301 'And thou hast made an altar 'for' making perfume; 'of' shittim wood thou dost make it; 2 a cubit its length, and a cubit its breadth, (it is square), and two cubits its height; its horns 'are' of the same. 3 'And thou hast overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and thou hast made to it a crown of gold round about; 4 and two rings of gold thou dost make to it under its crown; on its two ribs thou dost make 'them', on its two sides, and they have become places for staves, to bear it with them. 5 'And thou hast made the staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them with gold;
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Exodus 30:1-5
Commentary on Exodus 30:1-10
(Read Exodus 30:1-10)
The altar of incense represented the Son of God in his human nature, and the incense burned thereon typified his pleading for his people. The continual intercession of Christ was represented by the daily burning of incense thereon, morning and evening. Once every year the blood of the atonement was to be applied to it, denoting that the intercession of Christ has all its virtue from his sufferings on earth, and that we need no other sacrifice or intercessor but Christ alone.