1A me hanga e koe he aata hei tahunga mea kakara: ko te rakau e hanga ai he hitimi. 2Kia kotahi whatianga te roa, kia kotahi hoki whatianga te whanui; kia tapawha: kia rua whatianga te teitei: no taua mea ra ano nga haona. 3Me whakakikorua ki te koura parakore a runga me ona taha a taka noa, me ona haona hoki; me hanga ano te niao koura a tawhio noa. 4Me hanga ano etahi mowhiti koura mona kia rua, mo raro i tona niao, ki ona koki e rua, me hanga ki ona taha e rua, hei kuhunga mo nga amo, hei amohanga. 5He hitimi ano hoki te rakau e hanga ai e koe nga amo, me whakakikorua ki te koura. 6Ka whakatu ai ki mua o te arai, o tera i te aaka o te whakaaturanga, ki mua o te taupoki i runga o te whakaaturanga, o te wahi e tutaki ai ahau ki a koe. 7A me tahu e Arona he whakakakara reka ki runga, i tenei ata, i tenei ata: me tahu e ia te whakakakara ki runga, ina whakapaia e ia nga rama. 8A ka tahuna e Arona nga rama i te ahiahi, me tahu he whakakakara ki runga i taua aata, he whakakakara e mau tonu ana ki te aroaro o Ihowa i o koutou whakatupuranga. 9Kei whakaekea he whakakakara ke ki runga, he tahunga tinana ranei, he whakahere totokore ranei; kaua ano e ringihia he ringihanga ki runga. 10Na, ka whakamarie a Arona ki runga ki ona haona, kia kotahi te meatanga i te tau: ka whakamarie ia ki te toto o te whakahere hara o te whakamarie ki runga ki taua mea, kia kotahi te meatanga i te tau, puta noa i o koutou whakatupuranga: he mea t apu rawa tena ki a Ihowa. 11I korero ano a Ihowa ki a Mohi, i mea, 12E taua e koe nga tangata o nga tama a Iharaira, ara nga mea o ratou e taua ana, me homai e tera, e tera, he utu mo tona wairua ki a Ihowa, ina taua ratou; kia kore ai he whiu i roto i a ratou ina taua. 13Ko tenei ta ratou e homai ai, ko nga tangata katoa e haere ana ki roto ki te hunga kua taua, hei te hawhe o te hekere, o te hekere o te wahi hekere kotahi: hei te hawhe hekere te whakahere ki a Ihowa. 14Ko nga tangata katoa e haere ana ki roto ki te hunga kua taua, ko nga mea e rua tekau o ratou tau, me nga mea i maha atu, me homai e ratou he whakahere ki a Ihowa. 15E kore e maha ake a te tangata taonga, e kore ano hoki e torutoru iho i te hawhe hekere a te rawakore, ina homai he whakahere ki a Ihowa, hei whakamarie mo o koutou wairua. 16Na me tango e koe te moni whakamarie a nga tama a Iharaira, a ka waiho mo nga mahi o te tapenakara o te whakaminenga; a hei whakamahara tena ki nga tama a Iharaira ki te aroaro o Ihowa, hei whakamarie mo o koutou wairua. 17I korero ano a Ihowa ki a Mohi, i mea, 18Me hanga ano e koe he takotoranga wai ki te parahi, ki te parahi ano hoki tona turanga, hei horoinga: ka whakatu ai ki te takiwa o te aata o te tapenakara o te whakaminenga, me riringi ano he wai ki roto. 19A me horoi o ratou ringa me o ratou waewae e Arona ratou ko ana tama ki reira. 20Ka haere ratou ki roto ki te tapenakara o te whakaminenga, me horoi ratou ki te wai, kei mate; ki te whakatata ranei ratou ki te aata ki te minita, ki te tahu i te whakahere ahi ki a Ihowa: 21Na ka horoi i o ratou ringa, i o ratou waewae, kei mate; a ka waiho hei tikanga pumau ma ratou, mana, ma ona uri, i o ratou whakatupuranga. 22I korero ano a Ihowa ki a Mohi, i mea, 23Tikina mau he tino mea kakara, he maira pai, kia rima rau hekere, he hinamona reka, me hawhe tera, ara kia rua rau kia rima tekau hekere, me te karamuha reka, kia rua rau kia rima tekau hekere, 24He kahia hoki, kia rima rau hekere, ki nga hekere o te wahi tapu, me te hinu oriwa, kia kotahi hine: 25A me hanga e koe hei hinu mo te whakawahinga tapu, he hinu whakaranu, he mea kakara, ko ta te kaiwhakaranu e hanga ai: ka waiho hei hinu mo te whakawahinga tapu: 26Ka whakawahia ai te tapenakara o te whakaminenga, me te aaka hoki o te whakaaturanga, 27Me te tepu, me nga oko katoa i runga, me te turanga rama, me ona oko, me te aata whakakakara, 28Me te aata tahunga tinana, me ona oko katoa, me te takotoranga wai, me tona turanga. 29A me whakatapu kia tino tapu: ka tapu nga mea katoa e pa ana ki aua mea. 30Me whakawahi ano e koe a Arona ratou ko ana tama, me whakatapu hoki ratou hei tohunga maku. 31Me korero ano e koe ki nga tama a Iharaira, me ki atu, Hei hinu tenei maku, mo te whakawahinga tapu i o koutou whakatupuranga. 32Kei ringihia ki te kikokiko tangata, kei hanga ano tetahi mea pena, e rite ana ki tona hanganga: he tapu tena, a ka tapu ki a koutou. 33Ki te whakaranua e te tangata tetahi mea pena; ki te maka ranei e ia ki runga ki te tangata ke, ina, ka hatepea atu ia i roto i tona iwi. 34I mea ano a Ihowa ki a Mohi, Tikina mau he mea kakara, he takete, he oneka, he karapanuma; enei mea kakara me te parakihe parakore; kia rite te taimaha o tetahi, o tetahi: 35Ka whakaranu ai hei mea kakara, ko ta te kaiwhakaranu e hanga ai, he mea rongoa ki te tote, he mea parakore, he mea tapu: 36Na ka tukia tetahi wahi kia ririki rawa, ka whakatakoto ai i tetahi wahi ki mua mai o te whakaaturanga i roto i te tapenakara o te whakaminenga, ki te wahi e tutaki ai ahau ki a koe: hei mea tino tapu tena ki a koutou. 37A ko taua mea kakara ka hanga nei e koe, kei hanga tetahi ma koutou he rite te hanganga ki to tera: hei mea tapu tena ki a koe ma Ihowa. 38Ki te hanga e te tangata he mea pena, hei honginga mana, ka hatepea atu ia i roto i tona iwi.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE ALTAR OF INCENSE. (Exo. 30:1-38)
thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon, &c.--Its material was to be like that of the ark of the testimony, but its dimensions very small [
Exod 25:10].
2 foursquare--the meaning of which is not that it was to be entirely of a cubical form, but that upon its upper and under surface, it showed four equal sides. It was twice as high as it was broad, being twenty-one inches broad and three feet six inches high. It had "horns"; its top or flat surface was surmounted by an ornamental ledge or rim, called a crown, and it was furnished at the sides with rings for carriage. Its only accompanying piece of furniture was a golden censer or pan, in which the incense was set fire to upon the altar. Hence it was called the altar of incense, or the "golden altar" [
Exod 39:38;
Exod 40:26], from the profuse degree in which it was gilded or overlaid with the precious metal. This splendor was adapted to the early age of the church, but in later times, when the worship was to be more spiritual, the altar of incense is prophetically described as not of gold but of wood, and double the size of that in the tabernacle, because the church should be vastly extended (
Mal 1:11).
6 thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony--which separated the holy from the most holy place. The altar was in the middle between the table of showbread and the candlestick next the holy of holies, at equal distances from the north and south walls; in other words, it occupied a spot on the outside of the great partition veil, but directly in front of the mercy seat, which was within that sacred enclosure; so that although the priest who ministered at this altar could not behold the mercy seat, he was to look towards it, and present his incense in that direction. This was a special arrangement, and it was designed to teach the important lesson that, though we cannot with the eye of sense, see the throne of grace, we must "direct our prayer to it and look up" [
Ps 5:3] (compare
2Cor 3:14;
Heb 10:20;
Rev 4:1).
7 Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense--literally, "incense of spices"--Strong aromatic substances were burnt upon this altar to counteract by their odoriferous fragrance the offensive fumes of the sacrifices; or the incense was employed in an offering of tributary homage which the Orientals used to make as a mark of honor to kings; and as God was Theocratic Ruler of Israel, His palace was not to be wanting in a usage of such significancy. Both these ends were served by this altar--that of fumigating the apartments of the sacred edifice, while the pure lambent flame, according to Oriental notions, was an honorary tribute to the majesty of Israel's King. But there was a far higher meaning in it still; for as the tabernacle was not only a palace for Israel's King, but a place of worship for Israel's God, this altar was immediately connected with a religious purpose. In the style of the sacred writers, incense was a symbol or emblem of prayer (
Ps 141:2;
Rev 5:8;
Rev 8:3). From the uniform combination of the two services, it is evident that the incense was an emblem of the prayers of sincere worshippers ascending to heaven in the cloud of perfume; and, accordingly, the priest who officiated at this altar typified the intercessory office of Christ (
Luke 1:10;
Heb 7:25).
every morning . . . at even--In every period of the national history this daily worship was scrupulously observed.
8 Aaron shall burn incense--seemingly limiting the privilege of officiating at the altar of incense to the high priest alone, and there is no doubt that he and his successors exclusively attended this altar on the great religious festivals. But "Aaron" is frequently used for the whole priestly order, and in later times, any of the priests might have officiated at this altar in rotation (
Luke 1:9).
9 Ye shall offer no strange incense--that is, of a different composition from that of which the ingredients are described so minutely.
11 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, &c.--Moses did so twice, and doubtless observed the law here prescribed. The tax was not levied from women, minors, old men (
Num 1:42,
Num 1:45), and the Levites (
Num 1:47), they being not numbered. Assuming the shekel of the sanctuary to be about half an ounce troy, though nothing certain is known about it, the sum payable by each individual was two and four pence. This was not a voluntary contribution, but a ransom for the soul or lives of the people. It was required from all classes alike, and a refusal to pay implied a wilful exclusion from the privileges of the sanctuary, as well as exposure to divine judgments. It was probably the same impost that was exacted from our Lord (
Matt 17:24-
Matt 17:27), and it was usually devoted to repairs and other purposes connected with the services of the sanctuary.
18 Thou shalt . . . make a laver of brass--Though not actually forming a component part of the furniture of the tabernacle, this vase was closely connected with it; and though from standing at the entrance it would be a familiar object, it possessed great interest and importance from the baptismal purposes to which it was applied. No data are given by which its form and size can be ascertained; but it was probably a miniature pattern of Solomon's--a circular basin.
his foot--supposed not to be the pedestal on which it rested, but a trough or shallow receptacle below, into which the water, let out from a cock or spout, flowed; for the way in which all Eastern people wash their hands or feet is by pouring upon them the water which falls into a basin. This laver was provided for the priests alone. But in the Christian dispensation, all believers are priests, and hence the apostle exhorts them how to draw near to God (
John 13:10;
Heb 10:22).
23 Take thou also . . . principal spices, &c.--Oil is frequently mentioned in Scripture as an emblem of sanctification, and anointing with it a means of designating objects as well as persons to the service of God. Here it is prescribed by divine authority, and the various ingredients in their several proportions described which were to compose the oil used in consecrating the furniture of the tabernacle.
myrrh--a fragrant and medicinal gum from a little known tree in Arabia.
sweet cinnamon--produced from a species of laurel or sweet bay, found chiefly in Ceylon, growing to a height of twenty feet: this spice is extracted from the inner bark, but it is not certain whether that mentioned by Moses is the same as that with which we are familiar.
sweet calamus--or sweet cane, a product of Arabia and India, of a tawny color in appearance; it is like the common cane and strongly odoriferous.
24 cassia--from the same species of tree as the cinnamon--some think the outer bark of that tree. All these together would amount to one hundred twenty pounds, troy weight.
hin--a word of Egyptian origin, equal to ten pints. Being mixed with the olive oil--no doubt of the purest kind--this composition probably remained always in a liquid state, and the strictest prohibition issued against using it for any other purpose than anointing the tabernacle and its furniture.
34 the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices--These were:
stacte--the finest myrrh;
onycha--supposed to be an odoriferous shell;
galbanum--a gum resin from an umbelliferous plant.
frankincense--a dry, resinous, aromatic gum, of a yellow color, which comes from a tree in Arabia, and is obtained by incision of the bark. This incense was placed within the sanctuary, to be at hand when the priest required to burn on the altar. The art of compounding unguents and perfumes was well known in Egypt, where sweet-scented spices were extensively used not only in common life, but in the ritual of the temples. Most of the ingredients here mentioned have been found on minute examination of mummies and other Egyptian relics; and the Israelites, therefore, would have the best opportunities of acquiring in that country the skill in pounding and mixing them which they were called to exercise in the service of the tabernacle. But the recipe for the incense as well as for the oil in the tabernacle, though it receives illustration from the customs of Egypt, was peculiar, and being prescribed by divine authority, was to be applied to no common or inferior purpose.