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Texts -- Exodus 40:1-38 (NET)

Context
Setting Up the Sanctuary
40:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses : 40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle , the tent of meeting . 40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain . 40:4 You are to bring in the table and set out the things that belong on it; then you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps . 40:5 You are to put the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle . 40:6 You are to put the altar for the burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle , the tent of meeting . 40:7 You are to put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it . 40:8 You are to set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard . 40:9 And take the anointing oil , and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and sanctify it and all its furnishings , and it will be holy . 40:10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils ; you are to sanctify the altar , and it will be the most holy altar . 40:11 You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal , and you are to sanctify it. 40:12 “You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water . 40:13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest . 40:14 You are to bring his sons and clothe them with tunics 40:15 and anoint them just as you anointed their father , so that they may minister as my priests ; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations .” 40:16 This is what Moses did , according to all the Lord had commanded him– so he did . 40:17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month , in the second year . 40:18 When Moses set up the tabernacle and put its bases in place, he set up its frames , attached its bars , and set up its posts . 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:20 He took the testimony and put it in the ark , attached the poles to the ark , and then put the atonement lid on the ark . 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle , hung the protecting curtain , and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting , on the north side of the tabernacle , outside the curtain . 40:23 And he set the bread in order on it before the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:24 And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table , on the south side of the tabernacle . 40:25 Then he set up the lamps before the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:26 And he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain , 40:27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:28 Then he put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle . 40:29 He also put the altar for the burnt offering by the entrance to the tabernacle , the tent of meeting , and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering , just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:30 Then he put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing . 40:31 Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it. 40:32 Whenever they entered the tent of meeting , and whenever they approached the altar , they would wash , just as the Lord had commanded Moses . 40:33 And he set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar , and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard . So Moses finished the work . 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting , and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle . 40:35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle . 40:36 But when the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle , the Israelites would set out on all their journeys ; 40:37 but if the cloud was not lifted up , then they would not journey further until the day it was lifted up . 40:38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day , but fire would be on it at night , in plain view of all the house of Israel , throughout all their journeys .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "2:1-3 echoes 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: he created,' God,' heavens and earth' reappear as heavens and earth' (2:1) God' (2:2), created' (2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat...
  • 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 ...
  • The great contribution of this book is the revelation that Yahweh is the sovereign God who provides deliverance for man from the slavery in which he finds himself.The major teaching of Exodus is primarily threefold.1. The sov...
  • 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...
  • 3:1-12 Horeb is another name for Sinai (v. 1). It probably indicates a range of mountains rather than a particular mountain peak. The writer called it "the mountain of God"because it was the place where God later gave the Mos...
  • "The way of the land of the Philistines"refers to the most northern of three routes travelers took from Egypt to Canaan (v. 17). The others lay farther south. The Egyptians had heavily fortified this caravan route, also calle...
  • The priests began to offer these sacrifices as soon as the tabernacle was complete (ch. 40).In the offering of a young lamb each morning and each evening with flour, oil, and wine, the Israelites consecrated their lives afres...
  • The place of this altar in the tabernacle has been a problem for some readers of the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 9:4 can be understood as describing its location as being inside the holy of holies with the ark.487However Old Tes...
  • The builders and craftsmen then presented the finished tabernacle items to Moses. The fact that he listed them again in the text reflects their importance. The statement that they did their work just as God had commanded Mose...
  • 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...
  • As mentioned, Leviticus contains revelation that was particularly appropriate for the priests. While ritual and legal matters predominate, Moses wove them into the historical narratives so as one reads Exodus, Leviticus, and ...
  • The benefits of faithful obedience to the law of God would be fruitful harvests (vv. 4-5, 10), and security and peace (v. 6) including victory in battle (vv. 7-8) and numerical growth as a nation (v. 9; cf. Gen. 17:7). The ob...
  • When the book opens the Israelites were in the second month of the second year after they departed from Egypt (1:1). In chapters 7-10 we read things that happened in the nation before that. These things happened when Moses fi...
  • The presentation this chapter records took place at the time the Israelites dedicated the tabernacle (vv. 1-2; cf. Lev. 8:10)."The purpose of this section of narrative is to show that as the people had been generous in giving...
  • The altar (vv. 19, 22) refers to the altar of incense (cf. 7:48). This altar evidently stood in the west end of the holy place (cf. Exod. 30:6; 40:5; Lev. 16:2; Heb. 9:4, 7).The cherubim were figures of angels sculptured out ...
  • The Israelites regarded the ark as the throne of Yahweh. It was the place where He manifested His presence in a localized way and where He received the blood that atoned for the Israelites' sins on the day of Atonement. The a...
  • As Ahab had imported Baal worship from Phoenicia, so Ahaz imported a foreign altar from Damascus (cf. Jehoash's Edomite idols; 2 Chron. 25:14, 20). As Judah's king-priest, he led the nation in worshipping at an altar differen...
  • Solomon dedicated the temple during the feast of Tabernacles (v. 3). The priests brought the ark and the other utensils that had been in the tent David had pitched for the ark into the temple. The temple site was north of and...
  • Solomon repeated some of the promises in the Davidic Covenant publicly. His completion of the temple fulfilled part of what God had promised. Complete fulfillment required Solomon's continued faithfulness to God (1 Chron. 28:...
  • In this verse David described God as a host rather than as a shepherd. As a gracious host God provides hospitality for His people. He supplies us with what we need and desire lavishly, and He does so not by removing us from t...
  • 10:1 Ezekiel next saw in his vision the cherubim that he had seen by the river Chebar (1:22, 26).163Over their heads he again saw the throne-chariot that resembled a sapphire in its color and beauty.16410:2 Ezekiel saw the Lo...
  • 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...
  • 43:1-2 Ezekiel's guide next led him to the east gate in the outer wall. This was the wall of the millennial temple that he had been seeing and continued to see, not the wall of the Solomonic temple. There the prophet saw the ...
  • 2:1 The Lord revealed another message to Haggai almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, modern October 17) of the same year, 520 B.C. This was the last day of the feast of Tabernacles (Bo...
  • 2:1-2 In the next scene of his vision, Zechariah saw a man (i.e., an angel who looked like a man) with a measuring line in his hand (cf. 1:11; 6:12; Ezek. 40:2-3). When the prophet asked him where he was going, he replied tha...
  • The Transfiguration confirmed three important facts. First, it confirmed to the disciples that the kingdom was indeed future. Second, it confirmed to them that Jesus was indeed the divine Messiah. Third, it confirmed to them ...
  • 1:28 The fact that Gabriel greeted Mary as he did and did not greet Zechariah the same way shows Mary's favored position. Gabriel's greeting was customary: Hail! or Greetings! (Gr. chaire). Mary was highly "favored"(Gr. kecha...
  • This event is the climax of the "identity of Jesus"motif in all the Synoptics. Here the disciples saw and heard who Jesus really was. Luke's particular emphasis was the sufferings of Jesus that were coming. This comes through...
  • 1:9 Jesus Christ's ascension necessarily preceded the descent of the Holy Spirit to baptize and indwell believers in God's plan (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; Acts 2:33-36). "While they were looking on"stresses the fact that t...
  • Luke introduced the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry with His baptism with the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). He paralleled this with the beginning of Jesus' heavenly ministry with the Spirit baptism of His disciples (Acts 2:1-4)...
  • 9:1 The apostle opened his discussion of God's relations with Israel very personally by sharing his heart for his own people. Some might have thought that Paul hated the Jews since he had departed from Judaism and now preache...
  • In this pericope the writer concentrated on the tabernacle and its provisions for cultic worship.254The word "first"(Gr. prote) links this section with the former one (cf. 8:13). The writer introduced two subjects in the firs...
  • The writer now focused on the issue of sacrifice."The argument moves a stage further as the author turns specifically to what Christ has done. The sacrifices of the old covenant were ineffectual. But in strong contrast Christ...
  • There are a number of contrasts between the 144,000 and this great multitude. The number of the first group is not only smaller but definite whereas the number of the second group is larger and indefinite. People from the 12 ...
  • 15:5 "After these things I looked"(Gr. meta tauta eidon) indicates a transition to a new vision and a new subject: the bowl judgments. These are in a category of their own. John saw the heavenly temple opened. This gave the s...
  • 21:11 This city obviously appeared extremely impressive to John. The first and most important characteristic that John noted was its radiant glow. It shone with the splendor of God Himself because He was in it (cf. Exod. 40:3...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Exodus 40:1-16The Exodus began on the night after the fourteenth day of the first month. The Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month; that is, one year, less a fortnight, after the Exodus. Exodus 19:1 shows ...
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