8 And every wise-hearted man among those that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubim of artistic work did he make them.
9 The length of one curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits -- one measure for all the curtains.
10 And he coupled five of the curtains one to another, and [the other] five curtains coupled he one to another.
11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain at the edge of the coupling; he did likewise in the edge of the outermost curtain in the other coupling.
12 He made fifty loops in one curtain, and he made fifty loops at the end of the curtain that was in the other coupling: the loops were opposite to one another.
13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle became one.
14 And he made curtains of goats' [hair] for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains did he make them.
15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of one curtain -- one measure for the eleven curtains.
16 And he coupled five of the curtains by themselves, and six of the curtains by themselves.
17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he on the edge of the curtain in the other coupling.
18 And he made fifty clasps of copper to couple the tent, that it might be one.
19 And he made a covering for the tent [of] rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above [that].
20 And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up;
21 ten cubits the length of the boards, and one cubit and a half the breadth of one board;
22 two tenons in one board, connected one with the other: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward;
24 and he made forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board, for its two tenons, and two bases under another board for its two tenons.
25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, on the side toward the north, he made twenty boards,
26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one board, and two bases under another board.
27 And at the rear of the tabernacle, westward, he made six boards;
28 and he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear;
29 and they were joined beneath, and were coupled together at the top thereof into one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners;
30 and there were eight boards, and their silver bases: sixteen bases, under every board two bases.
31 -- And he made bars of acacia-wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle at the rear, westward.
33 And he made the middle bar in the midst of the boards reach from one end to the other.
34 And he overlaid the boards with gold; and made their rings of gold [as] receptacles for the bars; and overlaid the bars with gold.
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).