And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
- BSB Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
- NKJV “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.
- NASB Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
- NLT “Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Aaron and his sons were brought to the tent's entrance and washed with water. This cleansing began their consecration to priestly service.
Overview
The washing symbolized the purity required to approach and serve a holy God. Before being clothed and anointed, the priests had to be made clean. This ritual washing points to the cleansing believers receive in Christ, the washing of regeneration that fits us to serve God (Titus 3:5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Exod 40:12And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
- Heb 10:22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
- 1 Pet 3:21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- Exod 26:36And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
- John 13:8–10Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
- Deut 23:11But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
- Exod 40:28And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
- Exod 30:18–21Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
- Lev 8:3–6And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
- Ezek 36:25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
- Titus 3:5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
- Eph 5:26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
- Lev 14:8And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
- Rev 1:5–6And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 29:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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