Exodus 30:1

Contemporary English Version

The Lord said to Moses: Build an altar of acacia wood where you can burn incense.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of shittim wood.

King James Version
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

Lexham English Bible
"And you will make an altar for burning incense; you will make it of acacia wood,

New Century Version
"Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense.

New English Translation
"You are to make an altar for burning incense; you are to make it of acacia wood.

Amplified Bible
"You shall make an altar upon which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

New American Standard Bible
"Now you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Fvrthermore thou shalt make an altar for sweete perfume, of Shittim wood thou shalt make it.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Complete Jewish Bible
(vii) "You are to make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood.

Darby Translation
And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it;

Easy-to-Read Version
"Make an altar from acacia wood. You will use this altar for burning incense.

English Standard Version
"You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

George Lamsa Translation
YOU shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of shittim wood shall you make it.

Good News Translation
"Make an altar out of acacia wood, for burning incense.

Christian Standard Bible®
“You are to make an altar for the burning of incense; make it of acacia wood.

Literal Translation
And you shall make an altar, a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt make also an incense altare to burne incense, of Fyrre tre,

American Standard Version
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it.

Bible in Basic English
And you are to make an altar for the burning of perfume; of hard wood let it be made.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thou shalt make an aulter for sweete incense: of Sittim wood shalte thou make it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia-wood shalt thou make it.

King James Version (1611)
Andthou shalt make an Altar to burne incense vpon: of Shittim wood shalt thou make it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt make the altar of incense of incorruptible wood.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shalt thou make it.

Berean Standard Bible
You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also thou schalt make an auter of the trees of Sechym, to brenne encense;

Young's Literal Translation
`And thou hast made an altar [for] making perfume; [of] shittim wood thou dost make it;

Update Bible Version
And you shall make an altar to burn incense on: of acacia wood you shall make it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: [of] shittim wood shalt thou make it.

World English Bible
"You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.

New King James Version
Exodus 37:25-28">[xr] "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.

New Living Translation
"Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

New Life Bible
"Make an altar for burning special perfume. Make it of acacia wood.

New Revised Standard
You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And thou shalt make an altar, for burning incense, of acacia wood, shalt thou make it:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt make also an altar to burn incense, of setim wood.

Revised Standard Version
"You shall make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia wood shall you make it.

THE MESSAGE
"Make an Altar for burning incense. Construct it from acacia wood, one and one-half feet square and three feet high with its horns of one piece with it. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and make a gold molding around it with two rings of gold beneath the molding. Place the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Contextual Overview

¹ The Lord said to Moses: Build an altar of acacia wood where you can burn incense. ² Make it eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high, and make each of its four corners stick up like the horn of a bull. ³ Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it. ⁴ Then below the edging on opposite sides attach two gold rings through which you can put the poles for carrying the altar. ⁵ These poles are also to be made of acacia wood covered with gold. ⁶ Put the altar in front of the inside curtain of the sacred tent. The chest with the place of mercy is kept behind that curtain, and I will talk with you there. ⁷From now on, when Aaron tends the lamp each morning and evening, he must burn sweet-smelling incense to me on the altar. ⁹ Burn only the proper incense on the altar and never use it for grain sacrifices or animal sacrifices or drink offerings. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing on its four corners the blood of an animal sacrificed for sin, and this practice must always be followed. The altar is sacred because it is dedicated to me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The Samaritan inserts the first ten verses of this chapter after Exodus 26:32.

an altar: Exodus 30:7, Exodus 30:8, Exodus 30:10, Exodus 37:25-28, Exodus 40:5, Leviticus 4:7, Leviticus 4:18, 1 Kings 6:20, 2 Chronicles 26:16, Revelation 8:3

to burn incense: Where so many sacrifices were offered, it was essentially necessary to have some pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the burning of so much flesh, the sprinkling of the blood. No blood was ever sprinkled on this altar, except once a year, on the grand day of expiation. It was called also the golden altar - Numbers 4:11, and the incense was as constantly burnt on it every day, as the morning and evening sacrifice of a lamb was burnt on the brazen altar.

Reciprocal: Exodus 31:8 - the altar Exodus 35:15 - the incense Exodus 40:26 - General Leviticus 10:1 - put incense Leviticus 16:13 - And he Numbers 3:31 - the altars 1 Kings 6:22 - also 1 Kings 7:48 - the altar 1 Chronicles 6:49 - Aaron 1 Chronicles 28:18 - the altar 2 Chronicles 4:19 - the golden 2 Chronicles 13:11 - sweet incense 2 Chronicles 32:12 - one altar Isaiah 65:3 - altars Ezekiel 41:22 - altar Luke 1:11 - the altar Revelation 8:4 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 29:31
The Lord knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel.

Genesis 30:1
Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, "I'll die if you don't give me some children!"

Genesis 30:3
"Here, take my servant Bilhah," Rachel told him. "Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine."

Genesis 30:4
Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah,

Genesis 30:8
Rachel said, "I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!" So she named the boy Naphtali.

Genesis 30:14
During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them,

Genesis 30:16
That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, "You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers." They slept together that night,

Genesis 30:18
Leah shouted, "God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant," and she named the boy Issachar.

Genesis 30:19
When Leah had another son,

Genesis 30:20
she exclaimed, "God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons." So she named the boy Zebulun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon,.... The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call it incense of spices, properly enough, for it was made of various spices; of which see Exodus 30:34 and this was necessary on a natural and civil account, to remove those ill smells from the sanctuary, occasioned by the number of beasts continually slain in it; but chiefly on a religions account, to denote the acceptableness of the service of the sanctuary to God:

of shittim wood shall thou make it: of the same that the altar of burnt offering was made, which was covered with brass, but this with gold, as after related; of this sort of wood, Exodus 30:34- : as this altar was a type of Christ, the shittim wood may respect his human nature; which wood, though it sprung out of the earth, was not common, but choice and excellent, and very strong durable, and incorruptible; and so Christ, though he was man made of an earthly woman in his human nature, yet was chosen out of the people, is the chiefest among ten thousand, and excellent as the cedars, the man of God's right hand, whom he made strong for himself; and though he died in it, he saw no corruption, he now lives, and will live for evermore; in which nature he acts the part of a Mediator, and intercedes for his people, and offers up their prayers, perfumed with the much incense of his mediation, to which this altar has a special respect.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Exodus 37:25-28; Exodus 40:26-27. The altar of incense was to be a casing of boards of shittim wood Exodus 25:5, Exodus 25:18 inches square and three feet in height (taking the cubit as 18 inches), entirely covered with plates of gold. Four “horns” were to project upward at the corners like those of the altar of burnt-offering Exodus 27:2. A crown or moulding of gold was to run round the top. On each of two opposite sides there was to be a gold ring through which the staves were to be put when it was moved from place to place.

Exodus 30:4

By the two corners thereof - Not corners. See the margin. The sense appears to be: And two gold rings shalt thou make for it under its moulding; on its two sides shalt thou make them (i. e. one ring on each side).

Exodus 30:6

The place for the altar of incense was outside the veil, opposite to the ark of the covenant and between the candlestick on the south side and the showbread table on the north Exodus 40:22-24. It appears to have been regarded as having a more intimate connection with the holy of holies than the other things in the holy place; and the mention of the mercy-seat in this verse, if we associate with it the significance of incense as figuring the prayers of the Lord’s people Psalms 141:2; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4, seems to furnish additional pound for an inference that the incense altar took precedence of the table of showbread and the candlestick.

Exodus 30:7

The lamps - See Exodus 25:37.

Exodus 30:7-8

The offering of the incense accompanied that of the morning and evening sacrifice. The two forms of offering symbolized the spirit of man reaching after communion with Yahweh, both in act and utterance. See Psalms 141:2.

Exodus 30:9

By this regulation, the symbolism of the altar of incense was kept free from ambiguity. atonement was made by means of the victim on the brazen altar in the court ontside; the prayers of the reconciled worshippers had their type within the tabernacle.

Exodus 30:10

See the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXX

The altar of burnt incense, 1.

Dimensions, 2.

Golden crown, 3.

Rings and staves, 4, 5.

Where placed, 6, 7.

Use, 8-10.

The ransom price of half a shekel, 11-13.

Who were to pay it, 14.

The rich and the poor to pay alike, 15.

The use to which it was applied, 16.

The brazen laver, and its uses, 17-21.

The holy anointing oil, and its component parts, 22-25.

To be applied to the tabernacle, ark, golden table, candlestick,

altar of burnt-offerings, and the laver, 26-29.

And to Aaron and his sons, 30.

Never to be applied to any other uses, and none like it ever to

be made, 31-33.

The perfume, and how made, 34, 35.

Its use, 36.

Nothing similar to it ever to be made, 37, 38.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXX

Verse Exodus 30:1. Altar to burn incense — The Samaritan omits the ten first verses of this chapter, because it inserts them after the 32d verse of chap. xxvi. Exodus 26:32.

Shittim wood — The same of which the preceding articles were made, because it was abundant in those parts, and because it was very durable; hence everywhere the Septuagint translation, which was made in Egypt, renders the original by ξυλον ασηπτον, incorruptible wood.