Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
The Heb. kohen, Gr. hierus, Lat. sacerdos, always denote one who offers sacrifices. At first every man was his own priest, and presented his own sacrifices before God. Afterwards that office devolved on the head of the family, as in the cases of Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (12:7; 13:4), Isaac (26:25), Jacob (31:54), and Job (Job 1:5). The name first occurs as applied to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18). Under the Levitical arrangements the office of the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi, and to only one family of that tribe, the family of Aaron.
Certain laws respecting the qualifications of priests are given in Lev. 21:16-23. There are ordinances also regarding the priests’ dress (Ex. 28:40-43) and the manner of their consecration to the office (29:1-37). Their duties were manifold (Ex. 27:20, 21; 29:38-44; Lev. 6:12; 10:11; 24:8; Num. 10:1-10; Deut. 17:8-13; 33:10; Mal. 2:7). They represented the people before God, and offered the various sacrifices prescribed in the law. In the time of David the priests were divided into twenty-four courses or classes (1 Chr. 24:7-18).
This number was retained after the Captivity (Ezra 2:36-39; Neh. 7:39-42). ], which had been assigned to their use. From thence they went up by turns to minister in the temple at Jerusalem. ” The whole priestly system of the Jews was typical. It was a shadow of which the body is Christ. The priests all prefigured the great Priest who offered “one sacrifice for sins” “once for all” (Heb. 10:10, 12). There is now no human priesthood. ) The term “priest” is indeed applied to believers (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6), but in these cases it implies no sacerdotal functions.
” As priests they have free access into the holiest of all, and offer up the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and the sacrifices of grateful service from day to day.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
The English word is derived from the Greek presbyter, signifying an “elder” (Heb. cohen). —The idea of a priesthood connects itself in all its forms, pure or corrupted, with the consciousness, more or less distinct of sin. Men feel that they have broken a law. The power above them is holier than they are, and they dare not approach it. They crave for the intervention of some one of whom they can think as likely to be more acceptable than themselves. He must offer up their prayers, thanksgivings, sacrifices.
” He may become also (though this does not always follow) the representative of God to man. The functions of the priest and prophet may exist in the same person. No trace of a hereditary or caste priesthood meets us in the worship of the patriarchal age. Once and once only does the word cohen meet us as belonging to a ritual earlier than the time of Abraham. ” (Genesis 14:18) In the worship of the patriarchs themselves, the chief of the family, as such, acted as the priest. The office descended with the birthright, and might apparently he transferred with it.
—The priesthood was first established in the family of Aaron, and all the sons of Aaron were priests. They stood between the high priest on the one hand and the Levites on the other. [HIGH PRIEST; LEVITES] The ceremony of their consecration is described in HIGH PRIEST - 1986 (Exodus 29:1; Leviticus 8:1) ... —The dress which the priests wore during their ministrations consisted of linen drawers, with a close-fitting cassock, also of linen, white, but with a diamond or chess-board pattern on it. This came nearly to the feet, and was to be worn in its garment shape. Comp.
(John 19:23) The white cassock was gathered round the body with a girdle of needle work, in which, as in the more gorgeous belt of the high priest, blue, purple and scarlet were intermingled with white, and worked in the form of flowers. (Exodus 28:39,40; 39:2; Ezekiel 44:17-19) Upon their heads the were to wear caps or bonnets in the form of a cup-shaped flower, also of fine linen. In all their acts of ministration they were to be bare footed.
—The chief duties of the priests were to watch over the fire on the altar of burnt offering, and to keep it burning evermore both by day and night, (Leviticus 6:12; 2 Chronicles 13:11) to feed the golden lamp outside the vail with oil (Exodus 27:20,21; Leviticus 24:2) to offer the morning and evening sacrifices, each accompanied with a meet offering and a drink offering, at the door of the tabernacle. (Exodus 29:38-44) They were also to teach the children of Israel the statutes of the Lord.
(Leviticus 10:11; 33:10; 2 Chronicles 15:3; Ezekiel 44:23,24) During the journeys in the wilderness it belonged to them to cover the ark and all the vessels of the sanctuary with a purple or scarlet cloth before the Levites might approach them. (Numbers 4:5-15) As the people started on each days march they were to blow “an alarm” with long silver trumpets.
(Numbers 10:1-8) Other instruments of music might be used by the more highly-trained Levites and the schools of the prophets, but the trumpets belonged only to the priests, The presence of the priests on the held of battle, (1 Chronicles 12:23,27; 2 Chronicles 20:21,22) led, in the later periods of Jewish history, to the special appointment at such times of a war priest. Other functions were hinted at in Deuteronomy which might have given them greater influence as the educators and civilizers of the people.
They were to act (whether individually or collectively does not distinctly appear) as a court of appeal in the more difficult controversies in criminal or civil cases. (17:8-13) It must remain doubtful however how far this order kept its ground during the storms and changes that followed, Functions such as these were clearly incompatible with the common activities of men.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
PRIEST (contracted from presbyter, "elder") is the general name for ministers of religion in all ages and countries. In the sacred Scriptures it denotes one who offers sacrifice. Previous to the Mosaic dispensation the offering of sacrifices pertained to private individuals. Fathers were the priests of their own families, though perhaps a more general priestly office existed, such as that exercised by Melchizedek. The patriarchs, Noah, Abraham, etc. themselves officiated as priests of their households.
Gen 8:20; Neh 12:8, and it seems that the priestly dignity descended in the family by birthright to the first-born. As, at the first institution of the Passover, the head of each family was ordered to kill the paschal-lamb it is probable that the household priesthood still prevailed at that time. But when the dispensation by Moses was given, a particular order of men was appointed to that special service, Ex 28, with very solemn and imposing ceremonies; and from that time the offering of sacrifices was chiefly restricted to those who were duly invested with the priestly office. 2 Chr 26:18.
All the male descendants of Aaron were priests by birthright, and the first-born, in regular succession, inducted into the office of high priest. Certain blemishes, however, specified in Lev 21:16-24, disqualified a man, not for the order, but for performing the functions of the office; and after having been consecrated and entering on the duties of his office, his life lay under a stricter rule than that of the Levite or the layman.
As the priesthood was confined to the family of Aaron, the number of priests was at first very small, Josh 3:6; Am 6:4, but in the time of David it had greatly increased; 8700 priests joined him at Hebron. 1 Chr 12:27. He divided them into twenty-four courses - sixteen of the family of Eleazar, and eight of the family of Ithamar; and, as these courses officiated in regular succession, changing every Sabbath, 2 Chr 23:8, each course would be in attendance at the sanctuary at least twice a year.
During the period of the Captivity this division into courses seems to have fallen into some confusion. Among the 4289 priests who accompanied Zerubbabel, only four courses were represented, Ezr 2:36-39; Neh 7:39-42, and courses are afterward mentioned which cannot be identified with any of the original ones. A Priest. The chief duty of the priests was to prepare and offer the daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices, and such as were brought by individuals at the great annual festivals or at especial occasions.
But generally they conducted the public service, officiated at purifications, took care of the holy vessels, of the sacred fire and the golden lamp, of all the furniture of the sanctuary. In war they sounded the holy trumpets and carried the ark of the covenant. ) Post-Exilian Courses, which cannot be identified with original ones. ministered as judges at the trial of jealousy, at the estimation of the redemption-money for a vow, etc. They kept a kind of superintendence over the lepers, and, finally, they expounded the Law to the people.
It appears, however, from 2 Chr 17:7-10; 2 Chr 19:8-10; Eze 44:24, etc. that the priests often neglected the judicial and teaching functions of their office. The consecration of a priest took place with great solemnity. The ceremonies, which were minutely prescribed by Moses, Ex 29:1-37; Lev 8-9, lasted for seven days, and consisted in sacrifices, washings, the putting on of the holy garments, the sprinkling of blood and anointing with oil.
The garments of the priest consisted of a white linen tunic, reaching from the neck to the ankles, with tight sleeves, and held together around the waist with a linen girdle embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet. On the head he wore a kind of tiara, formed by the foldings of a linen cloth, and of a round, turban-like shape. His feet were probably naked.
After entering on the duties of his office he was not allowed to mourn or defile himself at the death of any, with the exception of his nearest relatives, or to practice those cuttings and shavings which were common among the people, or to marry a divorced woman, etc.; as his office was to approach the Lord on behalf of the people, his duty was to remain pure within and clean without. For the maintenance of the priests thirteen cities with pasture-grounds, situated in the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, were set aside when the people settled in Canaan. Josh 21:13-19.
To these were added one-tenth of the tithes paid to the Levites, Num 18:26-28; a special tithe every third year. Deut 14:28; Deut 26:12; the redemption-money paid for the first-born of man and beast, Num 18:14-19, and for men or things specially dedicated to the Lord, Lev 27; the first-fruits of corn, wine, and oil, Ex 23:19; Lev 2:14; Deut 26:1-10; a part of the spoil taken in war. Num 31:25-47; and finally, when they were officiating, the shew-bread and the flesh of the burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, and trespass-offerings. Num 18:8-14; Lev 6:26-29; Lev 7:6-10.
These provisions, large though they seem to be, were nevertheless by no means sufficient to maintain the priestly order with that independence and dignity which was not only becoming, but necessary. On the contrary, under the kings many priests fell into abject poverty. 1 Sam 2:36.