1The altar of incense. 11The ransom of souls. 17The brasen laver. 22The holy anointing oil. 34The composition of the perfume.
1AND thou shalt make an 1altara to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
1 For to kindle daily incense upon it. This altar stood in the foremost part of the tabernacle, before the veil. It was indeed peculiarly made for the incense; yet sometimes there was also atonement made upon it with blood, as appears, below verse 10, and Lev. 4:7.
a Exod. 37:25.
2A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.
3And thou shalt overlay it 2with pure gold, the top thereof, and the 3sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
2 Num. 4:11 it is called the golden altar, but Ezek. 41:22 the altar of wood.
3 Hebr. walls. As by the top (Hebr. roof) is understood the cover or upper plank of the altar, upon where the incense was placed, so by the walls here must be understood the sides of this altar.
4And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be 4for places for the staves to bear 5it withal.
4 That is, to put the staves through those rings; namely, when the tabernacle was to be removed, or brought to another place; Num. 4:5, 11, 15.
5 Namely, the altar.
5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
6And thou shalt put it before 6the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
6 This veil was a partition between the place where the priests officiated, and the Holy of Holies where the ark stood.
7And Aaron shall 7burn thereon sweet incense 8every morning: whenb he dressethc the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
7 Hebr. cause to smoke.
8 Hebr. in the morning in the morning.
b 1 Sam. 3:3.
c prepare for use*
8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon 9it, a perpetual 10incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9 Namely, upon the altar.
10 Or, perfuming, smoking.
9Ye shall offer no 11strange incense thereon, nor 12burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
11 That is, brought from any place else, or prepared otherwise than is appointed, verses 34, 35, and 36.
12 For the burnt offering or meat offering this altar was ordained, whereof mention was made in Exod. 27:1.
10And Aaron shall 13make an atonement upon the horns of it 14once in a year with the blood of the 15sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
13 Or, do the atonement.
14 Namely, on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is therefore called the day of atonement, Lev. 23:27.
15 That is, of the sin offering whereby the atonement is made.
11¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12Whend thou takest the 16sum of the children of Israel 17after their number, then shall they 18give every man 19a ransom 20for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
d Num. 1:2.
16 Hebr. the head.
17 That is, according to those who of them are to be numbered.
18 Namely, once for all, not yearly, or every year.
19 That is, the price whereby everyone saved his life.
20 That is, of his life, or of his person, and so in the sequel.
13Thise they shall give, every 21one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel 22after the shekelf of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty 23gerahs:)g an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
e Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47; Ezek. 45:12.
21 That is, who passes from them who are to be numbered, unto those who are numbered.
22 Of the value of the shekel, see Gen. 20:16.
f of the sanctuary:* 0.5 ounce or 14.2 grams
23 See Lev. 27:25.
g 1/20th of a shekel; 0.022 ounce or 0.62 gram*
14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, 24from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
24 Hebr. a son of twenty years; that is, entering into his twentieth year; what sum this numbering of men did amount unto, see Exod. 38:25, 26.
15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel,h when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
h OT currency: currently, 1 shekel = $0.26 or £0.17*
16And thoui shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it 25for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
i Exod. 38:25.
25 Or, for the work, or, furniture. See Exod. 38:27, 28.
17¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18Thou shalt also make 26a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and 27the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
26 This was made of the women’s mirrors; Exod. 38:8.
27 Namely, the altar of burnt offerings, mentioned in Exodus 27.
19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, 28that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:
28 That is, lest God put them to death, as afterwards He did the sons of Aaron, Lev. 10:1, 2.
21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to 29him and to his seed throughout their generations.
29 Namely, Aaron.
22¶Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23Take thou also unto thee 30principal spices, of 31pure myrrh 32five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon 33half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
30 Hebr. head spices; that is, of the very best and principal sorts; so also Cant. 4:14; Ezek. 27:22.
31 Hebr. myrrh of freedom, that is, upright and unadulterated; free and clear of all impurity. It is a gum, flowing forth out of the myrrh tree, the most excellent from all other gums.
32 That is, as much as the weight of five hundred shekels.
33 Hebr. half of it, namely, of the five hundred shekels.
24And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive 34an hin:j
34 See Lev. 19:36.
j 12 logs; about 1.5 gallons or 5.7 liters*
25And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after 35the art of the apothecary:k it shall be an holy anointing oil.
35 Other, preparers of oil, makers of ointment. See 1 Chron. 9:30.
k perfume and spice dealer*
26And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,
27And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,
28And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
2936And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.
36 Namely, by or with the oil, spoken of in verses 23, 24, 25.
30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and 37consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
37 Namely, by anointing them with the holy oil.
31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
32Upon man's flesh shall it 38not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
38 Namely, except on the bodies of Aaron, and his sons.
33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a 39stranger, 40shall even be cut off from his people.
39 Other, upon any strange thing.
40 See Gen. 17:14.
34¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, 41stacte,l and 42onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense:m of 43each shall there be a like weight:
41 Or, balm-drop.
l aromatic gum from a tree
42 A sort of spices used in perfumes.
m aromatic gum resin burned as a fragrant incense*
43 Hebr. that alone be with alone; namely, every ingredient is to be beaten apart without being intermixed with any other liquid matter, and thus being pure, to be mixed together afterwards into one mass.
35And 44thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, 45tempered together, pure and holy:
44 Moses namely, who made the first.
45 Other, salted.
36And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before 46the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
46 That is, upon the altar of incense, which stood before the Ark of the Testimony.
37And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto 47thee holy 48for the LORD.
47 Namely, to both priest and people.
48 That is, for the service of the Lord.
38Whosoever shall make like unto that, 49to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.
49 That is, to have and keep it for his own private use in perfuming.