Exodus 29:12

29:12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar ¹  with your finger; all the rest of ²  the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar.

Exodus 30:2

30:2 Its length is to be a foot and a half ³  and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, ⁴  with its horns of one piece with it. ⁵ 

Exodus 30:10

30:10 Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; ⁶  once in the year ⁷  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ⁸ 

Exodus 37:25

The Making of the Altar of Incense

37:25 He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half – a square – and its height was three feet. Its horns were of one piece with it. ⁹ 

[29:12]  ¹ sn This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB]).

[29:12]  ² tn The phrase “rest of” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[30:2]  ³ tn Heb “a cubit.”

[30:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “two cubits.”

[30:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “its horns from it.”

[30:10]  ⁵ tn The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.

[30:10]  ⁶ sn This ruling presupposes that the instruction for the Day of Atonement has been given, or at the very least, is to be given shortly. That is the one day of the year that all sin and all ritual impurity would be removed.

[30:10]  ⁷ sn The phrase “most holy to the Lord” means that the altar cannot be used for any other purpose than what is stated here.

[37:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.