Exodus 30:29

30:29 So you are to sanctify them, ¹  and they will be most holy; ²  anything that touches them will be holy. ³ 

Exodus 29:37

29:37 For seven days ⁴  you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy. ⁵  Anything that touches the altar will be holy. ⁶ 

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; ⁷  once in the year ⁸  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ⁹ 

Exodus 30:36

30:36 You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most holy to you.

Exodus 40:10

40:10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with ¹⁰  all its utensils; you are to sanctify the altar, and it will be the most holy altar.

[30:29]  ¹ tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).

[30:29]  ² tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”

[30:29]  ³ tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.

[29:37]  ⁴ tn Once again this is an adverbial accusative of time. Each day for seven days the ritual at the altar is to be followed.

[29:37]  ⁵ tn The construction is the superlative genitive: “holy of holies,” or “most holy.”

[29:37]  ⁶ sn This line states an unusual principle, meant to preserve the sanctity of the altar. S. R. Driver explains it this way (Exodus, 325): If anything comes in contact with the altar, it becomes holy and must remain in the sanctuary for Yahweh’s use. If a person touches the altar, he likewise becomes holy and cannot return to the profane regions. He will be given over to God to be dealt with as God pleases. Anyone who was not qualified to touch the altar did not dare approach it, for contact would have meant that he was no longer free to leave but was God’s holy possession – and might pay for it with his life (see Exod 30:29; Lev 6:18b, 27; and Ezek 46:20).

[30:10]  ⁷ tn The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.

[30:10]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn The phrase “most holy to the Lord” means that the altar cannot be used for any other purpose than what is stated here.

[40:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and.”