Hebrews 6:19

6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, ¹ 

Hebrews 10:20

10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us ²  through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ³ 

Exodus 26:31-33

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ⁴  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ⁵  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 26:32 You are to hang it ⁶  with gold hooks ⁷  on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in ⁸  four silver bases. 26:33 You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain. ⁹  The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. ¹⁰ 

Exodus 36:35-38

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹¹  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, ¹²  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 ¹³  and their bands with gold, but their five bases were bronze. ¹⁴ 

Exodus 40:3

40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain.

Exodus 40:21

40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ¹⁵  the protecting curtain, ¹⁶  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exodus 40:2

40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up ¹⁷  the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

Exodus 3:14

3:14 God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” ¹⁸  And he said, “You must say this ¹⁹  to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Isaiah 25:7

25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up

the shroud that is over all the peoples, ²⁰ 

the woven covering that is over all the nations; ²¹ 

Matthew 27:51

27:51 Just then ²²  the temple curtain ²³  was torn in two, from top to bottom. The ²⁴  earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

[6:19]  ¹ sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.

[10:20]  ² tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.

[10:20]  ³ sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.

[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.

[26:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “put it.”

[26:32]  ⁷ tn This clause simply says “and their hooks gold,” but is taken as a circumstantial clause telling how the veil will be hung.

[26:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “on four silver bases.”

[26:33]  ⁹ tn The traditional expression is “within the veil,” literally “into the house (or area) of the (special) curtain.”

[26:33]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the Holy of Holies.”

[36:35]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “and their hooks gold.”

[36:38]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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.

[40:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ¹⁶ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[40:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “you will raise,” an imperfect of instruction.

[3:14]  ¹⁸ tn The verb form used here is אֶהְיֶה (’ehyeh), the Qal imperfect, first person common singular, of the verb הָיָה (haya, “to be”). It forms an excellent paronomasia with the name. So when God used the verb to express his name, he used this form saying, “I am.” When his people refer to him as Yahweh, which is the third person masculine singular form of the same verb, they say “he is.” Some commentators argue for a future tense translation, “I will be who I will be,” because the verb has an active quality about it, and the Israelites lived in the light of the promises for the future. They argue that “I am” would be of little help to the Israelites in bondage. But a translation of “I will be” does not effectively do much more except restrict it to the future. The idea of the verb would certainly indicate that God is not bound by time, and while he is present (“I am”) he will always be present, even in the future, and so “I am” would embrace that as well (see also Ruth 2:13; Ps 50:21; Hos 1:9). The Greek translation of the OT used a participle to capture the idea, and several times in the Gospels Jesus used the powerful “I am” with this significance (e.g., John 8:58). The point is that Yahweh is sovereignly independent of all creation and that his presence guarantees the fulfillment of the covenant (cf. Isa 41:4; 42:6, 8; 43:10-11; 44:6; 45:5-7). Others argue for a causative Hiphil translation of “I will cause to be,” but nowhere in the Bible does this verb appear in Hiphil or Piel. A good summary of the views can be found in G. H. Parke-Taylor, Yahweh, the Divine Name in the Bible. See among the many articles: B. Beitzel, “Exodus 3:14 and the Divine Name: A Case of Biblical Paronomasia,” TJ 1 (1980): 5-20; C. D. Isbell, “The Divine Name ehyeh as a Symbol of Presence in Israelite Tradition,” HAR 2 (1978): 101-18; J. G. Janzen, “What’s in a Name? Yahweh in Exodus 3 and the Wider Biblical Context,” Int 33 (1979): 227-39; J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per Idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; A. R. Millard, “Yw and Yhw Names,” VT 30 (1980): 208-12; and R. Youngblood, “A New Occurrence of the Divine Name ‘I AM,’” JETS 15 (1972): 144-52.

[3:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Thus you shall say” (also in the following verse). The word “must” in the translation conveys the instructional and imperatival force of the statement.

[25:7]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).

[25:7]  ²¹ sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).

[27:51]  ²² tn Grk “And behold.”

[27:51]  ²³ tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

[27:51]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.