Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 9:8

Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which [was] for himself.

8 11. The Sin-Offering is offered with the same ritual as in Lev 8:14-17 . The blood is not brought into the holy place, but what is not burnt on the altar is consumed without the camp.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. Aaron . . . went unto the altar,and slew the calf of the sin offeringWhether it had beenenjoined the first time, or was unavoidable from the divisions of thepriestly labor not being as yet completely arranged, Aaron, assistedby his sons, appears to have slain the victims with his own hands, aswell as gone through all the prescribed ritual at the altar.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Aaron therefore went unto the altar,…. Of burnt offering, freely and cheerfully, at the direction and introduction of Moses, who acted in this affair in the name of the Lord:

and slew the calf of the sin [offering], which [was] for himself; which was to be offered first, as it was proper it should, that, atonement being made for his sins, his after burnt offering might be accepted with God, and he be fit to offer the sacrifices of the people: the calf he slew on the north side of the altar, where all the sin offerings and burnt offerings were slain; see Le 1:11.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Accordingly, he offered first of all the sin-offering and burnt-offering for himself, and then (Lev 9:15-21) the offerings of the people. The sin-offering always went first, because it served to remove the estrangement of man from the holy God arising from sin, by means of the expiation of the sinner, and to clear away the hindrances to his approach to God. Then followed the burnt-offering, as an expression of the complete surrender of the person expiated to the Lord; and lastly the peace-offering, on the one hand as the utterance of thanksgiving for mercy received, and prayer for its further continuance, and on the other hand, as a seal of covenant fellowship with the Lord in the sacrificial meal. But when Moses says in Lev 9:7, that Aaron is to make atonement for himself and the nation with his sin-offering and burnt-offering, the atoning virtue which Aaron’s sacrifice was to have for the nation also, referred not to sins which the people had committed, but to the guilt which the high priest, as the head of the whole congregation, had brought upon the nation by his sin (Lev 4:3). In offering the sacrifices, Aaron was supported by his sons, who handed him the blood to sprinkle, and the sacrificial portions to burn upon the altar. The same course was adopted with Aaron’s sin-offering (Lev 9:8-11) as Moses had pursued with the sin-offering at the consecration of the priests (Lev 8:14-17). The blood was not taken into the sanctuary, but only applied to the horns of the altar of burnt-offering; because the object was not to expiate some particular sin of Aaron’s, but to take away the sin which might make his service on behalf of the congregation displeasing to God; and the communion of the congregation with the Lord was carried on at the altar of burnt-offering. The flesh and skin of the animal were burnt outside the camp, as in the case of all the sin-offerings for the priesthood (Lev 4:11-12).

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

      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 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.   15 And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.   16 And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner.   17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.   18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about,   19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver:   20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:   21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.   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.

      These being the first offerings that ever were offered by the levitical priesthood, according to the newly-enacted law of sacrifices, the manner of offering them is particularly related, that it might appear how exactly they agreed with the institution. 1. Aaron with his own hands slew the offering (v. 8), and did the work of the inferior priests; for, great as he was, he must not think any service below him which he could do for the honour of God: and, as Moses had shown him how to do this work decently and dexterously, so he showed his sons, that they might do likewise; for this is the best way of teaching, and thus parents should instruct their children by example. Therefore as Moses before, so Aaron now offered some of each of the several sorts of sacrifices that were appointed, whose rites differed, that they might be thoroughly furnished for every good work. 2. He offered these besides the burnt-sacrifice of the morning, which was every day offered first, v. 17. Note, Our accustomed devotions morning and evening, alone and in our families, must not be omitted upon any pretence whatsoever, no, not when extraordinary services are to be performed; whatever is added, these must not be diminished. 3. It is not clear whether, when it is said that he burnt such and such parts of the sacrifices upon the altar (v. 10-20), the meaning is that he burnt them immediately with ordinary fire, as formerly, or that he laid them upon the altar ready to be burnt with the fire from heaven which they expected (v. 24), or whether, as bishop Patrick thinks, he burnt the offerings for himself with ordinary fire, but when they were burnt out he laid the people’s sacrifices upon the altar, which were kindled and consumed by the fire of the Lord. I would rather conjecture, because it is said of all these sacrifices that he burnt them (except the burnt-offering for the people, of which it is said that he offered it according to the manner, v. 16, which seems to be equivalent), that he did not kindle the fire to burn them, but that then the fire from the Lord fastened upon them, put out the fire that he had kindled (as we know a greater fire puts out a less), and suddenly consumed the remainder, which the fire he had kindled would have consumed slowly. 4. When Aaron had done all that on his part was to be done about the sacrifices he lifted up his hand towards the people, and blessed them, v. 22. This was one part of the priest’s work, in which he was a type of Christ, who came into the world to bless us, and when he was parted from his disciples, at his ascension, lifted up his hands and blessed them, and in them his whole church, of which they were the elders and representatives, as the great high priest of our profession. Aaron lifted up his hands in blessing them, to intimate whence he desired and expected the blessing to come, even from heaven, which is God’s throne. Aaron could but crave a blessing, it is God’s prerogative to command it. Aaron, when he had blessed, came down; Christ, when he blessed, went up.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Verses 8-14:

Aaron offered the Sin Offering and the Burnt Offering for himself. He did not at this time offer the Meat Offering. The provision that the Meat Offering must always accompany the Burnt Offering did not come until later, Nu 15:1-4.

Aaron’s sons assisted him in this sacrifice, although he was the officiating priest.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(8) And slew the calf.As the sacrificer Aaron, like every ordinary offerer, slaughtered the victim himself (see Lev. 1:5) on the north side of the altar. (See Lev. 1:11.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

AARON’S PERSONAL OFFERINGS, Lev 9:8-14.

8. Aaron slew In person or by command.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘So Aaron drew near to the altar, and slew the calf of the purification for sin offering, which was for himself.’

Aaron accordingly drew near to the altar and as the suppliant slew the calf of purification for sin, which was for himself. He first had to be purified

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The First Offerings

v. 8. Aaron, therefore, went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin-offering, which was for himself.

v. 9. And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him, thus performing the work which was afterward assigned to the Levites in catching the blood of the slaughtered animal and keeping it from coagulating; 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. He brought no blood into the Holy Place, for the object at this time was the removal of the sin which might make his service in the name of the congregation displeasing to the Lord. The sin-offering served to remove the estrangement which existed between God and the people on account of the trespasses made by Israel, individually and collectively.

v. 10. But the fat and the kidneys and the caul above the liver of the sin-offering he burned upon the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses, Lev 4:8.

v. 11. And the flesh and the hide he burned with fire without the camp, Lev 4:11.

v. 12. And he slew the burnt offering, according to the ordinance, Lev 1:3-9; Lev 8:18-21; and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, passed it to him as before, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar.

v. 13. And they presented the burnt offering unto him with the pieces thereof and the head; they passed the single pieces to him as he had dissected the animal; and he burned them upon the altar. This sacrifice expressed the complete and devout surrender of the worshipers to the Lord.

v. 14. And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burned them upon the burnt offering on the altar. No mention is made of an oblation of meat-offering with this sacrifice, either because the special law referring to this rite was not yet given, Num 15:2 ff. or because it had already been made in connection with the morning sacrifice.

v. 15. And he brought the people’s offering, which consisted of all three varieties of sacrifices, made in the usual order, and took the goat, which was the sin-offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. In this case also the blood was not brought into the Holy Place, for the purpose at this time was merely to make the proper beginning of the sacrificial worship.

v. 16. And he brought the burnt offering, the young bullock and the lamb, and offered it according to the manner, as the ordinance required it.

v. 17. And he brought the meat-offering, which accompanied the burnt offering, and took an handful thereof, and burned it upon the altar beside, that is, in addition to, the burnt sacrifice of the morning; for the usual offerings had been made on this morning, as always.

v. 18. He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, which was for the people, an act of thanksgiving for the grace received till now and a prayer for the maintenance of the merciful fellowship on the part of Jehovah. And Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about.

v. 19. And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, that is, the heavy, fatty tail, and that which covereth the inwards and the kidneys and the caul above the liver, all the loose fat of the abdominal cavities;

v. 20. and they put the fat upon the breasts, upon the wave-breasts of the two animals, and passed it to Aaron in this manner; and he burned the fat upon the altar;

v. 21. and the breasts and the right shoulder, the wave-breasts and the heave-shoulders, Aaron waved for a wave-offering before the Lord, Lev 7:30-34; as Moses commanded.

v. 22. And Aaron, standing upon the elevated slope which led to the altar of burnt offering, lifted up his hand toward the people, in a gesture transmitting the grace of the Lord, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin-offering and the burnt offering and peace-offerings. The various animals had been dissected and laid on the fire according to the ordinance of God, and the service was concluded with the blessing. Cf Num 6:22-24.

v. 23. And Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle of the Congregation; for the latter had to be introduced to his future place of activity, as a part of the ceremony of installation; and came out and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people; there was some glorious manifestation in the cloud which covered the Tabernacle, the presence of the Lord thus being demonstrated with great effectiveness.

v. 24. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat. Either the entire cloud shone with a supernatural light, or there was a sudden flash of fire from the cloud, like a bolt of lightning, which in a moment completely devoured the sacrifices smoldering upon the altar. Similar manifestations of God’s glory are related also at later times, especially at the dedication of the Temple of Solomon. Which when all the people saw, they shouted, they called out in glad wonder, thanksgiving, and praise, and fell on their faces, in the gesture expressing joyful and reverential awe, The awe which we Christians feel at the manifestation of Him in whom is life, and the life is the light of men, Joh 1:4, will continue through time into eternity.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

As the account here given relates to us the first information of the manner of performing the sacrifices under the Levitical priesthood, the particulars are more expressly noticed. Observe, one great point runs through the whole. Aaron performed every tittle of the service. For though his sons ministered unto him, yet none offered but Aaron. And was not this expressive of the complete priesthood and services of the LORD JESUS? Isa 63:3 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Lev 9:8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which [was] for himself.

Ver. 8. Went unto the altar, ] i.e., The brazen altar; for he had not yet access to the altar of incense. We must slay our corruptions before we present our supplications, wash our hearts from wickedness, and then compass God’s altar.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

the calf. See note on Lev 9:7. Aaron slew this himself, like any other offerer, as it was for his own sin (Lev 1:5).

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Lev 1:4, Lev 1:5, Lev 4:4, Lev 4:29

Reciprocal: Exo 29:11 – And Exo 29:30 – seven days Lev 4:11 – General Lev 9:2 – a young Lev 10:19 – this day Lev 16:5 – General Heb 9:21 – General

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge