They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- KJV When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
- NKJV Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
- NASB When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
- NLT Whenever they approached the altar and entered the Tabernacle, they washed themselves, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
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
Whenever the priests entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, they washed, as commanded. Regular cleansing was integral to acceptable service.
Overview
This verse establishes the priests' ongoing practice of washing whenever they came to minister, faithfully obeying God's command. The repeated cleansing reinforced that holiness was required at every step of approach to God. The pattern points to Christ, who has cleansed His people and through whom they continually find acceptance before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 30:19–20with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
- Ps 73:19How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!
- Exod 40:19Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 40:32 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.