Verse 3
3. Eleazar was charged with this duty because Aaron, the high priest, must hold himself ever ready to offer the individual sin offerings of the people, for which he would be disqualified by the uncleanness which this statute of the water of preparation declares to attach to the priest superintending the sacrifice of the red heifer. Numbers 19:7.
Without the camp This was rendered necessary because the sacrifice had respect to the purification of the priests by the water of separation as well as that of the people. Hence the priests could no more eat of this sin-offering than they could of that made exclusively for themselves. See Leviticus 4:3-12, notes. It indicates that every thing dead must be removed outside the kingdom of God, over which the Prince of Life presides. After the temple was built, the heifer was customarily slain on the Mount of Olives, and the blood was sprinkled toward the sanctuary visible through the eastern gate of the temple court.
One shall slay The subject to “bring her forth” and “slay her” is indefinite. The offerer, and not the priest, was to slay the victim, except when the priest is the offerer. In this case the people not only gave the victim but appointed an offerer. All that the priest had to do was sprinkling the blood.
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