1 `And thou hast made an altar `for' making perfume; `of' shittim wood thou dost make it;
2 a cubit its length, and a cubit its breadth, (it is square), and two cubits its height; its horns `are' of the same.
3 `And thou hast overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou hast made to it a crown of gold round about;
4 and two rings of gold thou dost make to it under its crown; on its two ribs thou dost make `them', on its two sides, and they have become places for staves, to bear it with them.
5 `And thou hast made the staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them with gold;
6 and thou hast put it before the vail, which `is' by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat which `is' over the testimony, whither I am met with thee.
7 `And Aaron hath made perfume on it, perfume of spices, morning by morning; in his making the lamps right he doth perfume it,
8 and in Aaron's causing the lamps to go up between the evenings, he doth perfume it; a continual perfume before Jehovah to your generations.
9 `Ye do not cause strange perfume to go up upon it, and burnt-offering, and present, and libation ye do not pour out on it;
10 and Aaron hath made atonement on its horns, once in a year, by the blood of the sin-offering of atonements; once in a year doth he make atonement for it, to your generations; it `is' most holy to Jehovah.'
11 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
12 `When thou takest up the sum of the sons of Israel for their numbers, then they have given each an atonement `for' his soul to Jehovah in their being numbered, and there is no plague among them in their being numbered.
13 `This they do give, every one passing over unto those numbered, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel `is' twenty gerahs); half a shekel `is' the heave-offering to Jehovah;
14 every one passing over unto those numbered, from a son of twenty years and upwards, doth give the heave-offering of Jehovah;
15 the rich doth not multiply, and the poor doth not diminish from the half-shekel, to give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.
16 `And thou hast taken the atonement-money from the sons of Israel, and hast given it for the service of the tent of meeting; and it hath been to the sons of Israel for a memorial before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls.'
17 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
18 `And thou hast made a laver of brass (and its base of brass), for washing; and thou hast put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and hast put water there;
19 and Aaron and his sons have washed at it their hands and their feet,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 30
Commentary on Exodus 30 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 30
Moses is, in this chapter, further instructed,
Exd 30:1-10
Exd 30:11-16
Some observe that the repetition of those words, The Lord spoke unto Moses, here and afterwards (v. 17, 22, 34), intimates that God did not deliver these precepts to Moses in the mount, in a continued discourse, but with many intermissions, giving him time either to write what was said to him or at least to charge his memory with it. Christ gave instructions to his disciples as they were able to hear them. Moses is here ordered to levy money upon the people by way of poll, so much a head, for the service of the tabernacle. This he must do when he numbered the people. Some think that it refers only to the first numbering of them, now when the tabernacle was set up; and that this tax was to make up what was deficient in the voluntary contributions for the finishing of the work, or rather for the beginning of the service in the tabernacle. Others think that it was afterwards repeated upon any emergency and always when the people were numbered, and that David offended in not demanding it when he numbered the people. But many of the Jewish writers, and others from them, are of opinion that it was to be an annual tribute, only it was begun when Moses first numbered the people. This was that tribute-money which Christ paid, for fear of offending his adversaries (Mt. 17:27), when yet he showed good reason why he should have been excused. Men were appointed in every city to receive this payment yearly. Now,
Exd 30:17-21
Orders are here given,
Exd 30:22-38
Directions are here given for the composition of the holy anointing oil and the incense that were to be used in the service of the tabernacle; with these God was to be honoured, and therefore he would appoint the making of them; for nothing comes to God but what comes from him.