Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 8

And the Lord spake unto Moses. —As the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood which the Lord commanded Moses to establish (Exodus 28:1–43) was to be accompanied by different kinds of sacrifices (Exodus 29:1–37), it was first of all necessary to define the ritual of each sacrifice. This was therefore done in Leviticus 1-7, and the lawgiver now proceeds to record the communication which he received from the Lord concerning the appointment to the sacerdotal office, thus resuming the narrative which was broken off at the end of Exodus.

Take Aaron and his sons.: That is, order them to come and to bring with them the sacred vestments and the sacrifices to the entrance of the tent of meeting. .

The garments.: Those which God had before commanded to be made. (See Exodus 28:2 and following, Exodus 29:1 and following). For the anointing oil, see Exodus 30:23 and following, and Exodus 29:7.

And a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket.: Better, and the bullock, the two rams, and the basket. That is the offering about which directions are given in Exodus 29:1-3, thus showing the intimate connection between this part of Leviticus and the latter part of Exodus.

And gather thou all the congregation together —Better, and gather all the assembly together. The same word is rightly rendered assembly in the Authorized Version in Leviticus 8:4. (See Leviticus 4:13.) That is, call together the assembly of the elders, the heads of the tribes, and the principal men who represented the people. This is confirmed by Leviticus 9:1, where it is distinctly said that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel, and where these elders are called in the following verse the children of Israel, by virtue of their representing the children of Israel.

Unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. —Better, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that is, its courtyard.

And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. —That is, he not only summoned Aaron and his sons, but had their holy vestments, the oil, and the sacrifices brought, which were necessary for the consecration.

Unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. —Better, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. These representatives of the people, and as many more as the place would conveniently hold, occupied the courtyard, while the people at large who wished to witness the solemn consecration of the priesthood probably occupied the neighbouring places which overlooked the enclosure. According to a tradition which was prevalent in the time of Christ, this ceremony took place on the 23rd of the month Adar, or February.

This is the thing which the Lord commanded. —That is, these are the instructions which are given in Exodus 29:1-37, and which Moses now published to the assembled representatives of the people.