Exodus 30:25

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 30:25 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.
Exodus 30:25 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
25And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, etc.] All the above spices and oil being put together, an ointment was to be made out of them, not thick, as ointments usually are, but a liquid to be poured, and therefore called an “oil of ointment”, and “holy”, because devoted only to sacred uses: an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: or confectioner; the spices bruised, and pounded, and mixed together, and boiled or distilled, and so an oil or ointment extracted from them: it shall be an holy anointing oil; for the uses next mentioned: it signified the Holy Spirit of God, and his graces, that oil of gladness with which Christ and his people are anointed; and is that…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Compare Exodus 37:29. Exodus 30:23 Principal spices - i. e. the best spices. Pure myrrh - Is a gum which comes from the stem of a low, thorny, ragged tree, that grows in Arabia Felix and Eastern Africa, called by botanists Balsamodendron myrrha. The word here rendered pure, is literally, “freely flowing”, an epithet which is explained by the fact that the best myrrh is said to exude spontaneously from the bark, while that of inferior quality oozes out in greater quantity from incisions made in the bark. Five hundred shekels - Probably rather more than 15 1/4 lbs. See Exodus 38:24. Cinnamon - is obtained from a tree allied to the laurel that grows in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and other islands of…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“apothecary: or, perfumer, Ch1 9:30 an holy: Exo 37:29; Num 35:25; Psa 89:20, Psa 133:2; Heb 1:9 Exodus 30:26”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification