translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EXO

label: NET translator note

text: The expression is מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת ( mizbeakh miqtar qÿtoret ), either “an altar, namely an altar of incense,” or “an altar, [for] burning incense.” The second noun is “altar of incense,” although some suggest it is an active noun meaning “burning.” If the former, then it is in apposition to the word for “altar” (which is not in construct). The last noun is “incense” or “sweet smoke.” It either qualifies the “altar of incense” or serves as the object of the active noun. B. Jacob says that in order to designate that this altar be used only for incense, the Torah prepared the second word for this passage alone. It specifies the kind of altar this is ( Exodus , 828).


text: This is an adverbial accusative explaining the material used in building the altar.


text: Heb “a cubit.”


text: Heb “two cubits.”


text: Heb “its horns from it.”


text: Heb “roof.”


text: Heb “its walls around.”


text: Heb “and make for it border gold around.” The verb is a consecutive perfect. See Exod 25:11 , where the ark also has such a molding.


text: Heb “And it”; this refers to the rings collectively in their placement on the box, and so the word “rings” has been used to clarify the referent for the modern reader.


text: Heb “for houses.”


text: The text uses a cognate accusative (“incense”) with the verb “to burn” or “to make into incense/sweet smoke.” Then, the noun “sweet spices” is added in apposition to clarify the incense as sweet.


text: The Hebrew is בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ ( bÿhetivo ), a Hiphil infinitive construct serving in a temporal clause. The Hebrew verb means “to make good” and so in this context “to fix” or “to dress.” This refers to cleansing and trimming the lamps.


text: The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.


text: Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.” This full means for introducing a quotation from the Lord is used again in 30:17, 22; 31:1; and 40:1 . It appears first in 6:10 . Cynthia L. Miller discusses its use in detail ( The Representation of Speech in Biblical Hebrew Narrative , 373-86).


text: The expression is “when you take [lift up] the sum [head] of the Israelites.”


text: The form is לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם ( lifqudehem , “according to those that are numbered of/by them”) from the verb פָּקַד ( paqad , “to visit”). But the idea of this word seems more to be that of changing or determining the destiny, and so “appoint” and “number” become clear categories of meaning for the word. Here it simply refers to the census, but when this word is used for a census it often involves mustering an army for a military purpose. Here there is no indication of a war, but it may be laying down the principle that when they should do this, here is the price. B. Jacob ( Exodus , 835) uses as a good illustration, showing that the warrior was essentially a murderer, if he killed anyone in battle. For this reason his blood was forfeit; if he survived he must pay a כֹּפֶר ( kofer ) because every human life possesses value and must be atoned for. The payment during the census represented a “presumptive ransom” so that they could not be faulted for what they might do in war.


text: The “ransom” is כֹּפֶר ( kofer ), a word related to words translated “atone” and “atonement.” Here the noun refers to what is paid for the life. The idea is that of delivering or redeeming by a substitute – here the substitute is the money. If they paid the amount, their lives would be safe (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:473).


text: The temporal clause uses a preposition, an infinitive construct, and then an accusative. The subject is supplied: “in numbering them” means “when [you] number them.” The verb could also be rendered “when you muster them.”


text: Or “contribution” ( תְּרוּמָה , tÿrumah ).


text: Or “pay more.”


text: The form is לָתֵת ( latet ), the Qal infinitive construct with the lamed preposition. The infinitive here is explaining the preceding verbs. They are not to increase or diminish the amount “in paying the offering.” The construction approximates a temporal clause.


text: Heb “the silver of the atonements.” The genitive here is the result (as in “sheep of slaughter”) telling what the money will be used for (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , 11, §44).


text: The infinitive could be taken in a couple of ways here. It could be an epexegetical infinitive: “making atonement.” Or it could be the infinitive expressing result: “so that atonement will be made for your lives.”


text: Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”


text: Heb “and its stand bronze.”


text: The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה ) .


text: That is, from water from it.


text: The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet ( ב ), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.


text: “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117. y , n. 1).


text: The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.


text: Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ ( nagash ) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.


text: The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.


text: The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” ( Leviticus 1-16 , 161).


text: Heb “and [then] they will wash.”


text: The verb is “it will be.”


text: Heb “for his seed.”


text: Or “for generations to come”; it literally is “to their generations.” sn The symbolic meaning of washing has been taught throughout the ages. This was a practical matter of cleaning hands and feet, but it was also symbolic of purification before Yahweh. It was an outward sign of inner spiritual cleansing, or forgiveness. Jesus washed the disciples feet () to show this same teaching; he asked the disciples if they knew what he had done (so it was more than washing feet). In this passage the theological points for the outline would be these: I. God provides the means of cleansing; II. Cleansing is a prerequisite for participating in the worship, and III. (Believers) priests must regularly appropriate God’s provision of cleansing.


text: The construction uses the imperative “take,” but before it is the independent pronoun to add emphasis to it. After the imperative is the ethical dative (lit. “to you”) to stress the task to Moses as a personal responsibility: “and you, take to yourself.”


text: Heb “spices head.” This must mean the chief spices, or perhaps the top spice, meaning fine spices or choice spices. See Song 4:14 ; Ezek 27:22 .


text: Or “500 shekels.” Verse 24 specifies that the sanctuary shekel was the unit for weighing the spices. The total of 1500 shekels for the four spices is estimated at between 77 and 100 pounds, or 17 to 22 kilograms, depending on how much a shekel weighed (C. Houtman, Exodus , 3:576).


text: The words “all weighed” are added for clarity in English.


text: Or “a hin.” A hin of oil is estimated at around one gallon (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).


text: Heb “it.”


text: The word “oil” is an adverbial accusative, indicating the product that results from the verb (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , §52).


text: The somewhat rare words rendered “a perfumed compound” are both associated with a verbal root having to do with mixing spices and other ingredients to make fragrant ointments. They are used with the next phrase, “the work of a perfumer,” to describe the finished oil as a special mixture of aromatic spices and one requiring the knowledge and skills of an experienced maker.


text: The verb is a Piel perfect with vav ( ו ) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36 ).


text: This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”


text: See Exod 29:37 ; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.


text: The perfect tense with vav ( ו ) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.


text: Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.


text: Heb “a stranger,” meaning someone not ordained a priest.


text: The construction is “take to you,” which could be left in that literal sense, but more likely the suffix is an ethical dative, stressing the subject of the imperative.


text: The word “spice is repeated here, suggesting that the first three formed half of the ingredient and this spice the other half – but this is conjecture (U. Cassuto, Exodus , 400).


text: Heb “of each part there will be an equal part.”


text: This is an accusative of result or product.


text: The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.


text: The word מְמֻלָּח ( mÿmullakh ), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and Tg. Onq. Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.


text: Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.