"Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, Take the finest spicesThis phrase begins with a divine instruction to Moses, emphasizing the importance of quality in offerings to God. The Hebrew word for "finest" is "rosh," which can also mean "head" or "chief," indicating the preeminence of these spices. In ancient times, spices were highly valued, often used in trade and as symbols of wealth and status. This command underscores the principle that offerings to God should be of the highest quality, reflecting His worthiness and the reverence due to Him. twelve and a half pounds of liquid myrrh
Myrrh, derived from the Hebrew "mor," is a resin extracted from the Commiphora tree. It was used in ancient times for its fragrance and medicinal properties. Myrrh's inclusion in the anointing oil signifies purification and healing, pointing to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The specific measurement, "twelve and a half pounds," reflects precision and intentionality in worship, reminding believers of the importance of obedience to God's detailed instructions. half as much (that is, six and a quarter pounds) of fragrant cinnamon
Cinnamon, known in Hebrew as "qinnamon," was another valuable spice in the ancient world, often imported from distant lands. Its sweet aroma symbolizes the pleasing nature of a life dedicated to God. The precise measurement again highlights the importance of following God's commands exactly, illustrating the balance and order inherent in His creation. six and a quarter pounds of fragrant cane
The term "fragrant cane" refers to "qaneh bosem" in Hebrew, which is often identified as calamus, a plant known for its aromatic properties. This ingredient adds a sweet, earthy scent to the anointing oil, symbolizing the grounding and stabilizing presence of God in the believer's life. The repetition of the specific weight emphasizes the consistency and faithfulness required in worship. twelve and a half pounds of cassia—
Cassia, or "qiddah" in Hebrew, is similar to cinnamon but with a more pungent aroma. It was used in ancient times for its fragrance and as a preservative. Cassia's inclusion in the anointing oil represents the enduring nature of God's covenant with His people. The equal weight to myrrh signifies the balance between purification and preservation in the believer's spiritual journey. all according to the sanctuary shekel
The "sanctuary shekel" was a standard of weight used in the tabernacle, ensuring uniformity and fairness in offerings. This phrase underscores the principle that worship must be conducted according to God's standards, not human preferences. It serves as a reminder that God is the ultimate measure of all things, and His ways are just and true. and a hin of olive oil
A "hin" is an ancient unit of liquid measure, roughly equivalent to a gallon. Olive oil, a staple in the ancient Near East, was used for anointing, cooking, and lighting lamps. Its inclusion in the anointing oil signifies the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The combination of these ingredients with olive oil creates a sacred mixture, symbolizing the unity and diversity of gifts within the body of Christ. This final component highlights the richness and depth of God's provision for His people, inviting believers to partake in His divine nature through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, who received the instructions from God on Mount Sinai regarding the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, including the anointing oil. 2. Mount SinaiThe place where God communicated with Moses, providing him with the laws and instructions for the Israelites, including the recipe for the sacred anointing oil. 3. Anointing OilA sacred mixture used to consecrate the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests. It symbolizes holiness and the presence of God. 4. SpicesThe specific ingredients mentioned in this verse—myrrh, cinnamon, and fragrant cane—were valuable and used for their aromatic properties in the anointing oil. 5. TabernacleThe portable dwelling place for the presence of God among the Israelites, which was consecrated with the anointing oil. Teaching Points The Importance of ObedienceGod provided specific instructions for the anointing oil, highlighting the importance of obedience in worship and service. Symbolism of the Anointing OilThe oil represents the Holy Spirit's presence and the consecration of people and objects for God's purposes. Value of HolinessThe use of costly spices signifies the value God places on holiness and the dedication of our lives to Him. Spiritual FragranceJust as the anointing oil had a pleasing aroma, our lives should emit the fragrance of Christ through our actions and character. Preparation for ServiceThe anointing oil prepared the priests for service, reminding us of the need for spiritual preparation and dedication in our own ministries. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the specific recipe for the anointing oil in Exodus 30:23 teach us about the nature of worship and obedience to God? 2. How can the symbolism of the anointing oil as a representation of the Holy Spirit be applied to our daily lives as Christians? 3. In what ways can we ensure that our lives emit the "fragrance of Christ" as described in 2 Corinthians 2:15? 4. How does the concept of holiness, as illustrated by the use of costly spices in the anointing oil, challenge us in our personal walk with God? 5. Reflecting on the preparation of the priests with the anointing oil, what steps can we take to prepare ourselves for effective service in God's kingdom? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 30:24-25These verses continue the recipe for the anointing oil, emphasizing its sacredness and the specific instructions given by God. Leviticus 8:10-12Describes the use of the anointing oil in consecrating Aaron and his sons, highlighting its role in setting apart the priests for holy service. Psalm 133:2Compares the unity of believers to the precious anointing oil on Aaron's head, illustrating the oil's significance in symbolizing blessing and consecration. 2 Corinthians 2:15Paul speaks of believers as the aroma of Christ, drawing a parallel to the fragrant nature of the anointing oil and the spiritual fragrance of a life dedicated to God. People Aaron, Israelites, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics 250, Best, 500, Calamus, Cane, Chief, Cinnamon, Fifty, Fine, Finest, Flowing, Fragrant, Half, Honey, Hundred, Liquid, Myrrh, Myrtle, Principal, Pure, Shekels, Spice-cane, Spice-cinnamon, Spices, Sweet, Sweet-smelling, Thyself, Weight, WildDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 30:22-25 4466 herbs and spices
5615 weights Exodus 30:22-28 4486 myrrh Exodus 30:22-29 5183 smell Exodus 30:22-33 4492 olive
7304 anointing Exodus 30:23-25 4490 ointment
4496 perfume Exodus 30:23-33 4488 oil Library The Altar of Incense
'Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.' --EXODUS xxx. 1. Ceremonies are embodied thoughts. Religious ceremonies are moulded by, and seek to express, the worshipper's conception of his God, and his own relation to Him; his aspirations and his need. Of late years scholars have been busy studying the religions of the more backward races, and explaining rude and repulsive rites by pointing to the often profound and sometimes beautiful ideas underlying them. When that process is applied to Australian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureRansom for Souls --I.
Then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul.' --EXODUS xxx. 12. This remarkable provision had a religious intention. Connect it with the tax-money which Peter found in the fish's mouth. I. Its meaning. Try to realise an Israelite's thoughts at the census. 'I am enrolled among the people and army of God: am I worthy? What am I, to serve so holy a God?' The payment was meant-- (a) To excite the sense of sin. This should be present in all approach to God, in all service; accompanying the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ransom for Souls --ii.
'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel....'--EXODUS xxx. 15. This tax was exacted on numbering the people. It was a very small amount, about fifteen pence, so it was clearly symbolical in its significance. Notice-- I. The broad principle of equality of all souls in the sight of God. Contrast the reign of caste and class in heathendom with the democracy of Judaism and of Christianity. II. The universal sinfulness. Payment of the tax was a confession that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture "Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." As there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinners, such as, to make them the sons of God who were the children of the devil, and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath; so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life. For though the love be wonderful, that we should be called the sons of God; yet, as that apostle speaks, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Jesus Pays the Tribute Money.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29) ^A Matt. XVII. 24-27. ^a 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel? [The law of Moses required from every male of twenty years and upward the payment of a tax of half a shekel for the support of the temple (Ex. xxx. 12-16; II. Chron. xxiv. 5, 6). This tax was collected annually. We are told that a dispute existed between the Pharisees and Sadducees as to whether the payment …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel How a Private Man must Begin the Morning with Piety.
As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after; but if thy heart be not, at thy first waking, filled with some meditations of God and his word, and dressed, like the lamp in the tabernacle …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Copies of Things in the Heavens
'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 4. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Last Events in Galilee - the Tribute-Money, the Dispute by the Way, the Forbidding of Him who could not Follow with the Disciples, and The
Now that the Lord's retreat in the utmost borders of the land, at Cæsarea Philippi, was known to the Scribes, and that He was again surrounded and followed by the multitude, there could be no further object in His retirement. Indeed, the time was coming that He should meet that for which He had been, and was still, preparing the minds of His disciples - His Decease at Jerusalem. Accordingly, we find Him once more with His disciples in Galilee - not to abide there, [3743] nor to traverse it …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought. …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 30:23 NIVExodus 30:23 NLTExodus 30:23 ESVExodus 30:23 NASBExodus 30:23 KJV
Exodus 30:23 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
