Exodus30
World English Bible · Public Domain
1“You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
2Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it.
4You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
5You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
6You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.
7Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
8When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations.
9You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh.”
11Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12“When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to Yahweh when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.
13They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs); half a shekel for an offering to Yahweh.
14Everyone who passes over to those who are counted, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to Yahweh.
15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.
16You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.”
17Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
18“You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.
20When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
22Moreover Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
23“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil.
25You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
27the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
29You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
31You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
32It shall not be poured on man’s flesh, and do not make any like it, according to its composition. It is holy. It shall be holy to you.
33Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’”
34Yahweh said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There shall be an equal weight of each.
35You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy.
37You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for Yahweh.
38Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 30.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The altar of incense. (1–10). The ransom of souls. (11–16). The brazen laver. (17–21). The holy anointing oil, The perfume. (22–38).
vv1-10
The altar of incense represented the Son of God in his human nature, and the incense burned thereon typified his pleading for his people. The continual intercession of Christ was represented by the daily burning of incense thereon, morning and evening. Once every year the blood of the atonement was to be applied to it, denoting that the intercession of Christ has all its virtue from his sufferings on earth, and that we need no other sacrifice or intercessor but Christ alone.
vv11-16
The tribute was half a shekel, about fifteen pence of our money. The rich were not to give more, nor the poor less; the souls of the rich and poor are alike precious, and God is no respecter of persons, Ac 10:34; Job 34:19. In other offerings men were to give according to their wordly ability; but this, which was the ransom of the soul, must be alike for all. The souls of all are of equal value, equally in danger, and all equally need a ransom. The money raised was to be used in the service of the tabernacle. Those who have the benefit, must not grudge the necessary charges of God's public worship. Money cannot make atonement for the soul, but it may be used for the honour of Him who has made the atonement, and for the maintenance of the gospel by which the atonement is applied.
vv17-21
A large vessel of brass, holding water, was to be set near the door of the tabernacle. Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet at this laver, every time they went in to minister. This was to teach them purity in all their services, and to dread the pollution of sin. They must not only wash and be made clean, when first made priests, but must wash and be kept clean, whenever they went to minister. It teaches us daily to attend upon God, daily to renew our repentance for sin, and our looking to the blood of Christ for remission; for in many things we daily offend.
Key Words
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
מִזְבֵּחַ: an altar
מִקְטָר: something to fume (incense) on i.e. a hearth place
קְטֹרֶת: a fumigation
שִׁטָּה: the acacia (from its scourging thorns)
עֵץ: a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)
אַמָּה: properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance)
אֹרֶךְ: length
רֹחַב: width (literally or figuratively)
רָבַע: to be quadrate
Cross References
Exodus 30The golden altar and incense in heaven represent Christ's intercession and the prayers of saints.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
David explicitly identifies incense as a type/symbol of acceptable prayer ascending to God.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
David and the NT writers link sweet incense with the acceptable ascending prayers of the saints.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Zacharias was chosen by lot to burn incense, showcasing later priestly rotation in this daily service.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Detailed ritual for cleansing the golden altar of incense with the annual Day of Atonement blood.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The half-shekel temple tax paid by Jesus in the Gospel was this mandated atonement money.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Christ's eternal intercession for believers is the spiritual reality of the perpetual morning and evening incense.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
King Joash revives the collection of the collection/tax prescribed by Moses in the wilderness.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The silver collected from the numbered men is computed, demonstrating the actual fulfillment of this census.
Supported by JFB
God does not favor the rich over the poor; all souls require the same ransom price.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Poetically describes this precise holy anointing oil running down Aaron's head and beard.
Explains the principle of contact-sanctification: whatever touches the altar becomes holy.
Parallels the tabernacle as the specified location where God promises to meet with His people.
The historical account of Bezalel actually constructing the golden altar of incense according to these patterns.
Nadab and Abihu were destroyed for offering 'strange fire' contrary to God's strict incense commands.
David conducts a census without paying the required ransom, resulting in a devastating plague.
Records that the brass for the laver was made from the mirrors of the serving women.
The spiritual fulfillment of the laver's washing: our bodies washed with pure water to draw near.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Reinforces the strict warning of death for entering the sanctuary without the required purification.
Messianic portrait of the King's garments smelling of the same spices: myrrh, cassia, and aloes.
Jesus references this law, showing the temple and altar sanctify the gifts laid upon them.
Locates the placement of the sweet incense directly before the testimony and mercy seat.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The physical placement of the laver and how Moses and Aaron used it for washing.
Details the application of this holy anointing oil to Aaron, his sons, and their garments.
The oil of gladness typifies the Spirit's anointing of Christ above His companions.
Highlights the high priest's unique status because the holy anointing oil was poured upon him.
Provides the strict penalty of being cut off for duplicating the sacred formula for common use.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Magi present myrrh and frankincense, echoing the valuable spices reserved for the sanctuary.
Reflects the requirement of salt ('tempered together') in making offerings holy to the Lord.