Exodus 30:18-20

30:18 “You are also to make a large bronze¹ basin with a bronze stand² for washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it,³ 30:19 and Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet from it.⁴ 30:20 When they enter⁵ the tent of meeting, they must wash with⁶ water so that they do not die.⁷ Also, when they approach⁸ the altar to minister by burning incense⁹ as an offering made by fire¹⁰ to the Lord,

¹sn The metal for this object was obtained from the women from their mirrors (see Exod 38:8).

²tn Heb “and its stand bronze.”

³tn The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה).

⁴tn That is, from water from it.

⁵tn The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.

⁶tn “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117.y, n. 1).

⁷tn The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.

⁸tn Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.

⁹tn The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.

¹⁰tn The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” (Leviticus 1-16, 161).