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Consecration of the Priests
The consecration of the priests was the seven-day ceremony in which Moses installed Aaron and his sons as priests of Israel. The command for it is recorded in Exodus 29, and its performance in Leviticus 8.
Priest
In Old Testament Israel, the priest held an office that stood between God and the people, offering sacrifices and teaching the Law. The New Testament carries this office forward in the high priesthood of Christ and the priesthood of all believers.
Nob
Nob was a town in the territory of Benjamin where priests lived during the reign of Saul. There David received the showbread and the sword of Goliath, and there the priests were massacred at Saul's command.
Priestly Divisions
The priestly divisions were a system, described in 1 Chronicles 24, in which David divided the priests descended from Aaron into twenty-four groups that took turns performing the temple duties. The system reappears in the Gospel of Luke as the "course of Abia" (the division of Abijah), to which Zacharias belonged.
Priestly Garments
The priestly garments were the holy garments made, according to Exodus 28, for Aaron and his sons to wear when they ministered in the tabernacle. The garments of the high priest are distinguished from those of the ordinary priests.
Exodus 19:5–6
A passage in which God promises Israel, newly arrived at Mount Sinai, that if they obey his voice and keep his covenant, they will be his "peculiar treasure," "a kingdom of priests," and "an holy nation." As the background to 1 Peter 2:9, it is frequently cited in discussions of the priesthood of all believers and of ecclesiology.
Nehemiah 12
Nehemiah 12 lists the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel and gives the genealogy of the high priests. It then records the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem and the arrangements for the storehouses that supplied those who served in the temple.
Hosea 5
Hosea 5 summons the priests, the house of Israel, and the house of the king and pronounces judgment on northern Israel (Ephraim) and southern Judah. It rebukes their reliance on Assyria and closes with God's declaration that He will wait until the people acknowledge their offense and seek Him.
Malachi 2
Malachi 2 rebukes the priests for breaking the covenant made with Levi and reproves the people for marrying women who serve foreign gods and for dealing treacherously with the wives of their youth.
Leviticus 22
Leviticus 22 contains the purity regulations that priests must observe when eating the holy things (sacred objects and food dedicated to God), together with the requirement that offerings presented to God be without blemish.
Numbers 18
Numbers 18 distinguishes the duties of the priests from those of the Levites and establishes the portion the priests are to receive, the tithe given to the Levites, and the "tithe of the tithe" that the Levites in turn offer.
Numbers 6:22-27
A three-line blessing that God gave through Moses for the priests, Aaron and his sons, to use in blessing the people of Israel. Known as the Aaronic Blessing or the Priestly Blessing, it has long served as the closing benediction in both Jewish and Christian worship.
High Priest
The high priest held the foremost position among the priests of Old Testament Israel, an office whose holder entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the people. The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the eternal High Priest.
Hophni and Phinehas
Hophni and Phinehas were the two sons of Eli who served as priests at Shiloh at the close of the period of the judges. They sinned in several ways, including treating the sacrifices with contempt, and both died on the same day when the Ark of the Covenant was captured in battle against the Philistines.
Leviticus 10
Leviticus 10 recounts the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, who offered incense with "strange fire" that the LORD had not commanded. It then gives a prohibition against priests drinking wine or strong drink and regulations for eating the offerings.
Leviticus 21
Leviticus 21 sets out the holiness regulations that priests and the high priest must observe. It addresses funerals and mourning, marriage, and the sacrificial duties of priests with physical blemishes.
Deuteronomy 18
Deuteronomy 18 sets out the portion due to the Levitical priests, forbids the divination and necromancy (calling up the spirits of the dead) practiced by the nations of Canaan, and records God's promise to raise up a prophet like Moses, together with the criteria for distinguishing true prophets from false ones.
Joshua 3
Joshua 3 records the Israelites crossing the Jordan River behind the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant. When the priests' feet were dipped in the water, the flowing river stopped, and the people crossed over on dry ground.
1 Chronicles 24
1 Chronicles 24 records how David divided the priests descended from Aaron by lot into twenty-four courses (divisions that served in rotation) and also assigned the remaining Levite families by lot.
Mark 14
Mark 14 covers the events surrounding Jesus' final Passover: the chief priests' plot, the woman who anointed him with ointment at Bethany, the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, his arrest and examination before the Council, and Peter's threefold denial.