Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 5:4

"And no man taketh the honor unto himself, but when he is called of God, even as was Aaron." — Hebrews 5:4 (ASV)

The negative statement immediately refutes any thought that a man can take the initiative in being made high priest. It is an honor to be a high priest, and this can happen only by divine appointment; the appointment of Aaron sets the pattern (Exodus 28:1–3). In point of fact, no other call to be high priest is recorded in Scripture, though we might reason that the call to Aaron was not simply personal but also included his family and descendants. At any rate, the Bible records disasters that befell those who took it upon themselves to perform high priestly duties, as in the cases of Korah (Numbers 16), Saul (1 Samuel 13:8ff.), and Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16ff.).