Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Exodus 30

Exo 30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

an altar to burn incense upon

Altar of incense, type of Christ our intercessor (John 17:1-26; Hebrews 7:25), through whom our own prayers and praises ascend to God (Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 8:3, 4), and of the believer-priest's sacrifice of praise and worship (Hebrews 13:15).

shittim

i.e. acacia.

Exo 30:2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

cubit

One cubit = 1 ft. 5.48 in.

Exo 30:5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

shittim

i.e. acacia.

Exo 30:9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

strange incense

Cf. Leviticus 10:1-3. Two prohibitions are given concerning worship:

1. No "strange" incense is to be offered. This speaks of simulated or purely formal worship.
2. No "strange" fire was permitted. This refers to the excitation of "religious" feelings by merely sensuous means, and to the substitution for devotion to Christ of any other devotion, as to religious causes, or sects. Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13; Colossians 2:8, 16-19. See Scofield Exodus 30:38, note.

meat

Literally meal.

Exo 30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

atonement

See Scofield Exodus 29:33, note.

Exo 30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

This they shall give

Cf. Exodus 38:25-27. Silver thus becomes a type of redemption. (Scofield Exodus 26:19, note).

shekel

One shekel = 2s. 9d., or 65 cents [In 1917].

gerah

One gerah = 11.2 grains.

Exo 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

laver

Laver, type of Christ cleansing us from defilement, and from "every spot or wrinkle or any such thing" (John 13:2-10; Ephesians 5:25-27). It is significant that the priests could not enter the holy place after serving at the brazen altar till hands and feet were cleansed.

Exo 30:19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

wash their hands and their feet

John 13:8.

Exo 30:23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

shekel

One shekel = 2s. 9d., or 65 cents [In 1917].

Exo 30:24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

hin

One hin = about 6 quarts.

Exo 30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

consecrate them

Sanctify, holy (O.T.) vs. 30, 37; Lev 8:15. (Gen 2:3; Zec 8:3)

Exo 30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

anointing oil

Anointing oil, type of the Holy Spirit for service (Acts 1:8).

Exo 30:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

frankincense

Frankincense is not to be confounded with incense (to which it was to be added), as it is often used apart from incense. We are told what composed the incense—never in Scripture what the frankincense was. All speaks of Christ—the sweet spices of those perfections which we may apprehend, the frankincense of that which God saw in Jesus ineffable.

Exo 30:38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

smell

What is condemned here is making worship a mere pleasure to the natural man, whether sensuous, as in beautiful music to please the ear, or eloquence, merely to give delight to the natural mind. Cf. John 4:23, 24.