Exodus 30:6-16

6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the ¹mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.

7 And Aaron shall ²burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he ³dresses the lamps he shall burn it,

8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.

9 You shall not offer ⁴unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.

10 ⁵Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the ⁶sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."

The Census Tax

11 The LORD said to Moses,

12 ⁷"When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give ⁸a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.

13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel^[a] according to the ⁹shekel of the sanctuary (the ¹⁰shekel is twenty gerahs),^[b]¹¹half a shekel as an offering to the LORD.

14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the LORD's offering.

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than ¹²the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives.

16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall ¹³give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to ¹⁴remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives."

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Exodus 30:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 30

This chapter treats of the altar of incense, its form and use, Ex 30:1-10 of the ransom of the Israelites, with the half shekel when numbered, Ex 30:11-16 of the laver for the priests to wash their hands and feet at before service, Ex 30:17-21 of the anointing oil, the ingredients of it, and what was to be done with it, Ex 30:22-33, and of the perfume, the composition and use of it, Ex 30:34-38.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. Exodus 25:21, 22
2. ver. 34; Exodus 31:11; Exodus 37:29; Exodus 40:27; 1 Samuel 2:28; 1 Chronicles 23:13; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 2 Chronicles 29:11; Luke 1:9
3. See Exodus 27:20, 21
4. Leviticus 10:1
5. Leviticus 16:18; Leviticus 23:27
6. Exodus 29:36
7. Numbers 1:2-4; Numbers 26:2; 2 Samuel 24:2
8. Exodus 21:30; Numbers 31:50; [Psalms 49:7]
9. Exodus 38:24; Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 27:3, 25
10. Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Numbers 18:16; Ezekiel 45:12
11. Exodus 38:26; Matthew 17:24; [Genesis 24:22]
12. [See ver. 13 above]
13. See Exodus 38:25-31
14. [Exodus 28:12; Exodus 39:7; Numbers 16:40]

Footnotes 2

[a]. A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[b]. A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.