Exodus 29 Study Notes

29:22-25 The sacrifice of the second ram is one of the “fellowship sacrifices” (Lv 3; 7:11-21). It celebrated communion with God with ceremonies including a shared meal. The ram’s designation as a ram for ordination explains why the right thigh was to be burned rather than eaten, as was normal for fellowship sacrifices. The words ordination and ordain reflect the idiomatic Hebrew expression that reads literally, “to fill the hand of someone.” By placing items in the hands of Aaron and his sons and then presenting and burning the items, Moses would act out the filling of the hands of the new priests. It would become their work to present to the Lord the offerings that the Israelites would bring.

29:26-28 It is to be your portion specifies that this time Moses would receive the breast because he was the officiating priest. On later occasions it would go to Aaron or his sons (Lv 7:34-36).

29:29-30 Priestly garments were passed on to the next generation.

29:31-35 Instructions for eating the ordination ram are followed by a summary of the seven-day ordination (v. 35). The number seven symbolized the completeness of the process (cp. Lv 8:33-36).

29:36-37 These verses are concerned with purification of the altar. The final clause in v. 37 could be translated, “whatever touches the altar must be holy.”

29:38-42 After the instructions for the seven-day consecration of Aaron and his sons and of the altar in vv. 1-37, instructions for regular sacrifices to be offered on normal days are presented.

29:43-46 The most important consecrations would be accomplished not by the Israelites but by the Lord. Their priests and ceremonies would have significance because of the Lord’s presence. The display of his glory would then extend from victory over Pharaoh (14:4,17-18) to provision for the Israelites in the wilderness (16:7,10), to making a covenant with them (24:16-17), and then to this tent they would build.

He would be with them to act on their behalf, as when he answered Moses’s objections by promising to be with him (3:12; 4:12,15). In this place he would continue the pattern of action leading to knowledge of his identity: They will know that I am the Lord their God (cp. 6:7; 7:17; 8:10,22; 9:14,29; 10:2; 11:7; 14:4,18; 16:6,12). This is the last and climactic divine statement in Exodus of God’s revelatory purpose. But all this would be jeopardized by the Israelites’ actions in chap. 32.