both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; (4) also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you.

(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. (6) 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.

(7) And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin

It will be seen that the elders of the people whom Moses summoned in verse 1 to witness in behalf of the people the first ministrations of the priests, are here called "the children of Israel," thus showing that the representatives acted for the people. Hence the two terms are interchanged (see chap. viii. 2), which accounts for the fact that the Greek Version (LXX.) renders it here by "elders."

A kid of the goats . . . and a calf.-Better, a shaggy-haired he-goat. (See chap. iv. 23, &c.)

(4) Also a bullock and a ram.-The elders were thus to bring on behalf of the people, (1) a hegoat for a sin offering; (2) a yearling calf and a yearling sheep for a burnt offering; and (3) an ox and a ram for a peace offering.

A meat offering mingled with oil.-The oil was to be added, as, with the exception of the small portion offered to the Lord, the meat offering was the perquisite of the officiating priests who partook of it, together with their share of the victims, and the cakes had to be made palatable for the sacerdotal repast. (See chap. ii. 1.)

For to-day the Lord will appear unto you.That is, prepare and sanctify yourselves with these sacrifices, for the Lord is to manifest himself in an especial manner to signify his approval of the inauguration of Aaron and his family to the priesthood.

(5) And they brought.—That is, Aaron and his sons, according to the command of Moses, and the elders on behalf of the people, and according to the order of Aaron, who was directed by Moses so to do, brought the aforenamed sacrifices.

And all the congregation -That is, the elders who represented the people, whom Moses summoned (see verse 1), and as many of the people as could find room assembled before the sanctuary in the court-yard to witness the newly-installed priests officiating for the first time.

(6) And Moses said.-As the people now stood assembled in the court and around it, Moses explained to them the import of the ritual which they were about to witness in the presence of the Lord.

(7) And Moses said unto Aaron.-Though he was now the duly-installed high priest, yet he did not approach the altar till he was solemnly called upon by Moses to do it, thereby showing the authorised representatives of the people that Aaron did not take this honour to himself, but that it was the call of God

:

for Himself.

offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded. (8) Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. (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: (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. (11) And the flesh and the hide he burnt with

by Moses. Hence, the remark of the Apostle, "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron; so also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest, but he that said unto him," &c. (Heb. v. 4, 5.)

Make atonement for thyself and the people.-The fact that these sacrifices which the high priest is to bring are here described as designed to make atonement for himself and the people, goes far to confirm the ancient interpretation that reference is here made to the particular sin which Aaron and the people committed in common, and that it is the sin of the golden calf (see verse 2), which is so emphatically described in the words they made the calf which Aaron made" (Exod. xxxii. 35). Hence, whilst their share of the sin is to be atoned by a special sacrifice (see verse 15), they are yet to participate in the atoning virtue of Aaron's sacrifice because they prevailed on him to make the calf (Exod. xxxii. 1).

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(8) And slew the calf.-As the sacrificer Aaron, like every ordinary offerer, slaughtered the victim himself (see chap. i. 5) on the north side of the altar. (See chap. i. 11.)

(9) And the sons of Aaron brought the blood. -His sons, for whom the sacrifice was offered as well as for himself, and who assisted at the ritual, after catching the blood in a bowl (see chap. i. 5), brought it to Aaron, who stood at the altar waiting to receive it. Unlike the ordinary law of the sin offering for the high priest and for the people, the blood of which was taken into the tabernacle (see chap. iv. 7, 16—18), Aaron on this occasion simply put some of it upon the four horns of the brazen altar as Moses had done in the sin offering of consecration (see chap. viii. 15), for, though high priest, he had not as yet access to the holy place of the sanctuary till he had qualified himself by this sacrifice in the court-yard.

(10) But the fat he burnt upon the altar. -The fat portions of this sin offering Aaron was still to burn upon the altar as Moses had done before (see chap. viii. 14, 21, 28), since the miraculous fire from God did not issue forth till the burnt offering of the people was offered. (See verse 24.)

(11) And the flesh and the hide he burnt.The flesh and the hide, which were ordinarily the perquisite of the officiating priest (see chap. vi. 26), were on this occasion to be burnt, because the priest

fire without the camp. (12) And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. (13) And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. (14) And he did

wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar.

for the People.

was not permitted to partake of the sin offering which he offered for himself. (See chap. iv. 35.)

(12) And he slew the burnt offering.-As was the order of the sacrifices which Moses brought (see chap. viii. 18-21), so here the sin offering is followed by the burnt offering. The ram (see verse 2) which constituted this sacrifice Aaron slew at the north side of the altar (see chap. i. 11), and after the blood had been received into the bowl by his sons who assisted him, and had been handed to him, Aaron sprinkled it around the altar in the same manner as Moses had done before. (See chap. viii. 19.)

(13) With the pieces thereof.-Literally, according to its pieces, or piece by piece, that is, after it had been cut up into the pieces as ordered in chap. i. 6, and as the burnt-offering offered by Moses was cut up (see chap. viii. 20), his sons handed the dismembered victim to him piece by piece. The process of cutting up is not mentioned, because it is implied in the fact that the ritual on this occasion was exactly the same as in the offerings made by Moses.

(14) And burnt them upon the burnt offering. That is, no special fire is to be kindled for it, but this burnt offering is to be put upon the top of the burning sin offering. (See chap. iv. 35.)

(15) And he brought the people's offering.— Being reconciled to God by the atoning sacrifice which he offered for his own share in the sin, Aaron was now qualified to offer the sin offering of the people.

As the first. The ritual in this sacrifice Aaron conducted in the same manner as in the foregoing one offered for himself. (See verse 8.) He accordingly burnt the flesh without the camp, for which he was reproved by Moses.

(16) And he brought the burnt offering.— That is, the yearling calf and the lamb (see verse 3), which he offered according to the rites prescribed in chap. i. 3, &c. The same expression "manner," in the sense of prescribed ritual, also occurs in chap. v. 10, where, like here, it is rendered in the Margin by dinance."

or

(17) And he brought the meat offering. This Aaron offered according to the rule in chap. ii. 1—3.

(22) And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. (23) And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of

Beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.— That is, in addition to the lamb which was daily offered as a burnt sacrifice, and was accompanied by a meat offering (Exod. xxix. 30, 40). Accordingly Aaron began his priestly functions by first offering the daily morning sacrifice which took precedence of all other sacrifices, and which was never superseded by the extra offerings; then followed the other sacrifices here described.

(18-21) He slew also the bullock.- Better, and he slew, &c. With this peace offering, which was carried out according to the rules prescribed in chap. iii. 1, &c., concluded the sacrificial ceremony of the installation of the priesthood and the sanctification of the people.

(22) And Aaron lifted up his hand. Having now completed the rites of the various sacrifices, and whilst still standing on the elevation leading to the altar, Aaron with uplifted hands solemnly pronounces upon the assembled people the priestly benediction prescribed in Numb. vi. 24-26. As the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bless the people in His name (Deut. x. 8, xxi. 5), the descendants of Aaron to this day pronounce this benediction upon the congregation in the synagogue at certain periods of the year. In accordance with the remark in the passage before us, they are obliged to turn their faces to the people. In lifting up their hands above their shoulders, stretching them forward towards the worshippers, each priest joins his hands together by the thumbs and the two forefingers, separating the other two fingers so as to produce a triple division. (See Num. vi. 24, &c.)

And came down from offering.-That is, from the elevated standing-place by the side of the altar, which was ascended by a gently sloping dam of earth, since no steps were allowed (see Exod. xx. 3), and which during the second Temple was three cubits high.

(23) Went into the tabernacle of the congregation.-Better, went into the tent of meeting. The sacrifices being ended, there still remained the burning of the incense on the golden altar which stood in the tabernacle. Hence Aaron, conducted by Moses, left the court where the altar of burnt offering stood, and where the sacrifices had been offered, and went into

the holy place where the altar of incense stood to perform this last act of the ritual. (See Exod. xxx. 7, &c.) Having already delivered to Aaron the charge of all the things connected with the sacrifices in the court, Moses now also committed to him the care of the things within the sanctuary, showing him, at the same time, how to offer the incense, how to arrange the shewbread on the table, how to light and trim the lamps of the candlestick, &c., all of which were in the sanctuary. There can, however, hardly be any doubt that whilst there they prayed, as tradition informs us, for the promised manifestation of the Divine presence.

And came out, and blessed the people.— According to an ancient tradition embodied in the Chaldee Version of the Pentateuch, the blessing which Moses and Aaron unitedly bestowed upon the people on coming out of the sanctuary, was as follows:-" May the word of the Lord accept your sacrifice with favour, and remit and pardon your sins."

And the glory of the Lord appeared.-To show his gracious acceptance of the institution of the priesthood, and of the whole service connected therewith, God manifested himself in the more luminous appearance of the cloudy pillar. This glorious appearance which, in a lesser degree, always filled the tabernacle, was now visible in greater effulgence to all the people who witnessed the installation. (Comp. Exod. xvi. 10, xl. 34; 1 Kings viii. 10-12.)

(24) And there came a fire.-As a further indication of His acceptance of all the forementioned rites, the Lord sent forth from the luminous cloud flashes of fire, which, on this occasion, suddenly consumed in the sight of the people the victims that ordinarily continued smouldering on the altar all the day and all the night. In this manner God afterwards testified His acceptance of the sacrifice of Gideon (Judges vi. 20, 21), of Elijah, (1 Kings xviii. 28), and of the sacrifices of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple (2 Chron. vii. 1, 2). Tradition assures us that the sacred fire which thus issued forth from the immediate presence of God continued to be nourished on the altar with the fuel especially provided by the congregation, and constituted the perpetual fire. (See chap. vi. 13.)

They shouted, and fell on their faces.-On seeing these visible tokens of the Divine acceptance of the services, the people expressed their thankfulness in the same manner as they showed it on a similar occasion. Thus we are told-" When all the sons of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord shone upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chron. xxvii. 3).

X.

(1) And Nadab and Abihu.-Immediately after the Divine manifestation of God's acceptance of the services connected with the institution of the priesthood, and whilst the congregation are still giving utterance to their profound expressions of thankfulness and joy, the assembled people see a most daring act of

sacrilege committed by two of the five newly-installed priests, and have to witness the most awful punishment which befals the offenders. The offenders are the two eldest sons of Aaron, who had received the high distinction to be invited to accompany their father and Moses to the summit of the hallowed mount (Exod. xxiv. 1); the lesson to the Israelites being that the priests, though mediators between God and the people, are beset with the same infirmities as the laity, and must not presume upon their office.

one.

Took either of them his censer.-The sin of Nadab and Abihu was of a complicated nature, and involved and consisted of several transgressions :-(1) They each took his own censer, and not the sacred utensil of the sanctuary. (2) They both offered it together, whereas the incense was only to be offered by (3) They presumptuously encroached upon the functions of the high priest; for according to the Law the high priest alone burnt incense in a censer. (See chap. xvi. 12, 13; Num. xvii. 11.) The ordinary priests only burnt it on the golden altar in the holy place (Exod. xxx. 7, 8), or on the brazen altar as a part of the memorial. (See chap. ii. 2, 3, 16, &c.) The case of Korah and his company was an exception, since it was ordered by Moses for an especial purpose (Num. xvi. 6-25). (4) They offered the incense at an unauthorised time, since it was apart from the morning and evening sacrifice.

And offered strange fire. They filled their vessels with common fire instead of taking it from the holy fire of the altar, which was always to be used in burning incense. (See chaps. ix. 24, xvi. 12.) It is with reference to this practice that we are told—“ And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire off the altar " (Rev. viii. 5). Ancient tradition says that Nadab and Abihu had partaken too freely of the drink offering, and performed their service in a state of intoxication, when they were incapacitated to distinguish between what was legal and illegal. So general was this tradition that it is actually embodied in the Palestinian Chaldee Version of verse 9, which contains the solemn warning against wine to those engaged in the service of the sanctuary, and which is regarded as a sequel to this awful catastrophe. Others, however, suppose that the phrase "strange fire denotes not offered according to the prescribed law, just as “strange incense is used in the sense of incense not prepared in the manner ordered by the Law (Exod. xxx. 9).

Before the Lord. This may mean before the door of the sanctuary (see chap. i. 5), or in front of the holy of holies. (See chap. iv. 6.) As the dead bodies are said in verse 4 to have lain in the court of the tabernacle, the former must be the meaning in the passage bofore us.

Which he commanded them not.-According to a figure of speech frequently used in Hebrew, where the negative form is used for the emphatic affirmative, this phrase is better rendered, "which he had strongly forbidden them." Though the command is only expressed in chap. xvi. 12, there can hardly be any doubt that it was previously given by Moses, since it is implied

in, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. (2) And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. (3) Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael (4) and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the

in chaps. i. 7, vi. 12. A similar reference to a wellknown statement, though not here recorded, we have in the following verse.

(2) And there went out fire from the Lord.By fire they sinned, and by fire they died. The Divine fire which issued forth to consume the sacrifices as a token of acceptance, now descended as the avenger of sin to consume the sacrificers, just as the same gospel is to one a savour of life unto life, and to another a savour of death unto death. (2 Cor. ii. 16.)

And devoured them. That is, slay them, since we are told in verse 5 that not only were their bodies in a perfect state of preservation, but even their garments were not burnt. The word consume, however, is used here to keep up the connection between this verse and chap ix. 24.

They died before the Lord.-That is, in the court of the sanctuary (see verse 1), on the very spot where the sin was committed.

(3) Then Moses said... This is it that the Lord spake.-Here we have another instance of a reference to a well-known Divine communication made through Moses, which has not been previously recorded in the Pentateuch. Moses adduces this declaration to explain to the bereaved father the judgment of God.

I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me.-Better, I will sanctify myself in them that come near to me. God had sanctified to himself Aaron and his sons by the holy unction (see chap. viii. 10, 12), that they might sanctify Him in the strict performance of their sacred duties as the mediators between God and man. Having failed to do this, God sanctified himself in them by the awful punishment inflicted upon them for their transgression. (See Ezek. xxvii. 22, xxxviii. 16, 23.) The phrase, "that come near to God," is a frequent designation for the priest. (Exod. xix. 22; Numb. xvi. 5; Ezek. xlii. 13, xliii. 19.)

And before all the people I will be glorified. -Better, and I will glorify myself before all the people. By this judgment God vindicated His law, showing that it cannot be violated with impunity, and thus glorified Himself as the Holy One of Israel.

And Aaron held his peace. He silently submitted to the righteous judgment which bereft him of his two sons. So the Psalmist, "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it" (xxxix. 9).

(4) And Moses called . . . the sons of Uzziel. -Uzziel was the son of Kohath, the younger brother of Amram. As Amram was the father of Aaron, Uzziel was the uncle of Aaron. Uzziel had three sons, of whom Mishael and Elzaphan were two (Exod. vi. 18, 22). Eleazar and Ithamar, as ordinary priests, might have been employed in removing the remains of their slain brothers. (See chap. xxi. 1-4.) Naturally they

of Nadab and Abihu.

uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. (5) So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. (6) And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of

were too much affected by this appalling scene; Moses therefore wanted to spare their feelings, and hence charged their cousins-german with the task of carrying away the dead bodies. The reason why Izar and Hebron, the two older uncles of Aaron, are here passed over is because the discontent of their children with the choice of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, which afterward broke out in open rebellion on the part of Korah, Izar's son (Numb. xvi., xvii.), had evidently begun to show itself when they witnessed the imposing ceremonies of the consecration. It was necessary that those who suffered so signally for the transgression of the Divine institutions should be buried by men whose allegiance to God's law was unimpeachable.

Carry your brethren.-That is, your kinsmen. The expression brother is frequently used in the Bible in the sense of near relation. (See Gen. xiii. 8, xiv. 6, xxiv. 48, xxix. 12-15, &c.)

From before the sanctuary.-In the courtyard of the sanctuary, where the incense was offered in the midst of the rejoicing people, and where they were struck dead. (See chap. ix. 5.)

(5) And carried them in their coats.-Better, and they carried them in their tunics, the long white garments in which they ministered, and which were the most characteristic part of the sacerdotal vestments. In ordinary cases the cast-off dresses of the priests were converted into wick for the lamps of the sanctuary, but in this case they were buried with the persons, for, apart from their becoming unclean by their contact with the corpses, no one would have used them, having been worn at a time of so awful a visitation.

Out of the camp.-Burial places in ancient times were outside the towns in open fields. (See Gen. xxiii. 9, 17; Matt. xxvii. 71; Luke viii. 27.)

(6) Uncover not your heads.-Better, let not your heads be dishevelled. It was the custom for mourners to let their hair grow long, and let it fall in a disorderly and wild manner over the head and face. (See chaps. xiii. 45, xxi. 10; 2 Sam. xv. 30, xix. 4, &c.) For this reason the priests who are consecrated to the service of the Lord are even on ordinary occasions not to shave their heads nor suffer their locks to grow long. (Ezek. xliv. 20.) On this occasion more especially Aaron and his two surviving sons are forbidden to give way to these manifestations of grief, since it might be considered as a reflection upon the justice of the punishment.

Neither rend your clothes.-This was another ordinary manifestation of sorrow and mourning. (See Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34; Josh. vii. 6; 2 Sam. xiii. 21, &c.) To this day the Jews observe this custom of mourning for the death of their near relations; they tear their

Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. (7) And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

(8) And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, (9) Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your

garments, let their hair and nails grow, and do not wash.

And lest wrath come upon all the people.The transgression of this command would not only bring down upon Aaron and his sons the same awful judgment, but would expose the whole community to the Divine wrath. In virtue of the intimate connection which subsisted between the representative of the nation and the people, a sin committed by the high priest in his official position involved the whole community, and they had to share the consequences of the offence. (See chap. iv. 3.)

But let your brethren.-The afflicted relatives were, however, not to be deprived of all the customary expressions of mourning. The whole house of Israel, who are here designedly called "the brethren" of the bereaved, to show the depth of their sympathy, were allowed to mourn over the great calamity which had thus befallen them.

(7) From the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.-Better, away from the entrance of the tent of meeting. (See chap. i. 3.) But Aaron and his sons are not to quit the court of the sanctuary to take part in the burial.

For the anointing of the Lord is upon you.The reason why they are not to join in the funeral rites is that they had been devoted by this holy unction to the service of God. Earthly relations were, therefore, not to interfere with the duties to God. Hence, it was sin for priests to mourn when they ministered before the Lord. (See chap. xxi. 10-12.) This law was strictly observed during the second Temple. When an officiating priest heard of the death of a relative, he did not quit the sanctuary, lest it should appear that he had greater love for the dead person than for the living God.

(8) And the Lord spake unto Aaron.-As half of the staff of the priesthood had thus been struck down, and the other half were not allowed to mourn over the departed, the chief of the survivors might have thought that God was altogether displeased with the newlycreated pontificate. To comfort him, therefore, as well as to restore the prestige of this sacred office in the eyes of the people, who had witnessed the disobedience and punishment of the spiritual functionaries, the Lord, who hitherto made all such communications to Moses, now honours Aaron with speaking to him immediately.

(9) Do not drink wine.-As the command that the priests are to abstain from any intoxicating liquors when performing their sacred functions follows so closely upon the death of Nadab and Abihu, the opinion obtained as early at least as the time of Christ that

in the Tabernacle.

generations: (10) and that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; (11) and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

(12) And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is

there is a connection between the specific sin and the general law, that the two sons of Aaron drank wine to excess when they offered strange fire, and that the present prohibition is based upon that circumstance. Accordingly, the Apostle enjoins that a bishop "must not be given to wine," that" deacons must not be given to much wine" (1 Tim. iii. 2, 3). A similar law existed among the ancient Greeks and Persians, enjoining the priests to abstain from wine.

Nor strong drink.-The word (shechar) here rendered strong drink, is the general name of intoxicating drinks, whether made of wheat, barley, millet, apples, dates, honey, or other fruits. One of the four intoxicating drinks which are prohibited among the Mahommedans in India is called "Sachar.

The

When ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation.-Better, when ye go into the tent of meeting. The Palestinian Chaldee adds here, as thy sons did who died by the burning fire." The same precept is repeated in Ezek. xliv. 21, "Neither shall any priest drink wine when they enter into the inner court." injunction that on these particular occasions the priests are to abstain from taking it clearly implies that, ordinarily, when not going into the tent of meeting—that is, when not performing their sacred functions in the sauc tuary-they were not forbidden to use it if required.

(10) And that ye may put difference.-The motive here assigned for their abstinence from intoxicating liquor is, that by keeping sober they might be able to discriminate between the legal and illegal points in the prescribed observances, which required the greatest care. Thus, for instance, the rules as to which places and days and sundry portions of the offerings were holy or common, or as to holy fire and common fire, which Nadab and Abihu violated; or about ceremonially clean and unclean men, women, animals, and utensils. (See Ezek. xliv. 23.)

(11) And that ye may teach.-The priests were not only to keep sober to be able to decide the questions of ritual, but they were to teach the people, since the ceremonial law affected domestic life and social intercourse (Deut. xxxiii. 10; Mal. ii. 7). For neglecting these duties, the prophet charges them :-" Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things they have put no difference between the holy and the profane, neither have they showed difference [i.e., taught the people the difference] between the unclean and the clean " (Ezek. xxii. 26).

:

(12) And Moses spake unto Aaron.-This communication, which refers to the sacrifices offered on the eighth day, or the day after the consecration was finished, Moses made to Aaron and his two surviving