And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.
Parallel translations
- WEB He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
- BSB He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.
- NKJV He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer.
- NASB Then he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.
- NLT Then he made the sacred anointing oil and the fragrant incense, using the techniques of a skilled incense maker.
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 holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense were prepared by a skilled perfumer. These consecrated the sanctuary and its service.
Overview
The anointing oil set apart the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests as holy, while the incense was offered before the Lord. Both were made by exact divine recipe (Exodus 30:22-38) and were not to be imitated for common use. The anointing oil anticipates the Spirit's anointing, supremely of Christ, the Anointed One (Acts 10:38).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Rev 8:3–4And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
- Ps 141:2Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
- 1 Jn 2:27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
- John 3:34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
- Ps 23:5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
- Eccl 10:1Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
- 1 Jn 2:20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
- Ps 14:1–2The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
- Heb 5:7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
- Exod 30:23–38Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
- Isa 61:3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
- 2 Cor 1:21–22Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
- Ps 92:10But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
- Isa 11:2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
- Heb 7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
- Isa 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
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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 37:29 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
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