Exodus 35:4-9

Willing Workers

35:4 ¹ Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 35:5 ‘Take ²  an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart ³  bring ⁴  an offering to the Lord: ⁵  gold, silver, bronze, 35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair, 35:7 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, ⁶  acacia wood, 35:8 olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 35:9 onyx stones, and other gems ⁷  for mounting ⁸  on the ephod and the breastpiece.

[35:4]  ¹ sn The book now turns to record how all the work of the sanctuary was done. This next unit picks up on the ideas in Exod 31:1-11. But it adds several features. The first part is the instruction of God for all people to give willingly (35:4-19); the next section tells how the faithful brought an offering for the service of the tabernacle (35:20-29); the next section tells how God set some apart with special gifts (35:30-35), and finally, the narrative reports how the faithful people of God enthusiastically began the work (36:1-7).

[35:5]  ² tn Heb “from with you.”

[35:5]  ³ tn “Heart” is a genitive of specification, clarifying in what way they might be “willing.” The heart refers to their will, their choices.

[35:5]  ⁴ tn The verb has a suffix that is the direct object, but the suffixed object is qualified by the second accusative: “let him bring it, an offering.”

[35:5]  ⁵ tn The phrase is literally “the offering of Yahweh”; it could be a simple possessive, “Yahweh’s offering,” but a genitive that indicates the indirect object is more appropriate.

[35:7]  ⁶ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “and stones.”

[35:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “filling.”