Exodus 30:22-33

THE HOLY OIL OF ANOINTING

"Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; and thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people."

There is some curiosity as to how some 46 1/4 pounds of spices could be pulverized and mixed with about a gallon and a half of olive oil, but the explanation is in Exodus 30:25, where the instructions indicated that all of this was to be done "after the art of the perfumer."

According to Jewish tradition, the essences of the spices were first extracted, and then mixed with the oil. The preparation was entrusted to Bezaleel (Exodus 37:29); and the duty of preserving it fell upon Eleazar the son of Aaron (Numbers 4:16).[27]

The amount of each of the four spices was approximately 15 1/4 pounds each of myrrh and of cassia, and 7 pounds, 14 ounces each of the cinnamon and the calamus.[28]

The ceremony of anointing was considered to be especially important in the history of Israel, because it set apart objects and persons for the service of God. "It was used in the consecration of kings; and it even came to be the word for the Messiah, which means anointed."[29] The later Jewish expectation of "a Messiah," or "Anointed one," was primarily associated with a coming king, although it could be linked with the priesthood. Some Jews, therefore, came to expect two Messiah's, a priestly one, and a kingly one.[30]

Although it is not certainly known in every instance just exactly what these spices were, the following opinions will give some idea of what is meant:

1. MYRRH. The text designates that this was to be "freely flowing myrrh," as contrasted with the myrrh produced by making incisions into the myrrh trees. The kind that appeared by itself was considered best. The ancients used it: (a) as a perfume; (b) for embalming the dead; and (c) for incense. "This gum is produced from a low, thorny, ragged tree, that grows in Arabia Felix and Eastern Africa, called by botanists, Balsamodendron myrrha.[31]

2. CINNAMON. This is a rare spice, derived from a species of the laurel tree ("Laurus cinnarnomum") which grows only on the Malabar coast of India, Ceylon, Borneo, Sumatra, China, and Cochin China. The mention of it here shows that there was commerce between the Far East and the Near East at this early period.

3. SWEET CALAMUS. Several aromatic reeds of this kind are known, and "it is impossible to know exactly which one was meant here."[32]

4. CASSIA. This spice bears a strong resemblance to cinnamon, in fact having the botanical name "Cinnamomum cassia". "It is more pungent than the cinnamon which we know today, and of a coarser texture."[33]