Shemot 29:17

17 And thou shalt cut the ayil (ram) into pieces, and wash the innards of him, and his legs, and put them with his pieces, and his head.

Shemot 29:17 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 29:17

And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces
For the better convenience of laying it upon the wood on the altar, that it might be burnt; for it was to be a whole burnt offering:

and wash the inwards of him, and his legs;
denoting the purity of the sacrifice of Christ, and that when his people give up themselves to God as a whole burnt offering, in the flames of love and zeal, their affections should be pure and sincere:

and put [them] unto his pieces, and unto his head;
lay them together, so that they might be entirely consumed at once; signifying that Christ was both in soul and body an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to God; zeal for the honour of whose house, and the glory of his name, ate him up, as well as the fire of divine wrath; and so our whole souls, bodies and spirits, should be presented to the Lord as a holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice to him, which is more strongly suggested in the next verse.

Shemot 29:17 In-Context

15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aharon and his banim shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

16 And thou shalt slaughter the ram, and thou shalt take his dahm, and sprinkle it around upon the Mizbe’ach [see Bereshis 22:13 and Yeshayah 52:15 on Moshiach’s sprinkling of the Goyim].

17 And thou shalt cut the ayil (ram) into pieces, and wash the innards of him, and his legs, and put them with his pieces, and his head.

18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the Mizbe’ach: it is an olah unto Hashem: it is a re’ach hannichoach [see Pp 4:18 OJBC], an offering made by eish unto Hashem.

19 And thou shalt take the other ayil; and Aharon and his banim shall lay their hands upon the head of the ayil.