Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 8 / Ordinary 13
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Exodus 29:20

Kill it, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Throw the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ear;   Offerings;   Priest;   Thumb;   Toe;   Thompson Chain Reference - Blood;   Thumbs;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ear, the;   Feet, the;   Hands, the;   Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hear, Hearing;   Priest, Christ as;   Priest, Priesthood;   Worship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fat;   Food;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bull;   Dedicate, Dedication;   Ear;   High Priest;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ear;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sacrifice and Offering;   Thumb;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - High priest;   Priest;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ear;   Thumb;   Toe;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Aaron;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Priesthood, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Priest;   Sacrifice;   Sprinkle;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Priestly Code;   Sidra;   Urim and Thummim;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aharon, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood on the altar round about.
King James Version
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Lexham English Bible
And you will slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on Aaron's right earlobe and on the right earlobe of his sons and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and you will sprinkle the blood at the base of the altar all around.
New Century Version
Kill it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the bottom of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood against all four sides of the altar.
New English Translation
and you are to kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and then splash the blood all around on the altar.
Amplified Bible
"Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the [rest of the] blood around on the altar [of burnt offering].
New American Standard Bible
"And you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his sons' right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then thou shalt kill the ramme, & take of his blood and put it vpon the lappe of Aarons eare, and vpon the lappe of the right eare of his sonnes, and vpon the thumbe of their right hand, and vpon the great toe of their right foote, and shalt sprinkle the blood vpon ye altar roud about.
Legacy Standard Bible
You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his sons' right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and splash the rest of the blood around on the altar.
Contemporary English Version
Kill the ram and place some of its blood on Aaron's right ear lobe, his right thumb, and the big toe of his right foot. Do the same for each of his sons and splatter the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar.
Complete Jewish Bible
and you are to slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of Aharon's right ear, on the lobes of his sons' right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Take the rest of the blood and splash it on all sides of the altar.
Darby Translation
and thou shalt slaughter the ram, and take of its blood, and put [it] on the tip of the [right] ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and thou shalt sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Easy-to-Read Version
Kill that ram and save some of its blood. Put that blood on the right ear lobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put some of the blood on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then throw blood against all four sides of the altar.
English Standard Version
and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.
George Lamsa Translation
Then you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood, and sprinkle it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tips of the right ears of his sons and upon the thumbs of their right hands and upon the great toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Christian Standard Bible®
Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his sons’ right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the remaining blood on all sides of the altar.
Literal Translation
And you shall slaughter the ram; and you shall take of its blood and shall put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and you shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and thou shalt slaye him, and take of his bloude, and put it vpon the typpe of the right eare of Aaron and his sonnes, and vpon ye thombe of their right handes, and vpon the greate too of their right fete, and thou shalt sprenkle the bloude vpon the altare rounde aboute,
American Standard Version
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Bible in Basic English
You are to put the sheep to death, and take some of its blood and put it on the point of Aaron's right ear, and of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and the great toes of their right feet, dropping the rest of the blood on the sides of the altar.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shalt thou kyll hym, and take of his blood and put it vpon the tip of the right eare of Aaron, and vpon the tip of the right eare of his sonnes, and vpon the thombe of theyr right handes, and vpon the great toe of theyr right foot, and sprinckle the blood vpon the aulter rounde about.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and dash the blood against the altar round about.
King James Version (1611)
Then shalt thou kill the ramme, and take of his blood, and put it vpon the tip of the right eare of Aaron, and vpon the tip of the right eare of his sonnes, and vpon the thumbe of their right hand, and vpon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinckle the blood vpon the Altar round about.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt kill it, and take of the blood of it, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the great toes of their right feet.
English Revised Version
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Berean Standard Bible
Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the altar.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and whanne thou hast offrid that ram, thou schalt take of his blood, and schalt `putte on the last part of the riyt eere of Aaron, and of hise sones, and on the thombis of her hond; and of her riyt foot; and thou schalt schede the blood on the auter, `bi cumpas.
Young's Literal Translation
and thou hast slaughtered the ram, and hast taken of its blood, and hast put on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot, and hast sprinkled the blood on the altar round about;
Update Bible Version
Then you shall kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron's and his sons' right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood on the altar round about.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
World English Bible
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood on the altar round about.
New King James Version
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.
New Living Translation
Then slaughter it, and apply some of its blood to the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put it on the thumbs of their right hands and the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.
New Life Bible
Kill the ram and put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron's right ear, on the bottom of his sons' right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Put the rest of the blood around the altar.
New Revised Standard
and you shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and dash the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
then shalt thou slay the ram, and take of its blood, and place upon the tip of the ear of Aaron and upon the tip of the ear of his sons - the right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, - and shalt dash the blood upon the altar round about.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when thou hast sacrificed him, thou shalt take of his blood, and put upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and of his sons, and upon the thumbs and great toes of their right hand and foot, and thou shalt pour the blood upon the altar round about.
Revised Standard Version
and you shall kill the ram, and take part of its blood and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tips of the right ears of his sons, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the altar round about.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his sons' right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.

Contextual Overview

1 "This is what you are to do to Aaron and his sons to dedicate them as priests in my service. Take one young bull and two rams without any defects. 2 Use the best wheat flour, but no yeast, and make some bread with olive oil, some without it, and some in the form of thin cakes brushed with oil. 3 Put them in a basket and offer them to me when you sacrifice the bull and the two rams. 4 "Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of my presence, and have them take a ritual bath. 5 Then dress Aaron in the priestly garments—the shirt, the robe that goes under the ephod, the ephod, the breastpiece, and the belt. 6 Put the turban on him and tie on it the sacred sign of dedication engraved ‘Dedicated to the Lord .' 7 Then take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 "Bring his sons and put shirts on them; 9 put sashes around their waists and tie caps on their heads. That is how you are to ordain Aaron and his sons. They and their descendants are to serve me as priests forever. 10 "Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of my presence and tell Aaron and his sons to put their hands on its head.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

put it upon the tip: All this doubtless was intended to signify, that the priest should dedicate all his faculties and powers to the service of God; his ear to the hearing and study of the law; his hands to diligence in the sacred ministry, and to all acts of obedience; and his feet to walking in the way of God's precepts; for the ear is the symbol of obedience, the hand of action, and the foot of the path or conduct in life. And the sprinkling might further teach him, that he could neither hear, work, nor walk profitably, uprightly, and well pleasingly in the sight of God, without the application of the blood of the sacrifice. Leviticus 8:24, Leviticus 14:14, Isaiah 50:5, Mark 7:33

sprinkle: Leviticus 14:7, Leviticus 14:16, Leviticus 16:14, Leviticus 16:15, Leviticus 16:19, Isaiah 52:15, Hebrews 9:19-23, Hebrews 10:22, Hebrews 12:24, 1 Peter 1:2

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:6 - on the altar Leviticus 8:23 - Moses took Leviticus 14:17 - General Hebrews 9:21 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 24:67
Then Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in, and she became his wife. Isaac loved Rebecca, and so he was comforted for the loss of his mother.
Genesis 29:6
"Is he well?" he asked. "He is well," they answered. "Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with his flock."
Genesis 29:7
Jacob said, "Since it is still broad daylight and not yet time to bring the flocks in, why don't you water them and take them back to pasture?"
Genesis 30:26
Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you."
Hosea 12:12
Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia, where, in order to get a wife, he worked for another man and took care of his sheep.
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
2 Corinthians 5:14
We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death.
Ephesians 5:2
Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then shall thou kill the ram,.... As the other:

and take of his blood, some part of it being received into a basin:

and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons; according to Jarchi, this is the middle gristle within the ear; but Saadiah more rightly says it is the tender part which joins to the orb of the ear. The blood was put upon this part to sanctify it, and cleanse from sins that come thereby, and to teach the high priest that he ought attentively to listen to what should be said unto him of the Lord, that he might faithfully report it to the people; and as our great High Priest had his ear opened and awakened, to hear as the learned; and happy are his people who have ears to hear the joyful sound, and take pleasure in it, and who are cleansed from their hearing sins, by his precious blood:

and upon the thumb of their right hand; on the middle joint of it, as Jarchi:

and upon the great toe of the right foot; the hands and fingers being the instruments of action, and the feet and toes of walking, show that the life and conversation of the priests of the Lord ought to be pure and holy, and so their antitype perfectly was; and whereas there is imperfection in all the actions, and even in the best righteousness of the saints, and their walk and conversation is not without sin, they have need to have them sprinkled with, and their conversation garments washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb:

and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about; as was done with the blood of the other ram, Exodus 29:16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The consecration of the priests. See the notes to Lev. 8–9.

Exodus 29:4

Door of the tabernacle - Entrance of the tent. See Leviticus 8:3.

Exodus 29:27

The “waving” was the more solemn process of the two: it was a movement several times repeated, while “heaving” was simply a “lifting up” once.

Exodus 29:33

A stranger - One of another family, i. e. in this case, one not of the family of Aaron.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 29:20. Take of his blood — The putting the blood of the sacrifice on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, was doubtless intended to signify that they should dedicate all their faculties and powers to the service of God; their ears to the hearing and study of his law, their hands to diligence in the sacred ministry and to all acts of obedience, and their feet to walking in the way of God's precepts. And this sprinkling appears to have been used to teach them that they could neither hear, work, nor walk profitably, uprightly, and well-pleasing in the sight of God, without this application of the blood of the sacrifice. And as the blood of rams, bulls, and goats, could never take away sin, does not this prove to us that something infinitely better is shadowed out, and that we can do nothing holy and pure in the sight of a just and holy God, but through the blood of atonement? Exodus 30:20; Exodus 30:20.


 
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