Exodus 28:1

And thou, bring thou near, &c. as Exodus 27:20. hikrib(-bring near") has here the special, sacred sense of present, or, of a sacrifice, offer, as very often in P; cf. Exodus 29:3-4; Exodus 29:8; Exodus 29:10; Exodus 40:12; Exodus 40:14; and DB.iii. 587 b.

and his sons with him the addition of -with him," as often in P: v.41, Exodus 29:21 (twice), Genesis 6:18; Genesis 7:7; Genesis 7:13 &c. (see LOT.p. 132, No. 10). Aaron's -sons," as already explained, represent in this and the next ch., the ordinary priests.

minister … in the priest's office in the Heb., one word, be(or act as priest. The Heb. for -priest" is kôhen, a word of which the etym. sense is unknown: the supposition that it denotes -one who stands" (to serve God) is most precarious: there is no Semitic root kâhan, or even kûn, meaning to -stand": kûn, in Arab., Eth., and Phoen. is the common word for - to be"; in Ass. it means to be firm; derivatives in Heb. also mean to beor to make firm, but this is not the same thing as to -stand." In Arabic the corresponding word, kâhin, means a seeran important man in a tribe, who was consulted before an undertaking, esp. a war, or to settle a dispute, or other difficulty, the organ of a deity, or, mostly, of a jinn(Wellh. Arab. Heid.130 4, 167; 2 131 8, 143): the older Isr. kôhçnalso habitually gave answers, by the Urim and Thummim, on questions submitted to him, and divine decisions upon legal cases (see on Exodus 18:15). The common name, and the kindred functions, justify the inference that the kôhçnand the kâhinwere originally identical: both will have been originally guardians of an oracle at a sanctuary: but their functions diverged: the kâhinsank to be a mere diviner; the kôhçnacquired gradually more and more of the sacrificial functions which we commonly attach to the idea of a -priest."

Nadab and Abihu see in J Exodus 24:1; Exodus 24:9; in P Exodus 6:23; Leviticus 10:1-2.

Eleazar and Ithamar Eleazar is mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:6 as Aaron's successor in the priesthood, and in Joshua 24:33 (E) his death is recorded. See further on Exodus 6:23.