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Exodus 30

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The Altar of Incense 1–10

1
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it. ​
2
A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it.
3
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
4
And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it.
5
And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
6
And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. ​
7
And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it.
8
And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations. ​
9
Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon. ​
10
And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto Jehovah. ​

The Ransom Money (Census Tax) 11–16

11
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
12
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. ​
13
This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah. ​
14
Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah.
15
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. ​
16
And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.

The Bronze Laver for Washing 17–21

17
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
18
Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. ​
19
And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20
when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. ​
21
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

The Holy Anointing Oil 22–33

22
Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
23
Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, ​
24
and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;
25
and thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. ​
26
And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony,
27
and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense,
28
and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof.
29
And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. ​
30
And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
31
And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
32
Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
33
Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people. ​

The Sacred Incense Formula 34–38

34
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight; ​
35
and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy:
36
and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. ​
37
And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for Jehovah.
38
Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 30

Verse 1

an altar to burn incense — A second, small altar for the Holy Place, of shittim wood overlaid with 'pure gold' (v.3). Its incense is the prayer of the people rising: 'Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense' (Ps 141:2), and John sees 'the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne' (Rev 8:3).

Verse 6

before the vail — The altar stands just outside the veil that hides the ark. 'Mercy seat' is kapporet, from kaphar, to cover or atone; 'meet' is ya'ad, the root of the name 'tabernacle of the congregation', the tent of meeting. The same promise is made at the ark: 'there I will meet with thee' (Ex 25:22).

Verse 8

a perpetual incense — Tamid, 'continual', the word used of the daily burnt offering, 'a continual burnt offering' (Ex 29:42). The incense was burned morning (v.7) and at even, matching the two lambs of Ex 29:38–39. Zacharias burned it 'when he went into the temple of the Lord', while 'the whole multitude of the people were praying without' (Luke 1:9–10).

Verse 9

strange incense — Zur, to turn aside; incense not of the LORD's making is 'strange'. Nadab and Abihu 'offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not' (Lev 10:1), and 'fire from the LORD' devoured them (Lev 10:2). No burnt offering, meat offering or drink offering was to be laid on this altar.

Verse 10

make an atonement upon the horns — Kaphar, to cover or atone. Once a year the blood of the bullock and the goat was put on the horns of this altar (Lev 16:18), so that even the altar of incense is 'most holy unto the LORD'. Hebrews sets the yearly entry beside Christ, who did not 'offer himself often' (Heb 9:25).

Verse 12

a ransom for his soul — Kopher, a ransom-price; 'soul' is nephesh, the life. Each man numbered gave it 'that there be no plague among them'. The silver collected was counted in Ex 38:25–26. Peter sets the price against Christ: ye were not redeemed 'with corruptible things, as silver and gold… But with the precious blood of Christ' (1 Pet 1:18–19).

Verse 13

half a shekel — A shekel is 'twenty gerahs', so the offering was ten (the standard is repeated in Lev 27:25 and Ezek 45:12). The same sum is called 'a bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel' (Ex 38:26). 'Offering' is terumah, a gift lifted up and set apart for the LORD.

Verse 15

The rich shall not give more — One sum from every man, 'to make an atonement for your souls' (kaphar, as in v.10). The price of a life is not scaled to wealth; God does not regard 'the rich more than the poor: for they all are the work of his hands' (Job 34:19). The payment is called an 'offering unto the LORD', not a tax.

Verse 18

a laver of brass — Kiyyor, a basin, with its foot (ken, a base), set 'between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar'. It was cast from 'the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle' (Ex 38:8). The temple later held ten lavers of brass, each of forty baths (1 Kgs 7:38).

Verse 20

that they die not — Washing of 'their hands and their feet' (v.21) came before entering the tent or approaching the altar, under the warning 'that they die not', repeated in v.21. Moses, Aaron and his sons so washed 'thereat' (Ex 40:31–32). The warning stands beside Lev 10:1–2, where two priests 'died before the LORD'.

Verse 23

principal spices — Rosh, 'head', the chief of spices: myrrh 500 shekels, cinnamon and calamus 250 each, and in v.24 cassia 500, 'after the shekel of the sanctuary', with a hin of olive oil. 'Pure' myrrh is deror, 'free-flowing', a word found only here in Exodus; the weights are fixed, not left to the maker's hand.

Verse 25

an oil of holy ointment — Compounded 'after the art of the apothecary' (raqach, one who blends perfume). The anointing (mishchah) comes from mashach, to anoint, which gives mashiach, Messiah, 'the Anointed'. Of the Son the Father says, 'God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows' (Heb 1:9).

Verse 29

most holy — Qodesh qodashim, literally 'holiness of holinesses', the grade given to the altar in Ex 29:37: 'whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.' Holiness here passes by touch and by appointment, as Christ asks, 'the altar that sanctifieth the gift?' (Matt 23:19). The anointed priests were set apart to 'minister unto me' (v.30).

Verse 33

cut off from his people — Karath, to cut. Two acts bring it: compounding any like it, or putting it on 'a stranger' (zur, the word behind 'strange incense' in v.9). The same sentence guards the incense (v.38), the unleavened bread (Ex 12:15, 'cut off from Israel') and circumcision (Gen 17:14).

Verse 34

stacte, and onycha, and galbanum — Nataph is a drop of gum; shecheleth (onycha) and chelbenah (galbanum) are named only here in Scripture. With 'pure frankincense' (zak, clear) they are to be of 'a like weight', four spices as in the oil of vv.23–24. Frankincense and myrrh are later among the gifts to the child (Matt 2:11).

Verse 36

beat some of it very small — Shachaq, to pound to powder. Part of it is set 'before the testimony', 'where I will meet with thee', in the words of v.6 and Ex 25:22. On the day of atonement the priest brings 'sweet incense beaten small' within the vail (Lev 16:12). Like the oil, it is 'most holy' and not for common use.

Verse 38

to smell thereto — Ruach, to smell, to take in the scent. The perfume was 'holy for the LORD' (v.37), and a copy made for the maker's own enjoyment carried the same penalty as the oil: 'cut off from his people' (v.33). The compound of v.34 belonged to the worship of the LORD alone.