It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece. It is to be squareThe specification that the altar is to be square reflects the biblical theme of order and perfection. In Hebrew, the word for square is "רָבוּעַ" (ravu'a), which signifies completeness and stability. The square shape is often associated with the earth and the four corners of the world, symbolizing the universality of God's covenant and His presence. This design ensures that the altar is balanced and accessible from all sides, representing the impartiality and fairness of God's justice. a cubit long and a cubit wide
The cubit, an ancient measurement roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 centimeters, was based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. This measurement, "אַמָּה" (ammah) in Hebrew, was a common standard in ancient construction, emphasizing the human scale of divine instructions. The altar's dimensions reflect the personal and intimate nature of worship, inviting individuals to approach God with reverence and humility. and two cubits high
The height of two cubits, doubling the length and width, suggests elevation and prominence. In biblical symbolism, height often represents spiritual ascent and the pursuit of holiness. The altar's elevation signifies the lifting of prayers and sacrifices to God, illustrating the connection between the earthly and the divine. This vertical dimension encourages believers to look upward, focusing on their relationship with God and aspiring to higher spiritual ideals. Its horns
The horns of the altar, "קַרְנֹתָיו" (qarnotav) in Hebrew, are significant both practically and symbolically. Horns in ancient Near Eastern culture were symbols of strength and power. On the altar, they represent the power of God to save and protect. The horns were also used in rituals, such as the application of blood during sacrifices, symbolizing atonement and purification. They serve as a reminder of God's mercy and the strength found in His covenant. of one piece with it
The phrase "of one piece with it" underscores the unity and integrity of the altar's construction. This unity, "מִמֶּנּוּ" (mimennu) in Hebrew, reflects the wholeness and perfection of God's design. The altar, being of one piece, signifies the seamless nature of God's plan and the interconnectedness of His creation. It serves as a metaphor for the unity of the body of believers, called to be one in purpose and spirit, reflecting the oneness of God Himself. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who received the instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, including the altar of incense, from God on Mount Sinai. 2. TabernacleThe portable dwelling place for the divine presence among the Israelites, where the altar of incense was to be placed. 3. Altar of IncenseA sacred object within the Tabernacle, used for burning incense as a symbol of prayer and worship ascending to God. 4. Bezalel and OholiabSkilled artisans appointed by God to oversee the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, including the altar of incense. 5. IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who were to follow the laws and instructions given through Moses, including the use of the altar of incense in their worship practices. Teaching Points Symbolism of IncenseThe altar of incense represents the prayers of the people rising to God. Just as the incense was a pleasing aroma, our prayers should be sincere and pleasing to God. Holiness and ReverenceThe specific dimensions and design of the altar highlight the importance of approaching God with reverence and following His instructions carefully. Unity in WorshipThe altar's horns being of one piece with it signifies the unity and completeness required in our worship and dedication to God. Consistency in PrayerJust as the incense was to be burned regularly, our prayer life should be consistent and persistent, reflecting a continual relationship with God. Craftsmanship and ObedienceThe detailed construction of the altar underscores the value of using our skills and talents in obedience to God's commands and for His glory. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the design of the altar of incense reflect the nature of our prayers to God? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our worship and prayers are pleasing to God, similar to the incense on the altar? 3. How does the concept of unity, as seen in the altar's design, apply to our personal and communal worship practices today? 4. What can we learn from the detailed instructions for the altar about the importance of obedience and attention to God's commands in our lives? 5. How do the connections between the altar of incense and other scriptures, such as those in Revelation, enhance our understanding of prayer and worship? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 37:25-28Describes the actual construction of the altar of incense, following the specifications given in Exodus 30:2. Revelation 8:3-4Illustrates the heavenly altar of incense, symbolizing the prayers of the saints, drawing a parallel to the earthly altar described in Exodus. Psalm 141:2David's prayer likens his prayers to incense, connecting the physical act of burning incense to the spiritual act of prayer. People Aaron, Israelites, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Altar, Breadth, Cubit, Cubits, Foursquare, Height, Hight, Horns, Itself, Length, Piece, Square, Thereof, Wide, WidthDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 30:1-5 4333 gold
4552 wood Exodus 30:1-10 7302 altar Exodus 30:2-3 4654 horn Library The Altar of Incense
'Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.' --EXODUS xxx. 1. Ceremonies are embodied thoughts. Religious ceremonies are moulded by, and seek to express, the worshipper's conception of his God, and his own relation to Him; his aspirations and his need. Of late years scholars have been busy studying the religions of the more backward races, and explaining rude and repulsive rites by pointing to the often profound and sometimes beautiful ideas underlying them. When that process is applied to Australian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureRansom for Souls --I.
Then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul.' --EXODUS xxx. 12. This remarkable provision had a religious intention. Connect it with the tax-money which Peter found in the fish's mouth. I. Its meaning. Try to realise an Israelite's thoughts at the census. 'I am enrolled among the people and army of God: am I worthy? What am I, to serve so holy a God?' The payment was meant-- (a) To excite the sense of sin. This should be present in all approach to God, in all service; accompanying the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ransom for Souls --ii.
'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel....'--EXODUS xxx. 15. This tax was exacted on numbering the people. It was a very small amount, about fifteen pence, so it was clearly symbolical in its significance. Notice-- I. The broad principle of equality of all souls in the sight of God. Contrast the reign of caste and class in heathendom with the democracy of Judaism and of Christianity. II. The universal sinfulness. Payment of the tax was a confession that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture "Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." As there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinners, such as, to make them the sons of God who were the children of the devil, and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath; so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life. For though the love be wonderful, that we should be called the sons of God; yet, as that apostle speaks, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Jesus Pays the Tribute Money.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29) ^A Matt. XVII. 24-27. ^a 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel? [The law of Moses required from every male of twenty years and upward the payment of a tax of half a shekel for the support of the temple (Ex. xxx. 12-16; II. Chron. xxiv. 5, 6). This tax was collected annually. We are told that a dispute existed between the Pharisees and Sadducees as to whether the payment …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel How a Private Man must Begin the Morning with Piety.
As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after; but if thy heart be not, at thy first waking, filled with some meditations of God and his word, and dressed, like the lamp in the tabernacle …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Copies of Things in the Heavens
'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 4. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Last Events in Galilee - the Tribute-Money, the Dispute by the Way, the Forbidding of Him who could not Follow with the Disciples, and The
Now that the Lord's retreat in the utmost borders of the land, at Cæsarea Philippi, was known to the Scribes, and that He was again surrounded and followed by the multitude, there could be no further object in His retirement. Indeed, the time was coming that He should meet that for which He had been, and was still, preparing the minds of His disciples - His Decease at Jerusalem. Accordingly, we find Him once more with His disciples in Galilee - not to abide there, [3743] nor to traverse it …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought. …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 30:2 NIVExodus 30:2 NLTExodus 30:2 ESVExodus 30:2 NASBExodus 30:2 KJV
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