The institution of the priesthood or the particular body of people responsible for priestly duties.
The priesthood as an institution
It was a perpetual institution
Exodus 40:15 See also Numbers 18:1, Numbers 25:13
Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”
It was distinct from the laity
So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
It was subject to the king's authority
So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
It was a privilege
Numbers 18:7 See also Exodus 29:9; Numbers 16:10; Joshua 18:7
But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
The priesthood as the body of people responsible for priestly duties
The Aaronic priesthood
Exodus 28:41 See also 1 Chronicles 6:49; Nehemiah 10:38
After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests.
The Shiloh priesthood
Joshua 18:1 See also 1 Samuel 3:14; 1 Kings 2:27; Psalm 78:60 The Shiloh priesthood ended when the Philistines took Shiloh (see 1 Samuel 4:17); Jeremiah 7:12
Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,
The Melchizedek priesthood
Psalm 110:4 See also Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 7:11–17
The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
The Anathoth priesthood
Jeremiah 1:1 See also Joshua 21:18; 1 Kings 2:27
These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
The Zadokite priesthood
Ezekiel 40:46 The priestly line of Zadok lasted until 170 B.C.
and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to minister before Him.”
The Levitical priesthood
Deuteronomy 17:9 The term “the priests, who are Levites” appears only in Deuteronomy. Some think it reflects a situation in which all Levites were priests. Not all passages support this view, however, and the phrase may simply distinguish the ministry of the Levitical priests from the priesthood of the king.
You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.