1.
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim 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 of the same.
cubit . See App-51 .
3.
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.
sides . Hebrew. kir, a wall, or side.
crown of gold . See note on Exodus 25:24 .
4.
And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.
sides . Hebrew. zad, side.
5.
And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
6.
And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
mercy seat . See note on Exodus 25:17 .
7.
And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
burn : with fire taken from the brasen altar of atonement, implying that there could be no acceptable worship except on the ground of atonement made. All other fire was "strange fire", and all other worship strange worship, and therefore unacceptable.
sweet incense . Heb, incense of spices.
8.
And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
at even . See note on Exodus 29:39 .
the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 .
9.
Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
offer . Hebrew. `alah. See App-43 .
strange incense = incense different from and other than that which God had prescribed. See note on Leviticus 10:1 .
meat = meal.
10.
And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
once in a year , viz. the tenth day of the seventh month. Leviticus 16:18 , Leviticus 16:29 , Leviticus 16:30 . Numbers 29:7 .
sin offering. See note on Exodus 29:14 .
holy . See note on Exodus 3:5 .
11.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
the LORD spake . See note on Exodus 6:10 with Exodus 3:7 .
12.
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
children = sons.
man . Hebrew. 'ish. See App-14 .
ransom . Hebrew. kapher = covering, hence atonement. See note on Exodus 29:33 .
his soul = himself. Hebrew. nephesh. See App-13 . The acknowledgement of Ezekiel 18:4 .
13.
This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
shekel of the sanctuary . See App-51 . Compare Matthew 17:24 .
gerah , a measure of weight. See App-51 .
offering . Hebrew. terurnah. See App-43 .
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 atonement for your souls.
The rich = the rich one. "There is no difference "in the matter of atonement, Acts 10:34 .Romans 3:22 , Romans 3:23 ; Romans 10:12 . Then, all Israel without exception: but now "all" without distinction.
offering . Hebrew heave offering. See on Exodus 29:27 , and compare App-43 .
atonement . See note on Exodus 29:33 .
16.
And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
tabernacle = tent. Hebrew. 'ohel. App-40 .
17.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18.
Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
a laver of brass . Probably copper or bronze. See note on Exodus 25:3 . The laver comes after the altar; the altar is for sinners; the laver is for priests = cleansing for worship. Not included in Ex. 25-28, but added here after atonement. John 13:10 is the Divine antitype.
foot. Hebrew base.
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:
burn offering made by fire . Hebrew to burn as incense. See App-43 .
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 spices, 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,
myrrh = gum of Arabian thorny shrubs.
sweet calamus = lemon grass of India.
24.
And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
cassia = the bark of a kind of Indian cinnamon, hin. See App-51 .
25.
And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
26.
And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,
27.
And the table and all his 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 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.
consecrate . See note on Exodus 28:4 .
31.
And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an 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.
man's . Heb 'adam, human kind. See App-14 . flesh. The oil is the type of the Holy Spirit. His work not to act on the flesh, but to give holy spirit (pneuma hagion). Compare John 3:6 .
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 spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:
the LORD [Jehovah] said. See note on Exodus 3:7 and p. Exodus 6:10 .
sweet spices . Five in number. Compare App-10 .
onycha = a sweet-smelling shell found on the shores of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
a like weight . Typical of the perfect proportion of all the excellencies of Christ.
35.
And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:
tempered together . Perfect in its parts; perfect in its whole. So in the Antitype.
pure and holy. Typical of the holiness and un imaginable purity of Christ.
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 meet 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.