Exodus 30:9

Summary

The verse prohibits offering unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, or grain offerings on the incense altar, and separately prohibits pouring a drink offering on it. The Hebrew structures this as two distinct prohibitions, each introduced by lo' ("not", H3808) and governed by a different verb.

Key words

• ta'alu ("you must offer up", H5927I) — Hiphil (causative) imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural; governs the first group of forbidden offerings (incense, burnt offering, grain offering).
• qetoret zarah ("strange incense", H7004 + H2114A) — zarah is a Qal feminine singular participle, "the one being strange/foreign," agreeing with the feminine noun qetoret; it describes incense that does not belong to the prescribed composition or source.
• 'olah ("a burnt offering", H5930A) and minchah ("a grain offering", H4503G) — both feminine singular nouns, joined by ve ("and", H9002) to qetoret zarah, forming a triple object of the single verb ta'alu.
• nesekh ("a drink offering", H5262) — masculine singular noun, introduced by its own conjunction and paired with its own verb.
• tisekhu ("you must pour out", H5258A) — Qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural; a separate verb from ta'alu, governing only the drink offering.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence divides into two prohibition units, each marked by lo' plus an imperfect verb addressed to a plural "you" (the priests). The first unit uses ta'alu ("you shall not bring up") to cover three items joined by ve: qetoret zarah, 'olah, and minchah. The participle zarah modifies only qetoret, marking it as incense outside the specified formula, while 'olah and minchah are simply listed as additional forbidden offerings on this altar, without their own qualifying adjective. The second unit is syntactically independent: nesekh stands first, followed by its own negation and its own verb, tisekhu ("you shall not pour"), reflecting that pouring is the action proper to liquid offerings, distinct from the "bringing up" (ta'alu) associated with incense and solid offerings. The repetition of 'alav ("on it/him", H5921A + H9033) at the end of both units reinforces that both prohibitions concern the same altar.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ta'alu with the singular future ἀνοίσει ("he will not bring up") rather than a plural form matching the Hebrew's second-person plural address; the Vulgate's offeretis ("you [pl.] will offer") aligns more closely with the Hebrew plural. The LXX and Vulgate also merge the three items (incense, burnt offering, grain offering) under one negated verb without repeating a separate negation for each, similar to the Hebrew structure, though the Vulgate adds nec ("nor") before oblationem and victimam, making the listing more explicit than the Hebrew's single ve-chain.