Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and 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.
- KJV And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt 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.
- 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 40:12“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.
- Heb 10:22let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water,
- 1 Pet 3:21This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you — not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
- Exod 26:36“You shall make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer.
- John 13:8–10Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
- Deut 23:11but it shall be, when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water. When the sun is down, he shall come within the camp.
- Exod 40:28He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.
- Exod 30:18–21“You shall also make a basin of brass, and its base of brass, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
- Lev 8:3–6and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
- Ezek 36:25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you 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 did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
- Eph 5:26that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
- Lev 14:8“He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
- Rev 1:5–6and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his 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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