Exodus 30:38

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 30:38 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.
Exodus 30:38 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
38Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, etc.] A man might make a perfume of the same ingredients, and of the same weight, and exactly like it, but not to burn for his own delight and pleasure; but if he made it and sold it to the congregation, as Jarchi observes, he was not guilty; but if it was for his own private use and pleasure, then he shall even be cut off from his people; ((see Gill on “<023033>Exodus 30:33”)).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Exodus 37:29. The incense, like the anointing oil, consisted of four aromatic ingredients. Stacte - supposed to be either the gum of the Storax tree (Styrax officinale) found in Syria and the neighboring countries, or the gum known as Benzoin, or Gum Benjamin, which is an important ingredient in the incense now used in churches and mosques, and is the produce of another storax tree (Styrax benzoin) that grows in Java and Sumatra. Onycha - , a perfume perhaps made from the cap of the strombus, or wing-shell, which abounds in the Red Sea. Galbanum - , a gum of a yellowish brown color, in the form of either grains or masses. It is imported from India, Persia, and Africa; but the plant from…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“be cut off: Exo 30:33 Next: Exodus Chapter 31”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification