Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"And the priest, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be priest in his father`s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments:" — Leviticus 16:32 (ASV)
And the priest, whom he shall anoint. —Better, And the priest who shall be anointed. Not only is Aaron to make atonement on this occasion, but, in the future, the priest who shall be consecrated by the proper authorities as his successor to the pontificate shall perform this act of expiation on the Day of Atonement.
And whom he shall consecrate. —Better, and who shall be consecrated. According to the canonical interpretation that prevailed during the Second Temple, this clause makes the hereditary right to the high priesthood conditional. Unlike property, which descends to the heirs unconditionally, the son of the high priest can only succeed his father if he is morally and physically blameless. The decision on these points was vested in the community, represented by their elders—the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin pronounced whether the heir apparent was qualified or disqualified to step into the office of pontiff and appointed the delegates to anoint and invest the new high priest with the insignia of his functions.
And shall put on the linen clothes. —Better, and shall put on the linen garments, as it is rendered in the Authorized Version in Leviticus 16:23. This phrase only occurs twice, and in this very section. To render it with two different expressions so close together is almost equivalent to depriving it of its identity. Now the priest who has thus been deemed worthy to succeed to this high office is to put on the holy white garments on the Day of Atonement.