Aaron transforms from Moses' spokesman into the archetypal high priest through seven days of blood rituals, oil anointings, and sacrificial meals that permanently separate him from ordinary Israelite identity.
1“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,
2unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
3You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.
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.
38“Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
39The one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at evening;
40and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
41The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
42It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you.
43There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory.
44I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office.
45I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
46They shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.
Exodus 29 provides detailed instructions for the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, establishing the sacred rituals that will set them apart for service to God. The chapter outlines a complex seven-day ordination process involving ceremonial washing, special garments, anointing with oil, and multiple sacrificial offerings including sin offerings, burnt offerings, and ordination offerings. It concludes with instructions for the daily burnt offerings that will become the perpetual worship rhythm of Israel, emphasizing God's desire to dwell among His people and be their God.
Context
Following the detailed instructions for the tabernacle and priestly garments in chapters 25-28, this chapter establishes the rituals needed to activate this worship system before the actual construction begins in chapters 35-40.
Key Themes
Outline
Detailed ritual instructions for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests, involving washing, clothing in sacred garments, anointing with oil, and offering sacrifices. This establishes the perpetual priesthood and the process of making them holy to serve God.
person_contrast
Aaron transforms from Moses' spokesman into the archetypal high priest through seven days of blood rituals, oil anointings, and sacrificial meals that permanently separate him from ordinary Israelite identity.
God establishes the daily burnt offerings of two lambs to be offered continually at the Tent of Meeting. This perpetual sacrifice creates a place where God will meet with Israel and dwell among them as their God.
person_contrast
Moses, typically associated with law-giving and obedience, here receives detailed sacrificial instructions that transform the tabernacle from a meeting place into God's permanent dwelling among Israel.
Aaron transforms from Moses' spokesman into the archetypal high priest through seven days of blood rituals, oil anointings, and sacrificial meals that permanently separate him from ordinary Israelite identity.
Moses, typically associated with law-giving and obedience, here receives detailed sacrificial instructions that transform the tabernacle from a meeting place into God's permanent dwelling among Israel.
Connected passages across Scripture
You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a bu…
On the day of the new moon it shall be a young bull without defect, six lambs, and a ram. They shall be without defect.
“‘In the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male l…
You shall offer a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old…
When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without defect and a ram out of the flock without defe…
a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their mea…
“‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with…
If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with o…
and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread…
for the show bread also, and for the fine flour for a meal offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is b…
“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the tw…
“‘In the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male l…
When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without defect and a ram out of the flock without defe…
but you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD for a pleasant aroma: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year…
You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two r…
“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
He shall kill the bull before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around…
When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in t…
and hasn’t brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to the LORD before the LORD’s tabern…
He put the tunic on him, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and he tied the skillful…
These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. The…
They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be on the skillfull…
They shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be on the skillf…
She had a garment of various colors on her, for the king’s daughters who were virgins dressed in such robes. Then his se…
He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
“‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to p…
“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its…
Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
He arose, and went into the house. Then he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, sa…
He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the…
and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprink…
He shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its bloo…
He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the pri…
when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and brin…
He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the…
He shall kill the bull before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around…
He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the pri…
The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the Tent…
and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprink…
The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of bur…
The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the…
The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of bur…
The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the Tent…
He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the al…
He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses b…
but the fat, and the kidneys, and the cover from the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar, as the LORD co…
He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fa…
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, h…
and he shall take away the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver,…
The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Ho…
But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Mose…
The meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
He shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assemb…
—all the rest of the bull—outside of the camp to a clean place where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with…
He also killed the bull and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people. Aaron’s sons delivered…
So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They killed the rams and spr…
He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood aro…
He killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons delivered the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar.
He shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its bloo…
He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for…
He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat.
He washed the innards and the legs, and burned them on the burnt offering on the altar.
but he shall wash its innards and its legs with water. The priest shall burn all of it on the altar, for a burnt offerin…
but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is…
He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for…
but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is…
Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offeri…
He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is…
Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering…
He brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right…
He killed it; and Moses took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his righ…
He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering. The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and pu…
The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ea…
The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cle…
Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his ga…
He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the tw…
“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its…
Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them.
He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fa…
and the fat of the bull and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers the innards, and the kidneys, and the cover…
He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses b…
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, h…
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, h…
and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread…
a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their mea…
The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, a…
“‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with…
If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mixed with o…
He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD.
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering befo…
Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh for a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses commanded.
You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.
and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave offering on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it m…
but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is…
Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offeri…
He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is…
Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering…
He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for…
Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecratio…
Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh for a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses commanded.
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are holy for the priest, together with the brea…
With his own hands he shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that t…
They shall bring the heaved thigh and the waved breast with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave…
They shall bring the heaved thigh and the waved breast with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave…
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are holy for the priest, together with the brea…
Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecratio…
Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh for a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses commanded.
For the waved breast and the heaved thigh I have taken from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace…
For the waved breast and the heaved thigh I have taken from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace…
The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: f…
The LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of…
The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.
All the wave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given you and your sons…
“‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to p…
Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his ga…
“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the tw…
“The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal o…
The LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of…
They shall be on Aaron and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to m…
“Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the…
When they go out into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in whi…
When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they don’t die; or when they come near to the al…
but shall assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall perform no service. This is how y…
Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and there eat it and the bread t…
He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering…
“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
He shall kill the bull before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around…
He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the pri…
What remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire.
You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with…
but what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have a…
The bull for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Ho…
The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because h…
He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the al…
Then the priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Isra…
He shall remove all its fat, like the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall…
“On the second day you shall offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as t…
He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the al…
You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food,…
You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening,
The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall off…
God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
In the evening she went, and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, th…
In the second month, on the fourteenth day at evening they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bi…
The meal offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the…
with one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.
then he who offers his offering shall offer to the LORD a meal offering of one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed wit…
“‘On the Sabbath day, you shall offer two male lambs a year old without defect, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour…
“‘For a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the third part of a h…
The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall off…
You shall present with the bread seven lambs without defect a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be a bu…
in addition to the burnt offering of the new moon with its meal offering, and the continual burnt offering with its meal…
and one tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering to every lamb, as a burnt offering of a pleasant aro…
You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb at evening,
When they blow them, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Outside of the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning befor…
He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and t…
“You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.
“‘When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door…
They shall be on Aaron and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to m…
He shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its bloo…
and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons shall sprink…
He shall kill the bull before the LORD. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around…
He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s sons, the pri…
Word-by-word original language
Places and events in this chapter
Israel's miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery under Moses' leadership, including the ten plagues and Red Sea crossing. This foundational event established Israel as God's chosen nation.
Daily offerings establish God's dwelling presence among the redeemed Israelites.
The Daily Offerings