Commentaria in Leviticum
Chapter 9. Synopsis of the Chapter
Aaron celebrates his first-fruits. Hence, first, verse 8, he offers a calf for his own sin, and a ram for a holocaust. Secondly, verse 15, he offers the victims of the people, namely a he-goat for sin, a calf and a lamb for a holocaust, an ox and a ram for a peace-offering. Thirdly, verse 23, he blesses the people, and presently fire descends from heaven and devours all his victims.
1. And when the eighth day was come, Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the ancients of Israel, and he said to Aaron: 2. Take of the herd a calf for sin, and a ram for a holocaust, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3. And to the children of Israel thou shalt speak: Take ye a he-goat for sin, and a calf and a lamb of a year old, without blemish, for a holocaust: 4. An ox and a ram for peace offerings: and offer them before the Lord: offering in the sacrifice of each one fine flour tempered with oil: for today the Lord will appear to you. 5. They brought therefore all things that Moses had commanded to the door of the tabernacle: where, when all the multitude stood, 6. Moses said: This is the word which the Lord hath commanded: do it, and his glory will appear to you. 7. And he said to Aaron: Approach to the altar, and offer sacrifice for thy sin: offer the holocaust, and pray for thyself and for the people: and when thou hast slain the people’s victim, pray for them, as the Lord hath commanded. 8. And forthwith Aaron, going up to the altar, sacrificed a calf for his own sin: 9. And his sons offered him the blood thereof: and he, dipping his finger in it, touched the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest at the bottom thereof. 10. And the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul of the liver, which are for sin, he burnt upon the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses: 11. But the flesh and the skin thereof he burnt with fire without the camp. 12. He sacrificed also the victim of the holocaust: and his sons brought him the blood thereof, which he poured round about upon the altar. 13. The victim also cut into pieces, with the head and every member, they offered; all which things he burnt upon the altar with fire, 14. The entrails and the feet having been first washed with water. 15. And offering for the sin of the people, he slew the he-goat: and having expiated the altar, 16. He made the holocaust, 17. Adding in the sacrifice the libations, which are offered together with it, and burning them upon the altar, besides the ceremonies of the morning holocaust. 18. He immolated also the ox and the ram, the peace victims of the people: and his sons brought him the blood, which he poured upon the altar round about; 19. And the fat of the ox, and the tail of the ram, and the kidneys with their fat, and the caul of the liver, 20. They put upon the breasts; and when the fat was burnt upon the altar, 21. Aaron separated their breasts and the right shoulders, elevating them before the Lord, as Moses had commanded. 22. And stretching out his hands to the people, he blessed them. And so, the victims for sin, and the holocausts, and the peace offerings being completed, he came down. 23. And Moses and Aaron going into the tabernacle of the testimony, and coming forth again, blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the multitude: 24. And behold a fire, coming forth from the Lord, devoured the holocaust, and the fat that was upon the altar. Which when the multitudes saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.
Verse 1. And when the eighth day was come—that is, of the consecration of Aaron and of the tabernacle, as is plain from the preceding chapter, verse 33. This was the eighth day of the first month, in the second year of the going out of Egypt, which was the year of the world 2455, 748 after the flood. In this year and on this day, therefore, Aaron celebrated his first-fruits, as it were. Allegorically, the eighth day is the time of the Evangelical law, in which we keep the eighth day of Christ’s resurrection and strive toward it, and in which the glory appeared, that is, the magnificent and glorious grace of Christ our Saviour, who offered Himself for His own sin, that is, for that of men, which He took upon Himself; He offered also the victims of His Church, namely the he-goat, that is, penance; the lamb, that is, innocence; the ox and the ram, that is, the labours and patience of His Christian people. So Radulphus, from St. Gregory.
Moses called Aaron and his sons—that these new priests might offer their first sacrifices; for this cause also the ancients of the people were called together, namely to honour the first-fruits of their pontiff, and that they might sacrifice their victims to God through him.
Verse 15. And having expiated the altar—by this sacrifice for sin, with whose blood the altar was anointed and sprinkled. Hence the Hebrew is, and he expiated with it, namely with the he-goat, that is, as the Chaldee has it, in the blood of the he-goat, as before they did with the blood of the calf, verse 9.
Note: Expiation and consecration of the altar are attributed peculiarly to the sacrifice for sin, because by it the altar was expiated, that is, sprinkled with blood upon its horns; and so it was dedicated to expiate sins thereafter by the sacrifices to be offered on it.
Verse 2. Take of the herd a calf for sin.—For although a little before Moses offered a victim for sin for thee, O Aaron, yet now that thou art newly created pontiff by God, I will that thou offer victims of every kind, and consequently also a victim for sin: both that by this symbol I may teach that no one ought to persuade himself with certainty that his sins are forgiven, or so forgiven that no penalty remains to be paid for them; and that thou mayest begin to exercise everywhere thy character, as it were, of order, that is, the power of offering any victim.
Verse 3. Thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.—“Thou shalt speak,” namely thou, O Aaron, new pontiff. For upon thee now lies the pontifical authority to prescribe victims to the people.
Take ye a he-goat for sin.—For although God had commanded a calf to be immolated for the certain and determinate sin of the people, chapter 4, verse 14, yet here, because a sacrifice is made indeterminately for the sin of the people in common, there is commanded to be immolated not a calf but a he-goat, and therefore its blood is not carried into the Holy Place to sprinkle the altar of incense, as was prescribed in the case of the calf, chapter 4, verse 16.
Of a year old.—One must read with the Hebrew, the Septuagint and the Roman text, so that both the calf and the lamb are commanded to be of a year old.
Verse 4. Immolate them (bring them to me, that I may immolate them for you) before the Lord—before the altar of holocausts, or before the door of the tabernacle.
In the sacrifice—namely of meal. For the Hebrew is mincha. For to every victim there was added a mincha, that is, a sacrifice of meal or bread, as is plain from Numbers 4, since without bread or meal there was no feasting.
For today the Lord will appear to you—sending fire from heaven, which shall burn your sacrifices.