Exodus 7:11

7:11 Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, ¹  and the magicians ²  of Egypt by their secret arts ³  did the same thing.

Exodus 35:10

35:10 Every skilled person ⁴  among you is to come and make all that the Lord has commanded:

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 35:25

35:25 Every woman who was skilled ¹⁰  spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen,

Exodus 36:4

36:4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came from the work ¹¹  they were doing

Exodus 31:6

31:6 Moreover, ¹²  I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, ¹³  that they may make ¹⁴  everything I have commanded you:

Exodus 36:1-2

36:1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person ¹⁵  in whom the Lord has put skill ¹⁶  and ability ¹⁷  to know how ¹⁸  to do all the work for the service ¹⁹  of the sanctuary are to do the work ²⁰  according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

36:2 Moses summoned ²¹  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ²²  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ²³  to volunteer ²⁴  to do the work,

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.

[7:11]  ¹ sn For information on this Egyptian material, see D. B. Redford, A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (VTSup), 203-4.

[7:11]  ² tn The חַרְטֻּמִּים (kharttummim) seem to have been the keepers of Egypt’s religious and magical texts, the sacred scribes.

[7:11]  ³ tn The term בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם (bÿlahatehem) means “by their secret arts”; it is from לוּט (lut, “to enwrap”). The Greek renders the word “by their magic”; Tg. Onq. uses “murmurings” and “whispers,” and other Jewish sources “dazzling display” or “demons” (see further B. Jacob, Exodus, 253-54). They may have done this by clever tricks, manipulation of the animals, or demonic power. Many have suggested that Aaron and the magicians were familiar with an old trick in which they could temporarily paralyze a serpent and then revive it. But here Aaron’s snake swallows up their snakes.

[35:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “wise of heart”; here also “heart” would be a genitive of specification, showing that there were those who could make skillful decisions.

[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.

[35:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

[36:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “a man, a man from his work”; or “each one from his work.”

[31:6]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom.”

[31:6]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[36:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “wise of [in] heart.”

[36:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “wisdom.”

[36:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “understanding, discernment.”

[36:1]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²² tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ²³ tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ²⁵ 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.