Exodus 29:1 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

To hallow them, to minister to me We come now to the directions given to Moses about the ceremonies of consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priests' office. These were to be performed in a solemn manner, thereby to strike both them and the people with a still deeper sense of the dignity and sacredness of that function. They were chiefly to consist of three sacrifices, which, though distinguished from each other, were all of the expiatory kind, as appears from this, that the priests laid their hands on the two former, (Exodus 29:10; Exodus 29:15,) and were sprinkled with the blood of the last. Take one young bullock This is mentioned first as the chief part of the ceremony, though several things were to be done previously to it, as washing them with water, (Exodus 29:4,) robing them in their sacerdotal garments, (Exodus 29:5,) anointing them with oil, (Exodus 29:7,) then the ceremony was to be completed by peculiar sacrifices, (Exodus 29:10-11;) all which things are described as put in execution, Leviticus 8:2.