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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 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. 1. The holy anointing oil is here ordered to be made up the ingredients, and their quantities, are prescribed, Exod. 30:23-25. Interpreters are not agreed concerning them; we are sure, in general, they were the best and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:31

And thou shall speak unto the children of Israel ,.... When he was come down from the mount, and gave the instructions about the making and using of this oil: saying, this shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations ; Abarbinel, and other Jewish writers, conclude from hence, that this same oil, which was made by Moses, lasted throughout the generations to the times of Josiah, when it was hid with other things; but this, notion is justly exploded by Aben Ezra; it is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:32

Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured ,.... That is, not upon common men, or on men's flesh in common, as was usual at feasts and entertainments in the eastern countries, see Psalm 23:5 but this was not to be used on such occasions, otherwise it was poured on the flesh of some men, as Aaron and his sons, on whose head it was poured and ran down to the beard: neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it ; for private uses: it is holy, and it shall be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:33

Whosoever compoundeth any like it ,.... For his own use, or for any other than what God appointed it for: or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger ; meaning not a Gentile, an alien from the commonwealth of israel; though Japhet interprets it of such a stranger who was not of the children of Israel; this Aben Ezra says is not right, but he says it means one that is not of the seed of Aaron; and so the Targum of Jonathan,"upon a profane person (or a common person, a laic) that is not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:34

And the Lord said unto Moses ,.... In a continued discourse, or some time after the former, though more probably at the same time; since it concerns the incense to be offered on the altar of incense, about which directions are given in the former part of the chapter: take unto thee sweet spices : which are as follow, "stacte", "onycha", and "galbanum"; the former of these has its name from dropping; and of the same signification is the Hebrew word "Nataph", here used. Pancirollus says ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:35

And thou shalt make it a perfume ,.... By mixing the above spices together: a confection after the art of the apothecary ; in the manner they beat, compound, and mix several ingredients together: tempered together ; or "salted" F12 ממלח "salitum", Montanus, Drusius. Junius & Tremellius, & Piscator. , with salt of Sodom, as Aben Ezra interprets it; and Maimonides F13 Cele Hamikdash, c. 2. sect. 3. says, there was a fourth part of a kab of salt of Sodom put into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:36

And thou shall beat some of it very small ,.... Or every one of the spices; for this does not seem to respect any different usage of some part of the incense from the rest; but it was all to be beat very small, that it might mix together the better, and be easier spread upon the coals, and the smoke thereof go up the sooner: and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation ; that is, upon the altar of incense, which was placed there, Exodus 30:6 and here it was... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:37

And as for the perfume which thou shalt make ,.... As above directed: ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof ; that is, for their own use, for the scenting of their rooms, or to snuff up, or smell to, as in the next verse: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord ; separated entirely for his service, to be burned upon his altar, and to be no otherwise used. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 30:38

Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto ,.... A man might make a perfume of the same ingredients, and of the same weight, and exactly like it, but not to burn for his own delight and pleasure; but if he made it and sold it to the congregation, as Jarchi observes, he was not guilty; but if it was for his own private use and pleasure, then he shall even be cut off from his people ; See Gill on Exodus 30:33 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 30:34

Take unto thee sweet spices - The holy perfume was compounded of the following ingredients: Stacte - נטף nataph , supposed to be the same with what was afterwards called the balm of Jericho. Stacte is the gum which spontaneously flows from the tree which produces myrrh. See Clarke's note on Exodus 30:23 . Onycha - שחלת shecheleth , allowed by the best critics to be the unguis odoriferans described by Rumph, which is the external crust of the shell-fish purpura or murex, and... read more

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