Exodus 30:29
You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse emphasizes the transfer of holiness: not only are the consecrated items holy themselves, but their holiness is so potent that anything they touch becomes holy too. This highlights how God's presence and the sacred objects set apart for Him are meant to permeate and transform everything connected to them. It's a powerful picture of how holiness isn't just an abstract quality but an active force that affects its surroundings.
God is instructing Moses on how to prepare the holy anointing oil. This oil is then used to consecrate the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests themselves, setting them apart as sacred and dedicated to God's service. The instruction emphasizes that anything touched by these consecrated items also becomes holy, signifying the pervasive nature of God's sanctifying presence.
This verse talks about making things 'most holy' and what happens when they are touched. What does it mean for something to be set apart for God in such an extreme way?
The anointing oil described in this passage wasn't just any oil; it was a special, fragrant blend made with specific ingredients, forbidden for common use. Its purpose was to consecrate, or set apart, the items it touched.
This sacred anointing oil and its effects seem significant. Could there be a deeper meaning pointing beyond the physical objects it touched?
The sacred anointing oil, with its precious ingredients and its power to sanctify, served as a potent symbol. While it literally consecrated the Tabernacle and its furnishings, its deeper theological meaning points to the Holy Spirit.
Understand the original words
qadash · Hebrew Verb
To set apart as sacred or dedicated for exclusive use by God; it involves a transition from common/profane to holy status.
qodesh qodashim · Hebrew Adjective/Noun phrase
A superlative designation denoting that which is exclusively set apart for God's presence and use; it cannot be treated as common without profanation.
qadosh · Hebrew Adjective
A state of being separated from the profane and dedicated to God; it implies divine purity and a requirement for moral or ritual cleanliness.
This passage describes the anointing of Aaron and his sons with the holy oil, directly fulfilling the instructions associated with the oil mentioned in Exodus 30 and demonstrating its consecrating power.
1 Samuel 16:13Here, Samuel anoints David with oil, and the Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully upon him, illustrating the spiritual impartation that consecration through anointing signifies, echoing the 'most holy' status described in Exodus.
Matthew 26:6-13In this New Testament account, a woman anoints Jesus with very expensive oil, a prophetic act that points to Jesus' own consecration and the 'holy of holies' status He holds, which impacts everyone who comes into contact with Him.
Daniel 9:24This prophecy speaks of anointing 'most holy things,' understood by commentators to refer to the ultimate spiritual realities foreshadowed by the Old Testament sanctuary and its furnishings, highlighting the supreme holiness imparted.
1 Corinthians 6:11The Apostle Paul reminds believers that they have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God, reflecting the idea that contact with what is holy makes one holy, extending the concept from objects to people in Christ.
gillExodus 30:29: "And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy."
And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy,.... By anointing them, and so be set apart for sacred uses only; as by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the people of God, the vessels of mercy, are really sanctified, and made meet for the master's use; and therefore it is called the sanctification of the Spirit, which is true holiness, in opposition to typical or ceremonial ho…
calvinExodus 30:22-33: "Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
Tu sume tibi aromata optima: myrrhae fluidae ad quingentos siclos, cinnamomi aromatici dimidium ipsius, ducentos et quinquaginta: et calami atomatici ducentos et quinquaginta:
And of cassia five hundred shekels, after t…
This verse emphasizes the transfer of holiness: not only are the consecrated items holy themselves, but their holiness is so potent that anything they touch becomes holy too. This highlights how God's presence and the sacred objects set apart for Him are meant to permeate and transform everything connected to them. It's a powerful picture of how holiness isn't just an abstract quality but an active force that affects its surroundings.
God is instructing Moses on how to prepare the holy anointing oil. This oil is then used to consecrate the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests themselves, setting them apart as sacred and dedicated to God's service. The instruction emphasizes that anything touched by these consecrated items also becomes holy, signifying the pervasive nature of God's sanctifying presence.
God is instructing Moses on how to prepare the holy anointing oil. This oil is then used to consecrate the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests themselves, setting them apart as sacred and dedicated to God's service. The instruction emphasizes that anything touched by these consecrated items also becomes holy, signifying the pervasive nature of God's sanctifying presence.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Exodus 30:29 is available in the Sola app.
"You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy." — This verse emphasizes the transfer of holiness: not only are the consecrated items holy themselves, but their holiness is so potent that anything they touch becomes holy too. This highlights how Go…
