Exodus Chapter 30 — The Altar of Incense and Holy Oils
God provides instructions for the Altar of Incense, the bronze basin for ritual washing, and the specific recipes for the holy anointing oil and sacred incense.
1“You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
2Its length shall be a cubit,*A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it.
4You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
5You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
6You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.
7Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
8When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
11The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12“When you take a census of the children of Israel, according to those who are counted among them, then each man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD when you count them, that there be no plague among them when you count them.
13They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel†A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs‡a gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains); half a shekel for an offering to the LORD.
14Everyone who passes over to those who are counted, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to the LORD.
15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel,§A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
16You shall take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.”
17The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
18“You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.
19Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.
20When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they don’t die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD.
21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
22Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
23“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels;*A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 500 shekels is about 5 kilograms or about 11 pounds. and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin†A hin is about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons. of olive oil.
25You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
26You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant,
27the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base.
29You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.
31You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
32It shall not be poured on man’s flesh, and do not make any like it, according to its composition. It is holy. It shall be holy to you.
33Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’ ”
34The LORD said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There shall be an equal weight of each.
35You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.
36You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy.
37You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for the LORD.
38Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Exodus 30:8
“When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”
This verse establishes the ongoing and consistent nature of the incense offering as a key part of daily worship.
Exodus 30:15
“The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.”
It emphasizes that every individual's life has equal standing and value when it comes to the ransom for their soul.
Exodus 30:31
“You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.'”
This verse marks the distinct separation of the anointing oil for sacred use rather than common purposes.
Chapter Summary
Exodus Chapter 30 outlines several specific components of the Tabernacle's operation and maintenance. It begins with the design and placement of the Altar of Incense, which is to be covered in gold and situated before the veil. Aaron is instructed to burn sweet spices daily on this altar. The chapter also introduces a census requirement: every man aged twenty and older must pay a half-shekel ransom for his soul to prevent a plague, ensuring equality between the rich and the poor in this offering. Additionally, Moses is told to create a bronze basin for the priests to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting to ensure ritual purity. Finally, God provides the exact formulas for the holy anointing oil and the sacred incense. These mixtures are designated as most holy, specifically reserved for the service of the Lord, with a strict prohibition against using them for personal purposes or duplicating them for common use, under the penalty of being cut off from the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Altar of Incense was used for burning sweet spices every morning and evening. It was placed inside the Tent of Meeting, just before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, representing a perpetual offering before God.
The half shekel was a ransom paid by every man during a census to make atonement for their souls. The money collected was designated for the service and maintenance of the Tent of Meeting.
The bronze basin was for Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet before they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar. This ritual washing was a requirement for purity to ensure they did not die while performing their holy duties.
The recipes for the anointing oil and the incense were sacred and reserved only for God. The text states that anyone who made a copy for personal use or for the smell would be 'cut off from his people,' signifying a serious spiritual and communal consequence.
Study Note
The term 'shekel of the sanctuary' indicates a standardized weight system used specifically for temple and religious transactions to ensure honesty and consistency.
Related Chapters
Exodus 25
Exodus 25 provides the initial instructions for the furniture inside the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 16
Leviticus 16 further explains the role of the high priest and atonement on the altar's horns once a year.
Numbers 1
Numbers 1 describes the first census of the Israelites mentioned in the requirements of Exodus 30.
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