Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
- KJV And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
- NKJV Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
- NASB Then Moses had Aaron and his sons come near, and he washed them with water.
- NLT Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed 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
Moses brings Aaron and his sons forward and washes them with water. Cleansing began the consecration of the priests.
Overview
The washing symbolized the purity required of those who would serve a holy God. It marked the start of their setting-apart from common life to sacred duty. This points to the cleansing believers receive in Christ, who washes His people to make them a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:5-6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Eph 5:26to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
- 1 Cor 6:11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
- Exod 29:4Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
- Isa 1:16Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
- Ps 51:2Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
- Exod 40:12Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
- Ezek 36:25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
- Exod 30:19with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet.
- Ps 51:7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- Ps 26:6I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,
- Heb 9:10They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.
- Zech 13:1“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
- John 13:8–10“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
- Rev 7:14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- Rev 1:5–6and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
- Heb 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 8:6 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.