flat bread-cakes, and לחם כּכּר (loaf of bread) in Exo 29:23, and was baked for the purpose of the consecration (see at Lev 8:31, Lev 8:32); (2) unleavened oil-cakes; and (3) unleavened flat cakes covered with oil (see at Lev 2:4 and Lev 7:12).
Lev 8:5
When the congregation was assembled, Moses said, "This is the word which Jehovah commanded you to do." His meaning was, the substance or essential part of the instructions in Exo 28:1 and 29:1-37, which he had published to the assembled congregation before the commencement of the act of consecration, and which are not repeated here as being already known from those chapters. The congregation had been summoned to perform this act, because Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated as priests for them, as standing mediators between them and the Lord.