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 35:26

35:26 and all the women whose heart stirred them to action and who were skilled ⁴  spun goats’ hair.

Exodus 35:31

35:31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God – with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work,

Exodus 28:3

28:3 You ⁵  are to speak to all who are specially skilled, ⁶  whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, ⁷  so that they may make ⁸  Aaron’s garments to set him apart ⁹  to minister as my priest.

Exodus 31:6

31:6 Moreover, ¹⁰  I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, ¹¹  that they may make ¹²  everything I have commanded you:

Exodus 35:35--36:2

35:35 He has filled them with skill ¹³  to do all kinds of work ¹⁴  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ¹⁵  craftsmen in all the work ¹⁶  and artistic designers. ¹⁷  36:1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person ¹⁸  in whom the Lord has put skill ¹⁹  and ability ²⁰  to know how ²¹  to do all the work for the service ²²  of the sanctuary are to do the work ²³  according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

36:2 Moses summoned ²⁴  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ²⁵  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ²⁶  to volunteer ²⁷  to do the work,

[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.

[35:26]  ⁴ tn The text simply uses a prepositional phrase, “with/in wisdom.” It seems to be qualifying “the women” as the relative clause is.

[28:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “And you, you will speak to.”

[28:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “wise of heart.” The word for “wise” (חַכְמֵי, khakhme, the plural construct form) is from the word group that is usually translated “wisdom, wise, be wise,” but it has as its basic meaning “skill” or “skillful.” This is the way it is used in 31:3, 6 and 35:10 etc. God gave these people “wisdom” so that they would know how to make these things. The “heart” for the Hebrews is the locus of understanding, the mind and the will. To be “wise of heart” or “wise in heart” means that they had the understanding to do skillful work, they were talented artisans and artists.

[28:3]  ⁹ sn There is no necessity to take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit who produces wisdom in these people, although that is not totally impossible. A number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) do not even translate the word “spirit.” It probably refers to their attitude and ability. U. Cassuto has “to all the artisans skilled in the making of stately robes, in the heart [i.e., mind] of each of whom I have implanted sagacity in his craft so that he may do his craft successfully” (Exodus, 371).

[28:3]  ¹⁰ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; after the instruction to speak to the wise, this verb, equal to an imperfect, will have the force of purpose.

[28:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “to sanctify him” (ASV) or “to consecrate him” (KJV, NASB, NRSV). It is the garments that will set Aaron apart, or sanctify him, not the workers. The expression could be taken to mean “for his consecration” (NIV) since the investiture is part of his being set apart for service.

[31:6]  ¹⁰ tn The expression uses the independent personal pronoun (“and I”) with the deictic particle (“behold”) to enforce the subject of the verb – “and I, indeed I have given.”

[31:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom.”

[31:6]  ¹² tn The form is a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The form at this place shows the purpose or the result of what has gone before, and so it is rendered “that they may make.”

[35:35]  ¹³ tn The expression “wisdom of heart,” or “wisdom in heart,” means artistic skill. The decisions and plans they make are skilled. The expression forms a second accusative after the verb of filling.

[35:35]  ¹⁴ tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”

[35:35]  ¹⁵ tn Here “They are” has been supplied.

[35:35]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “doers of all work.”

[35:35]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “designers of designs.”

[36:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “wise of [in] heart.”

[36:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “wisdom.”

[36:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “understanding, discernment.”

[36:1]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ¹⁹ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ²⁰ tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ²¹ tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ²² 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.