How are the incense altar, census payment, washing and holy compounds governed?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Each has its own stated rule: Aaron burns the prescribed incense morning and evening and makes yearly atonement on the altar; those counted from twenty years upward give the same half-sicle payment; Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet before the named occasions of service; the holy oil and incense have specified ingredients and restrictions on their use and reproduction.

Chapter breakdown

How are the incense altar, census payment, washing and holy compounds governed? Each has its own stated rule: Aaron burns the prescribed incense morning and evening and makes yearly atonement on the altar; those counted from twenty years upward give the same half-sicle payment; Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet before the named occasions of service; the holy oil and incense have specified ingredients and restrictions on their use and reproduction.

Moses is to make a setim-wood altar for burning incense.

Challoner’s note calls this burning of incense an emblem of prayer rising to God from an inflamed heart. It points to Psalm 140:2 and Apocalypse 5:8 and 8:4.

The altar is square, one cubit long and one wide, and two cubits high, with horns projecting from it. Its grate, surrounding walls and horns are covered with the purest gold, and a gold crown goes around it. Two gold rings beneath the crown, on either side, receive bars to carry the altar. The bars are setim covered with gold. The altar stands opposite the veil before the ark of the testimony and the propitiatory covering the testimony, where God will speak to Moses.

Aaron burns sweet-smelling incense in the morning when he dresses the lamps, and in the evening when he places them, as everlasting incense before the Lord throughout their generations. No differently composed incense, oblation, victim or drink offering is offered upon this altar. Once a year Aaron prays upon its horns with the blood of what was offered for sin and makes atonement upon it through their generations. It is most holy to the Lord.

The Lord tells Moses that when he numbers Israel, each person must give a price for their soul to the Lord, and no scourge will be among them when they are counted. Everyone passing at the naming gives half a sicle according to the temple standard. One sicle has twenty obols; half a sicle is offered to the Lord.

Challoner’s note explains a sicle or shekel of silver, also called a stater, by the sanctuary’s standard weight, described as the most just and exact. It gives a whole sicle as half an ounce of silver, about half a crown in English money, and an obol or gerah as about three halfpence. These are the edition note’s comparisons, not present-day conversions.

Those counted from twenty years upward give the price. A rich man must not add to half a sicle, and a poor man must not subtract from it. The contributed money goes to the uses of the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of Israel before the Lord, so he may be merciful to their souls.

The Lord commands a brass washing basin with its foot, placed between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar and filled with water. Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet in it when entering the tabernacle and when coming to the altar to offer incense to the Lord, lest perhaps they die. This is an everlasting law for Aaron and his descendants through their successions.

For the holy anointing oil, the Lord tells Moses to take five hundred sicles of principal, chosen myrrh, two hundred and fifty of cinnamon, two hundred and fifty of calamus, five hundred of cassia by the sanctuary’s weight, and one hin of olive oil. The ointment is compounded by the perfumer’s art.

With this oil Moses anoints the tabernacle of the testimony, the ark of the testament, the table and its vessels, the candlestick and its furniture, the altars of incense and holocaust and all the furniture belonging to their service. All are sanctified and most holy; the person who touches them is sanctified. Aaron and his sons are anointed and sanctified for priestly service to the Lord.

Moses must tell Israel that this anointing oil is holy to the Lord throughout their generations. Human flesh must not be anointed with it, and no other of the same composition is to be made, because it is sanctified and holy to them. The text says that whoever compounds such and gives it to a stranger shall be cut off from his people.

The Lord tells Moses to take stacte, onycha, sweet-smelling galbanum and the clearest frankincense, all of equal weight. The perfumer compounds them into incense, well mixed, pure and most worthy of sanctification. Beaten into very small powder, some is set before the tabernacle of the testimony in the place where God will appear to Moses. This incense is most holy. Its composition must not be made for their own uses because it is holy to the Lord. Whoever makes its like to enjoy the smell shall perish out of his people.

The story inside

The chapter gives separate instructions for four matters of service. First comes the incense altar’s construction and place before the veil, followed by Aaron’s morning and evening incense, forbidden offerings and yearly blood rite. Challoner separately explains incense as an emblem of prayer. Next, the census payment is half a sicle for every person counted from twenty upward, with neither an increase for the rich nor a decrease for the poor; the money serves the tabernacle as a memorial, with mercy sought for their souls. The washing basin then supplies water for Aaron’s and his sons’ hands and feet on the named occasions, with the warning “lest perhaps they die.” Finally, the oil and incense have distinct measured ingredients, preparation, holy status and restrictions. The oil anoints the named furnishings and priests; the incense is powdered and set where God will appear. The chapter states the consequences for the prohibited compounding and use, without describing how those consequences are carried out. (Exodus 30:1–38.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The incense altar has a defined use. Morning and evening incense accompanies tending the lamps, while other compositions, oblations, victims and drink offerings are forbidden there. Aaron’s yearly rite uses the blood of what was offered for sin. (30:7–10.)
2
The census payment stays the same for rich and poor. Each counted person from twenty upward gives half a sicle. The stated use is the tabernacle’s service, as a memorial before the Lord so he may be merciful to their souls; this chapter does not assign the money to foundation sockets. (30:12–16.)
3
Holy status governs the oil and incense. The oil’s composition is not to be reproduced and the incense is not to be made for personal use or enjoyment of its smell. Both preparations and their stated consequences are retained without adding a method of punishment. (30:22–38.)

Test your recall

Why are the gold rings beneath the altar’s crown made? To receive bars for carrying it. What must rich and poor each give when counted from twenty upward? Half a sicle, without increase or decrease. Why does the money go to the tabernacle’s uses? As a memorial before the Lord so he may be merciful to their souls. When do Aaron and his sons wash? When entering the tabernacle and coming to the altar to offer incense, lest perhaps they die. Why may the incense not be made for their own use?

Show answer

It is holy to the Lord. (30:4, 14–16, 19–21, 37.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 9314–9319
Exodus Chapter 30 The altar of incense: money to be gathered for the use of the tabernacle: the brazen laver: the holy oil of unction, and the composition of the perfume.
Lines 9320–9321
30:1. Thou shalt make also an altar to burn incense, of setim wood.
Lines 9322–9325
An altar to burn incense.... This burning of incense was an emblem of prayer, ascending to God from an inflamed heart. See Ps. 140.2; Apoc. 5.8, and 8.4.
Lines 9326–9342
30:2. It shall be a cubit in length, and another in breadth, that is, four square, and two in height. Horns shall go out of the same. 30:3. And thou shalt overlay it with the purest gold, as well the grate thereof, as the walls round about, and the horns. And thou shalt make to it a crown of gold round about, 30:4. And two golden rings under the crown on either side, that the bars may be put into them, and the altar be carried. 30:5. And thou shalt make the bars also of setim wood, and shalt overlay them with gold. 30:6. And thou shalt set the altar over against the veil, that hangeth before the ark of the testimony before the propitiatory wherewith the testimony is covered, where I will speak to thee.
Lines 9343–9355
30:7. And Aaron shall burn sweet smelling incense upon it in the morning. When he shall dress the lamps, he shall burn it: 30:8. And when he shall place them in the evening, he shall burn an everlasting incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 30:9. You shall not offer upon it incense of another composition, nor oblation, and victim, neither shall you offer libations. 30:10. And Aaron shall pray upon the horns thereof once a year, with the blood of that which was offered for sin; and shall make atonement upon it in your generations. It shall be most holy to the Lord.
Lines 9356–9366
30:11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 30:12. When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel, according to their number, every one of them shall give a price for their souls to the Lord, and there shall be no scourge among them, when they shall be reckoned. 30:13. And this shall every one give that passeth at the naming, half a sicle according to the standard of the temple. A sicle hath twenty obols. Half a sicle shall be offered to the Lord.
Lines 9367–9372
Half a sicle.... A sicle or shekel of silver, (which was also called a stater,) according to the standard or weight of the sanctuary, which was the most just and exact, was half an ounce of silver, that is, about half a crown of English money. The obol, or gerah, was about three halfpence.
Lines 9373–9383
30:14. He that is counted in the number from twenty years and upwards, shall give the price. 30:15. The rich man shall not add to half a sicle, and the poor man shall diminish nothing. 30:16. And the money received, which was contributed by the children of Israel, thou shalt deliver unto the uses of the tabernacle of the testimony, that it may be a memorial of them before the Lord, and he may be merciful to their souls.
Lines 9384–9397
30:17. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 30:18. Thou shalt make also a brazen laver with its foot to wash in: and thou shalt set it between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar. And water being put into it: 30:19. Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in it: 30:20. When they are going into the tabernacle of the testimony, and when they are to come to the altar, to offer on it incense to the Lord, 30:21. Lest perhaps they die. It shall be an everlasting law to him, and to his seed by successions.
Lines 9398–9409
30:22. And the Lord spoke to Moses, 30:23. Saying: Take spices, of principal and chosen myrrh five hundred sicles, and of cinnamon half so much; that is, two hundred and fifty sicles, of calamus in like manner two hundred and fifty, 30:24. And of cassia five hundred sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, of oil of olives the measure hin: 30:25. And thou shalt make the holy oil of unction, an ointment compounded after the art of the perfumer,
Lines 9410–9424
30:26. And therewith thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the testimony, and the ark of the testament, 30:27. And the table with the vessels thereof, the candlestick and furniture thereof, the altars of incense, 30:28. And of holocaust, and all the furniture that belongeth to the service of them. 30:29. And thou shalt sanctify all, and they shall be most holy: he that shall touch them shall be sanctified. 30:30. Thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.
Lines 9425–9434
30:31. And thou shalt say to the children of Israel: This oil of unction shall be holy unto me throughout your generations. 30:32. The flesh of man shall not be anointed therewith, and you shall make none other of the same composition, because it is sanctified, and shall be holy unto you. 30:33. What man soever shall compound such, and shall give thereof to a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.
Lines 9435–9453
30:34. And the Lord said to Moses: Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, galbanum of sweet savour, and the clearest frankincense, all shall be of equal weight. 30:35. And thou shalt make incense compounded by the work of the perfumer, well tempered together, and pure, and most worthy of sanctification. 30:36. And when thou hast beaten all into very small powder, thou shalt set of it before the tabernacle of the testimony, in the place where I will appear to thee. Most holy shall this incense be unto you. 30:37. You shall not make such a composition for your own uses, because it is holy to the Lord. 30:38. What man soever shall make the like, to enjoy the smell thereof, he shall perish out of his people.