BSB
Exodus 38
1Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.
2He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.
3He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
4He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom.
5At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles.
6And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
7Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.
8Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
9Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun linen,
10with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.
11The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver.
12The west side was fifty cubits long and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver.
13And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.
14The curtains on one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.
15And the curtains on the other side were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as well.
16All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen.
17The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
18The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high,
19with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the plating of their tops.
20All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.
21This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
22Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.
23With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
24All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
25The silver from those numbered among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel—
26a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.
27The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent per base.
28With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.
29The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
30He used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar,
31the bases for the surrounding courtyard and its gate, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and its surrounding courtyard.
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Ahisamach: Father of Aholiab Exodus 38:23
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Aholiab: An Artificer of the Tabernacle Exodus 38:23
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Altar in the Tabernacle: Constructed by Bezaleel Exodus 38:1–7
Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. / He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze. / He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
Altar in the Tabernacle: Furniture of Exodus 38:3–7
He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans. / He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. / At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles.
Arts of The: Embroiderer Exodus 38:23
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Basin: Made of Brass (Bronze) Exodus 38:3
He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
Bekah: A Half Shekel, About Thirty-One Cents Exodus 38:26
a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.
Bezalel: A Divinely-Inspired Mechanic and Master Workman Who Built the Tabernacle Exodus 38:1–7, 22
Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. / He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze. / He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
Brass: Articles Made of Altar, Vessels, and Other Articles of the Tabernacle and Temple Exodus 38:28–31
With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them. / The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. / He used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar,
Brass: Articles Made of Mirrors Exodus 38:8
Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Census: A Poll Tax to be Levied at Each Exodus 38:26
a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.
Census: The Numbering of Israel by Moses Exodus 38:26
a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.
Church: Holy Place Exodus 38:24
All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
Colors: Blue: Symbol of Deity Exodus 38:18
The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high,
Colors: These Colors Figured Largely in the Symbolisms of the Tabernacle Furnishing Exodus 38:18, 23
The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, / With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Copper Brass: Made Into: Mirrors Exodus 38:8
Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Copper Brass: Made Into: Sockets fPillars Exodus 38:10, 11, 17
with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. / The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. / The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
Copper Brass: Offerings of, fthe Tabernacle Exodus 38:29
The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
Embroidery: Bezaleel and Aholiab Divinely Inspired For, in the Work of the Tabernacle Exodus 38:22, 23
Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses. / With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Firepan: General Scriptures Concerning Exodus 38:3
He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
Fleshhook used in the Tabernacle Exodus 38:3
He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.
Grate: General Scriptures Concerning Exodus 38:4, 5
He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. / At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles.
Hooks: Made of Silver Exodus 38:10–12, 17, 19
with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. / The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. / The west side was fifty cubits long and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver.
Hur: A Son of Caleb Exodus 38:22
Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
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Exodus 38:1 Verse 1
the altar of burnt offering--The repetitions are continued, in which may be traced the exact conformity of the execution to the order.
Exodus 38:8 Verse 8
laver of brass ... of the looking glasses of the women--The word mirrors should have been used, as those implements, usually round, inserted into a handle of wood, stone, or metal, were made of brass, silver, or bronze, highly polished [Wilkinson]. It was customary for the Egyptian women to carry mirrors with them to the temples; and whether by taking the looking glasses of the Hebrew women Moses designed to put it out of their power to follow a similar practice at the tabernacle, or whether the supply of brass from other sources in the camp was exhausted, it is interesting to learn how zealously and to a vast extent they surrendered those valued accompaniments of the female toilet. of the women assembling ... at the door--not priestesses but women of pious character and influence, who frequented the courts of the sacred building (Lu 2:37), and whose parting with their mirrors, like the cutting the hair of the Nazarites, was their renouncing the world for a season [Hengstenberg].
Exodus 38:9 Verse 9
the court--It occupied a space of one hundred and fifty feet by seventy-five, and it was enclosed by curtains of fine linen about eight feet high, suspended on brazen or copper pillars. Those curtains were secured by rods fastened to the top, and kept extended by being fastened to pins stuck in the ground.
Exodus 38:10 Verse 10
hooks--The hooks of the pillars in the court were for hanging up the carcasses of the sacrificial beasts--those on the pillars at the entry of the tabernacle were for hanging the sacerdotal robes and other things used in the service.
Exodus 38:11 Verse 11
sockets--mortices or holes in which the end of the pillars stood.
Exodus 38:17 Verse 17
chapiters--or capitals of the pillars, were wooden posts which ran along their top, to which were attached the hooks for the hangings.
Exodus 38:18 Verse 18
the height in the breadth--or, "in the measure." The sense is that the hangings of the court gate, which was twenty cubits wide, were of the same height as the hangings all round the court [Wall].
Exodus 38:21 Verse 21
This is the sum of the tabernacle--Having completed his description of the component parts of the tabernacle, the inspired historian digresses into a statement respecting the gold and silver employed in it, the computation being made according to an order of Moses--by the Levites, under the direction of Ithamar, Aaron's youngest son.
Exodus 38:24 Verse 24
twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels--equivalent to £150,00 sterling.
Exodus 38:25 Verse 25
the silver of them that were numbered--603,550 men at half a shekel each would contribute 301,775 shekels; which at 2s. 4d. each, amounts to £35,207 sterling. It may seem difficult to imagine how the Israelites should be possessed of so much wealth in the desert; but it should be remembered that they were enriched first by the spoils of the Egyptians, and afterwards by those of the Amalekites. Besides, it is highly probable that during their sojourn they traded with the neighboring nations who bordered on the wilderness [Hewlett].
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
Pastoral and devotional reflections focused on spiritual formation and application.
Exodus 38:1-8 Verses 1-8
In all ages of the church there have been some persons more devoted to God, more constant in their attendance upon his ordinances, and more willing to part even with lawful things, for his sake, than others. Some women, devoted to God and zealous for the tabernacle worship, expressed zeal by parting with their mirrors, which were polished plates of brass. Before the invention of looking-glasses, these served the same purposes. (Ex 38:9-20)
Exodus 38:9-20 Verses 9-20
The walls of the court being of curtains only, intimated that the state of the Jewish church itself was movable and changeable; and in due time to be taken down and folded up, when the place of the tent should be enlarged, and its cords lengthened, to make room for the Gentile world.
Exodus 38:21-31 Verses 21-31
The foundation of massy pieces of silver showed the solidity and purity of the truth upon which the church is founded. Let us regard the Lord Jesus Christ while reading of the furniture of the tabernacle. While looking at the altar of burnt-offering, let us see Jesus. In him, his righteousness, and salvation, is a full and sufficient offering for sin. In the laver of regeneration, by his Holy Spirit, let our souls be washed, and they shall be clean; and as the people offered willingly, so may our souls be made willing. Let us be ready to part with any thing, and count all but loss to win Christ.