The final phase of establishing the ritual system is to initiate the priests by having them officiate their first sacrifices at the altar. Expiatory pairs of purification and burnt offerings are repeated, first for the priests (9:8–14) and again for the rest of the community (9:15–16). Although the priests are consecrated, they are still faulty human beings. So before they ca…
Baker Publishing Group, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, by Gary M. Burge