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.
For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and make it holy. After this, the altar will be completely sacred, and anything that touches it will become holy too.
God is explaining that the altar must be consecrated through a seven-day process, after which it becomes so holy that it makes everything that touches it holy as well.
📚 Historical Context
This instruction was given to Moses as part of the detailed commands for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests and establishing proper worship in the tabernacle. The seven-day consecration period was a thorough ritual purification process that would set apart the altar for God's exclusive use. In ancient Israel, holiness was understood as something that could be transferred through contact, making the altar a powerful sacred object once properly consecrated.
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