Exodus 30:18

30:18 “You are also to make a large bronze ¹  basin with a bronze stand ²  for washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it, ³ 

Exodus 30:20

30:20 When they enter ⁴  the tent of meeting, they must wash with ⁵  water so that they do not die. ⁶  Also, when they approach ⁷  the altar to minister by burning incense ⁸  as an offering made by fire ⁹  to the Lord,

Exodus 40:32

40:32 Whenever they entered ¹⁰  the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached ¹¹  the altar, they would wash, ¹²  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

[30:18]  ¹ sn The metal for this object was obtained from the women from their mirrors (see Exod 38:8).

[30:18]  ² tn Heb “and its stand bronze.”

[30:18]  ³ tn The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה).

[30:20]  ⁴ tn The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.

[30:20]  ⁵ tn “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117.y, n. 1).

[30:20]  ⁶ tn The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.

[30:20]  ⁷ tn Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.

[30:20]  ⁸ tn The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.

[30:20]  ⁹ tn The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” (Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[40:32]  ⁷ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive. This temporal clause indicates that the verb in the preceding verse was frequentative.

[40:32]  ⁸ tn This is another infinitive construct in a temporal clause.

[40:32]  ⁹ tn In this explanatory verse the verb is a customary imperfect.