Recipe for Anointing Oil

Visually, the tabernacle of ancient Israel was quite beautiful, featuring an array of colors and designs in its architecture and furnishings (Ex. 25:1–30:10). As we see in today’s passage, however, the tabernacle delighted the other senses as well, since it and the priests were anointed with an aromatic anointing oil.

Exodus 30:22–25 features the recipe for this anointing oil, which consisted of olive oil mixed with the spices myrrh, cinnamon, cane, and cassia. The text does not make clear whether the spices were all in liquid form when combined with the olive oil or whether some of them were like a dry powder that the perfumer stirred into the oil. Thus, one commentator suggests three possible ways in which the anointing oil was made. It could be that dry spices were mixed with the oil to form a paste that was pressed through cloth in order to draw out the oil, which was infused with the scent of the spices. Or perhaps a paste of spices and oil was made that was then further mixed with more oil as the need arose. It could also be that the spices were cooked in water such that they were distilled into liquids that could then be mixed with the olive oil. Whatever the case, the end result was a perfumed oil that was applied to the tabernacle curtains, furniture, and utensils as well as the priestly clothing.

This anointing with oil achieved several things. First, it helped to mask the odor of human sweat and the blood and entrails of the animals slaughtered for sacrifice. Second, it kept the curtains free of lice, which were a problem in the ancient world. Most importantly, however, the anointing was a visible reminder that the tabernacle and the priesthood had been set apart for God’s special use. The sanctuary and its laborers did not have a common purpose but were dedicated to the public worship of the Lord. They were, in other words, holy (Ex. 40:9).

In light of the use of perfumed anointing oil as a visible sign of the old covenant tabernacle’s holiness, it is unsurprising to see that the new covenant tabernacle was anointed with perfumed oil as well. John 12:1–8 tells us that shortly before Jesus died, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus applied an “expensive ointment made from pure nard” to our Lord. Jesus, of course, was holy by nature and already set apart unto God’s special service before Mary’s act. Nevertheless, His anointing with oil is a further testimony to the truth that He is the true temple of God (see Ex. 2:18–22).