Leviticus 16:32

Lev 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments:

Ver. 32. Whom he shall consecrate,] i.e., God: or the present high priest, the chief God on earth. See on Lev 6:2.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lev 16:32. The priest whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate — This ought to be translated, who shall be anointed, and who shall be consecrated, as the Vulgate hath it. For an active verb without a person is frequently in Scripture to be taken passively; the well observing whereof will tend to the removing of many difficulties. For example; those words of Isaiah, quoted Joh 12:39-40, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, import merely, Their eyes were blinded, and their hearts hardened, as it is expressed Act 28:27, and Mat 13:14-15, compared with Isa 6:9. So, he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, is equivalent to, his heart was hardened, Exo 7:22. So, he moved David, 2Sa 24:1, ought to be translated, David was moved, namely, by his own evil heart, or Satan’s instigation, 1Ch 21:1.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whom the Priest shall anoint by God’s commandment to succeed in his father’s room.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(32) And the priest, whom he shall anoint.—Better, And the priest who shall be anointed. Not only is Aaron to make atonement on this occasion, but, in future, the priest who shall be consecrated by the proper authorities as his successor to the pontificate shall perform this act of expiation on the Day of Atonement.

And whom he shall consecrate.—Better, and who shall be consecrated. According to the canonical interpretation which obtained during the second Temple, this clause makes the hereditary right to the high priesthood conditional. Unlike property, which descends to the heirs unconditionally, the son of the high priest can only succeed his father if he is morally and physically blameless. The decision upon these points was vested in the community, represented by their elders—the Sanhedrin—who pronounced whether the heir apparent was qualified or disqualified to step into the office of pontiff, and who appointed the delegates to anoint and invest the new high priest with the insignia of his functions.

And shall put on the linen clothes.—Better, and shall put on the linen garments, as it is rendered in the Authorised Version in Lev_16:23. This phrase only occurs twice, and in this very section. To render it by two different expressions within so short a space is almost equivalent to depriving it of its identity. Now the priest who has thus been deemed worthy to succeed to this high office is to put on the holy white garments on the Day of Atonement.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. shall be consecrated] See on Lev_8:33.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary,.... The holy of holies, just in the same manner as Aaron had done, Lev 16:16,

and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation; the court of the tabernacle, and the holy place, and all in them, as Aaron did, in the places referred

and for the altar; see Lev 16:18,

and he shall make an atonement for the priests; for himself and for his family, and for all the priests, as Aaron did by his bullock of the sin offering, Lev 16:6,

and for all the people of the congregation of Israel; the whole body of the Israelites, and with them the Levites, as Aben Ezra observes, for they are not called priests; indeed every priest was a Levite, but not every Levite a priest; wherefore these were included not among the priests, but in the congregation of Israel. These several atonements, according to Ben Gersom, were separate and distinct, and did not hinder one another, or interfere with one another.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Whom he shall anoint; he, i.e. either God, who commanded him to be anointed, as men are oft said to do what others do by their command, or the high priest, who was to anoint his successor. Or, the third person is here put indefinitely or impersonally, for who shall be anointed.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

32. The priest… anoint — The Hebrew pontiff was at first designated as the anointed priest. Afterwards he was styled the great or high priest. See Lev_4:3, note.

Consecrate — See Num_3:3, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 32, 33. That there may be no mistake, it is specifically enjoined that not only Aaron, but the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate meaning, the high priest that shall be anointed, and shall be consecratedto minister in the priest"s office in his father"s stead that is, to succeed from time to time to the high priesthoodshall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments . Again it may be noticed that the white robes are termed, not the penitential, but the holy, garments.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He - The high-priest, who was to anoint his successor.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

In the future, the priest who was anointed and set apart for the duty of the priesthood in his father's stead, i.e., the existing high priest, was to perform the act of expiation in the manner prescribed, and that "once a year." The yearly repetition of the general atonement showed that the sacrifices of the law were not sufficient to make the servant of God perfect according to this own conscience. And this imperfection of the expiation, made with the blood of bullocks and goats, could not fail to awaken a longing for the perfect sacrifice of the eternal High Priest, who has obtained eternal redemption by entering once, through His own blood, into the holiest of all (Heb 9:7-12). And just as this was effected negatively, so by the fact that the high priest entered on this day into the holiest of all, as the representative of the whole congregation, and there, before the throne of God, completed its reconciliation with Him, was the necessity exhibited in a positive manner for the true reconciliation of man, and his introduction into a perfect and abiding fellowship with Him, and the eventual realization of this by the blood of the Son of God, our eternal High Priest and Mediator, prophetically foreshadowed. The closing words in Lev 16:34, "and he (i.e., Aaron, to whom Moses was to communicate the instructions of God concerning the feast of atonement, Lev 16:2) did as the Lord commanded Moses," are anticipatory in their character, like Exo 12:50. For the law in question could not be carried out till the seventh month of the current year, that is to say, as we find from a comparison of Num 10:11 with Exo 40:17, not till after the departure of Israel from Sinai.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

the one who will be anointed and ordained

This can be translated in active form. AT: "the one they will anoint and ordain" (See: Active or Passive)

in his father's place

When the high priest died, one of his sons would replace him.

the holy garments

These are special clothes the high priest must wear when he enters the most holy place.

for all the people of the assembly

"for all the people of Israel"

translationWords

high priest

anoint

ordain

holy place

tent of meeting

altar

priest

assembly

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

'וכפר הכהן אשר ימשח וגו‎ AND THE PRIEST WHOM THEY SHALL ANOINT … SHALL MAKE EXPIATION etc. — This expiation on the Day of Atonement is valid only if it is effected by the High-Priest. Because in the whole of this section reference is made to Aaron alone, Scripture was compelled to state here (towards the end) that any High-Priest succeeding him shall be like himself (i. e. shall possess the same power of effecting atonement on Yom-Kippur) (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 8 4).

ואשר ימלא את ידו AND WHOM THEY SHALL CONSECRATE — Since it is stated "whom they anoint" I might say I have here only the law that he who has been anointed with the oil of anointing is capable of effecting expiation; How do I know that this is also the case with a High- Priest who is distinguished from an ordinary priest only by a larger number of official garments though he may not have been anointed? Because Scripture states "and whom they shall consecrate etc." (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 8 4) — Such (i. e. מרובה בגדים only) were all the High-Priests who held office from Josiah and later, for in his days the flask of anointing oil was concealed (Horayot 12a).

לכהן תחת אביו TO MINISTER AS A PRIEST IN HIS FATHER'S STEAD — The words "in his father's stead” are intended to teach us that if the High-Priest’s son is able to fill his father’s place he has to be given preference to any other man (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 8 5).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THE PRIEST WHO SHALL BE ANOINTED AND WHO SHALL BE CONSECRATED TO BE PRIEST IN HIS FATHER’S STEAD. “I might think that only [the High Priest] who has been anointed with the oil of anointment [may perform the Service on the Day of Atonement]. Whence do I know that a High Priest who is [inducted into office only] by many garments [i.e., the eight garments which distinguish him from all ordinary priests who wear only four garments, that he too may perform the Service on that day]? Scripture therefore says, and who shall be consecrated, by attiring the [eight] garments. Such were all the High Priests who functioned after the days of King Josiah [until the destruction of the Second Temple], for in his days the flask of anointing oil was hidden.” ). This is Rashi’s language. Now the Rabbi did not intend to say that it was only from the days of King Josiah that there were High Priests who were [inducted into office only by means of] many garments, for in the Gemara we find that the Rabbis have said: “Who has precedence over whom [in being redeemed from captivity, etc.], a High Priest anointed with the oil of anointment, or one who was [inducted into office only] by his attiring himself in the many garments?” Again the Rabbis have said: “Does he [that killed a person unwittingly] return from the city of refuge [only] at the death of all of them [i.e., the High Priest anointed with the oil of anointment, and the one that was inducted into office only by his attiring himself in the many garments and one that had passed from his High-priesthood], or does he return at the death of one of them?” [Thus it is clear] that they can all be found at one time. Rather, [Rashi’s intent was that] if at any time [i.e., even when High Priests were still anointed with the oil of anointment], a priest was inducted [into the High-priesthood] by the many garments [worn by the High Priest], he was eligible to perform the Service of the Day of Atonement. For another priest was always prepared [in the High Priest’s stead] for the Day of Atonement, and he was not anointed. Thus if some disqualification occurred to the High Priest [such as by becoming impure etc.], this priest served in his stead, as he was eligible to do so through his induction [to his position] by his attiring himself in the many garments, even if he was not anointed.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.