Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS 29 May 2016
1 Now it came about on the eighth day Moses called to Aaron and to his sons and to the elders of Israel, 2 and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf - a son of the herd – for a sin-offering and a ram for a whole-burnt-offering – perfect ones – and offer [them] before the face of Yahweh. 3 Then you shall speak to the children of Israel saying, ‘Take a kid from the goats for a sin offering, and a calf and the lamb – perfect yearlings – for a whole-burnt-offering, 4 and the steer and the ram for the peace-offerings to sacrifice before the face of Yahweh, and the grain-offering mixed with the oil, because today Yahweh Himself appears to y’all!’”
· The 8th day, Sunday, is a day of new beginnings. Aaron has just completed his 7 days of consecration described in ch. 8, and now he leads his first worship service – on a Sunday!
· Now, did you notice the new word here? The word “calf” was not listed as one of the sacrificial animals in the previous chapters of Leviticus. Why now? The only other times this animal is mentioned in the Pentateuch is in reference to the golden calf that Aaron made. This could be a redemptive move like Jesus’ elicitation of a triple affirmation of love after Peter had denied Him three times. “Aaron, you led your nation into idolatry with a calf; now I want you to lead the nation in sacrificing a calf to worship the One True God, and the offense will be healed.”
· The announcement that the LORD would appear must have caused quite a stir.
o Even the way it is stated in Hebrew is striking. The word “Lord” is in an emphatic position in the sentence, and the verb tense for “appear” is in an unusual perfect form.
o The people of Israel had seen the LORD appear on Mt. Sinai and in the desert (Ex. 16:10), but now they would see Him appear in His tabernacle.
o This was a big deal! Can you imagine the excitement? The LORD will appear! He is coming!
5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congress came near and stood before the face of Yahweh.
6 Then Moses said, “This is the very thing which Yahweh commanded y’all to do; now the glory of Yahweh appears to y’all!
7 And to Aaron, Moses said, “Come near to the altar and make your sin-offering and your whole-burnt-offering and so make atonement with regard to yourself and with regard to the people, and then make the people’s offering and so make atonement with regard to them just as Yahweh commanded.”
· Hebrews 7:27 gives the sense of this that the high priest daily had to offer up sacrifices first for himself and then for the people. The first sacrifices he had to offer for himself were also for the sake of the people in the sense that, in order to qualify himself to be able to minister on behalf of the people, he had to offer the first set of sacrifices for his own sin. Only then could he offer the people’s sacrifices.
· We learn from this that God doesn’t allow sinners into His presence – not even if they are unselfishly coming on behalf of another sinner. The sin of that sinner has to be atoned for before that sinner can help another sinner find atonement for his sins. By the same token, you are only able to come before the presence of God in prayer because Jesus, your sinless Savior atoned for your sins once and for all with the sacrifice of Himself on the cross. Now that your sins are covered by His blood, you can take on the role of an ambassador for Christ and seek to reconcile other sinners to God (2 Cor. 5:18-20) like Aaron did in Leviticus.
· The awesome sense of expectancy is palpable. All the preparations have been made. Now how will it go with us when God Himself shows up?
· The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament comments on this: “To ‘stand before Yahweh’ ... is a posture of prayer and intercession. That men have felt a need for Yahweh‘s help is not surprising. But the fact that men may “stand" before the Creator of eternity and make intercession is utterly remarkable... Standing before Yahweh and his ministers in the sanctuary portends the ascertaining of truth and justice... Servants of Yahweh "stand before him” as an expression of dedication, allegiance, and servitude... As Joseph stood before Pharaoh (Gen 41:46), David before Saul (I Sam 16:21), Abishag and Bathsheba before David (1 Kings 1:2, 28), and Nebuzaradan before Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 52:12); so the believer stands before Yahweh in a position of obedience, respect, and readiness to serve. Such a position is noble in proportion to the majesty of the one served. When a person stands before Yahweh for service, there is no higher honor to which he may aspire.”
8 So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin-offering that was for himself. 9 Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he applied [it] on the horns of the altar. Then he poured out [the rest of] the blood at the base of the altar. 10 Then the fat and the kidneys and the lobe from the liver of the sin-offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 11 And the flesh and the hide he burned in the fire outside of the camp.
12 Then he slaughtered the whole-burnt-offering, and Aaron’s sons fetched the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around upon the altar. 13 Then they fetched the whole-burnt-offering to him by its pieces – including the head, and he offered it up in smoke upon the altar. 14 He also washed the innards and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top of the whole-burnt-offering on the altar.
· Nadab and Abihu must have held a bowl under the animal’s neck while Aaron cut the animal’s neck and held the animal to drain its blood into the bowl. Then Aaron set the carcass down and his sons handed the bowl full of blood to him.
15 Next he offered the offering of the people: so he took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered it as a sin-offering – like the first one.
16 Then he offered the whole-burnt-offering – and did it according to the regulation.
17 And he offered the grain-offering, and got his hand full from it and offered it up in smoke upon the altar (distinct from the morning’s whole-burnt-offering).
18 Then he slaughtered the steer and the ram [as] a sacrifice of peace offerings which were for the people, and Aaron’s sons fetched the blood to him and he sprinkled it around upon the altar. 19 And the fats from the steer and from the ram – the fat-tail and the [inner-fat]-layer and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver – 20 he also placed the[se] fats on top of the breasts, and offered the fats up in smoke on the altar.
21 Then Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave-offering before the face of Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses,
22 and Aaron raised his hand toward the people and blessed them. Then he stepped down from making the sin offering and the whole-burnt-offering and the peace offerings.
· Note a couple of differences from the sin offerings described in chapter 4.
o Chapter 9 does not mention Aaron sprinkling the blood of the sin offering inside the holy place, yet God accepted what Aaron did. It has been suggested that perhaps this was because these offerings were not for a particular sin but were rather general offerings for consecrating the people. (“[T] the object was not to expiate any particular sin, or the sins of the congregation that had been committed in the course of time and remained unatoned for, but simply to place the sacrificial service of the congregation in its proper relation to the Lord” ~K&D, p.347[1]) That’s the best explanation I’ve found anyway.
o Secondly, note that instead of cooking and eating the sin offering for the people, Aaron burnt it. That becomes significant in the next chapter, but we will let it pass for now.
· At this point, there is a rather interesting textual variant, as far as variants go in the O.T. The Hebrew manuscript used by most publishers of the Hebrew Bible reads, “as Moses had commanded,” so that is the reading of the KJV, NASB, and NIV. But there are other Hebrew manuscripts – newer as well as older than the Leningradensius, as well as the Samaritan Pentateuch and the ancient Greek Septuagint and Vulgate which follow the wording previously found in Leviticus, “just as the LORD had commanded Moses,” so I decided to go with that.
o I suspect the difference has to do with the already-close proximity of the divine name in the previous clause.
o It doesn’t make a difference practically which iteration of the command is being referenced here – God’s original command to Moses, or Moses’ transmission of that command to Aaron, because the Bible shows them to be identical.
o That’s about as interesting as Hebrew Old Testament variants get. In all the thousands of years of copying the Old Testament, God has kept people copying His word with amazingly consistency.
· Anyway, Aaron points his hands at the people he has offered sacrifices for and whom he wants to see blessed, perhaps giving the benediction of Numbers 6:24, and assuring them that their sins are forgiven, then he “goes down” from the little ramp which led up to the altar, signifying that he was done offering sacrifices for the day.
23 Moses then went to the Tent of Meeting –Aaron too, and then they came out and blessed [all] the people, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. 24 And fire came out from before the face of Yahweh and consumed the whole-burnt-offering and the fats upon the altar! And all the people saw, and they sang out and fell with their faces down!
· The text seems to give some significance to Moses and Aaron’s concerted actions following Aaron’s regimen of sacrifices.
· It must be evening now, and getting dark, because v.17 mentions that there had already been a morning sacrifice. Beyond the flicker of the fire on the altar, and perhaps even inside the tent, Moses and Aaron hold a shadowy consultation before the LORD, then return to face the people and give them a second blessing together.
o The Soncino Jewish commentary I read suggested that Aaron was afraid God wouldn’t accept His sacrifices, and thought God would be more likely to hear his brother, so that’s why he asked Moses to pray with him,
o or perhaps Moses was merely giving Aaron more instructions regarding priestly duties in the Holy place that related to laying out the table of showbread and lighting the candles and burning incense.
o The bread and the incense inside the holy place of the tabernacle were symbols of the people of Israel standing before God and praying to God. Aaron and Moses were probably talking with God in prayer.
· When they came out, they blessed the people. According to Jewish tradition, Psalm 90, the psalm of Moses, records the prayers and blessings spoken that very day: “Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:13-17, NKJV)
· Then the darkness was shattered by a blinding light, the glory of the LORD bursting forth from the tabernacle like great flames. This was better than the fireworks on the fourth of July! God had shown up! God was real! God accepted them! Their sins were forgiven! Everybody cheered and bowed down in reverence. In an instant the whole pile of dead animals on the altar was gone.
o “See here the wonderful condescension of the mercy of God, that he not only allows an atonement to be made, but commands it; not only admits, but requires us to be reconciled to him. No room therefore is left to doubt but that the atonement which is commanded will be accepted... God signifies his acceptance (1.) Of their persons, by showing them his glory (2.) Of their sacrifices, by consuming them with fire from heaven... [T]his was a testimony of acceptance: (1.) It signified the turning away of God's wrath from them. God's wrath is a consuming fire; this fire might justly have fastened upon the people, and consumed them for their sins; but its fastening upon the sacrifice, and consuming that, signified God's acceptance of that as an atonement for the sinner. (2.) It signified God's entering into covenant and communion with them: they ate their part of the sacrifice, and the fire of the Lord ate up his part; and thus he did, as it were, sup with them, and they with him” ~Matthew Henry
· By the way, the Hebrew word translated “shouted” is, as the NIV correctly renders it, always describes a shout of joy or triumph. The Jewish rabbis from the Babylonian exile paraphrased this saying, “they praised [God].” (Targums)
What can we learn from reading about Aaron’s first day as High Priest?
· First of all, we must see Christ in this. Jesus fulfilled His priestly ministry in a way similar to Aaron. Notice that when Aaron finished his sacrifice, he blessed the people, stepped down, consulted with Moses, returned with Moses and blessed his people a second time, then was confirmed by a miraculous sign. In the same way,
o Jesus was crucified at the time of the evening sacrifice before sundown.
o Unlike Aaron, Jesus had no need to make a prior sacrifice for His own sins first because He had no sin, so He proceeded straight to offer Himself as the atonement for our sins.
o As Jesus bled and died on the altar of the cross, he blessed His people from the cross saying, “Father forgive them!”
o Then when He was done atoning for our sins, He came down (with a little help from Joseph of Arimatheia)
o Then Jesus held a shadowy consultation in the presence of God, about which we know very little.
§ Jesus had, in fact, a week or so before, had a consultation with Moses and Elijah on the Mountain of Transfiguration.
§ Could it have been that Moses shared some of the very words of encouragement which he had shared with Aaron before Aaron’s first sacrifice? “This is exactly what God wants you to do! The glory of the LORD is going to appear! Now is the time to draw near to that altar and offer your sacrifice!”
o At any rate, after that shadowy time when Jesus’ body was in the tomb and He was with the Father in paradise, Jesus returned to face His people again, didn’t He?
o 1 Peter 3: 18 “Christ also suffered concerning sin, once – the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, in order that He might lead us to God, after having been put to death in the flesh, but having been made alive in the Spirit.” (NAW)
o He returned with a better companion than Moses; He had the Holy Spirit!
o And, get this, Luke 24:50-53 “...He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” (NASB)
o And can anybody think of a time after that when fire came out of the presence of the Lord? That’s right: at Pentecost in the upper room!
o Do you see the blow-for-blow recapitulation of Aaron’s sacrifice? Jesus took over Aaron’s (and Aaron’s sons’) job. Jesus is now the one who makes us right with God!
· Next we need to see lessons for ourselves in this passage – for the priesthood of all believers.
o Like Aaron, God has given us Orders for how to minister as priests, God gives us encouragement to fulfill the duties of priesthood, and Like Aaron, we must make sure that our sins are dealt with before we embark on the duties of ministering to others. And just as Aaron blessed his people with Moses by his side, Jesus promised that He would be with us always as we share His good news of blessing with people wherever we go (Matt. 28:20). And just as the Jews in the wilderness anticipated the appearance of the glory of the Lord, so we too eagerly await the return of Jesus in glory when every eye will see Him coming in the clouds!
· Consider these lessons which we learn from Aaron here:
o Aaron was faithful. He listened to God’s instructions recorded in the Bible and did what God said. He is an example to us to be faithful.
§ God blesses work done His way with trust in Him.
§ Wait for the glory of the Lord to appear. He comes on the 8th day, so you have to work with faith all week first without seeing Him.
§ Heb. 11:6 “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (KJV)
o We who are the New Testament priesthood should gather on the 8th day (Sunday) to offer our sacrifices of praise to God even as Aaron did.
§ As the eminently-quotable Matthew Henry put it, “God will manifest himself in the solemn assemblies of his people and ministers; and those that would have the benefit and comfort of God's appearances must in them give their attendance.”
§ Don’t miss out!
o Also, Aaron had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins. Likewise, you can’t do anybody any good spiritually until you have gotten rid of your sin by trusting Jesus to wash your sin away.
§ Daily follow the practice that Jesus taught His disciples by praying, “Forgive us of our trespasses”
§ He can and will forgive you of the sins you have committed just as He forgave Aaron of the staggering sin of leading the whole nation of Israel in worshipping a golden idol of a calf.
§ Like Aaron, you too can be redeemed to serve God.
§ “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16, ESV)
o Finally, what should you do when you realize your sins are forgiven and God is real and God is with us and God loves us? Say, “That’s cool” and keep on doing what you’re doing? NO! Follow the example of the Israelites in the final verse of this chapter: Shout for joy and fall down on your face!
§ I’m not trying to turn you into holy rollers, and I don’t want you doing anything fake, but if you have never had the experience where a sound escaped from your lips involuntarily because you were so awed by God or something He did or something that dawned on you as you were reading the Bible, then you need to check your spiritual pulse. Ask God to bring life to your mortal body and make you able to respond to His wonders.
§ “Note: The glory of God appeared, not while the sacrifices were in offering, but when the priests prayed (2 Chron. 5:13), when they praised God, which intimates that the prayers and praises of God's spiritual priests are more pleasing to God than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices... We are not now to expect such appearances; we Christians walk more by faith, and less by sight, than they did. But we may be sure that God draws nigh to those who draw nigh to him (James 4), and that the offerings of faith are really acceptable to him, though, the sacrifices being spiritual, the tokens of the acceptance are, as it is fit they should be, spiritual likewise. To those who are duly consecrated to God he will undoubtedly manifest himself.” ~Matthew Henry
§ “The presence of God was greeted with a shout, not silence. More than that, they fell on their faces. God’s greatness and holiness cannot be ignored; he must be acknowledged by our whole being. Nothing less is adequate.” ~Gordon Wenham, New International Commentary on the O.T.
§ This is what God enjoys. This is what God commands: “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:28-29. Will you offer your prayers and worship to Him enthusiastically with reverence and awe?
§ Be sure that God will accept such worship and you will see the glory of the LORD!
When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the
added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is
different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a
version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from
the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of
the original Hebrew, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the Hebrew text, I insert an X. (Sometimes I will place the X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is
singular.) I have also tried to use colors to help the reader see correlations
between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different
translations of a given word. Hebrew text that is colored purple matches the
Dead Sea Scrolls, and variants between the DSS and the MT are noted in endnotes
with the following exceptions: When a holem
pointing in the MT is represented in the DSS by a vav (the corresponding consonantal representation of the
same vowel) or when the tetragrammaton is spelled with paleo Hebrew letters, I
did not record it a variant.
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LXX |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
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1 Καὶ ἐγενήθη τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐκάλεσεν Μωυσῆς Ααρων καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν γερουσίαν Ισραηλ. |
1 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; |
1 Now it came about on the eighth day[a] Moses called to Aaron and to his sons and to the elders of Israel, |
1 וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי קָרָא מֹשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן וּלְבָנָיו וּלְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: |
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2 καὶ εἶπεν [Μωυσῆς] πρὸς Ααρων Λαβὲ σεαυτῷ μοσχάριον ἐκ βοῶν περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ κριὸν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα, ἄμωμα, καὶ προσένεγκε [αὐτὰ] ἔναντι κυρίου· |
2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf X for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. |
2 and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf[b] - a son of the herd – for a sin-offering and a ram for a whole-burnt-offering – perfect ones – and offer [them] before the face of Yahweh. |
2 וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-אַהֲרֹן קַחQMms -לְךָ עֵגֶל בֶּן-בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת וְאַיִל לְעֹלָה תְּמִימִם וְהַקְרֵבHiMms לִפְנֵי יְהוָה: |
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3 καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ [“elders” cf. SP] Ισραηλ λάλησον λέγων Λάβετε χίμαρον ἐξ αἰγῶν [ἕνα] περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ μοσχάριον καὶ ἀμνὸν ἐνιαύσιον εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, ἄμωμα, |
3
And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of
the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and |
3 Then you shall speak to the children of Israel saying, ‘Take a kid from the goats for a sin offering, and a calf and the lamb – perfect yearlings – for a whole-burnt-offering, |
3 וְאֶל-בְּנֵי[c] יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּרPiI2s לֵאמֹר קְחוּQMmp שְׂעִיר-עִזִּים לְחַטָּאת וְעֵגֶל וָכֶבֶשׂ בְּנֵי-שָׁנָה תְּמִימִם לְעֹלָה: |
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4 καὶ
μόσχον καὶ
κριὸν εἰς
θυσίαν X σωτηρίου
ἔναντι κυρίου
καὶ |
4
Also a bullock and |
4 and the steer and the ram for the peace-offerings to sacrifice before the face of Yahweh, and the grain-offering mixed with the oil, because today Yahweh Himself appears[d] to y’all!’” |
4 וְשׁוֹר וָאַיִל לִשְׁלָמִים לִזְבֹּחַ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וּמִנְחָה בְּלוּלָהQPPTfs בַשָּׁמֶן כִּי הַיּוֹם יְהוָה נִרְאָהNiP3ms אֲלֵיכֶם: |
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5 καὶ ἔλαβον, καθὸ ἐνετείλατο Μωυσῆς, ἀπέναντι τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ προσῆλθεν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ καὶ ἔστησαν ἔναντι κυρίου. |
5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. |
5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congress came near and stood[e] before the face of Yahweh. |
5 וַיִּקְחוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶל-פְּנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיִּקְרְבוּ כָּל-הָעֵדָה וַיַּעַמְדוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה: |
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6
καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα, ὃ |
And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you. |
6 Then Moses said, “This is the very thing which Yahweh commanded y’all to do; now the glory of Yahweh appears to y’all! |
6 וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה תַּעֲשׂוּQI2p וְיֵרָאNiI3ms אֲלֵיכֶם כְּבוֹד יְהוָה: |
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7 καὶ
εἶπεν Μωυσῆς
τῷ Ααρων
Πρόσελθε πρὸς
τὸ θυσιαστήριον
καὶ ποίησον [τὸ περὶ]
τῆς ἁμαρτίας
σου καὶ τὸ
ὁλοκαύτωμά
σου καὶ ἐξίλασαι
περὶ σεαυτοῦ
καὶ X τοῦ |
7
And Moses said unto Aaron, Go X unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering,
and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the
people: and |
7 And to Aaron, Moses said, “Come near to the altar and make your sin-offering and your whole-burnt-offering and so make atonement with regard to yourself and with regard to the people[f], and then make the people’s offering and so make atonement with regard to them just as Yahweh commanded.” |
7 וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-אַהֲרֹן קְרַב QMms אֶל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַעֲשֵׂהQMms אֶת-חַטָּאתְךָ וְאֶת-עֹלָתֶךָ וְכַפֵּרPiMms בַּעַדְךָ וּבְעַד הָעָם וַעֲשֵׂהQMms אֶת-קָרְבַּן הָעָם וְכַפֵּר בַּעֲדָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה: |
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LXX |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
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8 καὶ προσῆλθεν Ααρων πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸ μοσχάριον τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας X X· |
8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. |
8 So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin-offering that was for himself. |
8 וַיִּקְרַב אַהֲרֹן אֶל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַיִּשְׁחַטQI אֶת-עֵגֶל הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ: |
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9 καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ααρων τὸ αἷμα πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἔβαψεν τὸν δάκτυλον εἰς τὸ αἷμα καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν ἐπὶ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου· |
9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him: and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar: |
9 Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he applied [it] on the horns of the altar. Then he poured out [the rest of] the blood at the base of the altar. |
9 וַיַּקְרִבוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת-הַדָּם אֵלָיו וַיִּטְבֹּלQI אֶצְבָּעוֹ בַּדָּם וַיִּתֵּןQI עַל-קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת-הַדָּם יָצַק אֶל-יְסוֹד הַמִּזְבֵּחַ: |
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10 καὶ τὸ στέαρ καὶ τοὺς νεφροὺς καὶ τὸν λοβὸν τοῦ ἥπατος τοῦ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνήνεγκεν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ὃν τρόπον [format] ἐνετείλατο κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ· |
10 But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the LORD commanded Moses. |
10 Then the fat and the kidneys and the lobe from the liver of the sin-offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. |
10 וְאֶת-הַחֵלֶב וְאֶת-הַכְּלָיֹת וְאֶת-הַיֹּתֶרֶת מִן-הַכָּבֵד מִן-הַחַטָּאת הִקְטִיר HiP הַמִּזְבֵּחָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת-מֹשֶׁה: |
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11 καὶ τὰ κρέα καὶ τὴν βύρσαν, κατέκαυσεν αὐτὰ πυρὶ ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς. |
11 And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. |
11 And the flesh and the hide he burned in the fire outside of the camp. |
11 וְאֶת-הַבָּשָׂר וְאֶת-הָעוֹר שָׂרַף בָּאֵשׁ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה: |
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12 καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα· καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ααρων τὸ αἷμα πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ προσέχεεν X ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κύκλῳ· |
12 And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. |
12 Then he slaughtered the whole-burnt-offering, and Aaron’s sons fetched[g] the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around upon the altar. |
12 וַיִּשְׁחַטQI אֶת-הָעֹלָה וַיַּמְצִאוּHiI3p בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֵלָיו אֶת-הַדָּם וַיִּזְרְקֵהוּQI3ms+3ms עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב: |
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13
καὶ τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ
κατὰ μέλη, αὐτὰ καὶ τὴν κεφαλήν,
καὶ |
13 And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. |
13 Then they fetched the whole-burnt-offering to him by its pieces – including the head, and he offered it up in smoke upon the altar. |
13 וְאֶת-הָעֹלָה הִמְצִיאוּHiP3p אֵלָיו לִנְתָחֶיהָ וְאֶת-הָרֹאשׁ וַיַּקְטֵר HiIעַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ: |
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14 καὶ
ἔπλυνεν τὴν
κοιλίαν καὶ
τοὺς πόδας
ὕδατι καὶ |
14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. |
14 He also washed the innards and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top of the whole-burnt-offering on the altar. |
14 וַיִּרְחַץQI אֶת-הַקֶּרֶב וְאֶת-הַכְּרָעָיִם וַיַּקְטֵרHiI עַל-הָעֹלָה הַמִּזְבֵּחָה: |
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15 καὶ προσήνεγκαν τὸ δῶρον τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν χίμαρον τὸν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἔσφαξεν αὐτὸ X καθὰ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον. |
15 And he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. |
15 Next he offered the offering of the people: so he took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered it as a sin-offering – like the first one. |
15 וַיַּקְרֵב אֵת קָרְבַּן הָעָם וַיִּקַּחQI3s אֶת-שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר לָעָם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵהוּQI3s+3s וַיְחַטְּאֵהוּPiI3s+3s כָּרִאשׁוֹן: |
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16 καὶ προσήνεγκεν τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτό, ὡς καθήκει. |
16
And he brought the burnt offering, and |
16 Then he offered the whole-burnt-offering – and did it according to the regulation. |
16 וַיַּקְרֵבHiI אֶת-הָעֹלָה[h] וַיַּעֲשֶׂהָQI כַּמִּשְׁפָּט: |
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17 καὶ
προσήνεγκεν
τὴν θυσίαν καὶ
ἔπλησεν τ[ὰς] χεῖρ[ας] ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς
καὶ |
17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. |
17 And he offered the grain-offering, and got his hand full from it and offered it up in smoke upon the altar (distinct from the morning’s whole-burnt-offering). |
17 וַיַּקְרֵב אֶת-הַמִּנְחָה וַיְמַלֵּאPiI כַפּ[i]וֹ מִמֶּנָּה וַיַּקְטֵר עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר: |
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LXX |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
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18 καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν μόσχον καὶ τὸν κριὸν τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου X τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ααρων τὸ αἷμα πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ προσέχεεν X πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον κύκλῳ· |
18
He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of
peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons
presented unto him the blood, |
18 Then he slaughtered the steer and the ram [as] a sacrifice of peace offerings which were for the people, and Aaron’s sons fetched the blood to him and he sprinkled it around upon the altar. |
18 וַיִּשְׁחַטQI אֶת-הַשּׁוֹר וְאֶת-הָאַיִל זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר לָעָם וַיַּמְצִאוּHiI3p בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן אֶת-הַדָּם אֵלָיו וַיִּזְרְקֵהוּQI3s+3s עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב: |
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19 καὶ τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ μόσχου καὶ τοῦ κριοῦ, τὴν ὀσφὴν καὶ [τὸ στέαρ] τὸ κατακαλύπτον [ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλίας] καὶ τοὺς [δύο] νεφροὺς καὶ [τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν] καὶ τὸν λοβὸν [τὸν ἐπὶ] τοῦ ἥπατος, |
19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver: |
19 And the fats from the steer and from the ram – the fat-tail and the [inner-fat]-layer and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver – |
19 וְאֶת-הַחֲלָבִים מִן-הַשּׁוֹר וּמִן-הָאַיִל הָאַלְיָה וְהַמְכַסֶּה וְהַכְּלָיֹת וְיֹתֶרֶת הַכָּבֵד: |
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20
καὶ ἐπέθηκ[εν |
20 And they put the fatx upon the breasts, and he burnt the fatx upon the altar: |
20 he also placed the[se] fats on top of the breasts, and offered the fats up in smoke on the altar. |
20 וַיָּשִׂימוּQI3p[j] אֶת-הַחֲלָבִים עַל-הֶחָזוֹת וַיַּקְטֵר הַחֲלָבִים הַמִּזְבֵּחָה: |
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21 καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον καὶ τὸν βραχίονα τὸν δεξιὸν ἀφεῖλεν Ααρων ἀφαίρεμα ἔναντι κυρίου, ὃν τρόπον συνέταξεν κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ. – |
21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded. |
21 Then Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave-offering before the face of Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses[k], |
21 וְאֵת הֶחָזוֹת וְאֵת שׁוֹק הַיָּמִין הֵנִיףHiP אַהֲרֹן תְּנוּפָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה[l] מֹשֶׁה: |
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22 καὶ ἐξάρας Ααρων τ[ὰς] χεῖρ[ας] ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν X εὐλόγησεν αὐτούς· καὶ κατέβη X ποιήσας [τὸ περὶ] τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ [τὰ] τοῦ σωτηρίου. |
22
And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came
down from |
22 and Aaron raised his hand toward the people and blessed them. Then he stepped down from making the sin offering and the whole-burnt-offering and the peace offerings. |
22 וַיִּשָּׂאQI אַהֲרֹן אֶת-יָדוֹ אֶל[m]-הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵםPiI3s+3p וַיֵּרֶדQI מֵעֲשֹׂתQN הַחַטָּאת וְהָעֹלָה וְהַשְּׁלָמִים: |
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23 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ααρων εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ ἐξελθόντες[n] εὐλόγησαν [πάντα] τὸν λαόν, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ δόξα κυρίου παντὶ τῷ λαῷ. |
23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. |
23 Moses then went to the Tent of Meeting –Aaron too, and then they came out and blessed [all] the people[o], and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. |
23 וַיָּבֹאQI מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל-אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיֵּצְאוּQI3p וַיְבָרֲכוּPiI3p אֶת[p]-הָעָם וַיֵּרָאNiI כְבוֹד-יְהוָה אֶל-כָּל-הָעָם: |
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24
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πῦρ παρὰ κυρίου καὶ κατέφαγεν [τὰ] ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου,
τά τε ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ τὰ στέατα,
καὶ εἶδεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ
|
24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fatx: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. |
24 And fire came out from before the face of Yahweh and consumed the whole-burnt-offering and the fats upon the altar! And all the people saw, and they sang out and fell with their faces down. |
24 וַתֵּצֵאQI3fs אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה וַתֹּאכַלQI3fs עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֶת-הָעֹלָה וְאֶת-הַחֲלָבִ[q]ים וַיַּרְאQI[r] כָּל-הָעָם וַיָּרֹנּוּQI3p וַיִּפְּלוּQI3p עַל-פְּנֵיהֶם: |
[1] Wenham (NICOT) suggested that no purification needed to be made on the incense altar in the holy place because Aaron had not entered it yet to bring defilement, but that doesn’t take into account that other sinful humans had fashioned and set up the incense altar there.
[a] Aaron has just completed his 7 days of consecration described in ch. 8, and now he leads his first worship service - on a Sunday!
[b] The only other times such an animal is mentioned in the Pentateuch is in reference to the golden calf that Aaron made. This could be a redemptive move.
[c] The LXX and SP both have “elders” instead of “sons.”
[d] The Perfect tense of “appears” should not be overlooked, nor should the emphatic placement of the subject Yahweh in this sentence be overlooked. The people of Israel had seen the LORD appear on Mt. Sinai and in the desert (Ex. 16:10), but now they would see Him appear in His tabernacle. The LXX and standard English versions translate this Hebrew verb as if it had been spelled in the Imperfect tense “he will appear,” and it is possible that the imperfect tense of the first verb in v.3 could be construed to be in a verb chain with the verb “appear” in v.4, but they are in two separate sentences, and the verbs in v.1 governing the overarching sentence are past tense. However, I do not see in what sense the LORD could be considered to have appeared (past tense) unless it was in the presence and obedience of the priests or unless it was a statement intended to be relayed to the people later on after the priests’ sacrifice that day. The same tense problem occurs in v.6, again with the LXX and English versions rendering it Future or Subjunctive when it is a Vav Consecutive Imperfect.
[e] “To ‘stand before Yahweh’ ... is a posture of prayer and intercession. That men have felt a need for Yahweh‘s help is not surprising. But the fact that men may “stand" before the Creator of eternity and make intercession is utterly remarkable... Standing before Yahweh and his ministers in the sanctuary portends the ascertaining of truth and justice... Servants of Yahweh "stand before him” as an expression of dedication, allegiance, and servitude... As Joseph stood before Pharaoh (Gen 41:46), David before Saul (I Sam 16:21), Abishag and Bathsheba before David (I Kgs 1:2, 28), and Nebuzaradan before Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 52:12); so the believer stands before Yahweh in a position of obedience, respect, and readiness to serve. Such a position is noble in proportion to the majesty of the one served. When a person stands before Yahweh for service, there is no higher honor to which he may aspire.” (TWOT)
[f] The preposition is not the simple lamed “for” but the more nuanced word ba’ad (“on behalf of” -BDB). Hebrews 7:27 gives the sense of this that the high priest daily had to offer up sacrifices first for himself and then for the people. We also need the sacrifice of Christ applied to us before we can be ministers of reconciliation: 2 Cor. 5:18-20.
[g] It’s curious that the Hebrew verb here is different from the one in v. 10. From the parallelism of the two verses, the verbs hiqrov and matza are manifestly synonyms, but whereas the former carries the simpler meaning of “bringing near” the latter carries that plus an additional meaning of “obtaining.” Nadab and Abihu must have held a bowl under the animal’s neck while Aaron cut the animal’s neck and held the animal to drain its blood into the bowl, then handed the bowl full of blood to him.
[h] The Cairo Geniza scroll renders this with a synonym כרבן “offering.” The copyist of this scroll also omitted half of v.7.
[i] SP and LXX both pluralize the word “palms.”
[j] SP, LXX, and Syriac render this verb singular “he put”
[k] The Hebrew manuscript used by most publishers of the Hebrew Bible reads “as Moses had commanded,” so that is the reading of the KJV, NASB, and NIV, but there are other Hebrew manuscripts – newer as well as older than the Leningradensis, as well as the Samaritan Pentateuch and the ancient Greek Septuagint and Vulgate which follow the wording previously found in Leviticus, “just as the LORD had commanded Moses,” so I decided to go with the latter. I suspect the difference has to do with the already-close proximity of the divine name in the previous clause. It doesn’t make a difference practically which iteration of the command is being referenced here – God’s original to Moses, or Moses’ transmission to Aaron because the Bible shows them to be identical. In the next verse there is a similar variant with the main Hebrew manuscript mentioning only one “hand,” while other manuscripts and the LXX say Aaron raised both of his “hands” in blessing. This doesn’t amount to an important difference, though.
[l] LXX, SP, and some Hebrew manuscripts contain the unabbreviated phrase “just as the LORD commanded Moses,” although the Cairo Geniza is even more abbreviated “just as He commanded.” Unfortunately there is no known DSS of this verse to compare with.
[m] The Masoretic Qere reading is plural “hands,” and the LXX, Syriac, and SP preposition here is the synonym על (upon/over).
[n] NASB and NIV followed the LXX by interpreting this vav-consecutive Imperfect Hebrew verb as a participle. The KJV and I followed the Hebrew.
[o] The text seems to give some significance to Moses and Aaron’s concerted actions following Aaron’s regimen of sacrifices.
[p] The LXX and DSS (11Q2) add the word “all,” which doesn’t change the meaning, but might be original with two ancient witnesses against the more recent MT.
[q] Of the two DSS which have fragments of this verse, 11Q2 inserts the word “of peace-offerings,” whereas the other (Masada Leviticusb) is the same as the MT.
[r] SP and the Jonathan Targums pluralize the verb, but that doesn’t make sense since the subject “people” is singular.