SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:23
¶ Y entraron Moisés y Aarón en el tabernáculo del testimonio; y salieron, y bendijeron al pueblo; y la gloria del SEÑOR se apareció a todo el pueblo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Leviticus 9:23
Verse 23. Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle] It is supposed that Moses accompanied Aaron into the tabernacle to show him how to offer the incense, prepare the lamps and the perfume, adjust the shew-bread, &c., &c. And the glory of the Lord appeared] To show that every thing was done according to the Divine mind, 1. The glory of Jehovah appears unto all the people; 2. A fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the burnt-offering. This was the proof which God gave upon extraordinary occasions of his acceptance of the sacrifice. This was done probably, 1. In the case of Hebel, Genesis iv. 4. 2. In the case of Aaron; see above, ver. 24. 3. In the case of Gideon, Judg. vi. 21. 4. In the case of Manoah and his wife. Compare Judg. xiii. 19-23. 5. In the case of David dedicating the threshing-floor of Ornan, 1 Chron. xxi. 28. 6. In the case of Solomon dedicating the temple, 2 Chron. vii. 1. 7. In the case of Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 38. Hence to express the accepting of an offering, sacrifice, &c., the verb d dishshen is used, which signifies to reduce to ashes, i. e., by fire from heaven. See Psalm xx. 3. In such a case as this, it was necessary that the fire should appear to be divinely sent, and should come in such a way as to preclude the supposition that any art or deceit had been practiced on the occasion. Hence it is not intimated that Moses and Aaron brought it out of the tabernacle, professing that God had kindled it there for them, but the fire CAME OUT from BEFORE the Lord, and ALL the PEOPLE SAW it.
The victims were consumed by a fire evidently of no human kindling.
Josephus says that "a fire proceeded from the victims themselves of its own accord, which had the appearance of a flash of lightning;" ex autwn pur anhfqh automaton, kai omoion astraphv lamphdoni orwmenon th flogi? "and consumed, all that was upon the altar."-Antiq., lib. iii., c. 8, s. 6, edit. Haverc. And it is very likely that by the agency of the ethereal or electric spark, sent immediately from the Divine presence, the victims were consumed. The heathens, in order to give credit to their worship, imitated this miracle, and pretended that Jupiter testified his approbation of the sacrifices offered to him by thunder and lightning: to this VIRGIL seems to allude, though the words have been understood differently.
Audiat haec genitor, qui foedera fulmine sancit. AEn. xii., ver. 200.
"Let Jupiter hear, who sanctions covenants by his thunder." On which words Servius makes this remarkable comment: Quia cum fiunt foedera, si coruscatio fuerit, confirmantur. Vel certe quia apud majores arae non incendebantur, sed ignem divinum precibus eliciebant qui incendebant altaria. "To sanction the covenant signifies to confirm it; for when a covenant was made, if there were a flash of lightning, it was considered to be thereby confirmed: or rather because our ANCESTORS lighted no fire upon the altars, but obtained by their supplications divine fire," &c. The expression apud majores, "among our ancestors," shows that they could boast of no such divine fire then; nor could they ever before, as the whole account was borrowed from the Jews. Solinus Polyhistor gives us an account to the same effect; for, speaking of the hill of Vulcan in Sicily, he says: In quo, qui divinte rei operantur, ligna vitea super aras struunt, nec ignis apponitur in hanc congerlem: cum prosicias intulerunt, si adest deus, si sacrum probatur, sarmenta licet viridia sponte concipiunt, et nullo inflagrante halitu, ab ipso numine fit accendium, cap. v. in fine. "They who perform sacred rites in this place, put a bundle of vine-tree wood upon the altar, but put no fire to it; for when they lay the pieces of the victim upon it, if the deity be present, and he approve the sacrifice, the bundle, although of green wood, takes fire of itself, and without any other means the deity himself kindles the flame." These are remarkable instances, and show how exactly the heathen writers have borrowed from the sacred records. And in farther imitation of this miracle, they had their perpetual fire in the temple of Vesta, which they feigned to have descended at first from heaven, and which they kept with the most religious veneration.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 23. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation , etc.] They went out of the court where the altar of burnt offering stood, and where Aaron had been offering the sacrifices; and they went into the holy place, where stood the altar of incense, the shewbread table, and the candlestick; and it is probable Moses went in with Aaron thither, to show him how to offer the incense, to order the shewbread on the table, and to light and trim the lamps of the candlestick; and so Jarchi observes, that he went in to teach him concerning the business of the incense; but it may be, it was also to pray for the people, as the Targum, and for the Lord’s appearance to them, as was promised and expected, and that fire might descend on the sacrifices as a token of acceptance of them, as Aben Ezra notes: and came out, and blessed the people ; Aaron had blessed them before, but now both Moses and Aaron blessed them, atonement being made by the sacrifice of Christ, and law and justice thereby fully satisfied; Christ and the law agree together in the blessing of the Lord’s people; way was hereby made for the communication of blessings to them, consistent with the law of God, and his holiness and justice, ( Galatians 3:10,13,14): and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people : some visible signs of his glory, some very great splendour or lustre, or breaking forth of his glory; or Christ, the glory of the Father, appeared in an human form, as a pledge of his future incarnation, when all the above sacrifices, which were types of him, would have their accomplishment; and this being immediately upon the offering of them, may signify that the glory of God greatly appears in the sacrifice and satisfaction of Christ, and in the redemption and salvation of his people in that way, ( Psalm 21:4 85:10) and the glorious and gracious presence of God is enjoyed by his people, in consequence of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, which was signified by the mercy seat, from whence the Lord communed; and it is through Christ, his blood and sacrifice, saints have access to God, and fellowship with him, ( Ephesians 2:18 3:12 1 John 1:3).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 22-24 - When the solemnity was finished, and the blessing pronounced, God testified his acceptance. There came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed the sacrifice. This fire might justly have fastened upo the people, and have consumed them for their sins; but its consumin the sacrifice signified God's acceptance of it, as an atonement for the sinner. This also was a figure of good things to come. The Spiri descended upon the apostles in fire. And the descent of this holy fir into our souls, to kindle in them pious and devout affections towar God, and such a holy zeal as burns up the flesh and the lusts of it, in a certain token of God's gracious acceptance of our persons an performances. Nothing goes to God, but what comes from him. We mus have grace, that holy fire, from the God of grace, else we cannot serv him acceptably, Heb 12:28. The people were affected with this discover of God's glory and grace. They received it with the highest joy triumphing in the assurance given them that they had God nigh unt them. And with the lowest reverence; humbly adoring the majesty of tha God, who vouchsafed thus to manifest himself to them. That is a sinfu fear of God, which drives us from him; a gracious fear makes us bo before him __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויבא 935 משׁה 4872 ואהרן 175 אל 413 אהל 168 מועד 4150 ויצאו 3318 ויברכו 1288 את 853 העם 5971 וירא 7200 כבוד 3519 יהוה 3068 אל 413 כל 3605 העם׃ 5971
