Advanced Commentary

Texts -- Exodus 38:1-25 (NET)

Context
The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering
38:1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches. 38:2 He made its horns on its four corners ; its horns were part of it, and he overlaid it with bronze . 38:3 He made all the utensils of the altar – the pots , the shovels , the tossing bowls , the meat hooks , and the fire pans – he made all its utensils of bronze . 38:4 He made a grating for the altar , a network of bronze under its ledge , halfway up from the bottom . 38:5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating , to provide places for the poles . 38:6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze . 38:7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar , with which to carry it. He made the altar hollow , out of boards . 38:8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting .
The Construction of the Courtyard
38:9 He made the courtyard . For the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen , one hundred fifty feet long, 38:10 with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases , with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver . 38:11 For the north side the hangings were one hundred fifty feet , with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases , with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver . 38:12 For the west side there were hangings seventy-five feet long, with their ten posts and their ten bases , with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver . 38:13 For the east side , toward the sunrise , it was seventy-five feet wide, 38:14 with hangings on one side of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long , with their three posts and their three bases , 38:15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard , just like the other , the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases . 38:16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen . 38:17 The bases for the posts were bronze . The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver , their tops were overlaid with silver , and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands . 38:18 The curtain for the gate of the courtyard was of blue , purple , and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen , the work of an embroiderer . It was thirty feet long , and like the hangings in the courtyard , it was seven and a half feet high , 38:19 with four posts and their four bronze bases . Their hooks and their bands were silver , and their tops were overlaid with silver . 38:20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze .
The Materials of the Construction
38:21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle , the tabernacle of the testimony , which was counted by the order of Moses , being the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar , son of Aaron the priest . 38:22 Now Bezalel son of Uri , the son of Hur , of the tribe of Judah , made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses ; 38:23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach , of the tribe of Dan , an artisan , a designer , and an embroiderer in blue , purple , and scarlet yarn and fine linen . 38:24 All the gold that was used for the work , in all the work of the sanctuary (namely , the gold of the wave offering ) was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels , according to the sanctuary shekel . 38:25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels , according to the sanctuary shekel ,

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

more

Arts

Sermon Illustrations

The Structure of the Tabernacle

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • Exodus embraces about 431 years of history, from the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt (ca. 1876 B.C.) to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). However 1:1-7 is a review of Jacob's ...
  • I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. 1-41. The growth of Jacob's family 1:1-72. The Israelites' bondage in Egypt 1:8-223. Moses' birth and education 2:1-104. Moses' flight from Eg...
  • "Only voluntary gifts were acceptable as materials for the Lord's house (25:2; 35:3, 21-22, 29), since love rather than compulsion is the basis of all truly biblical giving (2 Cor. 9:7)."431Moses employed four different terms...
  • The renewal of the covenant made the erection of the tabernacle possible. Here begins what scholars refer to as the Code of the Priests (Exod. 35--Lev. 16). Having broken the covenant once, God proceeded to give His people mo...
  • The ark of the covenant 37:1-9 (cf. 25:10-22)The table of showbread 37:10-16 (cf. 25:23-30)The lampstand 37:17-24 (cf. 25:31-40)The altar of incense 37:25-28 (cf. 30:1-10)The anointing oil and incense 37:29 (cf. 30:22-28)The ...
  • Moses also recorded an estimate of the amount of metal used (38:21-31). Coined money did not exist until the seventh century B.C. when the Lydians in Anatolia (modern Turkey) invented it. Consequently the shekel Moses referre...
  • The Israelites erected the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, almost exactly one year after the Israelites left Egypt (vv. 2, 17). This was about nine months after Israel had arrived at Mt. Sinai (cf. 19:1).First...
  • The purpose of this tally of the adult males 20 years of age and older was to identify those who would serve in battle when Israel entered the land (v. 3).11Entrance into the land should have been only a few weeks from the ta...
  • The writer now recorded the fulfillment of God's instructions to Moses that Israel should destroy the Midianites (25:16-18). In this account, the aftermath of the battle receives more attention than the battle itself. Evident...
  • The sons of Eli followed the example of Canaanite worship rather than the instruction of the Mosaic Law. Ritual prostitution was part of Canaanite worship, and Eli's sons seem to have adopted this custom. Even when their fath...
  • The text does not record exactly when the exiles arrived in Jerusalem, but it was probably sometime in 537 B.C. since Cyrus issued his decree in 538 B.C. The "seventh month"(v. 1) of the Jew's sacred calendar was Tishri (late...
  • This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
  • The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of God's glory (ch. 1), records the departure of God's glory (chs. 8-11), and ends with another vision of God's glory (chs. 40-48). This is the longest vision outside the Book of Revel...
  • A. Women served in the doorway of the Tabernacle (Exod. 38:8; 1 Sam. 2:22).The same word (saba) is used of their work as that of the Levites. These women were probably widows who devoted themselves to the service of God.B. Mi...
Back to Commentary Page


TIP #17: Use the Universal Search Box for either chapter, verse, references or word searches or Strong Numbers. [ALL]
created in 0.05 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA