ScriptureDepth's study of Exodus 29
“This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,”
Exodus 29:1
Yahweh instructs Moses regarding the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, initiating their holy service with specific offerings including a 'young bull' and 'two rams'.
What Exodus 29 is about
Yahweh instructs Moses to consecrate Aaron and his sons for the priest’s office (vv. 1-4). They take a young bull, two rams, and various unleavened breads. Aaron and his sons are washed and clothed with specific garments, including the ephod and the holy crown (vv. 5-9). The ritual for the sin offering involves Aaron and his sons laying hands on the bull, which is killed, and its blood is applied to the altar (vv. 10-21). The ram of consecration's meat and bread are also to be offered and sanctified for Aaron and his sons (vv. 22-30). They are instructed to eat the consecrated portions at the Tent of Meeting while ensuring no outsider consumes these holy offerings (vv. 31-34). Moses must perform these actions for seven days, offering continual sacrifices at the altar and declaring Yahweh’s intention to dwell among the people (vv. 35-46).
Yahweh promises to dwell among the children of Israel and to be their God.
Exodus 29 at a glance
- Exodus 29:1–4Instructions for Consecration
- Exodus 29:5–9Clothing the Priests
- Exodus 29:10–21Sin Offering Ritual
- Exodus 29:22–30Consecration of Offerings
- Exodus 29:31–34Eating the Consecrated Portions
- Exodus 29:35–46Ongoing Atonement and Divine Promise
Key verse: Exodus 29:1
One thing to notice
The act of consecration for the priests involves a series of specific rituals and offerings. In verses 1-3, instructions are given about the items required, including 'one young bull and two rams without defect,' and the preparation of 'unleavened bread' to accompany them.
Summary and study helps: AI-drafted (September 2026), checked by automated Scripture gates. Spotted an error? Report it. Fixes are listed on the corrections page.
Chapter text
Read Exodus 29 (WEB)
Instructions for Consecration Exodus 29:1–4
1Verse 1. “This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect, 2Verse 2. unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil: you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3Verse 3. You shall put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. 4Verse 4. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
Clothing the Priests Exodus 29:5–9
5Verse 5. You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and clothe him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod; 6Verse 6. and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. 7Verse 7. Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8Verse 8. You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them. 9Verse 9. You shall clothe them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them: and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute: and you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Sin Offering Ritual Exodus 29:10–21
10Verse 10. “You shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11Verse 11. You shall kill the bull before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 12Verse 12. You shall take of the blood of the bull, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13Verse 13. You shall take all the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.
14Verse 14. But the meat of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp: it is a sin offering. 15Verse 15. “You shall also take the one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 16Verse 16. You shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood, and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17Verse 17. You shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its innards, and its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head. 18Verse 18. You shall burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a burnt offering to Yahweh; it is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
19Verse 19. “You shall take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20Verse 20. 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 of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 21Verse 21. You shall take of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be made holy, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
Consecration of Offerings Exodus 29:22–30
22Verse 22. Also you shall take some of the ram’s fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys, the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23Verse 23. and one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh. 24Verse 24. You shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands, and in his sons’ hands, and shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. 25Verse 25. You shall take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on the burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma before Yahweh: it is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
26Verse 26. “You shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh: and it shall be your portion. 27Verse 27. You shall sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the thigh of the wave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28Verse 28. and it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the children of Israel; for it is a wave offering: and it shall be a wave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their wave offering to Yahweh.
29Verse 29. “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them, and to be consecrated in them. 30Verse 30. Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the holy place.
Eating the Consecrated Portions Exodus 29:31–34
31Verse 31. “You shall take the ram of consecration, and boil its meat in a holy place. 32Verse 32. Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 33Verse 33. They shall eat those things with which atonement was made, to consecrate and sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat of it, because they are holy. 34Verse 34. If anything of the meat of the consecration, or of the bread, remains to the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
Ongoing Atonement and Divine Promise Exodus 29:35–46
35Verse 35. “You shall do so to Aaron, and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. You shall consecrate them seven days. 36Verse 36. Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it. 37Verse 37. Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall be holy. 38Verse 38. “Now this is that which you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
39Verse 39. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning; and the other lamb you shall offer at evening: 40Verse 40. and with the one lamb a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil, and the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41Verse 41. The other lamb you shall offer at evening, and shall do to it according to the meal offering of the morning, and according to its drink offering, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 42Verse 42. It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you.
43Verse 43. There I will meet with the children of Israel; and the place shall be sanctified by my glory. 44Verse 44. I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar: Aaron also and his sons I will sanctify, to minister to me in the priest’s office. 45Verse 45. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46Verse 46. They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.
World English Bible (public domain)
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Main themes in Exodus 29
Consecration
In this chapter, consecration is central to the process of setting apart Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. Instructions in vv. 1-4 detail how to wash them with water and dress them in holy garments. The rituals involving blood and offerings in vv. 20-21 further sanctify them, marking their transition into a holy status before God. This theme moves forward as their consecration is established as a perpetual statute in v. 9.
Sacrifice
Exodus 29 outlines specific offerings that are required during the consecration of the priests. In verses 10-14, a bull is offered as a sin offering, with detailed instructions provided for handling its blood and body. The ram in verses 15-21 is also sacrificed, with its blood applied to Aaron and his sons. This chapter also describes ongoing daily sacrifices that are to be made at the altar in verses 38-41.
Priesthood
The chapter establishes the priesthood through the detailed instructions for the consecration of Aaron and his sons. In vv. 5-9, they are clothed in sacred garments, signifying their new roles. The laying on of hands and the ritual sacrifices in vv. 10-21 formally initiate them into their priestly duties. The priesthood is further solidified with the command in v. 9 that they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute.
Divine Presence
Divine presence is articulated in the context of the sacrificial system and the consecration of the priests. In v. 42, God promises to meet with the people at the Tent of Meeting, indicating where His glory will reside. The assurance that God will dwell among the children of Israel is reiterated in v. 45, emphasizing the intimate relationship established through the priesthood. This theme culminates in v. 46, where the purpose of their liberation from Egypt is tied to God's desire to dwell among them.
Chapter outline
How Exodus 29 unfolds
Exodus 29:1–4 Instructions for Consecration
Aaron and his sons are commanded to be consecrated for the priesthood by specific rituals, including washing and offering sacrifices (vv. 1-4).
Exodus 29:5–9 Clothing the Priests
Aaron is clothed with 'the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate' and anointed with oil, while his sons receive coats and belts, preparing them for their priestly roles (vv. 5-9).
Exodus 29:10–21 Sin Offering Ritual
The bull is offered as a sin offering, with rituals including laying hands on the animal and applying its blood on the altar (vv. 10-21).
Exodus 29:22–30 Consecration of Offerings
Specific offerings from a ram are to be waved before Yahweh, and portions are designated for Aaron and his sons, marking their consecration (vv. 22-30).
Exodus 29:31–34 Eating the Consecrated Portions
Aaron and his sons are instructed to eat the consecrated meat and bread, underscoring the holiness of the offerings and prohibiting others from partaking (vv. 31-34).
Exodus 29:35–46 Ongoing Atonement and Divine Promise
Ongoing sacrifices, including daily lamb offerings, are mandated to ensure continuous atonement, promising Yahweh's presence among the people (vv. 35-46).
Key verses
Exodus 29:1Yahweh instructs Moses regarding the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, initiating their holy service with specific offerings including a 'young bull' and 'two rams'.
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Study questions
Questions for studying Exodus 29
- observeIn v5, what garments are put on Aaron during the consecration?
- observeWhat does Aaron and his sons do to the bull in v10?
- interpretThe sin offering in v14: why is the meat and skin burned outside the camp?
- interpretIn v38, why are two lambs offered continually every day?
- applyWhen have you felt the weight of a 'perpetual statute' in your responsibilities?
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Cross-references
Passages that echo Exodus 29
- 2 Corinthians 6Exodus 29:45 and 2 Corinthians 6:16Both dwell: Exodus 29:45 says, 'I will dwell among the children of Israel,' while 2 Corinthians 6:16 states, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them.'
- Leviticus 8Exodus 29:6 and Leviticus 8:9Both set the turban: Exodus 29:6 commands to set the turban, while Leviticus 8:9 says, 'He set the turban on his head.'
- Leviticus 1Exodus 29:10 and Leviticus 1:4Both lay hands: Exodus 29:10 says Aaron shall lay hands on the bull, while Leviticus 1:4 states laying hands on the burnt offering.
- Leviticus 4Exodus 29:14 and Leviticus 4:11Both the bull’s skin: Exodus 29:14 says to burn the bull's skin, while Leviticus 4:11 lists the bull’s skin among the offerings.
- Leviticus 7Exodus 29:1 and Leviticus 7:37Both consecration: Exodus 29:1 shows the process for consecration, while Leviticus 7:37 summarizes the law of consecration and offerings.
- Leviticus 3Exodus 29:10 and Leviticus 3:2Both lay hands: Exodus 29:10 states laying hands on the bull, while Leviticus 3:2 involves laying hands on his offering.
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