Exodus 30:35-38

30:35 and make it into an incense, ¹  a perfume, ²  the work of a perfumer. It is to be finely ground, ³  and pure and sacred. 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. 30:37 And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord. 30:38 Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume, ⁴  will be cut off from his people.”

[30:35]  ¹ tn This is an accusative of result or product.

[30:35]  ² tn The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.

[30:35]  ³ tn The word מְמֻלָּח (mÿmullakh), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and Tg. Onq. Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.

[30:38]  ⁴ tn Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.