The Jewish priests were mediators between God and His people. God required that priests could not have any physical defects (Lev 21:17-23), and restricted the age to twenty-five to fifty (Num 8:24-25). The priests originally served in the tabernacle, and later in the temple. Special clothing was required both for the priests and the high priest. They were responsible to:

1. Be holy in their behavior (Ex 19:6; Lev 10:1-3).
2. Provide daily maintenance of the tabernacle, courtyard and sacrifices (Num 3:5-8; Deut 17:1).
3. Teach God’s Law to others (Lev 10:8-11; Deut 31:9-13; 33:8-10; 2 Chron 17:7-9; Ezra 7:10; Mal 2:7).
4. Offer sacrifices for sin to God (Lev chapters 4, 9, 16).
5. Adjudicate legal matters (Deut 17:8-13; 19:16-17; 2 Ch 19:8-10).
6. Preserve the tabernacle and temple (Num 18:1-7).
7. Inspect persons, animals, and fabrics to make sure they were clean (Lev 1:3; Deut 15:21; Lev 13-15).
8. Receive the tithes (Num 18:21, 26; cf. Heb 7:5).
9. Pronounce God’s blessing on the nation (Num 6:22-27).

The High Priest was the supervisor of all the other priests, and had to be a direct descendant of Aaron (Ex 28:1; ). The High Priest was to:

1. Provide divine guidance (Urim and Thummim; Num 27:21).
2. Offer sacrifices for sin, both for himself (Lev 4:3-12), as well as the nation (Lev 4:13-21).
3. Offer a sacrifice in the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16).

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