1
“You shall make an altar for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
2
A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its width; it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3
You shall overlay it with pure gold: its top, its sides all around, and its horns. You shall make a gold molding around it.
4
You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; on its two sides you shall make them, on its two opposite sides, and they shall be holders for the poles with which it is to be carried.
5
You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6
You shall place the incense altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the tablets of the testimony, where I will meet with you.
7
Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; every morning, when he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
8
And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it as a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.
9
You shall not offer on it any other incense, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
10
Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once a year throughout your generations; it is most holy to the LORD.”
11
The LORD spoke to Moses:
12
“When you take a census of the Israelites in their numbering, then each one shall give to the LORD an atonement money for his life when they are numbered, so that there will be no plague among them when they are numbered.
13
This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary — the shekel is twenty gerahs —; half a shekel shall be the offering to the LORD.
14
Everyone who is numbered, 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 half a shekel, when you give the LORD’s offering to make atonement for your lives.”
16
And you shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, so that it may be a memorial before the LORD, to make atonement for your lives.”
17
The LORD spoke to Moses:
18
“You shall make a basin of bronze, with its stand also of bronze, for washing; and you shall place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water from it.
20
When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. Likewise, when they come near the altar to minister and to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD,
21
they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute for them forever, for him and for his descendants throughout their generations.”
22
The LORD spoke to Moses:
23
“Take choice spices: liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; fragrant cinnamon, half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty shekels; and fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty shekels;
24
and cassia, five hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil.
25
You shall make these into a holy anointing oil, a carefully blended mixture, like the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26
With it you shall anoint the Tent of Meeting and the ark of the testimony,
27
the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense;
28
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29
You shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.
30
You shall also anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve as priests to Me.
31
And to the Israelites you shall speak, saying: This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.
32
It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall not make any like it with the same mixture; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
33
Whoever compounds any like it or puts any of it on an ordinary person shall be cut off from his people.”
34
The LORD said to Moses: “Take fragrant spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum, and pure frankincense, each in equal amounts.
35
All these you shall make into incense, a compound of spices, after the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy.
36
And some of it you shall beat very small, and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.
37
And as for the incense which you shall make, according to that compound, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be for the LORD, holy to you.
38
Whoever shall make any like it, to smell it, shall be cut off from among his people.”
🛐💧🪔 Summary of Exodus 30 – The Altar of Incense, the Money of Atonement, Washing, and the Anointing Oil
Exodus 30 contains the LORD’s commands to Moses concerning the furnishings and actions that complete the service in the Holy Tent, so that the people may worship in a fitting and holy manner before Him.
1. The Altar of Incense (verses 1–10)
- Made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, measuring 1 cubit (about 45 cm) and 2 cubits high (about 90 cm).
- Placed before the curtain of the Most Holy Place, where God makes Himself known.
- Aaron must burn fragrant incense every morning and evening, as a sign of prayer rising before the LORD (see Psalm 141:2).
- Foreign incense (not according to command) is forbidden.
- Once a year, this altar is purified with the blood of the sin offering.
2. The Money of Atonement (verses 11–16)
- Every Israelite, when registered, must give half a shekel per person as a ransom for life to the LORD.
- This money is used for the service of the Holy Tent and as a reminder that the LORD has saved them.
3. The Washing Basin (verses 17–21)
- Made of bronze, placed between the altar and the entrance of the Tent.
- Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet before entering or ministering, so that they do not die.
- This emphasizes the importance of holiness before drawing near to the Lord.
4. The Holy Anointing Oil (verses 22–33)
- Made from a mixture of choice spices and olive oil: myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, and cassia.
- Used to anoint the Holy Tent, the altar, the furnishings, and the priests.
- It must not be used for personal purposes—it must be reserved exclusively for the service of the Lord.
5. The Holy Incense (verses 34–38)
- A mixture of myrrh resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense.
- Ground fine and kept before the ark of the covenant as a sign of holiness and prayer.
- A strict prohibition against making a duplicate of this incense for personal use.
📖 Main Teaching
- Worship of the Lord is holy and orderly—there are divine ways and boundaries that must be followed.
- Prayer (incense) is the priest’s chief service, and it must be offered with the right heart.
- Salvation comes from the Lord, and the ransom money is a sign of acknowledgment of this.
- Outward holiness (washing) symbolizes holiness of heart and intent.
- What is consecrated to the Lord must not be used carelessly or profaned.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Incense is a symbol of prayer and worship, and in the New Testament, the prayers of believers rise like incense before the Lord (Revelation 5:8).
- Ransom money points to the perfect redemption by Christ, who paid the price for our souls (1 Corinthians 6:20).
- The washing of the priests symbolizes repentance and the cleansing of the heart, and in Christ we are washed clean by His blood (1 John 1:7).
- The anointing oil points to the anointing of the Holy Spirit for service and a fruitful life.
- The holiness of God requires that everything offered to Him must not be made equal with what is worldly.
