Exodus 26:1

The Tabernacle

26:1 ¹ “The tabernacle itself ²  you are to make with ³  ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; ⁴  you are to make them with ⁵  cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 26:31

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ⁶  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ⁷  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 27:9

The Courtyard

27:9 “You are to make the courtyard ⁸  of the tabernacle. For the south side ⁹  there are to be hangings ¹⁰  for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long for one side, ¹¹ 

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 27:18

27:18 The length of the courtyard is to be one hundred fifty feet ¹²  and the width seventy-five feet, ¹³  and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings ¹⁴  is to be ¹⁵  seven and a half feet, with their bronze bases.

Exodus 28:5

28:5 The artisans ¹⁶  are to use ¹⁷  the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.

Exodus 28:8

28:8 The artistically woven waistband ¹⁸  of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, ¹⁹  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, ²⁰  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 ²¹  blue, purple, or ²²  scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather ²³  brought them. ²⁴ 

Exodus 35:25

35:25 Every woman who was skilled ²⁵  spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen,

Exodus 36:35

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ²⁶  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 38:23

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.

Exodus 39:3

39:3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave ²⁷  them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, 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 39:29

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.

[26:1]  ¹ sn This chapter is given over to the details of the structure itself, the curtains, coverings, boards and walls and veil. The passage can be studied on one level for its function both practically and symbolically for Israel’s worship. On another level it can be studied for its typology, for the tabernacle and many of its parts speak of Christ. For this one should see the commentaries.

[26:1]  ² tn The word order in Hebrew thrusts the direct object to the front for particular emphasis. After the first couple of pieces of furniture are treated (chap. 25), attention turns to the tabernacle itself.

[26:1]  ³ tn This is for the adverbial accusative explaining how the dwelling place is to be made.

[26:1]  ⁴ sn S. R. Driver suggests that the curtains were made with threads dyed with these colors (Exodus, 280). Perhaps the colored threads were used for embroidering the cherubim in the curtains.

[26:1]  ⁵ tn The construction is difficult in this line because of the word order. “Cherubim” is an adverbial accusative explaining how they were to make the curtains. And מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב (ma’aseh khoshev) means literally “work of a designer”; it is in apposition to “cherubim.” The Hebrew participle means “designer” or “deviser” so that one could render this “of artistic designs in weaving” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 280-81). B. Jacob says that it refers to “artistic weavers” (Exodus, 789).

[26:31]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.

[27:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “enclosure” (TEV).

[27:9]  ¹² tn Heb “south side southward.”

[27:9]  ¹³ tn Or “curtains.”

[27:9]  ¹⁴ sn The entire courtyard of 150 feet by 75 feet was to be enclosed by a curtain wall held up with posts in bases. All these hangings were kept in place by a cord and tent pegs.

[27:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a hundred cubits.”

[27:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “fifty.” The text has “and the width fifty [cubits] with fifty.” This means that it is fifty cubits wide on the western end and fifty cubits wide on the eastern end.

[27:18]  ¹⁸ tn Here “hangings” has been supplied.

[27:18]  ¹⁹ tn Here the phrase “is to be” has been supplied.

[28:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “and they.” The word “artisans” is supplied as the referent of the pronoun, a connection that is clearer in Hebrew than in English.

[28:5]  ²² tn Heb “receive” or “take.”

[28:8]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Heb “from it” but meaning “of one [the same] piece”; the phrase “the ephod” has been supplied.

[28:15]  ³¹ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:23]  ³⁹ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[35:25]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

[36:35]  ⁴⁶ 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.

[39:3]  ⁵¹ 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.