Old Testament Commentary - Exodus 30

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 30 Altar of incense to be placed before the vail—Atonement to be made with blood of sin offering— Atonement money to be paid to ransom each male—Priests to use holy anointing oil and perfume.
1 AND thou shalt make an ^aaltar to burn ^bincense upon: of ^cshittim wood shalt thou make it. 2 A 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 ^aof the same.		3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
3 And thou shalt ^aoverlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a ^bcrown of gold round about. 4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, ^aby the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to ^bbear it withal. 5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.		3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ^aark of the testimony, before the ^bmercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee^a. 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet ^aincense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when ^aAaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.	6^a before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee Now the incense was to be burned before the vail, before entering in the Holy of Holies. It is of some interest to continue to note with what commonality the 'throne of God' or the 'mercy seat' is referenced. For it truly was expected and understood that God would 'sit' thereon, which give God the anatomy of man that he should sit upon a seat. And this is where God would come and sit and meet with Moses from time to time and later other such as the Lord would visit such as Joshua. Also the 'ark of the covenant' is also commonly referenced as the 'testimony', for indeed it was that 'testimony' between God and man, man exhibiting his faith in God and God thus revealing the essences of the covenant, witness and testimony to man.	3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
9 Ye shall offer no ^astrange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor ^bmeat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it ^aonce in a year with the ^bblood of the sin offering of ^catonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
11 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the ^asum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ^bransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall ^agive, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a ^bshekel after the ^cshekel of the sanctuary: (a ^dshekel is twenty gerahs:) an half ^eshekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an ^aatonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement ^amoney of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the ^btabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
17 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, ^ato wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
22 ¶ Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal ^aspices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of ^aoil olive an hin:
25 And thou shalt make it an ^aoil of holy ^bointment, an ointment compound after the art of the ^capothecary: it shall be an holy ^danointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all ^ahis vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
29 And thou shalt ^asanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30 And thou shalt ^aanoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy ^aanointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32 Upon ^aman's flesh shall it not 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. 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.
34 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet ^aspices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: 36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will ^ameet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.