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Exodus Chapter
Thirty
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 30
This chapter treats of the
altar of incense, its form and use, Exodus 30:1 of the
ransom of the Israelites, with the half shekel when numbered, Exodus 30:11 of the
laver for the priests to wash their hands and feet at before service, Exodus 30:17 of the
anointing oil, the ingredients of it, and what was to be done with it, Exodus 30:22, and
of the perfume, the composition and use of it, Exodus 30:34.
Exodus 30:1 “You
shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.
YLT 1`And thou hast made an altar [for] making
perfume; [of] shittim wood thou dost make it;
And thou shalt
make an altar to burn incense upon,.... The Targums of
Onkelos and Jonathan call it incense of spices, properly enough, for it was
made of various spices; of which see Exodus 30:34 and
this was necessary on a natural and civil account, to remove those ill smells
from the sanctuary, occasioned by the number of beasts continually slain in it;
but chiefly on a religions account, to denote the acceptableness of the service
of the sanctuary to God:
of shittim wood
shall thou make it: of the same that the altar of burnt offering was made, which was
covered with brass, but this with gold, as after related; of this sort of wood;
see Gill on Exodus 25:5 as this
altar was a type of Christ, the shittim wood may respect his human nature;
which wood, though it sprung out of the earth, was not common, but choice and
excellent, and very strong durable, and incorruptible; and so Christ, though he
was man made of an earthly woman in his human nature, yet was chosen out of the
people, is the chiefest among ten thousand, and excellent as the cedars, the
man of God's right hand, whom he made strong for himself; and though he died in
it, he saw no corruption, he now lives, and will live for evermore; in which
nature he acts the part of a Mediator, and intercedes for his people, and
offers up their prayers, perfumed with the much incense of his mediation, to which
this altar has a special respect.
Exodus 30:2 2 A
cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and
two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece
with it.
YLT 2a cubit its length, and a cubit its breadth,
(it is square), and two cubits its height; its horns [are] of the same.
A cubit shall
be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, four square shall it be,.... It was
one Jewish square cubit, which is in surface, according to Bishop Cumberland,
three English square feet, and about forty seven square inches; which may
denote the solidity, perfection, and extensiveness of Christ's priesthood, it
being unchangeable, firm, and lasting; and which passes not from one to
another, and the which makes something perfect, which the law and priesthood of
Aaron could not, even perfects for ever them that are sanctified; and is very
extensive; the virtue of it reaches to all the elect of God, from the beginning
of the world to the end of it; not his sacrifice only, but his intercession,
which is principally respected; that is made for all the people of God, in all
places, and in all ages, and for all things for them, both for this life, and
that which is to come:
and two cubits
shall be the height thereof; so that it was as high again as it was long
and broad: Christ, our interceding high priest, is made higher than the
heavens:
the horns
thereof shall be of the same; of the same wood the altar itself was made:
these were a sort of spires that rose up at the four corners of the altar; and
the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases the words,"and of it its horns shall be
erect;'which were chiefly for decoration and ornament; and may denote the
honour and glory of Christ, as well as his power and ability to save, to the
uttermost, all that come to God by him, or lay hold upon him, since he ever
lives to make intercession.
Exodus 30:3 3 And
you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold;
and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.
YLT 3`And thou hast overlaid it with pure gold,
its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou hast made to it a
crown of gold round about;
And thou shalt
overlay it with pure gold,.... Hence this altar is sometimes called
the golden altar, Numbers 4:11 this
may figure the deity of Christ, whose head is as the most fine gold, and is in
the divine nature, in the form of God, and is the brightness of his glory, and
possessed of the same perfections; or rather the glorification of his human
nature in heaven, where he is highly exalted, and the preciousness of his
intercession, which is always powerful and prevalent, and the duration of it:
the top
thereof, and the sides thereof, round about, and the horns thereof: all and each
of them were covered with gold; this altar had a top, when the altar of burnt
offering had none, but its hollow place was filled up with earth at every
encampment; so Jarchi observes: this was not a grate, as the Vulgate Latin
version renders it, for here were neither blood nor ashes to be let through;
but it was a flat covering like the roof of a house, as the word signifies, on
which was set a golden dish, with live coals and incense burning on them; and
which, when burnt, was carried away: and the sides are the four sides of the
frame, it being a square, or the two sides and two ends of it; and the horns,
the four horns at each corner, all were covered with plates of gold; so that
this altar was a richer and more excellent one than that of burnt offering; and
may signify the superior excellency of Christ's state of exaltation to that of
his humiliation: in the latter, which the altar of burnt offering respected, he
was made of no reputation, and became obedient to the death of the cross, yea,
was made sin, and a curse for his people; but in the former, which the altar of
incense respected, he was raised from the dead, and had glory given him; he was
raised for the justification of his people, and was himself justified in the
Spirit, ascended on high, was received into glory, sat down at the right hand
of God, making continual intercession for his saints:
and thou shall
make unto it a crown of gold round about; which was partly to keep
from slipping what was put upon it, but chiefly for ornament; and plainly
points at the exaltation of Christ in our nature in heaven, as our interceding
high priest, where he is a priest upon his throne; and is crowned with glory
and honour.
Exodus 30:4 4 Two
gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You
shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the
poles with which to bear it.
YLT 4and two rings of gold thou dost make to it
under its crown; on its two ribs thou dost make [them], on its two sides, and
they have become places for staves, to bear it with them.
And two golden
rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it,.... The crown
was on the top of the altar, at the edge of it all around; and just underneath
it were two rings of gold, two on each side:
by the two
corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shall thou make them; at each
corner a ring, and at each side; the use of them follows:
and they shall
be for places for the staves to bear it withal; these rings were for the
staves to be put into when the altar was to be carried from place to place, as
it was in the wilderness, during the travels of Israel there; and this
signifies that Christ never leaves his people; when they are in the wilderness
he is with them, interceding for them, providing all things necessary for their
food, safety, and protection, Revelation 12:14.
Exodus 30:5 5 You
shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
YLT 5`And thou hast made the staves of shittim
wood, and hast overlaid them with gold;
And thou shalt
make the staves of shittim wood,.... Of the same wood the altar itself was
made:
and overlay
them with gold; as that was; these rings and staves may be an emblem of the
precious ordinances of Christ, in which he grants his presence; and where he is
held forth in different ages and places as the interceding high priest of his
people, their advocate with the Father, pleading continually his propitiatory
sacrifice in their favour.
Exodus 30:6 6 And
you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the
Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I
will meet with you.
YLT 6and thou hast put it before the vail, which
[is] by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat which [is] over the
testimony, whither I am met with thee.
Thou shalt put
it before the vail,.... That divides between the holy and the most holy place; not
within the vail in the holy of holies, but before it at the holy place, for
there the altar of incense stood: JosephusF15Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6.
sect. 8. says, between the candlestick and the table, i.e. of shewbread, stood
the altar of incense; now the candlestick and shewbread were in the holy place;
and with this account the TalmudistsF16T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 33. 2.
agree, who say, that the table was in the north, distant from the wall two
cubits and a half, and the candlestick on the south, distant from the wall two
cubits and a half, and the altar was in the middle, and stood between them: and
MaimonidesF17Hilchot Beth. Habechirah, c. 1. sect. 7. gives the like
account of its situation, which is here further described:
that is by the
ark of the testimony; which vail was by it, before which the altar was placed; the ark
of the testimony was the chest or coffer in which the law was put, and which
was the testimony of the will of God, from whence it had this name; and it
stood in the most holy place; and not by it in the same place, but over against
it, in the holy place stood the altar of incense:
before the
mercy seat, that is over the testimony; the mercy seat that was over the
ark, a lid or cover to it, where the testimony was; and towards this, before
the face of it, was the altar of incense, where the priest officiating, looked
directly towards it; having that in view for the acceptance of the people's
prayers to God through Christ, which they were making while he was burning the
incense:
where I will
meet thee; as he had before promised, Exodus 25:22.
Exodus 30:7 7 “Aaron
shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall
burn incense on it.
YLT 7`And Aaron hath made perfume on it, perfume
of spices, morning by morning; in his making the lamps right he doth perfume
it,
And Aaron shall
burn thereon sweet incense every morning,.... This in later times
was done by a common priest, who obtained this service by lots as we find in
the times of Zacharias, Luke 1:9 the
incense was fetched out of the house of Abtines, where it was made, and burning
coals were taken off of the altar of burnt offering in a vessel, and the
incense was spread upon them and burnt: the Jewish canons about this matter run
thusF18Misn. Tamid, c. 5. sect. 4, 5. ; he that was worthy of, or
allotted to, the incense, took a vessel that held three kabs, and a bowl in the
midst of it, full and heaped up with incense, and took a silver censer, and
went up to the top of the altar, and moved the coals to and fro, and took them
and went down and poured them into a golden censer: and againF19Ibid.
c. 6. sect. 2, 3. , he that was worthy of, or allotted to, a censer, gathered
the coals upon the top of the altar, and spread them with the edges of the
censer, and bowing himself went out; and he that was worthy of, or allotted to,
the incense, took the bowl out of the midst of the vessel, and gave it to his
friend or neighbour: and he that burns the incense may not burn until the
president says to him, burn; and if he was an high priest, the president says,
lord high priest, burn; the people depart, and he burns the incense, and bows
and goes away: the burning of the sweet incense was typical of the mediation
and intercession of Christ; the burning coals typified his sufferings, which
were painful to his body, and in which he endured the wrath of God in his soul,
and both must be very distressing to him: the incense put upon these shows that
Christ's mediation and intercession proceeds upon his sufferings and death, his
bloodshed, satisfaction, and sacrifice; which mediation of his, like the sweet
incense, is frequent, is pure and holy, though made for transgressors, and
there is none like unto it; there is but one Mediator between God and man:
likewise this was typical of the prayers of the saints; and at the same time
that the incense was burnt the people were at prayer, which was set before the
Lord as incense, see Psalm 141:3, these
go upwards to God, and come up with acceptance to him, from off the golden
altar, being offered up to him by Christ, with his much incense, through his
blood and righteousness, and are pure, holy, fervent, and fragrant, and called
odours, Revelation 5:8.
when he
dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it; which he did
every morning he went into the holy place, where the candlestick with its lamps
was; these he trimmed and dressed, snuffed those that were ready to go out,
lighted those that were gone out, supplied them with oil and wicks, and cleared
the snuff dishes, and the like: now near to the candlestick stood the altar of
incense, so that when the priest looked after the one, he did the service of
the other; and hence we learn, that our intercessor and lamplighter is one and
the same; he that was seen amidst the golden candlesticks dressing the lamps of
them, appears at the golden altar with a golden censer, to offer up the prayers
of his saints, Revelation 1:13 and
we learn also, that the light of the word and prayer should go together, as
they do in faithful ministers and conscientious Christians, who give themselves
up unto and employ themselves therein; the one to and in the ministry of the
word and prayer, and the other to and in the reading and hearing of the word
and prayer.
Exodus 30:8 8 And
when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a
perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your
generations.
YLT 8and in Aaron's causing the lamps to go up
between the evenings, he doth perfume it; a continual perfume before Jehovah to
your generations.
And when Aaron
lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it,.... In the
evening the priest went into the holy place to light the lamps that were gone
out; see Gill on Exodus 27:20 at the
same time he burnt incense on the altar; and as the daily sacrifice was offered
up morning and evening, so the incense was burnt every morning and evening, and
much about the same time: the Jews sayF20Misn. Yoma, c. 3. sect. 4.
, that the incense of the morning was offered between the blood (i.e. the
sprinkling of the blood of the daily sacrifice) and the members, or the laying
of the pieces on the altar; and the incense of the evening was between the
pieces and the drink offering: and with this Philo agreesF21De
Victimis, p. 836. , who says, twice every day most fragrant odours were
offered, at the sun rising and setting, before the morning and after the
evening sacrifice:
a perpetual
incense before the Lord throughout your generations; thus Christ's
mediation and intercession is constant and continual; as his sacrifice
continually takes away the sin of the world, in which it was the antitype of
the daily sacrifice; so his blood continually speaks for peace and pardon, and
every blessing of grace for his people, in which it is the antitype of the
morning and evening incense; for he ever lives to make intercession; and so the
prayers of the saints are directed to God both morning and evening, and they
cease not praying as long as they live.
Exodus 30:9 9 You
shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain
offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.
YLT 9`Ye do not cause strange perfume to go up
upon it, and burnt-offering, and present, and libation ye do not pour out on
it;
Ye shall offer
no strange incense thereon,.... Which had not the same, but was made of
other materials, or had more or fewer; whatever was not exactly the same was
not to be offered; and so to make use of other mediators than Christ, whether
angels or men, or to put up prayer to God for the sake of our own
righteousness, pleading the merits of our works, and not the blood,
righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ, is to offer strange incense,
unacceptable to God, and which will be of no avail to men:
nor burnt
sacrifice, nor meat offering; these were to be offered and burnt upon the
altar of burnt offering:
neither shall
ye pour drink offering thereon; as upon the other altar; everything in
God's worship and service was to be done in the proper place and order; these offerings
and sacrifices, though they were by divine appointment, yet must be offered on
that altar which was peculiar for them.
Exodus 30:10 10 And
Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin
offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout
your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
YLT 10and Aaron hath made atonement on its horns,
once in a year, by the blood of the sin-offering of atonements; once in a year
doth he make atonement for it, to your generations; it [is] most holy to
Jehovah.'
And Aaron shall
make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year,.... On the
day of atonement, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra
explain it; and the atonement here referred to seems to be an atonement for the
altar itself, see Leviticus 16:18 and
as the altar of burnt offering was first expiated and then used, Exodus 29:36 so it
seems the altar of incense had not only an atonement made on it, but for it:
and this was done
with the blood
of the sin offering of atonement; by sprinkling the blood
of that offering upon the horns of it, as we learn from the afore mentioned
place; and this shows that Christ's mediation and intercession is founded upon
the virtue of his blood, and the efficacy of his atoning sacrifice, see 1 John 2:1.
once in the
year shall he make atonement upon it, throughout your generations; which proves
the insufficiency of all legal sacrifices of themselves to take away sin, since
every year, as the apostle observes, there was a remembrance of it, Hebrews 10:3.
it is most holy
unto the Lord; either the atonement made on the day of atonement, which was a
most holy part of service, and pointed at the great atonement made by the most
Holy One, the Son of God; or this altar thus expiated, and devoted to sacred
use, was reckoned a most sacred one to the Lord, and so was to have nothing
offered upon it but what he ordered; with which Jarchi agrees in his
note,"the altar is sanctified to these things only, and not to any other
service.'
Exodus 30:11 11 Then the Lord spoke to
Moses, saying:
YLT 11And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... Continued his discourse; or, there being some intermission,
reassumed it:
saying; as follows.
Exodus 30:12 12 “When
you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man
shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them,
that there may be no plague among them when you number them.
YLT 12`When thou takest up the sum of the sons of
Israel for their numbers, then they have given each an atonement [for] his soul
to Jehovah in their being numbered, and there is no plague among them in their
being numbered.
When thou
takest the sum of the children of Israel, after their number,.... An
account of them, how many they are; which was sometimes done, and was proper to
be done, especially in time of war; though the present case seems to be for the
sake of raising money for the tabernacle and the service of it:
then shall they
give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; which was not
done yearly, nor was it perpetual; we have but two instances of it after this
until the times of David, Numbers 1:2 yet it
seems to have been a yearly tax or tribute, in the times of Christ; see Gill on
Matthew 17:24, Matthew 21:12; and
in the Misnah is a whole treatise called "Shekalim", in which an
account is given of the time and manner of collecting this ransom money, and
for what uses, and who were obliged to pay it, and who not; on the first of
Adar (or February) they proclaimed concerning the payment of it, on the
fifteenth the tables were set for that purpose, and on the twenty fifth the
proper persons sat in the sanctuary to receive itF23Misn. Shekalim,
c. 1. sect. 1, 3. : this was typical of the ransom of souls by Christ, who are
not all the world, for they are ransomed out of it, but Israelites, the whole
mystical Israel of God, and are a numbered people; their names are written in
the book of life, they are told into the hands of Christ, are exactly known by
God and Christ; and these are many and even numberless to men:
that there be
no plague amongst them when thou numberest them; as there was when David
numbered them; which some have thought was owing to the non-payment of the
ransom money after mentioned; the Septuagint version is, "no fall",
the ransom of souls by Christ preserves them from a total and final fall by sin
into everlasting ruin and destruction; or, "no death" as the Targum
of Onkelos, for redemption by Christ secures from the second death, and even from
a corporeal death as a penal evil.
Exodus 30:13 13 This
is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel
according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs).
The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord.
YLT 13`This they do give, every one passing over
unto those numbered, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel
[is] twenty gerahs); half a shekel [is] the heave-offering to Jehovah;
This they shall
give, everyone that passeth among them that are numbered,.... And their
number, according to Jarchi, was known by what was paid; for he says the sum
was taken not by heads, but everyone gave the half shekel, and by counting them
the number was known, as follows:
half a shekel
after the shekel of the sanctuary; that is, after the
standard of a shekel kept in the sanctuary as a rule for all; and so Jarchi
paraphrases it,"according to the weight of a shekel, which I have fixed
for thee to weigh, the shekel of the sanctuary.'It was about fourteen pence: a
shekel is twenty gerahs; a gerah being the twentieth part of a shekel, it was
not quite three halfpence of our money:
an half shekel shall
be the offering of the Lord; which was to be offered to him for the
ransom of souls, whose lives were forfeited by sin; and of the redemption of
which this was an acknowledgment; and was typical of the ransom price of souls
by Christ, which is not silver or gold, but his precious blood, his life,
himself, which is given as an offering and sacrifice to God, in the room and
stead of his people; and which is given to God, against whom sin is committed,
the lawgiver, whose law is broken, the Judge, whose justice must be satisfied,
and the creditor, to whom the price must be paid.
Exodus 30:14 14 Everyone
included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give
an offering to the Lord.
YLT 14every one passing over unto those numbered,
from a son of twenty years and upwards, doth give the heave-offering of
Jehovah;
Every one that
passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above,.... Even
Levites, Israelites, proselytes, and servants freed, but not women, bond
servants, or childrenF24Misn. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 1,3. :
shall give an
offering to the Lord; the half shekel before mentioned.
Exodus 30:15 15 The
rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel,
when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for
yourselves.
YLT 15the rich doth not multiply, and the poor doth
not diminish from the half-shekel, to give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to
make atonement for your souls.
The rich shall
not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel,.... Which
shows that the Israelites were alike in the esteem of God, their worldly
circumstances making no difference; their souls being alike, the same ransom
price was given for them; and that they were all to have an equal share in the
service and sanctuary of God, and the price was set so low, that the poorest
man might be able to pay it: and even MaimonidesF25Hilchot Shekalim,
c. 1. sect. 1. says, if he lived on alms, he was to beg it of others, or sell
his clothes from off his back to pay it. This shows the equality of the
redeemed and ransomed of the Lord; for though some sins and sinners are greater
than others, and some are redeemed from more sins than others, yet all sins
being infinite, as committed against an infinite God, but one price is paid for
all, and that is the precious blood of Christ, the Son of God, an infinite and
divine Person; hence all the ransomed ones have the same faith, righteousness,
salvation, and eternal life:
when they give
an offering unto the Lord, to make atonement for your souls; which have
sinned, are liable to death for it, are the more excellent part of men, and
require a great price for the redemption and ransom of them; and hence it is so
great a blessing to be ransomed, because it is the ransom of the soul: and such
is the efficacy of Christ's ransom, that it is a full atonement for the souls
of men, and their sins, and completely delivers from sin, Satan, the law,
death, and hell.
Exodus 30:16 16 And
you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint
it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for
the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for
yourselves.”
YLT 16`And thou hast taken the atonement-money from
the sons of Israel, and hast given it for the service of the tent of meeting;
and it hath been to the sons of Israel for a memorial before Jehovah, to make
atonement for your souls.'
And thou shall
take the atonement money of the children of Israel,.... The half
shekel, the ransom of their souls:
and shall
appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; for the
building of the tabernacle, for the repairs of it, and for the sacrifices
offered in it; particularly we find that this first collection this way was
appropriated to the silver sockets of the sanctuary, and the vail, for the
silver hooks, and for the pillars, Exodus 38:27,
that it may be
a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement
for your souls; to put them in mind that they were sinners, that their lives
were forfeited, that a ransom price was given and accepted of God, that hereby
atonement, in a typical sense, was made for them; and this was before the Lord,
as a token of their gratitude to him, and of their acknowledgment of the
favour.
Exodus 30:17 17 Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying:
YLT 17And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... Again, at another time, and upon another subject:
saying, as follows.
Exodus 30:18 18 “You
shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing.
You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall
put water in it,
YLT 18`And thou hast made a laver of brass (and its
base of brass), for washing; and thou hast put it between the tent of meeting
and the altar, and hast put water there;
Thou shalt also
make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal,.... For
Aaron, and his sons, and the priests in succession, to wash at before their
entrance on their ministry; and denotes in general the necessity of purity, in
order to minister in the priestly office; and which was in its perfection in
Christ, who being holy and harmless, was an high priest becoming us, and
suitable to us, qualified to offer himself without spot to God, and to take
away sin; of which purity his baptism in water might be a symbol, which he
submitted to before he entered publicly on the execution of his office as a
prophet and priest; and as this may respect the ministers of the Gospel, it
shows that they should be pure and holy in their lives and conversations, and
be examples in purity of conversation to others: and as this may chiefly
respect all the saints who are priests unto God; it may be either typical of
the laver of regeneration, in which grace, comparable to water, is given, and
in which a clean heart is created; and which has an influence on purity of life
and conversation, and secures from death: or rather of the blood of Christ, the
laver and fountain to wash in for sin and uncleanness; which is large and
capacious for all the priests of the Lord, and stands open and uncovered for
all to come unto; and as this was made of brass, and that brass the looking
glasses of the women, Exodus 38:8 as it
may respect the laver of regeneration, may denote the durableness of that
grace, which is an immortal seed, a well of living water, springing up to
everlasting life, and was a clear evidence of election of God, and redemption
by Christ; and as it may be an emblem of the blood of Christ, it signifies the
duration and continued virtue of that blood to cleanse from all sin; and that
such who are washed in it, and cleansed by it, are not only beheld as clean and
pure by the Lord, but in their own sight also, God having caused their
iniquities to pass from them, and justified them from them by his blood:
and thou shalt
put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar; that is, the
altar of burnt offering, which was by the door of the tabernacle; and between
that and the tabernacle or tent of the congregation stood the laver for the
priests to wash in, just as they entered into the tabernacle, Exodus 40:29 it
stood inclining to one of the sides, as Aben Ezra says; a little on the south
side, as Jarchi observes:
and thou shall
put water therein; or order it to be put in for the use next mentioned.
Exodus 30:19 19 for
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.
YLT 19and Aaron and his sons have washed at it
their hands and their feet,
For Aaron and
his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat. Not in it, but
at it; the laver had mouths or spouts, as Ben Melech says, from whence the
water flowed when the priests washed their hands and feet at it; and so
Bartenora saysF26In Misn. Zebachim, c. 2. sect. 1. they did not wash
out of the laver, but from water flowing out of it; it is said "out of
it", not in it; it seems at first there were but two of these spouts; for
it is saidF1Misn. Yoma. c. 3. sect. 10. Ben Katin made twelve spouts
or cocks, which had but two before; so that twelve priests could wash their
hands and feet at one time, and which they could do at once, presently, by putting
the right hand on the top of the right foot, and the left hand upon the left
foot, as both Jarchi and Ben Melech relate: and now the hands being the
instruments of action, and the feet of walking, this shows that the actions of
good men, the priests of the Lord, and their walk and conversation, are not
without sin, and that these need washing in the laver of Christ's blood, to
which there must be daily application, see Zechariah 13:1. Our
Lord seems to have reference to this ceremony, John 13:10 the
Egyptian priests washed twice every day in cold water, and twice every nightF2Herodot.
Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 37. .
Exodus 30:20 20 When
they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to
minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall
wash with water, lest they die.
YLT 20in their going in unto the tent of meeting
they wash [with] water, and die not; or in their drawing nigh unto the altar to
minister, to perfume a fire-offering to Jehovah,
When they go
into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water,.... The laver
standing near the door of the tabernacle, they washed at it as soon as they
entered; and no man, we are toldF3Misn. Yoma, c. 3. sect. 3. ,
entered into the court before he washed, even though he was clean; though he
had contracted no filthiness, and even though he had washed his hands and feet
at home, he was obliged to do it when he went into the tabernacle, before he
attempted to perform any service. This intimates to us the necessity as of pure
hearts, so of pure hands, in order to compass the altar of God, to attend
public worship, and particularly prayer, in which holy hands should be lifted
up, 1 Timothy 2:8,
that they die
not: sin exposes to death, eternal death; that is the wages of it,
and it is only the blood of Christ, and being washed in that, that can secure
from it:
or when they
come near to the altar to minister; to the altar of burnt
offering to minister there, by laying on the wood and the pieces in order, and
burning them on it, as follows:
to burn
offering made by fire to the Lord; no man was fit for this
service, or might be admitted to it, until he was washed; and it was usual
among other nations to wash before they entered on religious serviceF4Vid.
Outram de Sacrificiis, l. 1. c. 6. sect. 14. ; even in the East Indies, the
priests do not sacrifice to their idols before they wash in water that is about
the templeF5Vartoman. Navigat. l. 5. c. 23. ; which seems to be a
satanical imitation of this practice among the Jews.
Exodus 30:21 21 So they shall wash their
hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to
them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
YLT 21then they have washed their hands and their
feet, and they die not, and it hath been to them a statute age-during, to him
and to his seed to their generations.'
So they shall
wash their hands and their feet, that they die not,.... By the
immediate hand of God, who would so greatly resent such a neglect of his
command; and by how much easier it was to perform it, by so much the more were
they inexcusable, and to be treated with greater severity; and this is
repeated, that they might carefully observe it, lest they perish:
and it shall be
a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed, throughout
their generations; to be observed by Aaron and his descendants in all ages, as long
as their priesthood lasted, until the Messiah should come, and wash all his
people, his priests, with his own blood, from all their sins, Revelation 1:5.
Exodus 30:22 22 Moreover
the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying:
YLT 22And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
Moreover, the
Lord spake unto Moses,.... Some little time afterwards, while he was yet with him on
the mount:
saying; as follows.
Exodus 30:23 23 “Also
take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh,
half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels),
two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane,
YLT 23`And thou, take to thyself principal spices,
wild honey five hundred [shekels]; and spice-cinnamon, the half of that, two
hundred and fifty; and spice-cane two hundred and fifty;
Take thou also
unto thee principal spices,.... To make the anointing oil with, and are
as follow:
of pure myrrh
five hundred shekels; it is strange that Saadiah, and so MaimonidesF6Cele
Hamikdash, c. 1. sect. 3. , should take this for musk, which comes from a
beast, and is confuted by Aben Ezra from Song of Solomon 5:1
from whence it plainly appears to be what comes from a tree; and the word
"mor", here used, gives the tree the name of myrrh almost in all
languages. And it is justly mentioned first among the chief of spices; since,
as PlinyF7Nat. Hist. l. 12, 15. says, none is preferred unto the
stacte or liquor that flows from it, that which is pure myrrh, unmixed,
unadulterated; or "myrrh of freedom"F8מר
דרור "myrrhae libertatis", Montanus,
Vatablus; "myrrhae sponte fluentis", Tigurine version. , which flows
freely, either of itself, or, when cut, which is the best; and this was fitly
used as a principal ingredient in the anointing oil, since oil was made out of
it itself, called oil of myrrh, Esther 2:12 and as
a shekel is generally supposed to weigh half an ounce, the quantity of this to
be taken was two hundred and fifty ounces:
and of sweet
cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels; or one
hundred twenty five ounces: it is here called sweet cinnamon, to distinguish it
from that which was not sweet; so Jarchi observes,"there is one sort that
has a good smell and taste, another that has not, but is as wood (common wood),
therefore it was necessary to say sweet cinnamon.'So PlinyF9Ibid. c.
19. speaks of two sorts of it, one whiter, and another blacker; sometimes the
white is preferred, and sometimes the black is commended. The cinnamon tree
grows in great plenty in the island of Zeilon in India (Ceylon or called
Srilanka today, Editor), as VartomanusF11Navigat. l. 6. c. 4.
relates, who says it is not much unlike a bay tree, especially the leaves; it
beareth berries as does the bay tree, but less and white; it is doubtless no
other than the bark of a tree, and gathered in this manner; every third year
they cut the branches of the tree--when it is first gathered it is not yet so
sweet, but a month after, when it waxeth dry; and with this PlinyF12Ut
supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 12, 15.) agrees, who says it is not odorous while it is
green. PancirollusF13Rer. Memorab. sive Deperd. par. 1. tit. 9. p.
28. reckons cinnamon among the things that are lost; and says, that we have no
knowledge of the true cinnamon; and reports from Galen, that in his time it was
so scarce, that it was rarely found but in the cabinets of emperors. PlinyF14Ib.
l. 15. c. 7. makes mention of it, as used in ointments:
and of sweet
calamus two hundred and fifty shekels; or one hundred and
twenty five ounces; and this is called sweet, because there is a calamus that
is not sweet, as Jarchi; this is the same with the sweet cane from a far
country, Jeremiah 6:20 from
India, as is generally thought; but rather perhaps from Sheba, or some part of
Arabia; it must be nearer at hand than India, from whence the Israelites had
these spices; and Moses is bid to take them, as if they were near indeed; and
Pliny speaks of myrrh, and of sweet calamus, as growing in many places of
Arabia, and of cinnamon in SyriaF15Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 15, 22, 28.
; and Dionysius PeriegetesF16Orb. Descript. l. 937. mentions calamus
along with frankincense, myrrh, and cassia, and calls it sweet smelling
calamus; and so StraboF17Geograph. l. 16. p. 538. speaks of cassia
and cinnamon as in Arabia Felix; and Diodorus SiculusF18Bibliothec.
l. 2. p. 132. makes mention of all these in Arabia, and of cassia that follows.
Exodus 30:24 24 five
hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and
a hin of olive oil.
YLT 24and cassia five hundred, by the shekel of the
sanctuary, and olive oil a hin;
And of cassia
five hundred shekels,.... Or two hundred and fifty ounces:
after the
shekel of the sanctuary; according to the standard weight kept there. This
"cassia" was not the "cassia solutiva", which is of a
purgative nature, and now in use in physic, but the "cassia odorata",
or the sweet smelling "cassia": which, PancirollusF19Ut
supra, (Rer. Memorab. sive Deperd. par. 1.) Titus 11.
p. 30. says, some take to be the nard, out of which a most sweet oil is
pressed; and ServiusF20In Virgil. Bucol. Eclog. 2. says, that cassia
is an herb of a most sweet smell. PlinyF21Ut supra, (Nat. Hist. l.
12.) c. 19. speaks of it along with cinnamon; and Galen says, when cinnamon was
wanting, it was usual to put in its stead a double quantity of cassiaF23Apud
Dalechamp in Plin. ib. ; Leo Africanus speaks of trees in Africa bearing
cassia, and which chiefly grew in EgyptF24Descriptio Africae, l. 9.
p. 752. :
and of oil
olive an hin; containing twelve logs: according to GodwinF25Moses
& Aaron, l. 6. c. 9. , it was of our measure three quarts; but, as Bishop
Cumberland has more exactly calculated it, it held a wine gallon, a quart, and
a little more: this was the purest and best of oil, and most fit and proper to
be a part of this holy anointing oil.
Exodus 30:25 25 And
you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded
according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.
YLT 25and thou hast made it a holy anointing oil, a
compound mixture, work of a compounder; it is a holy anointing oil.
And thou shalt
make it an oil of holy ointment,.... All the above spices and oil being put
together, an ointment was to be made out of them, not thick, as ointments
usually are, but a liquid to be poured, and therefore called an "oil of
ointment", and "holy", because devoted only to sacred uses:
an ointment
compound after the art of the apothecary: or confectioner; the
spices bruised, and pounded, and mixed together, and boiled or distilled, and
so an oil or ointment extracted from them:
it shall be an
holy anointing oil; for the uses next mentioned: it signified the Holy Spirit of
God, and his graces, that oil of gladness with which Christ and his people are
anointed; and is that anointing which teacheth all things, see Psalm 45:7 1 John 2:20
comparable to these several spices, and oil olive, for their sweet smell,
cheering and reviving nature, and supplying quality, and for their valuableness
and preciousness, and of which there was a certain weight and measure; for
though Christ received this unction without measure, yet there is a certain
measure of grace and gifts bestowed upon his people, and by which they are made
holy and fit for their master's use.
Exodus 30:26 26 With
it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony;
YLT 26`And thou hast anointed with it the tent of meeting,
and the ark of the testimony,
And thou shall
anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith,.... It cannot
be thought the whole of it should be anointed all over, but only a part of it
for the whole; and this was either typical of the human nature of Christ, the
true tabernacle God pitched, and not man, and which was anointed with the Holy
Ghost; or of the church and people of God, who are an holy tabernacle or temple
of the Lord, and who receive the unction from the Holy One:
and the ark of
the testimony; the chest where the law was, and stood in the most holy place of
the tabernacle; and was a type of the Messiah, the anointed One, in whose heart
the law was, and who is the fulfilling end of it for righteousness.
Exodus 30:27 27 the
table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of
incense;
YLT 27and the table and all its vessels, and the
candlestick and its vessels, and the altar of perfume,
And the table,
and all his vessels,.... The shewbread table, with all things appertaining to it,
rings, staves, dishes, spoons, bowls, &c. all were anointed; which had
respect to Christ, and the communion of his people with him, feeding on him,
that food which endures for ever, whom God the Father has sealed and
sanctified:
and the
candlestick and his vessels; an emblem of the church, and of the light
of the word held forth in it, which being accompanied with the grace of the
Spirit of God, is the savour of life unto life:
and the altar
of incense; on which the odours, the prayers of the saints, come up before
God through the mediation of Christ.
Exodus 30:28 28 the
altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base.
YLT 28and the altar of burnt-offering and all its
vessels, and the laver and its base;
And the altar
of burnt offering, with all its vessels,.... Pans, shovels,
basins, &c. and this altar particularly was sprinkled with it seven times, Leviticus 8:10,
and the laver,
and his foot; the laver of brass for the priests to wash their hands and feet
in, and the foot or base of it on which it stood, see Exodus 30:18.
Exodus 30:29 29 You
shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must
be holy.[a]
YLT 29and thou hast sanctified them, and they have
been most holy; all that is coming against them is holy;
And thou shalt
sanctify them, that they may be most holy,.... By anointing them,
and so be set apart for sacred uses only; as by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
the people of God, the vessels of mercy, are really sanctified, and made meet
for the master's use; and therefore it is called the sanctification of the
Spirit, which is true holiness, in opposition to typical or ceremonial holiness,
here intended; and if this holy anointing oil made those things most holy that
were anointed with it, how much more must the grace of the Spirit those who
partake of it; and though it is at present imperfect, it will be perfected, and
become complete holiness, without which no man can see the Lord:
whatsoever
toucheth them shall be holy; as is said of the most holy altar; see Gill
on Exodus 29:37. The Targum
of Jonathan interprets it of persons that approach these holy places, and
things so anointed and sanctified, paraphrasing the words thus;"whosoever
cometh unto them of the priests shall be holy, but of the rest of the tribes
shall be burnt with flaming fire before the Lord.'
Exodus 30:30 30 And
you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may
minister to Me as priests.
YLT 30and Aaron and his sons thou dost anoint, and
hast sanctified them for being priests to Me.
And thou shall
anoint Aaron and his sons,.... Them alone, and not others, as Aben
Ezra, who were typical of Christ anointed with the Spirit of God without
measure, to his various offices of prophet, priest and King; and also of all
the saints, who are anointed priests to God, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Christ:
and consecrate
them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office; by anointing
them, and by other rites mentioned in the preceding chapter; whereby they were
set apart for that office, and were qualified for it, and had authority to
exercise it.
Exodus 30:31 31 “And you shall speak to
the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me
throughout your generations.
YLT 31`And unto the sons of Israel thou dost speak,
saying, A holy anointing oil is this to Me, to your generations;
And thou shall
speak unto the children of Israel,.... When he was come
down from the mount, and gave the instructions about the making and using of
this oil:
saying, this
shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations; Abarbinel,
and other Jewish writers, conclude from hence, that this same oil, which was
made by Moses, lasted throughout the generations to the times of Josiah, when
it was hid with other things; but this, notion is justly exploded by Aben Ezra;
it is not probable, that so small a quantity that was now made, which is
supposed by some to be no more than a gallon and a half of wine measure, should
suffice so long: it does not seem to be more than what was sufficient for
present use; for the anointing of so many persons, and things as were anointed,
and much less to be sufficient for the anointing of priests and kings in after
times, until that period. This cannot be supposed without a miraculous
interposition, to which the TalmudistsF26Massachet Cerithot, fol. 5.
2. & Horayot, fol. 11. 2. fly, and observe, that there were many miracles
in this affair; but there is no need to have recourse to them, since, for aught
that is said, it might be made again in like manner for sacred uses, which is
meant by the phrase "unto me"; though it might not be made for any
other use, private or profane.
Exodus 30:32 32 It
shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like
it, according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be
holy to you.
YLT 32on flesh of man it is not poured, and with
its proper proportion ye make none like it; it [is] holy; it is holy to you;
Upon man's
flesh shall it not be poured,.... That is, not upon common men, or on
men's flesh in common, as was usual at feasts and entertainments in the eastern
countries, see Psalm 23:5 but this
was not to be used on such occasions, otherwise it was poured on the flesh of
some men, as Aaron and his sons, on whose head it was poured and ran down to
the beard:
neither shall
ye make any other like it, after the composition of it; for private
uses:
it is holy,
and it shall be holy unto you; it was set apart for
sacred use by the Lord, and so it was to be reckoned by them, and not to be
used in any way, or for any other purpose than he had directed: all which
shows, that the grace of the Spirit belongs to the Lord's people, his priests;
other men are carnal, and have no lot or part in this matter, and are not to be
admitted to holy ordinances, as if they were holy persons; nor is fellowship in
holy things to be allowed them; nor is counterfeit grace of any avail, which,
though it may bear a likeness to true grace, is not that, nor to be so
accounted, nor rested on, as feigned faith, the hypocrite's hope, dissembled
love, and pretended humility.
Exodus 30:33 33 Whoever
compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider,
shall be cut off from his people.’”
YLT 33a man who compoundeth [any] like it, or who
putteth of it on a stranger -- hath even been cut off from his people.'
Whosoever
compoundeth any like it,.... For his own use, or for any other than what God appointed it
for: or
whosoever
putteth any of it upon a stranger; meaning not a Gentile,
an alien from the commonwealth of israel; though Japhet interprets it of such a
stranger who was not of the children of Israel; this Aben Ezra says is not
right, but he says it means one that is not of the seed of Aaron; and so the
Targum of Jonathan,"upon a profane person (or a common person, a laic) that
is not of the sons of Aaron:'though the kings of Israel seem to be an exception
to this, which might be by a special order from the Lord; yet it is a question
whether it was with this, or with common oil, that they were anointed: indeed,
the oil with which Solomon was anointed was taken out of the tabernacle, 1 Kings 1:39.
shall even be
cut off from his people; either by death, by the immediate hand of God inflicting some
disease upon him, or by excommunication from the congregation of Israel, or by
not favouring him with any posterity, to keep up his name in the nation.
Exodus 30:34 34 And
the Lord
said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure
frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of
each.
YLT 34And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Take to thee
spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; they
are part for part;
And the Lord
said unto Moses,.... In a continued discourse, or some time after the former,
though more probably at the same time; since it concerns the incense to be
offered on the altar of incense, about which directions are given in the former
part of the chapter:
take unto thee
sweet spices: which are as follow, "stacte", "onycha", and
"galbanum"; the former of these has its name from dropping; and of
the same signification is the Hebrew word "Nataph", here used.
Pancirollus saysF1Rer. Memorab. & Deperd. par. 1. Titus 12. p. 32. , myrrh is a drop or tear distilling
from a tree in Arabia Felix; and stacte is a drop of myrrh, which is extracted
from it, and yields a most precious liquor: and so PlinyF2Nat. Hist.
l. 12. c. 15. relates, that myrrh trees sweat out of their own accord, before
they are cut, what is called stacte, to which nothing is preferable: though
some naturalists, as Theophrastus and DioscoridesF3Apud Dalechamp.
in Plin. ib. speak of this as flowing from it when it is cut; however, all
agree it is a liquor that drops from myrrh; though the Targums of Jonathan and
Jerusalem interpret it "balsam" or "rosin"; as does Jarchi
on the place, and MaimonidesF4Cele Hamikdash, c. 2. sect. 4. : the
second of these, "onycha", has its name from being of the colour of a
man's nail, as the onyx stone is, and is the same with the "unguis
odorata" or "blatta byzantia". Jarchi says it is the root of a
spice, smooth and shining like a man's nail. It is by some"understood of
"laudanum" or "balellium"; but the greatest part of
commentators explain it by the "onyx", or the odoriferous shell,
which is a shell like to that of the shell fish called "purpura": the
onyx is fished for in watery places of the Indies, where grows the "spica
nardi", which is the food of this fish, and what makes its shell so
aromatic: they go to gather these shells when the heat has dried up the
marshes. The best onyx is found in the Red sea, and is white and large, the Babylonian
is black and smaller; this is what Dioscorides says of itF5Calmet's
Dictionary on the word "Onycha". .'And the best being found in the
Red sea, it may be reasonably supposed it was what Moses was bid to take. In
all India, it is the principal thing in all perfumes, as the aloe is in pillsF6Vid.
Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 243. ; the Targum of Jonathan interprets
it by "costus"; and the Jerusalem Targum by spike of myrrh, meaning
perhaps spikenard. The last of these, "galbanum", what now goes by
that name, is of a very ill smell, and therefore cannot be thought to be one of
these sweet spices; but another is meant, and which, by its name
"Chelbanah", was of a fat and unctuous nature; though Jarchi says,
galbanum, whose smell is ill, is put among the spices; and MaimonidesF7Cele
Hamikdash, c. 2. sect. 4. and KimchiF8Sepher Shorash. Rad. חלב. describe it like black honey, and of an offensive
smell; but it must be something odoriferous, and therefore most likely to be
the galbanum PlinyF9Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 15. speaks of as growing on
Mount Areanus in Syria, which he mentions along with several sorts of balsams,
and as a sort of frankincense; and the Vulgate Latin version, to distinguish
it, calls it "galbanum" of a "good smell":
these sweet spices with pure frankincense; for which
Sabaea in Arabia Felix was very famous, and was called the thuriferous country,
as PlinyF11Ib. c. 14. says; who observes that there were in it two
times of gathering the frankincense, the one in autumn, that which was white,
and the purest, the other in the spring, which was reddish, and not to be
compared with the former:
of each shall
there be a like weight; just as much of one as of the other: in the Hebrew text it is,
"alone by alone"; and the sense may be, that each spice was beaten
alone, and after that mixed, as Aben Ezra, or weighed alone, and then put
together.
Exodus 30:35 35 You
shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the
perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
YLT 35and thou hast made it a perfume, a compound,
work of a compounder, salted, pure, holy;
And thou shalt
make it a perfume,.... By mixing the above spices together:
a confection
after the art of the apothecary; in the manner they beat, compound, and mix
several ingredients together:
tempered
together; or "salted"F12ממלח
"salitum", Montanus, Drusius. Junius & Tremellius, &
Piscator. , with salt of Sodom, as Aben Ezra interprets it; and MaimonidesF13Cele
Hamikdash, c. 2. sect. 3. says, there was a fourth part of a kab of salt of
Sodom put into it: and whether this incense or perfume respects the
intercession of Christ or the prayers of his people, they are both savoury and
acceptable to God, the latter on account of the former; in all sacrifices salt
was used, and every spiritual sacrifice of ours should be seasoned with grace:
pure and holy; such should
be the prayers of the saints, and such most certainly is the mediation of
Christ, which is his much incense.
Exodus 30:36 36 And
you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the
Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be
most holy to you.
YLT 36and thou hast beaten [some] of it small, and
hast put of it before the testimony, in the tent of meeting, whither I am met
with thee; most holy it is to you.
And thou shall
beat some of it very small,.... Or every one of the spices; for this
does not seem to respect any different usage of some part of the incense from
the rest; but it was all to be beat very small, that it might mix together the
better, and be easier spread upon the coals, and the smoke thereof go up the
sooner:
and put of it
before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation; that is, upon
the altar of incense, which was placed there, Exodus 30:6 and
here it was to be put in order to be burnt, not to be kept, either to be looked
at, or smelled to:
where I will
meet with thee; See Gill on Exodus 30:6.
it shall be
unto you most holy; reckoned by them most sacred, and not to be put to any private
or profane uses.
Exodus 30:37 37 But
as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for
yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
YLT 37`As to the perfume which thou makest, with
its proper proportion ye do not make to yourselves, holy it is to thee to
Jehovah;
And as
for the perfume which thou shalt make,.... As above directed:
ye shall not
make to yourselves according to the composition thereof; that is, for
their own use, for the scenting of their rooms, or to snuff up, or smell to, as
in the next verse:
it shall be
unto thee holy for the Lord; separated entirely for his service, to be
burned upon his altar, and to be no otherwise used.
Exodus 30:38 38 Whoever
makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
YLT 38a man who maketh [any] like it -- to be
refreshed by it -- hath even been cut off from his people.'
Whosoever shall
make like unto that, to smell thereto,.... A man might make a
perfume of the same ingredients, and of the same weight, and exactly like it,
but not to burn for his own delight and pleasure; but if he made it and sold it
to the congregation, as Jarchi observes, he was not guilty; but if it was for
his own private use and pleasure, then he
shall even be
cut off from his people; See Gill on Exodus 30:33.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 30:29
Compare Numbers 4:15 and Haggai 2:11–13