Exodus
Verse 2. Wafers, (lagana.) They knead them with water, and afterwards fry or bake them with oil. Saint Isidore Such wafers are very common in Italy. Calmet.
EXPLANATIONS
Exodus 29
Historical chapter commentary
Exodus
Verse 4. Washed. The pagans never approached their mysteries, without divers purifications and washing. Saint Clement strom. 5. Exterior cleanliness was designed to signify the purity of the heart, with which we must appear before God. Calmet.—It is for this reason we take holy-water, when we go into our chapels, and we wash our fingers before and during Mass. Bible.
Exodus
Verse 5. Vestments. No mention is made of breeches, because they had them on, while they were washing. V. Bede.—Belt. Septuagint have read esson, instead of chesheb. “Thou shalt tie the rational to the ephod.” Calmet.
Exodus
Verse 7. Pour, in the form of a cross or T, according to many of the Rabbin, and so forth The inferior priests were anointed only on the hands. The Levites were sprinkled with oil, mixed with the blood of the victims. The custom of anointing prophets, priests, and kings, was peculiar to the Jews; as if to foreshow Christ, the great anointed of the Lord. Saint Augustine Psalms 44. Daniel 9:24.
Exodus
Verse 10. Head. Confessing that they are sinners, and deserve to die. Thus they shall substitute the victim instead of themselves, and obtain pardon. In the holocaust, (verse 15,) and the peace-offering, (verse 19,) they impose their hands, having first washed them) and pronounce some prayer. Calmet.
Exodus
Verse 11. Beside. Al, is now wanting in the printed Hebrew and Sam. though expressed by the Protestant translators, (who often help their text) and by all the ancient versions. Kennicott mentions one MS. which retains it very properly. Bible.—The victim was offered on the altar of holocausts, before the tabernacle, the seat of God’s majesty. Calmet.—Moses was the priest on this occasion. Menochius. Psalms 98:6.
Exodus
Verse 12. Horns. This was done in all the sacrifices of expiation. After Aaron was ordained, he carried the blood into the sanctuary, for the sins of all. Calmet.
Exodus
Verse 13. Burnt-offering, (incensum.) To evaporate like incense. Menochius.—God requires what is most fat and delicious. Calmet.—The Persians never reserved any of the victims for their idols, except the caul. Strabo xv.
Exodus
Verse 14. Sin of the high priest and people. In the other sin-offerings, this was not done. Menochius.
Exodus
Verse 16. About, upon the altar, and at the foot of it. So the pagans did. Euseb. præp. iv. 9.
Exodus
Verse 18. Victim. Hebrew ishe, means a whole burnt-offering.
Exodus
Verse 20. Tip, or “softer par.t” Septuagint This ceremony insinuated, that the priests ought to be all attentive, and perform their office with diligence. Philo. Vit. Mos. 3.
Exodus
Verse 22. Rump, or tail, for which the sheep of Arabia were famed; some having tails three yards long, others a yard thick. Herodot. iii. 113. They weighed from 12 to 30 pounds, and were almost all fat. Calmet.
Exodus
Verse 23. Roll. (torta) Hebrew kikkar, “a loaf.” Septuagint “a loaf or cake of oil.” Bible.
Exodus
Verse 24. Elevating, and then letting them descend towards the earth. After which, Moses lifted the victims towards the east and west, and from north to south, to shew that God is the Sovereign of the world. R. Solomon.—Cato (Rustic. 34,) mentions a similar custom, of agitating or waving bread, in honour of Janus and of Jupiter. Calmet.
Exodus
Verse 28. Israel. As these parts have been offered by Aaron to the Lord, so the Israelites shall present them to him and his sons, when they offer sacrifice. Menochius.—All the different kinds of victims were immolated on this occasion, because the priests were consecrated to offer them all. D.
Exodus
Verse 29. Vesture. A new one was not made for every high priest. Calmet.—One of the other priests had to perform the ceremony of consecration. Menochius.
Exodus
Verse 30. Days. During which he could not leave the sanctuary. Levit. 8:33. On each day, the aforesaid ceremonies were to be repeated, verse 35.
Exodus
Verse 31. Holy place. The court of the tabernacle, where a constant fire was kept, to prepare the food of the priests, and sometimes of others, who wished to eat their share of the victims in the presence of the Lord.
Exodus
Verse 33. Stranger. The Levites themselves could not partake of these things.
Exodus
Verse 37. Seven. This number is frequently prescribed in Scripture. Balaam required seven altars, (Numbers 23) and the Egyptians never spent less than seven days in their expiations. Porphyr. Abstin. 4. Calmet.—Shall be holy, consecrated according to this rite, ( Menochius.) or defiled; for sacred things purify those who approach in a proper manner, while they defile or increase the guilt of the unworthy. Calmet.—By the unleavened bread, (verse 23,) we are reminded of the blessed eucharist; and by oil, of the grace of the spirit. D.
Exodus
Verse 39. Morning. About sun-rise.—Evening, or between the two vespers. Exodus 12:6. The lambs were provided by the people; flour, wine, and oil, by the priests. Philo.—The wine was poured at the foot of the altar, the flour and oil were burnt upon it, and not placed on the head of the victim, as was customary among the pagans, frontique invergit vina sacerdos. Virg. vi. Maimon. By these sacrifices, God was to be adored as the author both of day and night; ( Menochius.) and we are admonished of our duty of praying to him, particularly at those times. Bible.—All the sacrifices prefigured that of Christ, (Saint Augustine c. advers. i. 18,) but none more than these of lambs. Orig. in Jo. Worthington.
Exodus
Verse 40. Part of an epha, half of which was used in each sacrifice.
Exodus
Verse 43. Glory, or presence, or by the flame which shall come down from heaven to consume the victim. Leviticus 9:24.
Exodus
1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel
Exodus
A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons, so a fourth of a hin is about 1.6 liters.