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Exodus 30:34

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The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentaryv. 34

The Holy Incense was also to be made of four ingredients, viz., (1) nataph (στακτή, stacte), i.e., not the resinous myrrh, or sap obtained from the fragrant myrrh and dried, but a kind of storax gum resembling myrrh, which was baked, and then used, like incense, for fumigating; - (2) shecheleth (ὄνυξ, ungius odoratus), the shell of a shell-fish resembling the purpura, of an agreeable odour; - (3) chelbenah (χαλβάνη), a resin of a pungent, bitter flavour, obtained, by means of an incision in the bark, from the ferula, a shrub which grows in Syria, Arabia, and Abyssinia, and then mixed with fragrant substances to give greater pungency to their odour; - and (4) lebonah (λίβανος or λιβανωτός), frankincense, a resin of a pleasant smell, obtained from a tree in Arabia Felix or India, but what tree has not been discovered. זכּה pure, i.e., unadulterated. The words יהיה בּבד בּד "part for part shall it be," are explained by the lxx as meaning ἴσον ἴσῳ ἔσται, Vulg. aequalis ponderis erunt omnia, i.e., with equal parts of all the different substances. But this is hardly correct, as בּד literally means separation, and the use of ב in this sense would be very striking. The explanation given by Aben Ezra is more correct, viz., "every part shall be for itself;" that is to say, each part was to be first of all prepared by itself, and then all the four to be mixed together afterwards. Exo 30:35 Of this Moses was to make incense, spicework, etc. (as in Exo 30:25), salted, seasoned with salt (ממלּח, a denom. from מלח salt), like the meat-offering in Lev 2:13. The word does not mean μεμιγμένον, mixtum (lxx, Vulg.), or rubbed to powder, for the rubbing or pulverizing is expressed by שׁחקתּ־הרק in the following verse. Exo 30:36 Of this incense (a portion) was to be placed "bef…

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Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 34

Moses is, in this chapter, further instructed, I. Concerning the altar of incense (Exo 30:1-10). II. Concerning the ransom-money which the Israelites were to pay, when they were numbered (Exo 30:11-16). III. Concerning the laver of brass, which was set for the priests to wash in (Exo 30:17-21). IV. Concerning the making up of the anointing oil, and the use of it (Exo 30:22-33). V. Concerning the incense and perfume which were to be burned on the golden altar (Exo 30:34, etc.).

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Cross-references

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Exodus 37:29rank 5

He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

Exodus 30:23rank 4

“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

Leviticus 2:15rank 4

And you are to put oil and frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

Exodus 25:6rank 4

olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

Leviticus 24:7rank 2

And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Leviticus 2:1rank 2

“When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,

Matthew 2:11rank 2

On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Song of Solomon 3:6rank 2

Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from all the spices of the merchant?

Leviticus 5:11rank 2

But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.

Nehemiah 13:5rank 2

and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

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