Priest Mentioned in the Bible by name

Aaron

Then the Lord became angry with Moses and said, "Do you not have a brother, Aaron [who is three years older, see Ex. 7:7], the Levite [who is a trained priest and accustomed to speaking the word of God]? I know that he is skilled in speaking (literally: 'speaking eloquently' – Hebr. davar davar), and besides, he is actually on his way right now to meet you. When he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.

The Lord said to Aaron [Moses' brother, three years his senior, who had remained in Egypt]: "Go and meet Moses in the desert." He went, and at God's mountain he met him and kissed him. [It was a joyful reunion after forty years. It also shows that there was no discord between them, since kissing at that time was an important sign of peace.]

Moses told Aaron everything that the Lord had sent him to say and all the signs he had been commanded to perform.

Then Moses and Aaron left there [for Egypt] and called together the elders of the Israelites.

Aaron spoke [repeated] everything that the Lord (Yahweh) had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs before the people,

Some time later, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness."

The king of Egypt answered them, "Moses and Aaron, why have you made the people stop working [given them false hopes]? Go back to your slave labor!"

When the overseers left Pharaoh, they went straight to Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.

Aaron married Elisheva, daughter of Amminadav and sister of Nachshon, and she bore him:
Nadav and Avihu,
Elazar and Itamar.

It was this Aaron and this Moses whom the Lord commanded to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, arranged in divisions.

It was they who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, about bringing the Israelites out of the land—these two, Moses and Aaron.

The Lord answered Moses: "Now I will make you like a god to Pharaoh [to speak my words to him], and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.

You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh so that he must let the Israelites leave his land.

Moses and Aaron did everything the Lord commanded them.

When they spoke to Pharaoh, Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83.

The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

"When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Perform a supernatural sign. [Prove your authority.],' you shall say to Aaron, 'Throw your staff before Pharaoh,' and it shall become a snake (crocodile – Hebr. tanin)."
[Literally, verse 8 begins and ends with the verb amar, to speak. This emphasizes how the Lord speaks to Moses.]

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did exactly as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake (crocodile – Hebr. tanin).
[Earlier in Ex. 4:3 (and in verse 15), the usual word for snake (Hebr. nachash) is used, but here tanin is used instead, a word that can be another word for snake or describe a crocodile. The word is used for sea creatures in Gen. 1:21. Interestingly, the pharaohs were considered to be Sobek, the crocodile god; see also Ezek. 29:3–5].

The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, over its canals, over its ponds, and over all its collected (Hebr. miqveh) water [i.e., reservoirs, but also smaller vessels]—so that it becomes blood.' There shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in wooden vessels and stone vessels [all water, both natural and collected, shall be turned into blood]."

Moses and Aaron did as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded. He lifted up the rod and struck the water in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants. Then all the water in the river turned to blood (became blood red). [The Hebrew can be interpreted to mean that the water literally turned to blood, or that it became blood red in color. The word also symbolizes death, which was the effect because the fish died and the people had to dig wells to get drinkable water, see verses 21, 24.]

Then the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the river, the canals, and the ponds, so that frogs will come up over all the land of Egypt.

Then Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the whole land.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Pray to the Lord (Yahweh) to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let the people go so that they can sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh).'

After Moses and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord (Yahweh) concerning the frogs he had sent upon Pharaoh.

The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses: Tell Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust on the ground, and insects (Hebr. kenim) [probably gnats or lice; perhaps mosquitoes] will come up out of the ground throughout Egypt.

They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust on the ground, and insects came up on people and livestock. All the dust on the ground turned into insects throughout the land of Egypt. [The Egyptian god Geb was the god of the earth in Egypt. Now he suddenly no longer had control over the earth when myriads of stinging insects came up from the ground. It was also believed that Geb could keep you in the grave or let you move on to the afterlife. Therefore, it was important to worship him so that you would not remain in the grave. The word for insects is the plural form of Hebr. ken. It can refer to gnats, lice, or any other small insect that attacks both humans and animals. Since Aaron strikes his staff on the dust of the ground (Hebr. afar), it is more likely that these are gnats or lice than mosquitoes, which often hatch in wetlands. This was also something special. Mosquitoes were common, as the Nile flooded every year, creating favorable conditions for mosquitoes.]

Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

Then the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of ashes from the furnace [may refer to ashes from the furnaces where the carcasses of the dead animals were burned] and let Moses throw it up toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The Lord (Yahweh) is righteous, while I and my people are wicked.

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the Lord (Yahweh), the God of the Hebrews (Elohim), says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may serve (worship) me.

Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go and serve (worship) the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). Who are the ones who are going?"

Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) and against you.

Moses and Aaron performed all these signs before Pharaoh, and the Lord (Yahweh) hardened (closed) Pharaoh's heart, so that he did not let the children (sons) of Israel go out of his land.

The Lord (Yahweh) had spoken to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:

Then the Israelites went and did everything the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

[There are two theories regarding the date of the exodus: the late theory (12th century BC) and the early theory (14th century BC). See 1 Kings 6:1 for more information. The enormous volcanic eruption on the Greek island of Santorini (then known as Thera) could explain many of the plagues. The eruption caused earthquakes, tsunamis, and many cubic kilometers of ash and pumice shook some of the early civilizations of the Mediterranean to their foundations. This could explain how the water receded and caused a huge tsunami. It could have appeared as a "pillar of fire" at night, etc. The eruption, which is the worst ever, has been dated to 1450 BC based on findings from neighboring civilizations. Dating based on radiometric measurements places the eruption earlier, between 1628 and 1600 BC.]
He [Pharaoh] called Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night and said: "Get up, leave my people, both you and the sons of Israel (all Israelites), and go and serve (worship) the Lord (Yahweh) as you have said (spoken – Hebr. davar).

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover. [Refers both to the feast and to the meal itself, the Passover lamb.] No stranger may eat it,

And all the children (sons) of Israel did so. They did exactly as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses and Aaron.

the whole Israelite community complained (blamed, cried out loudly against) Moses and Aaron in the desert.

Moses and Aaron said to the Israelites: "This evening you shall know that it is the Lord (Yahweh) who has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the people of Israel to come near (gather for worship before) the Lord (Yahweh), for he has heard how you have complained."

While Aaron was speaking to the Israelites, they all looked toward the desert, and then the glory (honor, splendor, tangible presence) of the Lord (Yahweh) appeared in a cloud.

Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and fill it with a full omer [about 3 liters] of manna. Save it before the Lord (Yahweh) so that it may be preserved for future generations.

Just as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses, Aaron saved it before the testimony, so that it was preserved.

Joshua did as Moses had said and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron [Moses' brother], and Hur (Hebr. Chor) [a friend; the grandfather of the artist Bezalel, see Ex. 31:2] went up to the top of the hill (the height – Hebr. giva).

Moses' hand became heavy, so they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur (Hebr. Chor) held up his hands, one on one side and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady (stable; literally "true" – Hebr. emonah) until the sun went down.
[This is the first time the Hebr. word emonah appears. It is a rich word meaning stability, faithfulness, and even truth. It comes from the word for truth (Hebr. emet), which literally also means to stand firm; see the introduction to Ps. 12. Emonah is used a total of 49 times, 22 of them in the Psalms.]

Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrificed it to God (Elohim). Aaron also came, together with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God (Elohim).

Then the Lord (Yahweh) said to him, "Go down. You shall come back up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord (Yahweh), lest he be angry with them."

Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord (Yahweh), you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance.

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders went up [the mountainside],

He said to the elders, "Wait for us at this place until we return. Aaron and Hur (Hebr. Chor) will remain here with you. Anyone who needs to have a matter decided [a legal dispute, literally "has many words" or "is a master of words"] may turn to them."

In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that hangs before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall arrange it to burn from evening to morning before the Lord (Yahweh). It shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons (children) of Israel.

These are the garments they shall make:
a breastplate
an ephod
a robe
a tunic of checkered work
a headdress, and
a sash They shall make a holy vestment for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that he may serve me in the priesthood.

And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be memorial stones for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord (Yahweh) on his two shoulders as a memorial.

And you shall put the Urim (light) and the Thummim in the breastplate of judgment (Hebr. choshen mishpat), and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes before the Lord (Yahweh). And Aaron shall bear the justice (Hebr. mishpat) of the sons of Israel before the Lord (Yahweh) always (all the time, uninterrupted, continuously).
[The Hebrew word mishpat means decree and binding legal decision. It has to do with right and justice, and here it is God who responds with his right and just judgment when Aaron uses the Urim and Thummim to know God's will in individual matters. In Ex. 39, where Moses gives instructions for the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim are never mentioned, but in Deut. 33:8 it is said that they belong to God. The Urim and Thummim are two objects (probably two small stones or rods) that the priest carried in his breastplate and which were probably used to cast lots, see Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 14:42; 28:6. Since Urim comes from the word for light, one theory is that it was a white stone. The word Tummim comes from the word for truth.]

And Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the holy place before the Lord (Yahweh), and when he comes out, so that he shall not die.
[The exact connection between the bells and the phrase "he shall not die" is not clear. Most likely, it refers to the high priest wearing the entire official robe (over the white linen garments, see Lev. 16:4) and performing the tasks according to the Lord's instructions, see verse 31. The sound of the bells meant that the priests who had accompanied him into the holy place could also hear when the high priest was moving in the Most Holy Place. Even those who were praying outside could follow along in their prayers. The sound also constantly reminded the high priest of his special mission and to follow all instructions, which could otherwise result in his death, cf. 2 Sam. 6:7.]

And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts, and it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may have mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratson) before the Lord (Yahweh).

And for Aaron's sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them, and you shall make headdresses for them, for splendor (glory, majesty – Hebr. kavod) and beauty (ornamentation, something resplendent – Hebr. tifarah). [Same concluding phrase as in verse 2.]

And you shall put them on Aaron your brother and his sons with him, and you shall anoint them and separate (consecrate) them and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priesthood.

And they shall be on Aaron and his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not bear sin and die. It shall be a statute (literally, "things engraved") forever for him and his seed after him.

And you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.

And you shall take the garments and put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skillfully woven bands of the ephod.

And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind headdresses upon them, and they shall be holders of the priesthood as an everlasting ordinance (literally, "things engraved"), and you shall separate (consecrate) Aaron and his sons.

And 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.

You shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.

And you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.

And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on their garments with him. And he and his garments shall be consecrated, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.

And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering, which are waved and lifted up from the ram of ordination, that which is Aaron's and that which is his sons'.

And it shall be for Aaron and his sons as their due portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering (Hebr. teromah), and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel of their peace offerings (communal offerings – Hebr. zevach shelamim), their heave offerings to the Lord (Yahweh).

Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

And you shall do with Aaron and his sons according to all that I have commanded you; seven days you shall consecrate (separate) them.

Thus I will sanctify the tent of meeting and the altar. I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister before me as priests.

And Aaron shall burn incense on it of sweet spices every morning when he tends the lamps (trims the wicks), he shall burn it.

And when Aaron has lit the lamps at dusk (literally: 'between the two evenings') [Ex. 12:6], he shall burn it as a perpetual incense before the Lord (Yahweh) throughout your generations.

And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year, with the blood of the sin offering for atonement once a year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord (Yahweh).
[This is part of the work that the high priest does on Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement, see Lev. 16.]

And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in it,

And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, that they may minister to me as priests.

The people noticed that Moses was delaying on the mountain (they became impatient and disappointed and ashamed of him because he was staying longer than expected). They gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Do something (don't just sit there), make gods for us that can go before us! We don't know where that Moses has gone, the one who brought us out of Egypt."

So Aaron said to them, "Take the gold earrings from the ears of your wives, sons, and daughters and bring them to me." [The gold was intended to be used for God's temple, see Ex. 35:20–29. Perhaps Aaron thought he could buy some time and keep the people calm by keeping them busy until Moses returned.]

Everyone did this; they took off the gold earrings they were wearing and brought them to Aaron.

And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron cried out and said, "A feast to the Lord (Yahweh) tomorrow."

And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?"

And Aaron answered, "Let not the wrath of my lord burn hot, for you know the people (are intimately acquainted with them) that they are set on (turning to) evil.

And when Moses saw that the people were unruly, for Aaron had let them become unruly because of the mockery of their enemies,

The Lord (Yahweh) punished (sent a plague, trial) the people because of the calf they had made—the one Aaron had made.
[The word punishment is the same word used for the ten plagues against Egypt earlier. The goal of these plagues was repentance. It is unclear whether this punishment in this verse refers to the three thousand men who chose not to side with God and paid with their lives, see verses 26-28, or whether it refers to future plagues and trials that will come upon the Israelites in their continued journey if they refuse to obey God. In the next chapter, the Israelites are faced with a choice to remove all their jewelry as a clear sign of genuine repentance from their idolatry.]

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw the radiance of Moses' face, they did not dare to come near him.

But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the people returned to him, and Moses spoke to them.

[Now the priest's garments are described. The passage appears to be divided into seven sections.]
And from the blue and purple and scarlet, they made embroidered garments for service in the holy place, and made holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses.

And they made tunics of fine linen, of woven work, for Aaron and his sons.

You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to me as priest.

so that Moses and Aaron and his sons could wash their hands and feet in it.

What remains of the food offering is for [shall be used by] Aaron and his sons, the most holy part of the Lord's (Yahweh's) fire.
[The part of the flour that was burned on the altar was called azkarah (memorial offering), as a remembrance before the Lord (Yahweh). The rest was for the priests to use. The word is used 7 times, see Lev. 2:9, 16; 5:12; 6:15; 24:7; Deut. 5:26. In Lev. 6:14–23, the food offerings are described in more detail.]

What remains of the food offering shall be [used by] Aaron and his sons, the most holy part of the Lord's (Yahweh's) fire. [In the same way as the flour in verse 3.]

Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. It is the burnt offering on the fire on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

And the rest of it shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons. It shall be eaten with unleavened bread in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.

This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord (Yahweh) on the day he is anointed. A tenth of an ephah [3.5 liters] of fine flour as a perpetual food offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.

Speak to Aaron and his sons and say, "This is the teaching about the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord (Yahweh). It is most holy.

And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.

I have taken the wave offering and the wave offering thigh from the sons of Israel from their peace offerings, and given it to Aaron the priest and his sons as a statute (literally, "things engraved") forever among the sons of Israel.

"Take Aaron and his sons,
and the garments
and the anointing oil
and a bull as a sin offering [Lev. 4:3]
and two rams
and a basket of unleavened bread,

And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

And he brought the bull for the sin offering [Lev. 4:3], and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering.

And he brought the ram for the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

And he slaughtered it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on Aaron's right ear lobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot [Ex. 29:20].

And Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes with him, and consecrated (set apart) Aaron and his clothes and his sons and their clothes with him.

And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket for the consecration, as I have commanded and said, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.

So Aaron and his sons did everything that the Lord (Yahweh) commanded through Moses.

And on the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.

And he said to Aaron, "Take a young calf, a bull calf (literally: "son of cattle"), as a sin offering, and a flawless (tamim, pure) ram as a burnt offering, and offer them before the Lord (Yahweh).

And Moses said to Aaron, "Go to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement (cover) for yourself and for the people, and offer the people's offering and make atonement (cover) for them, as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded.

And Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the calf for the sin offering that was for himself.

And Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar.

And he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around the altar.

He slaughtered the ox and the ram as peace offerings for the people, and Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, which he sprinkled around the altar.

And Aaron waved the breast and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord (Yahweh), as Moses had commanded.

And Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them, and came down from the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. [Aaron remains standing at the altar, which is an elevated place, when he blesses the people.]

And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting and came out and blessed the people. And the glory (weight) of the Lord (Yahweh) appeared to all the people.

Then Moses said to Aaron:
"This is what the Lord (Yahweh) spoke and said:
'I will be sanctified
in those who come near me
and I will be glorified in the sight of all the people.' " Aaron was silent (as if frozen, not moving, waiting – Hebr. damam). [The word is often used in connection with disasters, see Ezek. 24:17.]

And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not let your hair be loose [do not remove your head covering; do not let your hair be unkempt—do not show outward signs of mourning] and do not tear your clothes, lest you die and the wrath come upon all the people, but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, mourn the fire [that killed Nadab and Abihu] that the Lord (Yahweh) kindled.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Aaron, saying

And Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: "Take the grain offering that remains of the Lord's (Yahweh's) burnt offering and eat it without leaven beside the altar, for it is most holy.

And Aaron spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, this day they have offered their sin offerings and their burnt offerings before the Lord (Yahweh), and such things have happened [the transgression of Nadab and Abihu], and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the eyes of the Lord (Yahweh)?

[The following five chapters deal with ritual purity. It consists of seven units, all of which begin with "The Lord spoke to Moses" (Lev. 11:1; 12:1; 13:1; 14:1, 33; 15:1; 16:1) and ending with a summary that begins with the words "this is the teaching concerning ..." (Lev. 11:46–47; 12:7; 13:59; 14:32; 14:54–56; 15:32). The seventh and final section deals with the Day of Atonement, when all ritual impurity during the year is forgiven.]
The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron and said to them:

[The following passage (chapters 13-14) deals with skin diseases and mold on textiles or house walls. The Hebrew word used is tsaraat, which describes various manifestations of mold. Similarly, when this affliction strikes a house, it is considered a warning or punishment for those who are stingy or unhelpful and unwilling to share or lend to their fellow man. Here, the punishment is that all possessions must be displayed for public viewing outside the house for at least a week (Lev. 14:36). Then it is easy to see if one has lied and said that one does not have what someone else needs, or if one says that one is poor when in fact one is not.] The Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and said:

When a person has something on the skin of their body (their flesh) that
rises up (a swelling)
or a rash (scabies)
or a light spot
and it is on his skin on his body (flesh) like a spot with a fungal infection (mold – Hebr. tsaraat), then he shall be brought to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons, the priests.

[Just as textiles and clothing could be affected by mold (Lev. 13:47–59), so could the walls of a house.]
And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

[Chapter 15 has a chiastic pattern (A-B-C-B'-A') where the central part (B and B') describes normal sexual secretions. Verse 18 is the center point where man and woman meet (C). The surrounding parts describe abnormal secretions in men (Hos) and women (A’). Here, sacrifices are also required to become clean.]
And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

and the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses:
Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at any time into the holy place within the veil [Ex. 25:17–22], before the mercy seat that is upon the ark, lest he die: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. [The mercy seat was the lid of the ark with a 1.25 m long and 0.75 m wide ornamentation in pure gold, see Ex. 25:17.]

[Five animal sacrifices were required: a young bull, two goats, and two rams.]
Aaron shall enter the holy place with a young bull, a bull calf (literally: 'a son of cattle'), as a sin offering [Lev. 4:3] and a ram as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17].

Aaron shall offer his sin offering bull, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and his household.

Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord (Yahweh) and one lot for the scapegoat (Hebr. azazel).
[Hebrew azazel is believed to come from the Hebrew words goat (Hebr. ez) and turn away (Hebr. azal). This is how the translators who translated into Greek in 200 BC interpreted it, choosing the translation "the goat that goes away". Another interpretation of the word is as an abstract noun meaning "to remove completely." The goat that disappears forever and is never seen again then becomes an image of sin that is completely removed. In Jewish tradition, azazel is interpreted as a description of the place where the goat goes (based on the word gezerah in verse 22, which describes a "cut off" land). A more modern Jewish interpretation is a reference to a demon named Azazel mentioned in the First Book of Enoch (ca. 300-100 BC), but there is no support in the Bible for such an interpretation that demons are involved in the removal of sin.]

Aaron shall bring forth the goat on which the lot fell to the Lord and offer it as a sin offering.

Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins, and lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness, into the hand of a man who is ready [someone who will lead the goat into the wilderness, which is the desert east of Jerusalem].
[This also speaks prophetically about what would happen to Jesus. When the chief priests strike Jesus in the face, this pattern is fulfilled, see Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65; John 18:22.]

Aaron shall enter the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on when he entered the holy place, and he shall leave them there.

Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them the words that the Lord (Yahweh) has commanded. Say:

Speak to Aaron and say, "Whoever among your descendants in your generations has any blemish (a defect), let him not come near to offer the bread of his God (Elohim).

And Moses spoke it to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the sons of Israel, which they have consecrated (set apart) to me, so that they do not profane my holy name with what they consecrate to me. I am the Lord (Yahweh).

[This section is related to chapters 1-7. What is discussed here are defects in animals that disqualify them from being sacrificed.]
Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them: "Whoever he is from the house of Israel or from the strangers in Israel, who wants to offer his sacrifice for all his vows and all his voluntary gifts that they want to offer to the Lord (Yahweh) as a burnt offering,

Outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord (Yahweh) continually. It is a statute (literally "things engraved") forever throughout your generations.

And it shall be Aaron's and his sons', and they shall eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him of the burnt offerings of the Lord (Yahweh) as an everlasting ordinance (literally "things engraved").
[The Jewish historian Josephus writes in his book "Antiquities of the Jews" that the twelve loaves of bread were baked without leaven the day before the Sabbath and on the morning of the Sabbath were brought into the temple where they were placed in two piles, instead of in rows, on the holy table.]

from 20 years old and upward, all who were sent out to war in Israel. You shall count them according to their army service (their place in the army), you and Aaron.

And Moses and Aaron took these men who were designated by name

These are those who were counted (enlisted), those who were counted by Moses, Aaron, and the princes of Israel. The princes were twelve men, each one a leader of his father's house (tribe).

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord (Yahweh) when they offered strange fire before the Lord (Yahweh) in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons. And Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priesthood in the presence of their father Aaron.

"Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.

And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly (completely) given to him from among the sons of Israel.

And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to keep (take care of, guard, protect) the priesthood, and any ordinary person who comes near shall be put to death."

And those who are to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east side, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, (they shall) keep (take care of, guard, protect) the affairs of the sanctuary and the affairs of the sons of Israel, and any common man who comes near shall be put to death.

All those who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh) by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Give the money to Aaron and his sons as a ransom for the rest of them."

and Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons according to the word of the Lord (Yahweh), as the Lord (Yahweh) commanded Moses.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

When the camp moves on, Aaron and his sons shall come in and take down the curtain (which hangs between the holy place and the most holy place) and cover the ark of the testimony with it,

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furniture and all the holy utensils, when the camp is [ready to] move on, then the sons of Kohath shall come and carry them, but they shall not touch the holy objects, lest they die. These objects are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. [They shall carry everything with poles or with yokes.]

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

but do this to them so that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his burden,

Under the direction of Aaron and his sons, all the work shall be done by the Gershonites; in all their duties and in all their service they shall be appointed to be responsible for these duties.

And Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation counted the sons of the Kohathites by their families and their fathers' houses,

These are those who were counted of the families of the Kohathites, of all those who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh) by the hand of Moses.

These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all those who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh).

These are those who were counted of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh) by the hand of Moses.

All these who were counted of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted by their families and by their fathers' houses,

Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, "Thus you shall bless the Israelites, saying to them:

Speak to Aaron and say to him, "When you light the lamps, the seven oil lamps shall give their light in front of the lampstand (menorah)."

And Aaron did so. He lit the lamps so that they gave their light in front of the lampstand (menorah) as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses.

And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord (Yahweh) as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, to make them ready to perform the work of the Lord (Yahweh) (their priestly service).

And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to the Lord (Yahweh).

And I have given the Levites, they are given to Aaron and his sons from among the sons of Israel, to serve the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, so that no plague may come upon the sons of Israel when the sons of Israel come near the sanctuary."

Therefore, Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly of the sons of Israel did to the Levites according to all that the Lord (Yahweh) commanded concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them.

And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a holy offering before the Lord (Yahweh), and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them (make them ritually clean).

After that, the Levites went in and served in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons, as the Lord (Yahweh) had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

But there were some men who were unclean because of a dead man's body, so they could not celebrate the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day

Miriam spoke ill of Moses because of the Cushite woman he had taken as his wife, and Aaron agreed with her. Moses had taken a Cushite woman as his wife.
[The verb "spoke ill of" is in the feminine form, which makes it clear that it was Miriam who led the conversation. Since it concerned Moses' choice of wife, the motive may have been jealousy. Cush is both a name and a region. Cush was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah. He populated the southern parts of the earth. Areas associated with Cush are North Africa, Nubia, and Ethiopia.]

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke directly (immediately) to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam: "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting," and the three came out.

And the Lord (Yahweh) came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

And when the cloud departed from [its place] above the tent, behold, Miriam was covered with a fungal infection, like snow. And Aaron looked at Miriam, and behold, she had a fungal infection. [Lev. 13–14]

And Aaron said to Moses, "My lord, do not lay this sin on us, I beg you, because we have acted foolishly and because we have sinned.

And they went and came to Moses and Aaron and to the whole assembly of the sons of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, and brought back prov to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "We could have died in the land of Egypt, or we could have died in the wilderness!

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly of all the children of Israel.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

And those who found him brought him to Moses and Aaron and to the whole assembly.

And they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron and said to them:
"You take too much upon yourselves, the whole congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord (Yahweh) is among them.
Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the Lord (Yahweh)?" [Their claim was partly true, see Ex. 19:5–6, but a revolt to overthrow God's chosen leadership and priesthood was evil, see Num. 14:8–11. Korah is mentioned first and was the leader together with Dathan and Abiram. The latter, On, is not mentioned later. Perhaps he withdrew or had a less significant role in the rebellion, see Num. 16:5, 12.]

Therefore, you and all your company who are gathered against the Lord (Yahweh), like Aaron, what is he that you murmur (Lam.) against him?

And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company appear before the Lord (Yahweh) tomorrow, you and they and Aaron,

and let each one take his censer and put incense on it and bring it before the Lord (Yahweh), each man with his own censer, 250 censers, and you and Aaron, each man with his censer."

And they took their censers, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before Moses and Aaron.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

But in the morning, the whole assembly of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the Lord (Yahweh)."

And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) appeared.

And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.

And Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put fire from the altar on it and put incense on top of it, and carry it quickly to the assembly and make atonement for them, for there is wrath that has gone forth from the Lord (Yahweh), the plague has begun."

And Aaron took what Moses had spoken and ran into the midst of the congregation, and behold, the plague had begun among the people, and he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the plague ceased.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the sin of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sin of your priesthood.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Aaron: "And I, behold, I have given you charge of my offerings, of all the holy things of the children of Israel; I have given them to you as a portion of the anointing, and to your sons as a perpetual statute.

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Aaron, "You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. [This is the model for how we should view ourselves as priests in the renewed covenant. As long as we live here in the world, we should not live from it but in it with the Lord and heaven as our portion and our inheritance, see 1 Pet. 2:9]

Thus you shall set aside a gift for the Lord (Yahweh) from all your tithes that you receive from the sons of Israel, and you shall give the gift that is set aside for the Lord (Yahweh) to the priest Aaron.

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

And there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

And Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the opening of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces, and the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) appeared to them.

"Take the rod and gather the assembly, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may give forth its water, and you shall bring forth water for them out of the rock, and you shall give the assembly and their livestock to drink."

And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation before the rock, and he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels, can we bring water out of this rock?"

And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe me and keep me holy in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."
[James 3:1. The reason for the punishment was unbelief and that he did not keep God holy in the eyes of Israel, see 2 Sam. 6:1–7. The expression "we" may also suggest that Moses and Aaron took it upon themselves to be responsible for the miracle and did not honor God. Striking the rock oneself also speaks of doing something in one's own strength, see Jer. 17:5. In all that is happening, there is a hint of anger and wrath on the part of Moses and Aaron, see verse 10. Miriam's death, see verse 1, may also be a cause of Moses and Aaron's feelings, but it should not affect how they lead the people.]

And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying:

Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because he rebelled against me at the waters of Meribah.

Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and rev them up Mount Hor.

And take off Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron shall be gathered to his people and shall die there."

And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

When the people saw (understood) that Aaron had died, all Israel wept over Aaron for 30 days.
[Thirty in Hebrew is shloshim, and this 30-day mourning period is called shloshim, see also Deut. 34:8. The Jewish burial took place in two stages. As soon as possible, preferably on the same day, the deceased was buried in a tomb. The family then observed a seven-day mourning period (Hebr. shiva), followed by thirty days of less intense mourning (shloshim). A year later, when the body had decayed, the eldest son was responsible for moving the bones from the burial chamber to an ossuary. See also Gen. 50:10; 1 Sam. 31:13; Matt. 8:22; John 11:19.]

And when Phinehas [meaning "dark-skinned" in Egyptian, later became the high priest of the people, see verse 13 and Num. 31:6; Josh. 22:13; 1 Chron. 6:4], son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand.

And the sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were appointed by the assembly, who fought against Moses and Aaron in Korah's group, when they fought against the Lord (Yahweh) [Num. 16:1–2]

And Amram's wife was named Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt, and she bore
Aaron
and Moses
and their sister Miriam.
[Jochebed and Miriam are the only women mentioned in the Levitical family tree. Note that it says that Jochebed bore the children; otherwise, only the father and sons are usually mentioned in the genealogical records. In this context, it says how "Jochebed was born to Levi" and "to Aaron was born," see verse 60. See also Gen. 4:18; 6:10; 5:7. The word "born" can also be used to mean descendant of Levi. Sometimes names can be omitted in genealogies, see, for example, Matt. 1:1, 8.]

And to Aaron were born
Nadab and Abihu,
Elazar and Ithamar. [Ex. 6:23]

But among these there was not a single man left of those who were counted by Moses and Aaron the priest, who counted the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai [38 years earlier, see Num. 1:2].

And when you have seen it, you shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered,

These are the encampments of the sons of Israel, which they passed through when they came out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.

And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the Lord (Yahweh), and died there, in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.

And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Moreover, the Lord (Yahweh) was very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him, and I also prayed for Aaron at the same time.

And the sons of Israel journeyed from Beeroth-Benjaakan to Mosera, where Aaron died and where he was buried. And his son Eleazar served as priest in his place.

and die on the mountain which you go up to, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people. [Num. 20:22–29].

And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted Egypt according to all that I did in its midst, and afterward I brought you out.

Samuel then said to the people:
"It is the Lord (Yahweh) who chose (literally, made) Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

When Jacob came to Egypt [Ex. 12:31–37, 51], your fathers cried out to the Lord (Yahweh), and the Lord (Yahweh) sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and let you dwell in this place.

But Aaron and his descendants were in charge of the sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense. They took care of everything in the Most Holy Place and made atonement for Israel, just as Moses, the servant of God, had commanded.

The sons of Amram were:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron and his sons were set apart forever and consecrated to the most holy, to burn incense before the Lord (Yahweh) forever and to serve and bless in his name forever,

This was the order in which they were to serve when they entered the house of the Lord (Yahweh), as prescribed for them by their father Aaron according to the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel, which he had given him.

son of Avishoa, son of Pinchas, son of Elazar, son of Aaron, the high priest. [As a descendant of Aaron, he came from the highest and most respected Jewish priestly family. His status as a priest also gave him political influence.]

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call (raise their voices in prayer) upon his name.
They called (raised their voices in prayer) upon the Lord (Yahweh)
and he answered them.
[Ex. 32:11–13, 30–32; Num. 12:13; 14:13–19; 1 Sam. 7:5, 8–9; 12:16–18; Jer. 15:1]

He sent Moses,
his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. [Ex. 3:1–4:17]

They were jealous of Moses in the camp
and of Aaron, God's (Yahweh's) holy one.

For I brought you up and out of the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of bondage (slavery)
and I sent Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam before you.

They said to Aaron, "Make us gods who can go before us! We don't know what happened to that Moses who brought us out of Egypt. [Gen. 32:1]

No one takes this dignity upon themselves, but one is called by God, as Aaron was. [Aaron was Moses' brother and the first high priest of the Israelites, see Ex. 28:1.]