Exodus 29:22

22 thou shalt take the inner fatness of the ram, and the tail, and the fatness that covereth the entrails, and the caul of the maw, and the two kidneys, and the fatness that is on them; and thou shalt take the right shoulder, for it is the ram of consecration;

Exodus 29:22 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 29:22

Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump
The fat which was upon it: the sheep in Arabia and about Judea were remarkable for their large tails; according to Rauwolff F26, they were half a span thick, and one and a half broad, and very fat; and so in Africa and Egypt were rams of large tails often and twenty pounds weight F1; and Aristotle F2 speaks of sheep in Syria that had tails a cubit broad; and Herodotus F3 makes mention of two sorts in Arabia, one sort have tails three cubits long, which if drawn upon the ground would ulcerate, wherefore the shepherds make little carts to bear them upon F4, and the other sort have tails a cubit broad; and Vartomanus


FOOTNOTES:

F5 relates, how in Arabia are fat sheep whose tails weigh eleven, twelve, seventeen, nay, forty four pounds, and of a cubit long:

and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and
the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them:
(See Gill on Exodus 29:13)

and the right shoulder;
what was to be done with it is afterwards observed as well as with the rest:

for it is a ram of consecration;
or "of fillings" F6; Jarchi says, the Scripture declares these fillings to be peace offerings, for they minister peace to the altar, and to him that does the service, and to the owners; wherefore the breast was necessarily his that did the service for his portion, and this was Moses, for he ministered in the fillings, and the rest Aaron and his sons ate, for they were the owners.


F26 Travels, p. 221.
F1 Leo. African. Descript. Africae, l. 9. p. 753.
F2 Hist. Animal. l. 8, c. 28.
F3 Thalia sive, l. 3. c. 113.
F4 The same is observed in T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 2. & Gloss. in. ib.
F5 Navigat. l. 2. c. 5, 9, 15.
F6 (Myalm) "impletionum", Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator.

Exodus 29:22 In-Context

20 and when thou hast offered that ram, thou shalt take (some) of his blood, and thou shalt put it upon the last part of the right ear of Aaron, and of his sons, and upon the thumbs of their (right) hand, and (the big toes) of their right foot; and thou shalt shed the blood on the altar by compass (and thou shalt throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar).
21 And when thou hast taken (some) of the blood, that is on the altar, and (some) of the oil of anointing, thou shalt sprinkle Aaron and his clothes, [and] his sons and their clothes. And when they and their clothes be (made) sacred (And when they and their clothes be consecrated),
22 thou shalt take the inner fatness of the ram, and the tail, and the fatness that covereth the entrails, and the caul of the maw, and the two kidneys, and the fatness that is on them; and thou shalt take the right shoulder, for it is the ram of consecration;
23 and thou shalt take a tender cake of one loaf, sprinkled with oil, (and the) paste (that is) sodden in water, and after(ward) fried in oil, (out) of the pannier of therf loaves, which is set in the sight of the Lord. (and thou shalt take one loaf of bread, and one cake of bread sprinkled with oil, and one wafer boiled in water, and then fried in oil, from the basket of unleavened bread, which is put before the Lord.)
24 And thou shalt put all these things upon the hands of Aaron (And thou shalt put all these things into the hands of Aaron), and (those) of his sons, and thou shalt hallow them, and raise them [up] (as a special gift) before the Lord.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.