Bible Strands
Exodus 40:12
Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses immediately after the Tabernacle is erected, issuing the next command in the priestly preparation sequence. Exodus 40:11 and Exodus 40:13 frame this instruction within the consecration of sanctuary objects and the appointment of Aaron to the priesthood.
The words — The Hebrew verb הִקְרַבְתָּ (hikravta) translates literally as "you will bring near," directing Moses to move Aaron and his sons toward the designated location. The noun פֶּתַח (peṯaḥ) specifies the exact point of arrival as the entrance of the tent.
The thread — This command aligns with the broader priestly consecration instructions in Exodus 29:1 and Leviticus 8:1, where God instructs Moses to gather specific sacrificial animals and summon the priestly leadership.
Why it lands — The text requires Moses to physically relocate the priests to the sanctuary threshold before performing the washing, establishing a fixed spatial sequence for ritual preparation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 8:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
- Exodus 29:1 “Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish,
- Leviticus 9:1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.
- Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
- Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
- Luke 1:35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
- John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
- Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,
- Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,