Exodus 36:8--38:20

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. 36:9 The length of one curtain was forty-two feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – the same size for each of the curtains. 36:10 He joined ¹  five of the curtains to one another, and the other ²  five curtains he joined to one another. 36:11 He made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in the first set; he did the same along the edge of the end curtain in the second set. 36:12 He made fifty loops on the first curtain, and he made fifty loops on the end curtain that was in the second set, with the loops opposite one another. 36:13 He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was a unit. ³ 

36:14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. ⁴  36:15 The length of one curtain was forty-five feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – one size for all eleven curtains. 36:16 He joined five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. 36:17 He made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joined the second set. 36:18 He made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be a unit. ⁵  36:19 He made a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ⁶ 

36:20 He made the frames ⁷  for the tabernacle of acacia wood ⁸  as uprights. ⁹  36:21 The length of each ¹⁰  frame was fifteen feet, the width of each ¹¹  frame was two and a quarter feet, 36:22 with ¹²  two projections per frame parallel one to another. ¹³  He made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 36:23 So he made frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side. 36:24 He made forty silver bases under the twenty frames – two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise ¹⁴  two bases under the next frame for its two projections, 36:25 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames 36:26 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next ¹⁵  frame. 36:27 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west he made six frames. 36:28 He made two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back. 36:29 At the two corners ¹⁶  they were doubled at the lower end and ¹⁷  finished together at the top in one ring. So he did for both. 36:30 So there were eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under each frame.

36:31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle 36:32 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle for the back side on the west. 36:33 He made the middle bar to reach from end to end in the center of the frames. 36:34 He overlaid the frames with gold and made their rings of gold to provide places ¹⁸  for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold.

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. 36:36 He made for it four posts of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, with gold hooks, ²⁰  and he cast for them four silver bases.

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, 36:38 and its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their tops ²¹  and their bands with gold, but their five bases were bronze. ²² 

The Making of the Ark

37:1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding border ²³  of gold for it. 37:3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put ²⁴  on its four feet, with ²⁵  two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 37:4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, 37:5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark.

37:6 He made ²⁶  an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches, and its width was two feet three inches. 37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid, 37:8 one cherub on one end ²⁷  and one cherub on the other end. ²⁸  He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends. 37:9 The cherubim were spreading their wings ²⁹  upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim ³⁰  faced each other, ³¹  looking toward the atonement lid. ³² 

The Making of the Table

37:10 He made the table of acacia wood; its length was three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 37:12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 37:13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 37:14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 37:16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its ³³  plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

The Making of the Lampstand

37:17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece. ³⁴  37:18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 37:19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next ³⁵  branch, and the same ³⁶  for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 37:20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 37:21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it. ³⁷  37:22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece; ³⁸  all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 37:23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 37:24 He made the lampstand ³⁹  and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

The Making of the Altar of Incense

37:25 He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half – a square – and its height was three feet. Its horns were of one piece with it. ⁴⁰  37:26 He overlaid it with pure gold – its top, ⁴¹  its four walls, ⁴²  and its horns – and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. ⁴³  37:27 He also made ⁴⁴  two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides, ⁴⁵  as places ⁴⁶  for poles to carry it with. 37:28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

37:29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering

38:1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches. 38:2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it, ⁴⁷  and he overlaid it with bronze. 38:3 He made all the utensils of the altar – the pots, the shovels, the tossing bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans – he made all its utensils of bronze. 38:4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. 38:5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide places for the poles. 38:6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 38:7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar ⁴⁸  hollow, out of boards.

38:8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served ⁴⁹  at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

The Construction of the Courtyard

38:9 He made the courtyard. For the south side ⁵⁰  the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long, 38:10 with ⁵¹  their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:11 For the north side the hangings were ⁵²  one hundred fifty feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:12 For the west side there were ⁵³  hangings seventy-five feet long, with ⁵⁴  their ten posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide, ⁵⁵  38:14 with hangings on one side ⁵⁶  of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases, 38:15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other, ⁵⁷  the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 38:16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. 38:17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands. ⁵⁸  38:18 The curtain ⁵⁹  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, 38:19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 38:20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze.

[36:10]  ¹ tn The verb is singular since it probably is referring to Bezalel, but since he would not do all the work himself, it may be that the verbs could be given a plural subject: “they joined.”

[36:10]  ² tn The words “the other” have been supplied.

[36:13]  ¹ tn Heb “one.”

[36:14]  ¹ tn Heb “eleven curtains he made them.”

[36:18]  ¹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct from the verb “to be” to express this purpose clause: “to be one,” or, “so that it might be a unit.”

[36:19]  ¹ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[36:20]  ¹ tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqqÿrashim) means “boards” or “frames” or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.

[36:20]  ² tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.

[36:20]  ³ tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).

[36:21]  ¹ tn Heb “the frame.”

[36:21]  ² tn Heb “the one.”

[36:22]  ¹ tn Heb “two hands to the one frame.”

[36:22]  ² tn Heb “joined one to one.”

[36:24]  ¹ tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”

[36:26]  ¹ tn Heb “under the one frame” again.

[36:29]  ¹ tn This is the last phrase of the verse, moved forward for clarity.

[36:29]  ² tn This difficult verse uses the perfect tense at the beginning, and the second clause parallels it with יִהְיוּ (yihyu), which has to be taken here as a preterite without the consecutive vav (ו). The predicate “finished” or “completed” is the word תָּמִּים (tammim); it normally means “complete, sound, whole,” and related words describe the sacrifices as without blemish.

[36:34]  ¹ tn Literally “houses”; i.e., places to hold the bars.

[36:35]  ¹ 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.

[36:36]  ¹ tn Heb “and their hooks gold.”

[36:38]  ¹ tn The word is “their heads”; technically it would be “their capitals” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The bands were bands of metal surrounding these capitals just beneath them. These are not mentioned in Exod 26:37, and it sounds like the posts are to be covered with gold. But the gradation of metals is what is intended: the posts at the entrance to the Most Holy Place are all of gold; the posts at the entrance to the tent are overlaid with gold at the top; and the posts at the entrance to the courtyard are overlaid with silver at the top (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 387, citing Dillmann without reference).

[36:38]  ² sn For a good summary of the differences between the instruction section and the completion section, and the reasons for the changes and the omissions, see B. Jacob, Exodus, 1022-23.

[37:2]  ¹ tn Or “molding.”

[37:3]  ¹ tn “that he put” has been supplied.

[37:3]  ² tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.

[37:6]  ¹ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:8]  ¹ tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”

[37:8]  ² tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.

[37:9]  ¹ tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings” – “spreaders of wings.”

[37:9]  ² tn “The cherubim” has been placed here instead of in the second clause to produce a smoother translation.

[37:9]  ³ tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”

[37:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”

[37:16]  ¹ tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).

[37:17]  ¹ tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ¹ tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”

[37:19]  ² tn Heb “thus for six branches….”

[37:21]  ¹ tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.

[37:22]  ¹ tn Heb “were from it.”

[37:24]  ¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:25]  ¹ tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.

[37:26]  ¹ tn Heb “roof.”

[37:26]  ² tn Heb “its walls around.”

[37:26]  ³ tn Heb “and he made for it border gold around.”

[37:27]  ¹ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:27]  ² sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.

[37:27]  ³ tn Heb “for houses.”

[38:2]  ¹ tn Heb “its horns were from it,” meaning from the same piece.

[38:7]  ¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:8]  ¹ sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 Hebrew text]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said.

[38:9]  ¹ tn Heb “south side southward.”

[38:10]  ¹ tn While this verse could be translated as an independent sentence, it is probably to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause in line with Exod 27:10-12, as well as v. 12 of this passage.

[38:11]  ¹ tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ¹ tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ² tn The text simply has “their posts ten and their bases ten”; this may be added here as a circumstantial clause with the main sentence in order to make sense out of the construction.

[38:13]  ¹ tn The text simply says “seventy-five feet.”

[38:14]  ¹ tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15).

[38:15]  ¹ tn Heb “from this and from this” (cf, 17:12; 25:19; 26:13; 32:15; Josh 8:22, 33; 1 Kgs 10:19-20; Ezek 45:7).

[38:17]  ¹ tn Heb “they were banded with silver.”

[38:18]  ¹ tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area.