13. An everlasting priesthood. The original recipients of God’s covenant were the men of Levi (Jer. 33:21; Mal. 2:4, 8), owing, perhaps, to their zeal on a former occasion (Ex. 32:25-29). Christ on thecross made sure all the blessings of the covenant of peace to His spiritual seed (Ps. 89:28, 29). In due course Phinehas succeeded Eleazar as high priest (Judges 20:28). It is presumed that because of some outstanding sin that is not mentioned in the divine record, there was a temporary break in the succession in the time of Eli. The succession was restored to Zadok, a descendant of Phinehas, by King Solomon, and so continued in that family until the Greek period.
Made an atonement. Compare 16:47.