Exodus 30

Chap. XXX. Ver.1—38. The altar of incense, laver of brass, &c—These are objects of too much importance to be passed over. The altar of incense was foursquare, one cubit (that is, about twenty-one inches) each way, and two in height. This was made of shittim-wood, and overlaid with gold, like the ark itself. On this was offered the incense; a perfume, described in the end of the chapter. The scent of the perfume burnt upon this altar, (sometimes called the golden altar,) had

“…and the angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” ((Revelation 8:3-4).) This incense, then, represents the merits and intercession of our Redeemer, which give efficacy and acceptance to the prayers of all his saints. 2. We have “the brazen laver” of water, for the purpose of washing the hands and feet of Aaron and his sons; for cleanliness is a virtue nearly allied to godliness; and, indeed, the services of the tabernacle requiring the slaughter of so many animals, made it necessary for them to pay great attention to this virtue: for as almost all things under the law were typically purified by blood, so were they actually cleansed by water; and every such act of purification was calculated to remind them of “the washing of regeneration,”

and the purifying influences of God’s Holy Spirit. 3. We have the composition of the precious anointing oil and fragrant incense, on which we shall only observe the extent and costliness of the materials; circumstances on which some would be ready to say with Judas, on another occasion, “Why was not this sold, and the produce given to the poor?” Many seem ready enough to serve God with that which costs them nothing; but when they are called upon to make any sacrifices, or to contribute to support the cause of religion, they withdraw, upon principles of economy.

95 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be a

holy anointing oil.

96 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

97 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense.

98 And the altar of burnt-offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30 And thou shalt anoint 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 a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

32 Upon man’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.

A lady of considerable property, in Hertfordshire, hearing of a chapel opened in her vicinity, repeatedly attended, and appeared much pleased with the preaching: at length some of the congregation ventured, very respectfully, to hint the propriety of her contributing something towards the expenses; when she gave them a few pence, and told them, if it was so expensive, they must not expect her any more.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XXX. Ver. 1. Incense.—Where so many sacrifices were offered, it was essentially necessary to have some pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the burning of so much flesh, the sprinkling of the blood, &c. No blood was ever sprinkled on the altar, except once a year, on the grand day of expiation. It was called also the golden altar, ((Numbers 4:11).) and the incense was as constantly burnt on it every day, as the morning and evening sacrifice of lamb was burnt on the brazen altar.—Bagster.

Ver. 6. Before the mercy-seat.—That is, in a line with it; but without side the vail, because it was used every morning and evening, whereas the high priest entered within the vail only once a year.

Some think that the glory which resided within the vail, was in some manner discernible through it.

Ver. 15, The rich shall not give more, &c.—Heb. “The rich shall not multiply to give, nor the poor diminish.”—Half a shekel, that is, about 33 cents of our money. The equality of the offering was to imply that “all souls were equal” in the sight of God, and stood equally in need of an atonement.

Ver. 23. Pure myrrh.—The word mor, in Arabic mor, from marra, to drop, aistil, has been adopted with little variation in most European languages. Myrrh is a white gum, issuing from the trunk and larger branches of a thorny tree resembling the acacia, growing in Arabia, Egypt, and Abyssinia.

Its taste is extremely bitter; but its smell, though strong, is agreeable; and it entered into the composition of the most costly ointments among the ancients. The epithet deror, rendered pure, properly denotes fluid, from the Arabic darra, to flow; by which is meant the finest and most excellent kind, called stacte, which issues of itself from the bark without incision.—Cinnamon.—Kinnamon bosem, odoriferous or spicy cinnamon, is the bark of the canella, a small tree of the size of the willow, growing in the island of Ceylon.—Calamus.—Kenaih bosem calamus aromaticus, or odoriferous cane, is a reed growing in Egypt, Syria, and India, about two feet in height, bearing from the root a knotted stalk, quite round, containing in its cavity a soft white pith.

It is said to scent the air while growing; and when cut down, dried, and powdered, makes an ingredient in the richest perfumes.—Bagster.

Ver. 25. The apothecary—Margin, “Or perfumer.” The original signifies “a compound of drugs, or spices.” — Parkhurst.

Ver. 34. Stacte.—The balm of Gilead, the purest of the myrrh.—Onycha, and serves—(It is the shell of the purpura, and of the whole class of murex; as the basis of the principal perfumes in India.—Galbanum.—Chelbenah, (probably from chalav, milk or gum, and davan, white,) is the gummy resinous juice of an umbelliferous plant, the bubon gummi one of Linneus, growing a stalk from eight to [ten feet]. It rises with a [rising] king in Syria, Persia, and Africa.

The top of the stalk is ten feet, and is garnished with leaves at every joint, terminated by an umbel of yellow flowers, which are succeeded by oblong [seeds] ing on their border. When [channelled] seeds, which have a thin membrane or wing, there issues out a little thin juice of a cream colour, of a fat, tough substance, like gum ammoniac, composed of many small shining grains of a strong piercing smell, and a sharp warm taste.—Bagster.

God.—Ruach Elohim, rather, “a spirit of God;” which is a usual Hebraism, signifying “an excellent spirit,” or, as we “a distinguished genius for the work he had to perform.” No one should now say, ever acquired a genius of any kind; we mean by course of reading or study, ever said it natural, and say it was born with the man: Moses teaches us to confess it divine. The prophet Isaiah, (ch. XXVIII. 24, 29.) pointedly refers to this sort of teaching as coming from God, even in the most common, and dark as the heathens were, yet they acknowledged that all cult arts of life, talents and the seeds of all arts came from God.

Ver. 17. Refreshed.—God, in condescension to human weakness, applies to himself here what belongs to man. Though it probably refers to the delight and satisfaction with which He contemplated the completion of all his works, and pronounced them very good.—Bagster.

Ver. 18. Written with the finger of God.—Dr. Winder, and other learned men, suppose this the first instance of Alphabetical writing; we are inclined, however, to give it a much earlier date.

There seems little doubt but it arose out of the science of hieroglyphics.