Exodus 23:21-22

23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name ¹  is in him. 23:22 But if you diligently obey him ²  and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 39:1--40:38

The Making of the Priestly Garments

39:1 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³ 

The Ephod

39:2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave ⁴  them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. 39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ⁵  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:6 They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal ⁶  with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷  39:7 He put ⁸  them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece of Decision

39:8 He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:9 It was square – they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 39:10 They set on it ⁹  four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 39:11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 39:12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 39:13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. 39:14 The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of ¹⁰  their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.

39:15 They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 39:16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper ¹¹  two ends of the breastpiece. 39:17 They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 39:18 the other ¹²  two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 39:19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the other ¹³  two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod. ¹⁴  39:20 They made two more ¹⁵  gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 39:21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Garments

39:22 He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. 39:23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar, with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen ¹⁶  around the hem of the robe. 39:25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. 39:26 There was ¹⁷  a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, ¹⁸  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:27 They made tunics of fine linen – the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons – 39:28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. 39:29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:30 They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” 39:31 They attached to it a blue cord, to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Sanctuary

39:32 ¹⁹ So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses – they did it exactly so. 39:33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 39:34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, ²⁰  and the protecting ²¹  curtain; 39:35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; 39:36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; 39:37 the pure ²²  lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; 39:38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; 39:40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings ²³  for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 39:41 the woven garments for serving ²⁴  in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.

39:42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:43 Moses inspected ²⁵  all the work – and ²⁶  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ²⁷ 

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40:1 ²⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁹  40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up ³⁰  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; ³¹  then you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 40:5 You are to put ³²  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. ³³  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 ³⁴  the anointing oil, and anoint ³⁵  the tabernacle and all that is in it, and sanctify ³⁶  it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 40:10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with ³⁷  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. ³⁸ 

40:12 “You are to bring ³⁹  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 ⁴⁰  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 ⁴¹  the protecting curtain, ⁴²  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 ⁴³  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 ⁴⁴  for washing. 40:31 Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it. 40:32 Whenever they entered ⁴⁵  the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached ⁴⁶  the altar, they would wash, ⁴⁷  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 ⁴⁸  from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out ⁴⁹  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. ⁵⁰  40:38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be ⁵¹  on it at night, in plain view ⁵²  of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Psalms 119:6

119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,

if ⁵³  I were focused on ⁵⁴  all your commands.

Matthew 28:20

28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, ⁵⁵  I am with you ⁵⁶  always, to the end of the age.” ⁵⁷ 

Luke 1:6

1:6 They ⁵⁸  were both righteous in the sight of God, following ⁵⁹  all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. ⁶⁰ 

[23:21]  ¹ sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).

[23:22]  ² tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[39:1]  ³ sn This chapter also will be almost identical to the instructions given earlier, with a few changes along the way.

[39:3]  ⁴ tn The verb is the infinitive that means “to do, to work.” It could be given a literal rendering: “to work [them into] the blue….” Weaving or embroidering is probably what is intended.

[39:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “from it” or the same.

[39:6]  ⁶ tn Or “as seals are engraved.”

[39:6]  ⁷ sn The twelve names were those of Israel’s sons. The idea was not the remembrance of the twelve sons as such, but the twelve tribes that bore their names.

[39:7]  ⁸ tn Or “attached.”

[39:10]  ⁹ tn That is, they set in mountings.

[39:14]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “the number of” has been supplied.

[39:16]  ¹¹ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[39:18]  ¹² tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹³ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “homeward side.”

[39:20]  ¹⁵ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[39:24]  ¹⁶ tn The word is simply “twined” or “twisted.” It may refer to the twisted linen that so frequently is found in these lists; or, it may refer to the yarn twisted. The LXX reads “fine twined linen.” This is not found in the text of Exod 28:33, except in Smr and LXX.

[39:26]  ¹⁷ tn The words “there was” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:26]  ¹⁸ tn The infinitive “to minister” is present; “to be used” is supplied from the context.

[39:32]  ¹⁹ sn The last sections of the book bring several themes together to a full conclusion. Not only is it the completion of the tabernacle, it is the fulfillment of God’s plan revealed at the beginning of the book, i.e., to reside with his people.

[39:34]  ²⁰ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[39:34]  ²¹ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); NASB “the screening veil.”

[39:37]  ²² tn Possibly meaning “pure gold lampstand.”

[39:40]  ²³ tn Heb “utensils, vessels.”

[39:41]  ²⁴ tn The form is the infinitive construct; it means the clothes to be used “to minister” in the holy place.

[39:43]  ²⁵ tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”

[39:43]  ²⁶ tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they…”

[39:43]  ²⁷ sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.

[40:1]  ²⁸ sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.

[40:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[40:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “you will raise,” an imperfect of instruction.

[40:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “and you will set in order its setting” or “arrange its arrangement.” See 25:29-30 for items that belonged on the table.

[40:5]  ³² tn Heb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).

[40:7]  ³³ tn Heb “there.”

[40:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “you will take” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and you will anoint” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and you will sanctify” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and.”

[40:11]  ³⁸ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 480) notes that the items inside the tent did not need to be enumerated since they were already holy, but items in the courtyard needed special attention. People needed to know that items outside the tent were just as holy.

[40:12]  ³⁹ tn The verb is “bring near,” or “present,” to Yahweh.

[40:14]  ⁴⁰ tn The verb is also “bring near” or “present.”

[40:21]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ⁴² tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[40:23]  ⁴³ tn Heb uses a cognate accusative construction, “he arranged the arrangement.”

[40:30]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “there.”

[40:32]  ⁴⁵ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive. This temporal clause indicates that the verb in the preceding verse was frequentative.

[40:32]  ⁴⁶ tn This is another infinitive construct in a temporal clause.

[40:32]  ⁴⁷ tn In this explanatory verse the verb is a customary imperfect.

[40:36]  ⁴⁸ tn The construction uses the Niphal infinitive construct to form the temporal clause.

[40:36]  ⁴⁹ tn The imperfect tense in this context describes a customary action.

[40:37]  ⁵⁰ tn The clause uses the Niphal infinitive construct in the temporal clause: “until the day of its being taken up.”

[40:38]  ⁵¹ tn Here is another imperfect tense of the customary nuance.

[40:38]  ⁵² tn Heb “to the eyes of all”; KJV, ASV, NASB “in the sight of all”; NRSV “before the eyes of all.”

[119:6]  ⁵³ tn Or “when.”

[119:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “I gaze at.”

[28:20]  ⁵⁵ tn The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has been translated here as “remember” (BDAG 468 s.v. 1.c).

[28:20]  ⁵⁶ sn I am with you. Matthew’s Gospel begins with the prophecy that the Savior’s name would be “Emmanuel, that is, ‘God with us,’” (1:23, in which the author has linked Isa 7:14 and 8:8, 10 together) and it ends with Jesus’ promise to be with his disciples forever. The Gospel of Matthew thus forms an inclusio about Jesus in his relationship to his people that suggests his deity.

[28:20]  ⁵⁷ tc Most mss (A^c Θ Ë¹³ Ï it sy) have ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”) at the end of v. 20. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, no good reason exists for the omission of the particle in significant and early witnesses such as א A* B D W ˹ 33 al lat sa.

[1:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).

[1:6]  ⁶⁰ tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).