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And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.
Exodus 30:31 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations.
  • KJV And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
  • BSB And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
  • NKJV “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.
  • NASB Furthermore, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The oil was to be a holy anointing oil to God throughout the generations. Its sacred purpose was permanent and exclusive.

Overview

Israel was told that this oil belonged to God and was reserved for His holy purposes alone. Its perpetual designation guarded the sanctity of consecration over time. The enduring nature of God's anointing points ahead to the abiding anointing of the Spirit that believers receive in Christ (1 John 2:27).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Ps 89:20I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
  • Exod 37:29He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
  • Lev 8:12He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
  • Lev 21:10“‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, or tear his clothes.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Exodus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Exodus 30:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ExodusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.

How Exodus 30:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.