Back to Exodus 30

Exodus 30:17-21

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it. When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

    “You shall also make a basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, in which to wash. You shall put it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.

    Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.

    When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

    So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die. This shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”

  • KJV King James Version

    And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

    Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

    For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

    When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:

    So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

    'Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

    And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat;

    when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to cause an offering made by fire to smoke unto the LORD;

    so they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.'

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

Commandments (1)

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Cross-references (33)

  • Exodus 40:7 (v18) You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.
  • Exodus 38:8 (v18) He made the basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of…
  • Isaiah 52:11 (v19) Depart! Depart! Go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels.
  • Exodus 28:43 (v21) They shall be on Aaron and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy…
  • Exodus 40:30-32 (v18) He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash. Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed…
Show all 32 cross-references
  • Exodus 40:31-32 (v19) Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the…
  • 1 Kings 7:23 (v18) He made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape. Its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled…
  • 1 Kings 7:38 (v18) He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths; and every basin was four cubits; and on every one of the ten bases one basin.
  • 2 Chronicles 4:2 (v18) Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim. It was round, five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference.
  • 2 Chronicles 4:14-15 (v18) He also made the bases, and he made the basins on the bases; one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
  • Psalms 26:6 (v19) I will wash my hands in innocence, so I will go about your altar, Yahweh,
  • Titus 3:5 (vv18–19) not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and…
  • Leviticus 8:11 (v18) He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
  • 2 Chronicles 4:6 (v18) He also made ten basins, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them. The things that belonged to the burnt…
  • Zechariah 13:1 (v18) “In that day there will be a spring opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
  • Hebrews 10:22 (v19) let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed…
  • 1 John 1:7 (v18) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses…
  • Exodus 12:15 (v20) “ ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened…
  • Exodus 27:21 (v21) In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning…
  • Leviticus 10:1-3 (v20) Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before…
  • Leviticus 16:1-2 (v20) Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before Yahweh, and died; and Yahweh said to Moses,…
  • 1 Samuel 6:19 (v20) He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into Yahweh’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the…
  • 1 Chronicles 13:10 (v20) Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzza, and he struck him, because he put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God.
  • Psalms 89:7 (v20) a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
  • Acts 5:5 (v20) Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
  • 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (v19) Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor…
  • Hebrews 9:10 (v19) being only (with meats and drinks and various washings) fleshly ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.
  • Hebrews 12:28-29 (v20) Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for…
  • Exodus 31:9 (v18) the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base,
  • John 13:8-10 (v19) Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” Simon Peter said to…
  • Acts 5:10 (v20) She fell down immediately at his feet and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her…
  • Revelation 1:5-6 (v19) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and…

32 distinct cross-references across this passage (33 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (21 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv19, 21 Signifying, that he that cometh to God, must be…

Signifying, that he that cometh to God, must be washed from all sin and corruption.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv18–21 Exo 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver [of]…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17–20 The frequent repetition of this phrase, and the shortness…
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v17 Orders are here given, 1. For the making of…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv17–21 And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... Again, at another…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv18–19 The laver, or font was a large vessel, that…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv18, 20, 21 Verse 18. A laver of brass] כיור kiyor sometimes…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v18 Exo 30:18. Thou shalt make a laver of brass…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v17 Exo 38:8. The bronze for the “Laver of brass”…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv18–19 Its foot also of brass, made of mirrors which…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v18 Thou shalt . . . make a laver of…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv17–18
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20, 21 17–21. The bronze Laver (cf. Exo_38:8, Exo_40:30). This was…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv18–21 (18) Thou shalt also make a laver of brass.—Rather,…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv17–21 Vers. 17-21. THE BRAZEN LAVER. That the tabernacle was…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v17 A laver of brass.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v17 MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Exo_30:17-21
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v18 Laver, type of Christ cleansing us from defilement, and…
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v17 The Laver
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv17, 19 You must also make
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v17 30:17-21 On why the plans for the bronze washbasin…
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