It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments. The 'holy anointing oil' consisted of olive oil mixed with four principal spices-myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamis, and cassia (Exodus 30:23-25). The high priest Aaron's head was anointed with the holy oil poured upon it (Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 8:12; Leviticus 21:10), and flowing down upon the beard. In this copious effusion on the head his anointing differed from tibet of the priests, who were merely streaked with oil upon their foreheads. The Psalmist cells it "precious," in reference to the spiritual grace of love (the first fruit of the Spirit Gal. Ps. 133:22), of which it is the image. The Holy Spirit is the precious ointment with which, in its infinite plenitude, Messiah was "anointed" (Daniel 9:24; Acts 10:38; John 3:34). The holy ointment streams down from our antitypical High Priest in measure upon all His believing members, even to the very lowest of them who, like the woman with the issue of blood, in faith touch the hem of His garment (Matthew 9:20). As they "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14), so He puts them on as His ornament, and imparts to them of His precious Spirit (John 1:16). Hengstenberg, however, with the Arabic version, takes it, '(even) Aaron's beard that flowed down to the opening at the neck of his garment.' But the ointment, not Aaron's beard, is plainly the object in the image; and the Chaldaic, Septuagint, Vulgate, Ethiopic, and Syriac versions take it as the English version.