Exodus 40:15 - Exposition

Thou shalt anoint them as thou didst anoint their father. The mode of anointing does not seem to have been identical in the two cases. The oil was first poured upon Aaron's head (Le Exodus 8:12 ; Psalms 133:2 ), and afterwards sprinkled upon him (Le Exodus 8:30 ). It was, apparently, only sprinkled upon the priests ( ib, ). This was a lower form of anointing; and hence the high priest was sometimes called " the anointed priest" (Le Exodus 4:5 , Exodus 4:16 ; Exodus 6:22 ; Exodus 16:32 , etc.). Their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood. The Rabbinical commentators maintain that these words apply to the ordinary priests only, and on the strength of them establish a difference between the ordinary priests and the high priests. The latter were in every ease to be anointed to their office. A single anointing sainted for the former. It is scarcely necessary to say that there is no Scriptural ground for this distinction. The natural sense of the words is, rather, that as long as the anointing continued, the priesthood should continue.