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The expression, "give it to the prayers"--a somewhat clumsy rendering of the dative
case--is perhaps best explained, with Vitringa and others, as: "that he might give the
effect of incense to the prayers of the saints." His intercession makes our prayers
possible.
This incense is variously described in Scripture. It is called "perpetual incense before
the Lord" (Exod. 30: 8). Like the shewbread that was to be before the Lord "alway"
(Exod. 25: 30), or the breastplate upon the High Priest's breast "continually"
(Exod. 28: 30), or the cloud by day and fire by night that guaranteed the presence of
the Lord with Israel "alway" (Numb. 9: 16), the symbol of Christ's intercession and
perfect acceptance was to be "alway" before the Lord". "He ever liveth to make
intercession for us."
Many times it is called "sweet incense". The margin of Exod. 30: 7 gives it as
"incense of spices". This is the correct rendering, and refers to the special composition of
the incense given by the Lord, as we read in Exod. 37: 29: "And he made the holy
anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the
apothecary." The ingredients of this incense are given in Exod. 30: 34, 35:--
"Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte (netaph, a drop, a gum), and onycha (shecheleph,
shell of the perfume crab), and galbanum (chelbenah, an aromatic gum); these sweet
spices with pure frankincense; of each shall there be a like weight. And thou shalt make
it a perfume (incense), a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered (Heb. salted)
together, pure and holy."
The Companion Bible states that there are five ingredients in the incense, evidently
counting "sweet spices" as one. Its repetition after the three cited by name, however,
would lead one to read: "Take unto thee sweet spices, namely, stacte", etc. The word
"tempered" (malach) literally means "salted", and some, including Maimonides, maintain
that salt was actually an ingredient. This, however, does not seem to be the truth. Both
the Chaldee and Greek versions render the word "mix" or "temper", as though the
various spices were mixed together, as salt is mixed with the food over which it is
sprinkled. Salt was, of course, offered with every offering on the altar.
The figurative meaning of the word "salt" may be gathered from other usages. Salt
was valuable, and stood for the whole of one's keep. We still use the phrase, "He is not
worth his salt". So, when we read in Ezra 4: 14: "We have maintenance from the
king's palace", the margin tells us that the Chaldee reads: "We are seated with the salt of
the palace." There is a suggestion that these men were in a covenant with the kings of
Persia, as we read in Numb. 18: 19 of a "covenant of salt". Be this as it may, the one
thing we do not understand when reading Ezra 4: 14 is that these men were actually
"salted". Let us, however, not miss the truth because of inability to decide the literal
meaning of the language that describes the type. Ainsworth says:--
"If our speech is to be always with grace, seasoned with salt, as the apostle teaches
(Col. 4: 6), how much more should our incense, our prayers unto God, be therewith
seasoned?"