Exodus 30:22-33
Oil and Incense
22 ▼▼sn The chapter ends with these two sections. The oil (22-33) is the mark of consecration, and the incense (34-38) is a mark of pleasing service, especially in prayer. So the essence of the message of the chapter is that the servants of God must be set apart by the Spirit for ministry and must be pleasing to God in the ministry.
The Lord spoke to Moses, ▼▼tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”
23“Take ▼▼tn The construction uses the imperative “take,” but before it is the independent pronoun to add emphasis to it. After the imperative is the ethical dative (lit. “to you”) to stress the task to Moses as a personal responsibility: “and you, take to yourself.”
choice spices: ▼▼tn Heb “spices head.” This must mean the chief spices, or perhaps the top spice, meaning fine spices or choice spices. See Song 4:14; Ezek 27:22.
12½ pounds ▼ of free-flowing myrrh, ▼▼sn Myrrh is an aromatic substance that flows from the bark of certain trees in Arabia and Africa and then hardens. “The hardened globules of the gum appear also to have been ground into a powder that would have been easy to store and would have been poured from a container” (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).
half that—about 6¼ pounds—of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of sweet-smelling cane, 24and 12½ pounds of cassia, all weighed ▼▼tn The words “all weighed” are added for clarity in English.
according to the sanctuary shekel, and four quarts ▼▼tn Or “a hin.” A hin of oil is estimated at around one gallon (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).
of olive oil. 25You are to make this ▼▼tn Heb “it.”
into ▼▼tn The word “oil” is an adverbial accusative, indicating the product that results from the verb (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §52).
a sacred anointing oil, a perfumed compound, ▼▼tn The somewhat rare words rendered “a perfumed compound” are both associated with a verbal root having to do with mixing spices and other ingredients to make fragrant ointments. They are used with the next phrase, “the work of a perfumer,” to describe the finished oil as a special mixture of aromatic spices and one requiring the knowledge and skills of an experienced maker.
the work of a perfumer. It will be sacred anointing oil. 26 “With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 27the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, 28the altar for the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29So you are to sanctify them, ▼▼tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).
and they will be most holy; ▼▼tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”
anything that touches them will be holy. ▼▼tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.
30 “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and ▼▼tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.
sanctify them so that they may minister as my priests. 31And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations. 32It must not be applied ▼▼tn Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.
to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 33Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a priest ▼▼tn Heb “a stranger,” meaning someone not ordained a priest.
will be cut off ▼▼sn The rabbinic interpretation of this is that it is a penalty imposed by heaven, that the life will be cut short and the person could die childless.
from his people.’”
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