The Altar of Incense

30 “Now you shall make (A)an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Its length shall be [a]a cubit, and its width a cubit; it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be [b]of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its [c]sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. You shall also make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two sides—on [d]opposite sides—and [e]they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put [f]this altar in front of the veil that is [g]near the ark of the testimony, in front of the [h](B)atoning cover that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. And when Aaron sets up the lamps at [i]twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer any [j]strange incense on [k]this altar, or burnt offering, or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 However, Aaron shall (C)make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 About 1.5 ft. long and wide and 3 ft. high or 45 cm and 90 cm
  2. Exodus 30:2 Lit from itself
  3. Exodus 30:3 Lit walls
  4. Exodus 30:4 Lit its two
  5. Exodus 30:4 Lit it
  6. Exodus 30:6 Lit it
  7. Exodus 30:6 Lit upon; or over
  8. Exodus 30:6 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  9. Exodus 30:8 Lit between the two evenings
  10. Exodus 30:9 I.e., prohibited
  11. Exodus 30:9 Lit it

Instructions for Making the Incense Altar

30 “And you will make an altar for burning incense; you will make it of acacia wood, a cubit its length and a cubit its width—it will be square—and two cubits its height, its horns of one piece with it.[a] And you will overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. And you will make two gold rings for it; under its molding on two opposite sides[b] you will make them as holders[c] for poles to carry it with them. You will make the poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. And you will put it before the curtain that is upon the ark of the testimony, before the atonement cover, which is on the testimony, there where I will meet with you.

“And on it Aaron will turn fragrant incense into smoke; each morning[d] when he tends the lamps, he will turn it into smoke. And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight,[e] he will turn it into smoke—incense of continuity—before Yahweh throughout your generations. You will not offer on it strange incense or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you will not pour a libation on it. 10 And Aaron will make atonement on its horns one time in the year from the blood of the sin offering of the atonement; one time in the year he will make atonement on it throughout your generations; it is a most holy thing for Yahweh.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:2 Literally “from it”
  2. Exodus 30:4 Literally “on two of its sides you will make on two of its sides”
  3. Exodus 30:4 Literally “houses”
  4. Exodus 30:7 Literally “in the morning in the morning”
  5. Exodus 30:8 Literally “between the two evenings”