1 So let Bezalel and Oholiab get to work, with every wise-hearted man to whom the Lord has given wisdom and knowledge, to do whatever is necessary for the ordering of the holy place, as the Lord has given orders.
2 Then Moses sent for Bezalel and Oholiab, and for all the wise-hearted men to whom the Lord had given wisdom, even everyone who was moved by the impulse of his heart to come and take part in the work:
3 And they took from Moses all the offerings which the children of Israel had given for the building of the holy place. And still they went on giving him more free offerings every morning.
4 Then the wise men, who were doing all the work of the holy place, came from their work;
5 And said to Moses, The people are giving much more than is needed for the work which the Lord has given us orders to do.
6 So Moses made an order and had it given out through all the tents, saying, Let no man or woman make any more offerings for the holy place. So the people were kept from giving more.
7 For the material they had was enough and more than enough for all the work which had to be done.
8 Then all the expert workmen among them made the House with its ten curtains; of the best linen, blue and purple and red, they made them, with winged ones worked by expert designers.
9 Every curtain was twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide, all of the same measure.
10 And five curtains were joined together, and the other five curtains were joined together.
11 And they put twists of blue cord on the edge of the outside curtain of the first group, and in the same way on the outside curtain of the second group.
12 Fifty twists on the one curtain and fifty on the edge of the curtain of the other group; the twists being opposite to one another.
13 And they made fifty hooks of gold, joining the curtains one to another with the hooks; and so the House was made.
14 And they made curtains of goats' hair for the tent; eleven curtains were made.
15 Every curtain was thirty cubits long and four cubits wide, all of the same measure.
16 Five curtains were joined together to make one group, and six curtains were joined together to make the other group.
17 And they put fifty twists of cord on the edge of the outside curtain of the first group, and fifty twists on the edge of the outside curtain of the second group,
18 And fifty hooks of brass for joining them together to make the tent.
19 And they made a cover of sheepskins coloured red, to go over the tent, and a cover of leather over that.
20 And for the uprights of the House they made boards of hard wood.
21 The boards were ten cubits long and one cubit and a half wide.
22 Every board had two tongues fixed into it; all the boards were made in this way.
23 They made twenty boards for the south side of the House:
24 And for these twenty boards, forty silver bases, two bases under every board, to take its tongues.
25 And for the second side of the House, on the north, they made twenty boards,
26 With their forty silver bases, two bases for every board.
27 And for the west side of the House, at the back, they made six boards,
28 And two boards for the angles at the back.
29 These were joined together at the base and at the top to one ring, so forming the two angles.
30 So there were eight boards with sixteen bases of silver, two bases under every board.
31 And they made rods of hard wood; five for the boards on one side of the House,
32 And five for the boards on the other side of the House, and five for the boards at the back, on the west.
33 The middle rod was made to go right through the rings of all the boards from one end to the other.
34 All the boards were plated with gold, and the rings through which the rods went were of gold, and the rods were plated with gold.
35 And he made the veil of the best linen, blue and purple and red, worked with winged ones designed by expert workmen.
36 And they made four pillars for it of hard wood plated with gold: they had hooks of gold and four silver bases.
37 And they made a curtain for the door of the tent, of the best linen with needlework of blue and purple and red;
38 And five pillars for the curtain, with their hooks; the heads of the pillars were of gold and they were circled with bands of gold; and their five bases were of brass.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Exodus 36
Commentary on Exodus 36 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 36
Ex 36:1-38. Offerings Delivered to the Workmen.
1. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise-hearted man, &c.—Here is an illustrious example of zeal and activity in the work of the Lord. No unnecessary delay was allowed to take place; and from the moment the first pole was stuck in the ground till the final completion of the sacred edifice, he and his associates labored with all the energies both of mind and body engaged in the work. And what was the mainspring of their arduous and untiring diligence? They could be actuated by none of the ordinary motives that give impulse to human industry, by no desire for the acquisition of gain; no ambition for honor; no view of gratifying a mere love of power in directing the labors of a large body of men. They felt the stimulus—the strong irresistible impulse of higher and holier motives—obedience to the authority, zeal for the glory, and love to the service of God.
3. they (the workmen)
received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought, &c.—It appears that the building was begun after the first few contributions were made; it was progressively carried on, and no necessity occurred to suspend operations even for the shortest interval, from want of the requisite materials.
they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning, &c.—Moses, in common with other Oriental magistrates, had his morning levees for receiving the people (see on Ex 18:13); and it was while he was performing his magisterial duties that the people brought unto him freewill offerings every morning. Some who had nothing but their manual labor to give would spend a great part of the night in hastening to complete their self-imposed task before the early dawn; others might find their hearts constrained by silent meditations on their beds to open their coffers and give a part of their hoarded treasure to the pious object. All whose hearts were touched by piety, penitence, or gratitude, repaired with eager haste into the presence of Moses, not as heretofore, to have their controversies settled, but to lay on his tribunal their contributions to the sanctuary of God (2Co 9:7).
5. they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough, &c.—By the calculations which the practised eyes of the workmen enabled them to make, they were unanimously of the opinion that the supply already far exceeded the demand and that no more contributions were required. Such a report reflects the highest honor on their character as men of the strictest honor and integrity, who, notwithstanding they had command of an untold amount of the most precious things and might, without any risk of human discovery, have appropriated much to their own use, were too high principled for such acts of peculation. Forthwith, a proclamation was issued to stop further contributions [Ex 36:6].
35. he made a veil of blue—the second or inner veil, which separated the holy from the most holy place, embroidered with cherubim and of great size and thickness.
37. made an hanging for the … door—Curtains of elaborately wrought needlework are often suspended over the entrance to tents of the great nomad sheiks, and throughout Persia, at the entrance of summer tents, mosques, and palaces. They are preferred as cooler and more elegant than wooden doors. This chapter contains an instructive narrative: it is the first instance of donations made for the worship of God, given from the wages of the people's sufferings and toils. They were acceptable to God (Php 4:18), and if the Israelites showed such liberality, how much more should those whose privilege it is to live under the Christian dispensation (1Co 6:20; 16:2).