1Tu feras aussi un autel pour y faire fumer le parfum, tu le feras de bois de Sittim. 2Sa longueur sera d'une coudée, sa largeur d'une coudée; il sera carré; mais sa hauteur sera de deux coudées. L'autel aura des cornes qui en sortiront. 3Tu le couvriras d'or pur, le dessus, les côtés tout autour et les cornes; et tu lui feras un couronnement d'or tout autour. 4Tu lui feras aussi deux anneaux d'or au-dessous de son couronnement, à ses deux côtés. Tu les mettras aux deux côtés, et ce sera pour recevoir les barres qui serviront à le porter. 5Tu feras les barres de bois de Sittim, et tu les couvriras d'or. 6Et tu mettras l'autel au-devant du voile, qui est devant l'arche du Témoignage, en face du propitiatoire qui est sur le Témoignage, où je me trouverai avec toi. 7Et Aaron y fera fumer un parfum d'aromates; chaque matin, quand il préparera les lampes, il fera fumer le parfum. 8Et quand Aaron allumera les lampes, entre les deux soirs, il le fera aussi fumer; c'est un parfum qu'on brûlera continuellement devant YEHOVAH dans vos générations. 9Vous n'offrirez sur cet autel aucun parfum étranger, ni offrande à brûler, ni offrande, et vous n'y ferez aucune offrande de breuvage. 10Mais Aaron fera expiation sur les cornes de cet autel, une fois l'an. Avec le sang du sacrifice expiatoire pour le péché, il y fera expiation, une fois l'an, dans vos générations. Ce sera une chose très sainte et consacrée à YEHOVAH. 11YEHOVAH parla aussi à Moïse, en disant: 12Quand tu feras le compte des enfants d'Israël, selon leurs recensements, chacun d'eux fera un don à YEHOVAH, pour racheter sa personne, lorsqu'on en fera le dénombrement; et ils ne seront frappés d'aucune plaie lorsqu'on les dénombrera. 13Tous ceux qui passeront par le dénombrement, donneront un demi-sicle, selon le sicle du sanctuaire, qui est de vingt oboles; un demi-sicle sera donc l'offrande à YEHOVAH. 14Tous ceux qui passeront par le dénombrement, depuis vingt ans et au-dessus, donneront l'offrande de YEHOVAH. 15Le riche n'augmentera rien, et le pauvre ne diminuera rien du demi-sicle, en donnant l'offrande de YEHOVAH, pour faire la propitiation pour vos personnes. 16Tu prendras donc des enfants d'Israël l'argent des propitiations, et tu l'appliqueras au service du tabernacle d'assignation; et il sera pour les enfants d'Israël en mémorial devant YEHOVAH, pour faire la propitiation de vos personnes. 17YEHOVAH parla encore à Moïse, en disant: 18Tu feras aussi une cuve d'airain, avec sa base d'airain, pour s'y laver; tu la placeras entre le tabernacle d'assignation et l'autel, et tu y mettras de l'eau. 19Et Aaron et ses fils en laveront leurs mains et leurs pieds. 20Quand ils entreront au tabernacle d'assignation, ils se laveront avec de l'eau, afin qu'ils ne meurent pas, ou quand ils approcheront de l'autel pour faire le service, pour faire fumer le sacrifice fait par le feu à YEHOVAH. 21Ils laveront donc leurs mains et leurs pieds, afin qu'ils ne meurent pas. Ce leur sera une ordonnance perpétuelle, pour Aaron et pour sa postérité dans leurs générations. 22YEHOVAH parla aussi à Moïse, en disant: 23Prends des aromates exquis, de la myrrhe liquide, cinq cents sicles; du cinnamome odoriférant, la moitié, c'est-à-dire, deux cent cinquante; du roseau aromatique, deux cent cinquante; 24De la casse, cinq cents, selon le sicle du sanctuaire; et un hin d'huile d'olive; 25Et tu en feras une huile pour l'onction sainte, un mélange odoriférant composé selon l'art du parfumeur; ce sera l'huile de l'onction sainte. 26Et tu en oindras le tabernacle d'assignation et l'arche du Témoignage, 27La table et tous ses ustensiles, le lampadaire et ses ustensiles, 28L'autel du parfum, l'autel des offrandes à brûler et tous ses ustensiles, et la cuve et sa base. 29Ainsi tu les sanctifieras, et ils seront une chose très sainte; tout ce qui les touchera sera sacré. 30Tu oindras aussi Aaron et ses fils, et tu les consacreras pour exercer devant moi la sacrificature. 31Et tu parleras aux enfants d'Israël, en disant: Ceci me sera une huile d'onction sacrée dans toutes vos générations. 32On ne la versera point sur la chair de l'homme, et vous n'en ferez point d'autre de même composition; elle est sainte, elle vous sera sainte. 33Celui qui fera une composition semblable, et qui en mettra sur un étranger, sera retranché d'entre ses peuples. 34YEHOVAH dit aussi à Moïse: Prends des aromates, du stacte, de l'onyx et du galbanum, des aromates et de l'encens pur, en parties égales; 35Et tu en feras un parfum, un mélange selon l'art du parfumeur, salé, pur, saint; 36Tu en pileras bien menu une partie, et tu en mettras devant le Témoignage, dans le tabernacle d'assignation, où je me trouverai avec toi; ce vous sera une chose très sainte. 37Quant au parfum que tu feras, vous ne vous en ferez point de même composition; ce sera pour toi une chose sainte à YEHOVAH. 38Celui qui en fera de semblable pour en sentir l'odeur, sera retranché d'entre ses peuples.
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.