Bible Strands
Exodus 25:6
olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God instructs Moses to collect specific materials from the Israelites for the tabernacle's construction and sacred rituals.
The words — The Hebrew שֶׁ֖מֶן (shemen) means "oil," while בְּשָׂמִים (besamim) translates to "spices" or "perfume." These terms specify the raw ingredients required for the lampstand's illumination and the holy anointing oil and incense.
The thread — This command recurs in Exodus 27:20, which mandates pure pressed olive oil for the lampstand, and Exodus 30:23, which details the precise measurements of spices for the anointing oil and incense.
Why it lands — The text establishes a concrete inventory requirement, demanding obedience through the provision of exact offerings. It requires the reader to recognize that sacred service depends on supplied resources rather than human invention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Cross-references
- Exodus 27:20 And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.
- Exodus 25:37 Make seven lamps and set them up on the lampstand so that they illuminate the area in front of it.
- Exodus 30:23 “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,
- Exodus 40:24 He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle