Exodus 31:4

31:4 to make artistic designs ¹  for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze,

Exodus 35:32

35:32 to design artistic designs, to work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,

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 35:35

35:35 He has filled them with skill ²  to do all kinds of work ³  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ⁴  craftsmen in all the work ⁵  and artistic designers. ⁶ 

Exodus 26:1

The Tabernacle

26:1 ⁷ “The tabernacle itself ⁸  you are to make with ⁹  ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; ¹⁰  you are to make them with ¹¹  cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer.

Exodus 26:31

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ¹²  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ¹³  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

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 36:35

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  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 36:8

The Building of the Tabernacle

36:8 All the skilled among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; they were made with cherubim that were the work of an artistic designer.

[31:4]  ¹ tn The expression is לַחְשֹׁב מַחֲשָׁבֹת (lakhshov makhashavot, “to devise devices”). The infinitive emphasizes that Bezalel will be able to design or plan works that are artistic or skillful. He will think thoughts or devise the plans, and then he will execute them in silver or stone or whatever other material he uses.

[35:35]  ² 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]  ³ tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”

[35:35]  ⁴ tn Here “They are” has been supplied.

[35:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “doers of all work.”

[35:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “designers of designs.”

[26:1]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn This is for the adverbial accusative explaining how the dwelling place is to be made.

[26:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[28:15]  ⁵ 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).

[36:35]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.