Exodus 30:10

Exodus 30:10 . Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year — Namely, upon the day of atonement, (see Leviticus 16:18-19 ,) when the high-priest was to take it in his way as he came out from the holy of holies. This was to intimate, that the sins of the priests who ministered at this altar, and of the people for whom they ministered, put a ceremonial impurity upon it, from which it must be cleansed by the blood of atonement. This altar typified the mediation of Christ: the brazen altar in the court was a type of Christ dying on earth; the golden altar in the sanctuary was a type of Christ interceding in heaven. This altar was before the mercy-seat, for Christ always appears in the presence of God for us; and his intercession is unto God of a sweet-smelling savour. And it typified the devotions of the saints, whose prayers are said to be set forth before God as incense, Psalm 141:2 . As the smoke of the incense ascended, so must our desires, being kindled with the fire of holy love. When the priest was burning incense, the people were praying, ( Luke 1:10 ,) to signify that prayer is the true incense. This incense was a perpetual incense, for we must pray always. The lamps were dressed or lighted at the same time that the incense was burned, to teach us that the reading of the Scriptures (which are our light and lamp ) is a part of our daily work, and should ordinarily accompany our prayers and praises.

The devotions of sanctified souls are well-pleasing to God, of a sweet-smelling savour; the prayers of saints are compared to sweet odours, Revelation 5:8 ; but it is the incense which Christ adds to them that makes them acceptable; and his blood that atones for the guilt which cleaves to our best services. Yet, if the heart and life be not holy, even incense is an abomination, Isaiah 1:13 .

(10) Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year. —This passage seems to determine the sense of Leviticus 16:18 , where some have supposed that “the altar that is before the Lord” is the brazen altar. Once in the year, on the great day of atonement, the high priest, after entering within the vail and sprinkling the blood of the offerings upon the mercy seat ( Leviticus 16:14-15 ), was to “go out unto the altar that was before the Lord, and put of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, upon the horns of the altar round about, and sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times,” and so “cleanse it, and hallow it,” and “make an atonement for it” ( Leviticus 16:18-19 ).

Verse 10. - Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in the year. Once in the year, on the great day of atonement - the tenth day of the seventh month - the high priest, after burning incense within the veil, and sprinkling the blood of a bullock and a ram towards the mercy seat, was to take of the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar of incense "to make an atonement for it - to cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel" ( Leviticus 16:18, 19 ). This was not making it an altar of expiation, but merely expiating it. There was, however, another use for the altar, where it seems to have served for an altar of expiation. When the high priest had sinned in his official character, and offered a sin-offering for his cleansing ( Leviticus 4:3-12 ), or when the whole congregation had committed an offence through inadvertence, and did the same ( ib , 13-21), the high priest was to put of the blood of the sacrifice on the horns of the altar of incense, "for the expiation of his own sin and the sin of the people" (Keil). In these two cases, the altar of incense served the purpose of the altar of burnt-offering, on which was put the blood of private sin-offerings ( ib , 22-35). It is most holy . There seems to be sufficient reason for considering the altar of incense as, next to the ark and mercy seat, the most sacred object in the furniture of the tabernacle. This precedence indicates the extreme value which God sets upon prayer.

10 . An annual rite of atonement to be performed for it. The law presupposes Leviticus 16 (which prescribes the ceremonial of the annual Day of Atonement), and is thus later than it. Leviticus 16:16 ; Leviticus 16:18 ; Leviticus 16:20 prescribes a rite of atonement for the Holy place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar of burnt-offering, but none for the altar of incense: the present verse supplies the deficiency. upon the horns of it ] by putting some of the blood of the sin-offering of atonement (the goat for the people of Leviticus 16:5 ; Leviticus 16:15-19 ) upon them: cf. Leviticus 4:7 ; Leviticus 4:18 . The marg. for may be disregarded. for it ] to preserve it, like the other sacred objects, in its ideal holiness: cf. Exodus 29:36 , with the note. most holy ] see on Exodus 29:37 . make atonement ] both here and elsewhere make propitiation would be a better rend. of kipper , and propitiation , &c., of its derivatives (cf. propitiatory , suggested on Exodus 25:17 for kappôreth ): not only is this the idea of the word, but kipper and its derivatives are usually represented in LXX. by ( ἐξ ) ιλάσκομαι ‚ ἱλασμός , &c., which in the NT. are expressed in English by ‘(make) propitiation ’ ( Romans 3:25 ; 1 John 2:2 ; 1 John 4:10 ; Hebrews 2:17 RV.): an important link of connexion between OT. and NT. is thus lost, when, of the two corresponding terms, the rend. is atonement in the OT. and propitiation in the NT. (note that in NT. ‘atonement’ occurs in AV.

Romans 5:11 only, RV. reconciliation ; in RV. never). For a fuller discussion of the meaning and use of the Heb. term, reference must be made to the notes on Leviticus 4, and to the writer’s art. Propitiation in DB. ; see also H. M. P. Smith’s arts. in the Biblical World (Chicago), Jan., Feb., Mar., 1908. Here it can only be briefly explained that kipper is used in two applications: (1) with a human subject, to make appeasement or propitiation , Exodus 32:30 (see the note), Genesis 32:20 , 2 Samuel 21:3 (cf. in the passive, the implicit subject being some act or rite, 1 Samuel 3:14 , Deuteronomy 21:8 b, Isaiah 6:7 ; Isaiah 22:14 ; Isaiah 27:9 , Proverbs 16:6 ); so in P, where the subject is always either the priest, or (rarely) an offering, and the means of effecting the propitiation usually a sacrifice (as ch. Exodus 29:36-37 , Leviticus 1:4 ), but occasionally some other act or offering (as below, vv. 15, 16, Numbers 25:13 : see further details in DB. iv. 130); (2) with God as subject, to treat propitiously (EVV. to be merciful, forgive , &c.) either an offender ( Deuteronomy 21:8 a, Deuteronomy 32:43 , Ezekiel 16:63 , 2 Chronicles 30:18 ) or an offence ( Jeremiah 18:23 , Psalm 65:3 ; Psalm 78:38 ; Psalm 79:9 , Daniel 9:24 ). The actual meanings, and usages, of kipper can be determined from the OT. itself (see DB. l.c.). Whether, however, as used to be supposed, its primary meaning was either (Arab.) to cover , or (Syr.) to wipe away , is very doubtful.