and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that the priesthood wasn't just an assignment, but a deep, lasting commission. The phrase "fill the hand" reveals that this ordination involved symbolically giving them the tools and sacrifices to perform their sacred duties, emphasizing the tangible, appointed nature of their service to God.
and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage describes the formal ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. It's part of a larger, seven-day consecration ceremony commanded by God, involving specific sacrifices and rituals to set them apart for their sacred duties in the Tabernacle. This detailed installation ensures their lineage and their unique role as mediators between God and Israel is officially established by divine decree.
The ceremony of installing priests wasn't just a handshake and a title. It involved a profound symbolic act that declared their new identity and responsibilities.
The verse mentions 'consecrating' Aaron and his sons. The original Hebrew literally means 'to fill the hand.' This wasn't about stuffing pockets with money, but about filling their hands with the sacred offerings that marked the beginning of their priestly duties.
A Symbol of Empowerment
This act symbolized God empowering them for service. Their hands, now 'filled' with these specific sacrifices, were dedicated to God's work. It was a tangible sign that their hands were no longer their own, but instruments for God's purposes within the Tabernacle.
The New Role
This 'filling of the hand' was the formal installation into the priesthood. It wasn't just about being chosen; it was about being officially set apart and equipped by God to mediate between Him and His people.
The priesthood established here wasn't temporary. It was a 'perpetual statute,' signifying something lasting and eternally significant.
The phrase 'perpetual statute' emphasizes the permanence and divine authority of the Aaronic priesthood. This wasn't a job that could be easily discarded or changed by human whim. It was a covenant established by God, meant to endure through generations.
A Shadow of Things to Come
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While it was perpetual for the people of Israel, it was also a sign pointing forward. This earthly, generational priesthood served as a type and shadow of the ultimate, eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ. His priesthood is not based on lineage but on the power of an indestructible life, making His sacrifice once for all.
God's Unchanging Plan
This statute highlights God's consistent plan for mediation and reconciliation. Even as the specific forms of worship changed with Christ's coming, the underlying principle of a divinely appointed mediator remained, underscoring God's faithfulness to His people.
Understand the original words
chuqqah · Hebrew Noun
A decree, regulation, or lasting ordinance established by God that is binding, permanent, and unchangeable, often referring to cultic or moral laws.
mala' yad · Hebrew Verb phrase
The formal process of filling a person's hands with authority or power, thereby officially installing them into a priestly office and empowering them to perform their duties.
This passage highlights Jesus as the perfect High Priest, holy and undefiled, emphasizing the spiritual purity required for mediating between God and humanity, a concept mirrored in the ceremonial washing and consecration of the Old Testament priests.
1 Samuel 2:35This verse speaks of God raising up a faithful priest who will walk before His anointed forever, pointing to a lasting priesthood, contrasting with the temporary Aaronic line established in Exodus and ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
1 Peter 2:5Peter calls believers 'living stones' and 'a holy priesthood' to offer spiritual sacrifices, connecting the Old Testament priestly ordination to the universal priesthood of all believers in the New Covenant.
Leviticus 8:1-36This chapter details the actual ceremony of Aaron and his sons' consecration, providing the practical steps and rituals that Exodus 29 outlines as the command, offering a fuller picture of the event.
John 17:19Jesus prays, 'For their sake I sanctify myself,' echoing the concept of consecration for service and mediation, demonstrating how Christ's own sanctification was for the benefit of His people, paralleling the priests being set apart for Israel.
pulpitExodus 29:9: "And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons."
Verse 9. - The bonnets. Rather "caps." There is no article. Thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. Literally, "Thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons." Installation in an office was usually effected among the Eastern nations by putting into the hand of the offi…
calvinExodus 29:1-35: "And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,"
And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Cingesque illos baltheo: Aharon et flios ejus, et aptabis eis pileos, et erit eis sacerdotium in statutum perp…
The text highlights that the priesthood wasn't just an assignment, but a deep, lasting commission. The phrase "fill the hand" reveals that this ordination involved symbolically giving them the tools and sacrifices to perform their sacred duties, emphasizing the tangible, appointed nature of their service to God.
This passage describes the formal ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. It's part of a larger, seven-day consecration ceremony commanded by God, involving specific sacrifices and rituals to set them apart for their sacred duties in the Tabernacle. This detailed installation ensures their lineage and their unique role as mediators between God and Israel is officially established by divine decree.
This passage describes the formal ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. It's part of a larger, seven-day consecration ceremony commanded by God, involving specific sacrifices and rituals to set them apart for their sacred duties in the Tabernacle. This detailed installation ensures their lineage and their unique role as mediators between God and Israel is officially established by divine decree.
"and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons." — The text highlights that the priesthood wasn't just an assignment, but a deep, lasting commission. The phrase "fill the hand" reveals that this ordination involved symbolically giving them the tools…
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Last reviewed October 2026