Exodus 25:4

25:4 blue, ¹  purple, ²  scarlet, ³  fine linen, ⁴  goat’s hair, ⁵ 

Exodus 35:6

35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair,

Exodus 23:10

Sabbaths and Feasts

23:10 ⁶ “For six years ⁷  you are to sow your land and gather in its produce.

Exodus 26:36

26:36 “You are to make a hanging ⁸  for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ⁹ 

Exodus 28:6

28:6 “They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 36:37

36:37 He made a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer,

Exodus 39:2

The Ephod

39:2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Exodus 26:31

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ¹⁰  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ¹¹  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 27:16

27:16 For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of thirty feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases.

Exodus 28:8

28:8 The artistically woven waistband ¹²  of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, ¹³  of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Exodus 28:15

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ¹⁴  the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Exodus 35:23

35:23 Everyone who had ¹⁵  blue, purple, or ¹⁶  scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather ¹⁷  brought them. ¹⁸ 

Exodus 36:35

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹⁹  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 39:8

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.

Exodus 38:18

38:18 The curtain ²⁰  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,

Exodus 39:5

39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ²¹  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

[25:4]  ¹ sn The blue refers to dye made from shellfish. It has a dark blue or purple-blue, almost violet color. No significance for the color is attached.

[25:4]  ² sn Likewise this color dye was imported from Phoenicia, where it was harvested from the shellfish or snail. It is a deep purple-red color.

[25:4]  ³ sn This color is made from the eggs and bodies of the worm coccus ilicus, which is found with the holly plant – so Heb “worm of brilliance.” The powder made from the dried maggots produces a bright red-yellow color (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:452). B. Jacob takes the view that these are not simply colors that are being introduced here, but fabrics dyed with these colors (Exodus, 765). At any rate, the sequence would then be metals, fabrics, and leathers (v. 5).

[25:4]  ⁴ sn This is generally viewed as a fine Egyptian linen that had many more delicate strands than ordinary linen.

[25:4]  ⁵ sn Goat’s hair was spun into yarn (35:26) and used to make the material for the first tent over the dwelling. It is ideal for tenting, since it is loosely woven and allows breezes to pass through, but with rain the fibers expand and prevent water from seeping through.

[23:10]  ⁶ sn This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19).

[23:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “and six years”; this is an adverbial accusative telling how long they can work their land. The following references to years and days in vv. 10-12 function similarly.

[26:36]  ¹¹ sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.

[26:36]  ¹² tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).

[26:31]  ¹⁶ tn Although translated “curtain” (traditionally “veil,” so ASV, NAB, NASB) this is a different word from the one used earlier of the tent curtains, so “special curtain” is used. The word פָרֹכֶת (farokhet) seems to be connected with a verb that means “to shut off” and was used with a shrine. This curtain would form a barrier in the approach to God (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 289).

[26:31]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is the third masculine singular form, but no subject is expressed. It could be translated “one will make” or as a passive. The verb means “to make,” but probably has the sense of embroidering both here and in v. 1.

[28:8]  ²¹ tn This is the rendering of the word חֵשֶׁב (kheshev), cognate to the word translated “designer” in v. 6. Since the entire ephod was of the same material, and this was of the same piece, it is unclear why this is singled out as “artistically woven.” Perhaps the word is from another root that just describes the item as a “band.” Whatever the connection, this band was to be of the same material, and the same piece, as the ephod, but perhaps a different pattern (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 301). It is this sash that attaches the ephod to the priest’s body, that is, at the upper border of the ephod and clasped together at the back.

[28:8]  ²² tn Heb “from it” but meaning “of one [the same] piece”; the phrase “the ephod” has been supplied.

[28:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “a breastpiece of decision” (חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט, khoshen mishpat; so NAB). The first word, rendered “breastpiece,” is of uncertain etymology. This item was made of material similar to the ephod. It had four rows of three gems on it, bearing the names of the tribes. In it were the urim and thummim. J. P. Hyatt refers to a similar object found in the Egyptian reliefs, including even the twisted gold chains used to hang it from the priest (Exodus [NCBC], 282).

[35:23]  ³¹ tn The text uses a relative clause with a resumptive pronoun for this: “who was found with him,” meaning “with whom was found.”

[35:23]  ³² tn The conjunction in this verse is translated “or” because the sentence does not intend to say that each person had all these things. They brought what they had.

[35:23]  ³³ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:23]  ³⁴ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[36:35]  ³⁶ tn The verb is simply “he made” but as in Exod 26:31 it probably means that the cherubim were worked into the curtain with the yarn, and so embroidered on the curtain.

[38:18]  ⁴¹ tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area.

[39:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “from it” or the same.