Then the Lord said to Moses: take fragrant spices — gum resin, onycha and galbanum — and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts. The incense formula is introduced with four spices in equal proportions: gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. The equality of proportions is specified — unlike the anointing oil where different amounts are combined, the incense uses equal parts of each component. The four spices combine into the fragrance that fills the Holy Place and rises before the golden altar. Revelation 8:4 says the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God — the four-spice incense of Exodus 30 is the source of the incense image that John uses in the Apocalypse.

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