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 right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. 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 hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
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Leviticus 8:23-24 sits inside this longer paragraph.
He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. 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 burned it on the altar. But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He presented the ram of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 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 with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 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 right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. 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 hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 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 fat, and the right thigh; and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Yahweh, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. He put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before Yahweh. Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh. Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before Yahweh. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of consecration, as Yahweh commanded Moses. Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
Parallel Translations
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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 right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.
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 hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
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And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
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And when it was slain, Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And Aaron's sons were brought, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot; and Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about.
Cross-references (16)
- Exodus 29:20 (v23) Then 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…
- Leviticus 14:14 (v23) The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to…
- Leviticus 14:17 (v23) 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 cleansed, and on the…
- Romans 12:1 (v23) Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your…
- Hebrews 9:18-22 (v24) Therefore even the first covenant has not been dedicated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the…
Show all 16 cross-references
- Leviticus 14:28 (v23) Then the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of…
- Romans 6:13 (v23) Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your…
- Romans 6:19 (v23) I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to…
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 (v23) to the assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our…
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 (v23) Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 (v23) for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
- Philippians 1:20 (v23) according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will…
- Philippians 2:17 (v23) Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (v23) Abstain from every form of evil.
- Hebrews 2:10 (v23) For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of…
- Hebrews 5:8 (v23) though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (7 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v23 Moses did this because that the Priests were not…
Moses did this because that the Priests were not yet established in their office.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v23 The lowest and softest part of the ear is…
The lowest and softest part of the ear is called the tip or lap of the ear. See Exo 29:20.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v23 Verse 23. Put it upon the tip of Aaron's…
Verse 23. Put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, c.] See this significant ceremony explained in the note on Ex 29:20. See Clarke on Ex 29:20.
Calmet remarks that the consecration of the high priest among the Romans bore a considerable resemblance to the consecration of the Jewish high priest. "The Roman priest, clothed with a garment of silk, his head covered with a crown of gold adorned with sacred ribbons, was conducted into a subterranean place, over which there was a floor of planks pierced through with many holes. On this floor they sacrificed a bullock, whose blood was freely poured out on the planks or floor, which running through the holes fell upon the priest, who stood under to receive this sacred aspersion, and who, in order to be completely covered with the blood, took care to present the whole of his body, his clothes, face, eyes, nose, lips, and even his tongue, to receive the drops of blood falling through the pierced floor above. Being completely covered with this sanguineous shower, he ascended from his subterranean place, and was acknowledged and adored by the people as Pontifex Maximus, or supreme high priest." These rites, which bear a striking allusion to those used in the consecration of Aaron, and from which they were probably borrowed, and disguised by the introduction of their own superstitions, are particularly described by Aurelius Prudentius, in his poem entitled Romani Martyris Supplicium, from which I shall select those verses, the subject of which is given above, as the passage is curious, and the work not common.
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"Summus sacerdos nempe sub terram scrobe
Acta in profundum consecrandus mergitur,
Mire infulatus, festa vittis tempora
Nectens, corona tum repexus aurea,
Cinctu Gabino sericam fultus togam.
Tabulis superne strata texunt pulpita,
Rimosa rari pegmatis compagibus,
Scindunt subinde vel terebrant aream,
Crebroque lignum perforant acumine,
Pateat minutis ut frequens hiatibus. -
Hic ut statuta est immolanda bellua,
Pectus sacrata dividunt venabulo,
Eructat amplum volnus undam sanguinis - c.
Tum per frequentes mille rimarum vias
Illapsus imber, tabidum rorem pluit,
Defossus intus quem sacerdos excipit,
Guttas ad omnes turpe subjectans caput,
Et veste et omni putrefactus corpore:
Quin os supinat, obvias offert genas
Supponit aures, labra, nares objicit,
Oculos et ipsos perluit liquoribus,
Nec jam palato parcit, et linguam rigat,
Donec cruorem totus atrum combibat. -
Procedit inde pontifex vlsu horridus-&c.
Omnes salutant atque adorant eminus,
Vilis quod illum sanguls, et bos mortuus
Foedis latentem sub cavernis laverint."
Of these lines the reader will not be displeased to find the following poetical version: -
"For when, with sacred pomp and solemn state,
Their great high priest the Romans consecrate,
His silken vest in Gabine cincture bound,
A festal fillet twines his temples round:
And, while aloft the gorgeous mitre shines,
His awful brow a golden crown confines.
In a deep dyke, for mystic ritual made,
He stands, surrounded with terrific shade.
High o'er his holy head a stage they place,
Adorn with paintings, and with statues grace
Then with keen piercers perforate the floor,
Till thronging apertures admit no more.
Thither the victim ox is now convey'd,
To glut the vengeance of the thirsty blade.
The sacred spear his sturdy throat divides,
Down, instant streaming, gush the gory tides,
Through countless crevices the gaping wood
Distils corrupted dew and smoking blood
Drop after drop, in swift succession shed,
Falls on the holy pontiff's mitred head;
While, to imbibe the sanctifying power,
His outspread garments drink the crimson shower;
Then on his back in reeking streams he lies,
And laves in livid blood his lips and eyes;
Bares every limb, exposes every pore,
To catch the virtue of the streaming gore;
With open mouth expects the falling flood,
Moistens his palate and his tongue with blood;
Extends his ears to meet the sanguine rain,
Nor lets a single drop descend in vain.
Then from the gloomy cave comes forth to light,
Bathed in black blood, and horrible to sight! -
By the vile torrent, and the victim slain,
In the dark cavern cleansed from mortal stain,
Their priest, enveloped in atoning gore,
With trembling awe surrounding throngs adore."
Prudentius was born about the middle of the fourth century, and was no doubt intimately acquainted with the circumstances he describes.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v23 Foot. The whole person was thus sensibly consecrated to…
Foot. The whole person was thus sensibly consecrated to God’s service. (Haydock) --- The pagan high priest, among the Romans, was adorned in silk and ribbands, with a crown of gold. Being conducted under ground, the blood of an ox, which had been sacrificed, came upon his head, ears, and other parts of his body, through little holes, made in a board; and thus besmeared, he was recognized by the people. (Prudent. hym. S. Romani, Saumaise. &c.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v23 23. Blood… upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear…
23. Blood… upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear — The consecration was not only general, but specific. The ear must be dedicated that it may be open to the divine voice; the hand and foot, that they may be efficient in sacred services. Eminent saints have practised self consecration by the enumeration of all their faculties and capacities in detail. See the Life of Dr. Payson.
“Welcome, welcome, dear Redeemer,
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Welcome to this heart of mine;
Lord, I make a full surrender;
Every power and thought be thine,
Thine entirely, through eternal ages thine.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv23–24 (23) And he slew it.—Better, and he killed, as…
(23) And he slew it.—Better, and he killed, as the same word is rendered in the Authorised Version in Lev_8:19, that is, Moses killed it.
And put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear.—To teach him that, as the mediator between God and His people, it was his bounden duty to hearken to the commandments of the Lord.
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And upon the thumb of his right hand.—To remind him that henceforth he is to execute God’s will, and walk in the way of His commandments.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v23 8:23 Aaron’s [ear]lobe, thumb, and big toe represented his…
8:23 Aaron’s [ear]lobe, thumb, and big toe represented his total person. This act emphasized the role of the priestly office, with the blood stressing the ties to the sacrificial system. The priest’s basic function was mediation between God and his people. To do this effectively, he needed ears that could hear the words of God and the needs of his people, hands ready to do God’s bidding, and feet ready to take him where he was needed.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.