Leviticus 7:35

This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(35) This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron and of the anointing of his sons.—Better, this is the share of Aaron and the share of his sons. That is, the wave breast and the heave shoulder.

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 7:35-37. This is the portion of the anointing — That is, their portion in consequence of their unction to the priests’ office, appointed them by God in that day, and therefore to be given them in after ages. Thus God kindly provides for them that are given up entirely to his service in things sacred. Of the consecration — That is, of the sacrifice offered at the consecration of the priests.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:35-38 Solemn acts of religious worship are not things which we may do or not do at our pleasure; it is at our peril if we omit them. An observance of the laws of Christ cannot be less necessary than of the laws of Moses.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The portion of the anointing ... - Rather, the appointed share of Aaron and of his sons.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

35-38. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron—These verses contain a general summing up of the laws which regulate the privileges and duties of the priests. The word "anointing" is often used as synonymous with "office" or "dignity." So that the "portion of the anointing of Aaron" probably means the provision made for the maintenance of the high priest and the numerous body of functionaries which composed the sacerdotal order.

in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord, &c.—that is, from the day they approached the Lord in the duties of their ministry.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Of the anointing, i.e. of the priesthood; the sign put for the thing signified; and the anointing by a like figure is put for the right, or part of the sacrifices belonging to the priest by virtue of his anointing, as plainly appears from the words here following,

out of the offering, & c.

In the day when he presented them: this was their portion appointed them by God in that day, and therefore to be given to them in after-ages. Or, from the day, &c., and thenceforward; the Hebrew preposition beth being put for rain, as it is frequently.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron,.... Of his being anointed to the priestly office; this is the part allotted and assigned him for the execution of it; this is the reward, as Aben Ezra interprets it, of his faithful performance of it, namely, his having the wave breast and heave shoulder of the peace offerings, and a cake out of everyone of the unleavened cakes, together with the leavened bread, besides other perquisites from other offerings:

and of the anointing of his sons; the successors of him in the priest hood; the Targum of Jonathan adds, above all their brethren the Levites:

out of the offerings of the Lord made by fire; out of such whose fat on the several parts of them was burnt with fire, such as the peace offerings were:

in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's office; when they were ordered to be taken out from among the children of Israel, and to be consecrated to, and invested with, the priest's office, as they were by Moses, and presented by him unto him as his priests; at that time the above portion was assigned them, as follows.

Geneva Study Bible

This is the portion of the {n} anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;

(n) that is, his privilege, reward and portion.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

35. anointing-portion] R.V. mg. portion. The Heb. root which means to anoint is found in Aramaic and Assyrian in the sense to measure. The word here and the similar word in Numbers 18:8 (by reason of the anointing, ‘for a portion,’ R.V. mg.) probably indicate an assigned or ‘measured portion,’ without excluding a play on the other sense of the root.

Conclusion (35–38)

The summary in Leviticus 7:35-36 refers to the priestly dues, either to those just mentioned in Leviticus 7:31-34, or more generally to those prescribed in the section Leviticus 6:8 to Leviticus 7:34.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 35, 36. - Conclusion of the section. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, may be translated simply, This is the portion of Aaron, and the portion of his sons, as the word "mischah" will bear the meaning of portion as well as of anointing. This rendering, however, is not necessary, as it was the anointing of Aaron and his sons that entitled them to these portions. Leviticus 7:35

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The wave-breast and heave-leg Jehovah had taken of the children of Israel, from off the sacrifices of their peace-offerings: i.e., had imposed it upon them as tribute, and had given them to Aaron and his sons, i.e., to the priests, "as a statute for ever," - in other words, as a right which they could claim of the Israelites for all ages (cf. Exodus 27:21). - With Leviticus 7:35, Leviticus 7:36, the instructions concerning the peace-offerings are brought to a close. "This (the wave-breast and heave-leg) is the share of Aaron and his sons from the firings of Jehovah in the day (i.e., which Jehovah assigned to them in the day) when He caused them to draw near to become priests to Jehovah," i.e., according to the explanation in Leviticus 7:36, "in the day of their anointing." The word משׁחה in Leviticus 7:35, like משׁחה in Numbers 18:8, signifies not "anointing," but share, portio, literally a measuring off, as in Aramaean and Arabic, from משׁח to stroke the hand over anything, to measure, or measure off.

The fulness with which every point in the sacrificial meal is laid down, helps to confirm the significance of the peace-offerings, as already implied in the name זבח sacrificial slaughtering, slain-offering, viz., as indicating that they were intended for, and culminated in a liturgical meal. By placing his hand upon the head of the animal, which had been brought to the altar of Jehovah for the purpose, the offerer signified that with this gift, which served to nourish and strengthen his own life, he gave up the substance of his life to the Lord, that he might thereby be strengthened both body and soul for a holy walk and conversation. To this end he slaughtered the victim and had the blood sprinkled by the priest against the altar, and the fat portions burned upon it, that in these altar-gifts his soul and his inner man might be grounded afresh in the gracious fellowship of the Lord. He then handed over the breast-piece by the process of waving, also the right leg, and a sacrificial cake of each kind, as a heave-offering from the whole to the Lord, who transferred these portions to the priests as His servants, that they might take part as His representatives in the sacrificial meal. In consequence of this participation of the priests, the feast, which the offerer of the sacrifice prepared for himself and his family from the rest of the flesh, became a holy covenant meal, a meal of love and joy, which represented domestic fellowship with the Lord, and thus shadowed forth, on the one hand, rejoicing before the Lord (Deuteronomy 12:12, Deuteronomy 12:18), and on the other, the blessedness of eating and drinking in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:15; Luke 22:30). Through the fact that one portion was given up to the Lord, the earthly food was sanctified as a symbol of the true spiritual food, with which the Lord satisfies and refreshes the citizens of His kingdom. This religious aspect of the sacrificial meal will explain the instructions given, viz., that not only the flesh itself, but those who took part in the meal, were all to be clean, and that whatever remained of the flesh was to be burned, on the second or third day respectively, that it might not pass into a state of decomposition. The burning took place a day earlier in the case of the praise-offering than in that of the vow and freewill-offerings, of which the offerer was allowed a longer enjoyment, because they were the products of his own spontaneity, which covered any defect that might attach to the gift itself.