Exodus 29:37
New International Version
For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.

New Living Translation
Purify the altar, and consecrate it every day for seven days. After that, the altar will be absolutely holy, and whatever touches it will become holy.

English Standard Version
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

Berean Standard Bible
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.

King James Bible
Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

New King James Version
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

New American Standard Bible
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

NASB 1995
“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

NASB 1977
“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

Legacy Standard Bible
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

Amplified Bible
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar [of burnt offering] and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy (set apart for God’s service).

Christian Standard Bible
For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. The altar will be especially holy. Whatever touches the altar will be consecrated.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. The altar will become especially holy; whatever touches the altar will become holy.”

American Standard Version
Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

Contemporary English Version
Do this for seven days, and the altar will become so holy that anyone who touches it will become holy.

English Revised Version
Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
For seven days at the altar make peace with the LORD and set the altar apart for its holy purpose. Then the altar will be most holy. Anything that touches the altar will become holy.

Good News Translation
Do this every day for seven days. Then the altar will be completely holy, and anyone or anything that touches it will be harmed by the power of its holiness.

International Standard Version
You are to make atonement for the altar for seven days and consecrate it. It will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy."

Majority Standard Bible
For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.

NET Bible
For seven days you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy. Anything that touches the altar will be holy.

New Heart English Bible
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

Webster's Bible Translation
Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

World English Bible
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
[for] seven days you make atonement for the altar, and have sanctified it, and the altar has been most holy; all that is coming against the altar is holy.

Young's Literal Translation
seven days thou dost make atonement for the altar, and hast sanctified it, and the altar hath been most holy; all that is coming against the altar is holy.

Smith's Literal Translation
Seven days thou shalt expiate upon the altar, and consecrate it; and it was the holy altar of holies: all touching upon the altar shall be holy.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Seven days shalt thou expiate the altar and sanctify it, and it shall be most holy. Every one that shall touch it shall be holy.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For seven days, you shall expiate and sanctify the altar, and it shall be the Holy of holies. All those who will touch it must be sanctified.

New American Bible
Seven days you shall spend in purging the altar and in consecrating it. Then the altar will be most sacred, and whatever touches it will become sacred.

New Revised Standard Version
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Seven days you shall make an atonement for the altar and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Seven days you will make atonement on the altar and you shall sanctify it and the altar shall be The Holy of Holies, and everything that will touch the altar will be made holy.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; thus shall the altar be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Seven days shalt thou purify the altar and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy, every one that touches the altar shall be hallowed.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Food for the Priests
36Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 37For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.

Cross References
Leviticus 6:18
Any male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the food offerings to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that touches them will become holy.”

Leviticus 6:27
Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.

Leviticus 8:10-11
Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. / He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.

Leviticus 8:15
Moses slaughtered the bull, took some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it.

Leviticus 8:33
You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you.

Leviticus 16:19
He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

Numbers 18:10
You are to eat it as a most holy offering, and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as holy.

Ezekiel 43:26-27
For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; so they shall consecrate it. / At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Hebrews 9:13-14
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, / how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:29
How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 13:11-12
Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp. / And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.

1 Peter 1:2
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

1 Peter 1:15-16
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, / for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

Seven days you shall make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

and sanctify it

Exodus 40:10
And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

it shall be an

Exodus 30:29
And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

Matthew 23:17,19
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? …

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Altar Atonement Completely Consecrate Holy Offerings Sanctified Sanctify Seven Touches Toucheth Touching Whatever Whatsoever
Exodus 29
1. The sacrifice and ceremonies of consecrating the priests and the altar
38. The continual burnt offerings
45. God's promise to dwell among the children of Israel














For seven days
The phrase "for seven days" signifies a period of completeness and divine perfection in the Hebrew tradition. The number seven is often associated with God's creation and covenant, as seen in the seven days of creation in Genesis. This period of seven days for consecration underscores the thoroughness and seriousness of the process, ensuring that the altar is fully prepared for its sacred purpose.

you shall make atonement
The Hebrew root for "atonement" is "kaphar," which means to cover, purge, or reconcile. Atonement involves a process of purification and reconciliation with God, highlighting the need for holiness and the removal of sin. This act of making atonement for the altar signifies the necessity of cleansing and sanctifying the place where sacrifices will be offered, ensuring it is acceptable to God.

for the altar
The altar is central to the worship practices of the Israelites, serving as the place where sacrifices are made to God. In the ancient Near Eastern context, altars were seen as points of contact between the divine and human realms. The consecration of the altar emphasizes its role as a sacred space, set apart for divine service and interaction.

and consecrate it
To "consecrate" means to set apart as holy. The Hebrew word "qadash" is used here, indicating a dedication to God’s service. This act of consecration is not merely a ritual but a declaration of the altar's purpose and identity as belonging to God. It reflects the broader biblical theme of holiness, where objects, people, and places are dedicated to God's glory.

Then the altar will be most holy
The phrase "most holy" elevates the status of the altar beyond ordinary holiness. In Hebrew, "qodesh qodashim" is used, indicating the highest level of sanctity. This designation is reserved for things that are directly associated with God's presence and worship, underscoring the altar's critical role in the sacrificial system and its symbolic representation of God's holiness.

whatever touches the altar will be holy
This statement reflects the transformative power of holiness. In the ancient world, contact with something holy could impart holiness to other objects or people. This principle illustrates the contagious nature of holiness and the altar's role as a conduit of divine sanctity. It serves as a reminder of the call to holiness for all who approach God, emphasizing the transformative impact of divine presence in the life of believers.

(37) An altar most holy.--Heb., an altar, holiness of holinesses.

Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.--Rather, must be holy; nothing which is not holy must touch it. The future has the force of an imperative, as in the Ten Commandments.

Verse 37. - Seven days shalt thou make an atonement. All the ceremonial was to be repeated seven times, not only the atonement for the altar (Leviticus 8:33). An altar most holy. Literally, "holiness of holinesses," as in Exodus 40:10. Whatever toucheth the altar shall be holy. Rather, "must be holy." Nothing that is not holy must touch it (Kalisch).

CHAPTER 29:38-42

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For seven
שִׁבְעַ֣ת (šiḇ·‘aṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

days
יָמִ֗ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

you shall make atonement
תְּכַפֵּר֙ (tə·ḵap·pêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3722: To cover, to expiate, condone, to placate, cancel

for
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the altar
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

and consecrate
וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֖ (wə·qid·daš·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6942: To be set apart or consecrated

it.
אֹת֑וֹ (’ō·ṯōw)
Direct object marker | third person masculine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

Then the altar
הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

will become
וְהָיָ֤ה (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

most holy;
קֹ֣דֶשׁ (qō·ḏeš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6944: A sacred place, thing, sanctity

whatever
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

touches
הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ (han·nō·ḡê·a‘)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike

the altar
בַּמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ (bam·miz·bê·aḥ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

will be holy.
יִקְדָּֽשׁ׃ (yiq·dāš)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6942: To be set apart or consecrated


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OT Law: Exodus 29:37 Seven days you shall make atonement (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 29:36
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