Exodus 30:17-38

17 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
18 Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it.
19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet out of it.
20 When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah.
21 And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations.
22 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
23 And thou, take best spices -- of liquid myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon the half -- two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle two hundred and fifty,
24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin;
25 and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil.
26 And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony,
27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
28 and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand.
29 And thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy.
30 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests.
31 And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto me throughout your generations.
32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any] like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy -- holy shall it be unto you.
33 Whoever compoundeth [any] like it, or whoever putteth [any] of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples.
34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs -- stacte, and onycha, and galbanum -- fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.
35 And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.
36 And thou shalt beat [some] of it to powder, and put [some] 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 that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah.
38 Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.

Exodus 30:17-38 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.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. As 'calamus' in Cant. 4.14; Ezek. 27.19; and 'cane' as Isa. 43.24; Jer. 6.20.
  • [b]. Stranger, i.e. a stranger to the priesthood -- one not a priest: see Lev. 22.10.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.