What does Moses require of Aaron and his sons before their consecration is complete?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Moses washes and clothes them, anoints Aaron, offers the prescribed sacrifices and sprinkles them and their clothing with ointment and altar blood. They must eat the appointed food at the tabernacle door and remain there for seven days, keeping the Lord’s watches day and night under a warning of death.

Chapter breakdown

The Lord tells Moses to bring Aaron and his sons, their clothing, the anointing oil, a calf for sin, two rams and a basket of unleavened bread. He must gather the whole congregation at the door of the tabernacle, the sacred tent. Moses does as commanded. When the people have gathered, he tells them that this is what the Lord has commanded. He immediately brings Aaron and his sons forward and washes them.

Moses clothes Aaron, the high priest, in the close-fitting linen garment, ties on the girdle or belt, and puts on the violet tunic and the ephod. He binds it with the girdle and fits it to the rational, the breastpiece, on which are Doctrine and Truth. He places the mitre, the head covering, on Aaron’s head and the gold plate, consecrated for this purpose, on the mitre above his forehead. Moses also anoints the tabernacle and all its furniture. He sanctifies the altar and sprinkles it seven times, anoints it and all its vessels, and sanctifies the laver, the washing basin, and its base with oil. He pours oil on Aaron’s head, anointing and consecrating him. He then brings Aaron’s sons forward, clothes them in linen tunics, ties on their girdles and places mitres on their heads, as the Lord commanded.

Moses brings the calf for sin. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. Moses kills it and uses his finger to put blood on the horns of the altar all around, cleansing it from sin and setting it apart as holy. He pours the rest of the blood at the altar’s base. He burns on the altar the fat over the entrails, the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. The calf’s skin, flesh and dung are burned outside the camp, as the Lord commanded.

Next Moses brings the ram for a holocaust, a whole burnt offering. Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head. Moses kills it and pours its blood around the altar. He cuts it into pieces and burns its head, joints and fat. After first washing its entrails and feet, he burns the whole ram on the altar. The offering is described as having a very sweet smell to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses brings the second ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons again lay their hands on its head. After killing it, Moses puts some of its blood on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot. He does the same for each of Aaron’s sons: the right ear tip, right thumb and right big toe. He pours the remaining blood around the altar.

Moses separates the fat, the rump, the fat covering the entrails, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat and the right shoulder. From the basket of unleavened bread before the Lord, he takes a loaf, a cake made with oil and a wafer, and places them on the fat and shoulder. He puts all these portions into the hands of Aaron and his sons, who lift them before the Lord. Moses takes them back and burns them on the altar of burnt offering. They are the consecration offering, described as having a sweet smell. He also takes the breast of the consecration ram and lifts it before the Lord. This is Moses’ portion, as the Lord commanded.

Moses takes the ointment and some of the blood on the altar and sprinkles Aaron and his clothing, and Aaron’s sons and their clothing. Having sanctified them in their clothing, he commands them to boil the meat before the tabernacle door and eat it there. They must also eat the consecration loaves in the basket, as the Lord commanded for Aaron and his sons. Any meat or loaves left over must be burned.

Aaron and his sons must not leave the tabernacle door for seven days, until their consecration is complete. Moses says that the consecration is finished in seven days and refers to what has been done that day to complete the sacrificial rite. They must remain in the tabernacle day and night, keeping the Lord’s watches, lest they die. Moses says this is what he has been commanded. Aaron and his sons do all that the Lord has spoken through Moses.

The story inside

The second ram’s rite shows how Moses carries out the consecration through several different actions (8:22–32). The blood goes first on Aaron’s right ear tip, thumb and big toe, then on those same parts of each son, and the rest goes around the altar. The fat, right shoulder and three kinds of bread are placed in their hands to be lifted before the Lord, but Moses takes these portions back and burns them. The breast has a different destination: it is Moses’ portion. Ointment and altar blood are then sprinkled on the people being consecrated and their clothing. Finally, Moses gives instructions for their meal and its leftovers. These differences matter because the account does not treat all blood, meat and bread alike. The chapter records where each portion goes and what each person does; it does not explain the ear, thumb and toe as symbols of hearing, work or walking.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The consecration takes place before the assembled congregation. Moses gathers the people at the tabernacle door and tells them that he is carrying out the Lord’s command. This identifies the command being performed and the people present without adding a motive for holding the ceremony in public.
2
The calf and the two rams have different prescribed uses. The calf’s skin, flesh and dung are burned outside the camp; the first ram is a whole burnt offering; the second ram supplies blood and portions for the consecration rite. Keeping those differences makes the sequence understandable.
3
The final instructions include both food and time. Aaron and his sons must eat at the tabernacle door, burn the leftovers and remain for seven days, observing the Lord’s watches day and night. The warning of death makes the duty serious; the closing verse records their obedience without supplying further details about those seven days.

Test your recall

Why must Aaron and his sons remain at the tabernacle door for seven days, and what warning accompanies their day-and-night duty?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 11319–11337
Leviticus Chapter 8 Moses consecrateth Aaron and his sons. 8:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 8:2. Take Aaron with his sons, their vestments, and the oil of unction: a calf for sin, two rams, a basket with unleavened bread. 8:3. And thou shalt gather together all the congregation to the door of the tabernacle. 8:4. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded. And all the multitude being gathered together before the door of the tabernacle: 8:5. He said: This is the word that the Lord hath commanded to be done. 8:6. And immediately, he offered Aaron and his sons. And when he had washed them,
Lines 11339–11362
8:7. He vested the high priest with the strait linen garment, girding him with the girdle, and putting on him the violet tunick: and over it he put the ephod. 8:8. And binding it with the girdle, he fitted it to the rational, on which was Doctrine and Truth. 8:9. He put also the mitre upon his head: and upon the mitre over the forehead, he put the plate of gold, consecrated with sanctification, as the Lord had commanded him. 8:10. He took also the oil of unction, with which he anointed the tabernacle, with all the furniture thereof. 8:11. And when he had sanctified and sprinkled the altar seven times, he anointed it, and all the vessels thereof: and the laver with the foot thereof, he sanctified with the oil. 8:12. And he poured it upon Aaron’s head: and he anointed and consecrated him. 8:13. And after he had offered his sons, he vested them with linen tunicks, and girded them with girdles: and put mitres on them as the Lord had commanded.
Lines 11364–11377
8:14. He offered also the calf for sin: and when Aaron and his sons had put their hands upon the head thereof, 8:15. He immolated it: and took the blood, and dipping his finger in it, he touched the horns of the altar round about. Which being expiated, and sanctified, he poured the rest of the blood at the bottom thereof. 8:16. But the fat that was upon the entrails, and the caul of the liver, and the two little kidneys, with their fat, he burnt upon the altar. 8:17. And the calf with the skin, and the flesh and the dung, he burnt without the camp, as the Lord had commanded.
Lines 11379–11390
8:18. He offered also a ram for holocaust. And when Aaron and his sons had put their hands upon its head: 8:19. He immolated it, and poured the blood thereof round about the altar. 8:20. And cutting the ram into pieces, the head thereof, and the joints, and the fat he burnt in the fire. 8:21. Having first washed the entrails, and the feet, and the whole ram together he burnt upon the altar: because it was a holocaust of most sweet odour to the Lord, as he had commanded him.
Lines 11392–11402
8:22. He offered also the second ram, in the consecration of priests: and Aaron, and his sons put their hands upon the head thereof. 8:23. And when Moses had immolated it, he took of the blood thereof, and touched the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and the thumb of his right hand, and in like manner also the great toe of his right foot. 8:24. He offered also the sons of Aaron: and when with the blood of the ram that was immolated, he had touched the tip of the right ear of every one of them, and the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of their right feet, the rest he poured on the altar round about.
Lines 11404–11420
8:25. But the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that covereth the entrails, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and with the right shoulder, he separated. 8:26. And taking out of the basket of unleavened bread, which was before the Lord, a loaf without leaven, and a cake tempered with oil and a wafer, he put them upon the fat, and the right shoulder: 8:27. Delivering all to Aaron, and to his sons. Who having lifted them up before the Lord, 8:28. He took them again from their hands, and burnt them upon the altar of holocaust: because it was the oblation of consecration, for a sweet odour of sacrifice to the Lord. 8:29. And he took of the ram of consecration, the breast for his portion, elevating it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him.
Lines 11422–11433
8:30. And taking the ointment, and the blood that was upon the altar, he sprinkled Aaron, and his vestments, and his sons, and their vestments with it. 8:31. And when he had sanctified them in their vestments, he commanded them, saying: Boil the flesh before the door of the tabernacle, and there eat it. Eat ye also the loaves of consecration, that are laid in the basket, as the Lord commanded me, saying: Aaron and his sons shall eat them. 8:32. And whatsoever shall be left of the flesh and the loaves, shall be consumed with fire.
Lines 11435–11446
8:33. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle for seven days, until the day wherein the time of your consecration shall be expired. For in seven days the consecration is finished: 8:34. As at this present it hath been done, that the rite of the sacrifice might be accomplished. 8:35. Day and night shall you remain in the tabernacle observing the watches of the Lord, lest you die. For so it hath been commanded me. 8:36. And Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses.