What happens when Aaron offers the commanded sacrifices for himself and the people?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Aaron offers the sacrifices in the order Moses gives, with his sons bringing him the blood and portions. After Aaron blesses the people and Moses and Aaron enter and leave the tabernacle, the Lord’s glory appears to the whole multitude. Fire from the Lord consumes the burnt offering and fat, and the people praise the Lord and fall on their faces.

Chapter breakdown

On the eighth day, Moses calls Aaron, his sons and the elders of Israel. He tells Aaron to take a calf from the herd for sin and a ram for a holocaust, a whole burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. Aaron must tell the Israelites to bring a male goat for sin, and a calf and a lamb for burnt offering, both one year old and without blemish. They must also bring a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, and flour mixed with oil for each offering, because the Lord will appear to them that day. They bring what Moses commanded to the tabernacle door, where the whole multitude gathers. Moses tells them to do what the Lord commanded, and his glory will appear to them. He tells Aaron to approach the altar, offer the sacrifice for his own sin and his burnt offering, and pray for himself and the people. Aaron must then offer the people’s victim and pray for them, as the Lord commanded.

Aaron immediately approaches the altar and kills the calf for his own sin. His sons bring him its blood. He dips his finger in it and touches the altar’s horns, then pours the rest at its base. He burns the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver on the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses. The calf’s flesh and skins are burned outside the camp.

Aaron kills the animal for his burnt offering. His sons bring him its blood, and he pours it around the altar. They bring him the animal cut into pieces, with the head and all its other parts, and he burns them on the altar. He first washes the entrails and feet with water.

Aaron then offers for the people’s sin. He kills the male goat and cleanses the altar from sin. He offers the burnt offering, adding the accompanying offerings called libations in this edition, which are burned on the altar. These are in addition to the ceremonies of the morning burnt offering.

Aaron kills the bullock and ram as peace offerings for the people. His sons bring him their blood, which he pours around the altar. They place the bullock’s fat, the ram’s rump, the two kidneys with their fat and the covering of the liver on the breasts. After the fat is burned on the altar, Aaron separates the breasts and right shoulders and lifts them before the Lord, as Moses commanded.

Aaron stretches out his hands toward the people and blesses them. When the sacrifices for sin, the burnt offerings and the peace offerings are finished, he comes down. Moses and Aaron enter the tabernacle of testimony and then come out and bless the people. The glory of the Lord appears to the whole multitude. Fire comes from the Lord and consumes the burnt offering and fat on the altar. Seeing this, the people praise the Lord and fall on their faces.

The story inside

The last part of the chapter completes the announcement at its beginning (9:4–7, 22–24). Moses tells the people that the Lord will appear that day and links the promised appearance of his glory to doing what the Lord commands. Aaron then performs the offerings, with his sons assisting. The ending records two blessings: Aaron stretches out his hands and blesses the people, and later Moses and Aaron bless them after leaving the tabernacle. The glory appears to the entire multitude, and fire from the Lord consumes the burnt offering and fat. The people respond by praising the Lord and falling on their faces. This follows the chapter’s own promise, actions and result; the account does not explain what Moses and Aaron do inside the tent or say that their joint blessing causes the fire.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Aaron is included among those for whom he must pray. Moses tells him to offer for his own sin and pray for himself as well as the people before offering the people’s victim. The sequence keeps Aaron’s own offering distinct from the people’s offerings.
2
The sons have a recorded part in the work. They bring Aaron blood and the cut portions of the burnt offering, and the account describes the handling of the peace-offering portions. This makes their assistance visible without assigning them an office or permanent restriction the chapter does not state.
3
The ending concerns the whole gathered multitude. The Lord’s glory appears to them all, and they see the fire consume the burnt offering and fat. Their praise and falling on their faces are the response the account records, without an added claim about what every person felt.

Test your recall

How does the end of the chapter fulfill Moses’ announcement that the Lord will appear that day, and how do the people respond?

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 11449–11477
Leviticus Chapter 9 Aaron offereth sacrifice for himself and the people. Fire cometh from the Lord upon the altar. 9:1. And when the eighth day was come, Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the ancients of Israel, and said to Aaron: 9:2. Take of the herd a calf for sin, and a ram for a holocaust, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 9:3. And to the children of Israel thou shalt say: Take ye a he goat for sin, and a calf, and a lamb, both of a year old, and without blemish for a holocaust. 9:4. Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings. And immolate them before the Lord, offering for the sacrifice of every one of them flour tempered with oil: for to day the Lord will appear to you. 9:5. They brought therefore all things that Moses had commanded before the door of the tabernacle: where when all the multitude stood, 9:6. Moses said: This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded. Do it, and his glory will appear to you. 9:7. And he said to Aaron: Approach to the altar, and offer sacrifice for thy sin. Offer the holocaust, and pray for thyself and for the people: and when thou hast slain the people’s victim, pray for them, as the Lord hath commanded.
Lines 11479–11491
9:8. And forthwith Aaron, approaching to the altar, immolated the calf for his sin. 9:9. And his sons brought him the blood of it: and he dipped his finger therein, and touched the horns of the altar, and poured the rest at the foot thereof. 9:10. And the fat, and the little kidneys, and the caul of the liver, which are for sin, he burnt upon the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 9:11. But the flesh and skins thereof he burnt with fire without the camp.
Lines 11493–11499
9:12. He immolated also the victim of holocaust: and his sons brought him the blood thereof, which he poured round about on the altar. 9:13. And the victim being cut into pieces, they brought to him the head and all the members: all which he burnt with fire upon the altar. 9:14. Having first washed the entrails and the feet with water.
Lines 11501–11508
9:15. Then offering for the sin of the people, he slew the he goat: and expiating the altar, 9:16. He offered the holocaust. 9:17. Adding in the sacrifice the libations, which are offered withal, and burning them upon the altar, besides the ceremonies of the morning holocaust.
Lines 11510–11521
9:18. He immolated also the bullock and the ram, and peace offerings of the people: and his sons brought him the blood, which he poured upon the altar round about. 9:19. The fat also of the bullock, and the rump of the ram, and the two little kidneys with their fat, and the caul of the liver, 9:20. They put upon the breasts. And after the fat was burnt upon the altar, 9:21. Aaron separated their breasts, and the right shoulders, elevating them before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.
Lines 11523–11533
9:22. And stretching forth his hands to the people, he blessed them. And so the victims for sin, and the holocausts, and the peace offerings being finished, he came down. 9:23. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the testimony, and afterwards came forth and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the multitude. 9:24. And, behold, a fire, coming forth from the Lord, devoured the holocaust, and the fat that was upon the altar: which when the multitude saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.