Exodus 31:3

31:3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God ¹  in skill, ²  in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds ³  of craftsmanship,

Exodus 36:1-2

36:1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person ⁴  in whom the Lord has put skill ⁵  and ability ⁶  to know how ⁷  to do all the work for the service ⁸  of the sanctuary are to do the work ⁹  according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

36:2 Moses summoned ¹⁰  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ¹¹  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ¹²  to volunteer ¹³  to do the work,

Isaiah 28:26

28:26 His God instructs him;

he teaches him the principles of agriculture. ¹⁴ 

[31:3]  ¹ sn The expression in the Bible means that the individual was given special, supernatural enablement to do what God wanted done. It usually is said of someone with exceptional power or ability. The image of “filling” usually means under the control of the Spirit, so that the Spirit is the dominant force in the life.

[31:3]  ² sn The following qualities are the ways in which the Spirit’s enablement will be displayed. “Skill” is the ability to produce something valuable to God and the community, “understanding” is the ability to distinguish between things, to perceive the best way to follow, and “knowledge” is the experiential awareness of how things are done.

[31:3]  ³ tn Heb “and in all work”; “all” means “all kinds of” here.

[36:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “wise of [in] heart.”

[36:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “wisdom.”

[36:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “understanding, discernment.”

[36:1]  ⁷ tn The relative clause includes this infinitive clause that expresses either the purpose or the result of God’s giving wisdom and understanding to these folk.

[36:1]  ⁸ tn This noun is usually given an interpretive translation. B. Jacob renders the bound relationship as “the holy task” or “the sacred task” (Exodus, 1019). The NIV makes it “constructing,” so read “the work of constructing the sanctuary.”

[36:1]  ⁹ tn The first word of the verse is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is singular because it agrees with the first of the compound subject. The sentence is a little cumbersome because of the extended relative clause in the middle.

[36:2]  ¹⁰ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ¹¹ tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ¹² tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ¹³ sn The verb means more than “approach” or “draw near”; קָרַב (qarav) is the word used for drawing near the altar as in bringing an offering. Here they offer themselves, their talents and their time.

[28:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”