Exodus 30:22-38

The Anointing Oil

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,

23 “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, ^[a] half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, ^[b] 250 shekels of fragrant cane, ^[c]

24 500 shekels of cassia ^[d]—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. ^[e]

25 Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

26 Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,

27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,

28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.

29 You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.

31 And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

32 It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.

33 Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

34 The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36 Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony ^[f] in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

37 You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

38 Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”

Exodus 30:22-38 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

• [a] 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of myrrh.
• [b] 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon.
• [c] 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane.
• [d] 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia.
• [e] A hin is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.
• [f] The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.