Exodus 30:23
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
Take you also to you 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,
American King James Version (AKJV)
Take you also to you 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,
American Standard Version (ASV)
Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred'shekels , and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Take the best spices, five hundred shekels' weight of liquid myrrh, and of sweet cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred and fifty shekels, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet calamus,
Webster's Revision
Take thou also to thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
World English Bible
"Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty;
English Revised Version (ERV)
Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty,
Clarke's Exodus 30:23 Bible Commentary
Take - unto thee principal spices - From this and the following verse we learn that the holy anointing oil was compounded of the following ingredients: -
Pure myrrh, מר דרור mar deror, 500 shekels
Sweet cinnamon, קנמן בשם kinnemon besem, 250 shekels. (probably from Arabia)
Sweet calamus, קנה בשם keneh bosem, or sweet 250 shekels. cane, Jeremiah 6:20 - Calamus aromaticus.
Cassia, קדה kiddah, (cassia lignea), brought 500 shekels. Also from Arabia.
Olive oil, שמן זית shemen sayith, one hin, about 5 quarts.
Myrrh is the produce of an oriental tree not well known, and is collected by making an incision in the tree. What is now called by this name is precisely the same with that of the ancients.
500 shekels of the first and last, make 48 lbs. 4 oz. 12 dwts. 21 21/31 grs.
250 of the cinnamon and calamus. 24 lbs. 2 oz. 6 dwts.10 26/31 grs.
Olive oil is supposed to be the best preservative of odours.
As the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit are termed the anointing of the Holy Ghost, therefore this holy ointment appears to have been designed as emblematical of those gifts and graces. See Acts 1:5; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27.
Barnes's Exodus 30:23 Bible Commentary
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 the Indian Ocean, known in Botany as the Cinnamomum zeylanicum. It is the inner rind of the tree dried in the sun. It was imported from India in very early times by the people of Ophir, and brought with other spices from the south part of Arabia by the trading caravans that visited Egypt and Syria. The mention of these spices in Exodus may be taken as the earliest notice we have connected with commerce with the remote East.
Two hundred and fifty shekels - about 7 lbs. 14 oz.
Sweet calamus - The fragrant cane (or rush) was probably what is now known in India as the Lemon Grass.
Wesley's Exodus 30:23 Bible Commentary
30:23 Interpreters are not agreed concerning these ingredients: the spices, which were in all near half a hundred weight, were to be infused in the oil, which was to be about five or six quarts, and then strained out, leaving an admirable smell in the oil. With this oil God's tent and all the furniture of it were to be anointed; it was to be used also in the consecration of the priests. It was to be continued throughout their generations, Exodus 30:31 .Solomon was anointed with it, 1:39 , and some other of the kings, and all the high priests, with such a quantity of it, as that it ran down to the skirts of the garments; and we read of the making it up, 1 Chronicles 9:30 . Yet all agree that in the second temple there was noneof this holy oil, which was probably owing to a notion they had, that it was not lawful to make it up; Providence over - ruling that want as a presage of the better unction of the Holy Ghost in gospel - times, the variety of whose gifts was typified by these sweet ingredients.