1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.
5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
1 And thou shalt make H6213 an altar H4196 of shittim H7848 wood, H6086 five H2568 cubits H520 long, H753 and five H2568 cubits H520 broad; H7341 the altar H4196 shall be foursquare: H7251 and the height H6967 thereof shall be three H7969 cubits. H520
2 And thou shalt make H6213 the horns H7161 of it upon the four H702 corners H6438 thereof: his horns H7161 shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay H6823 it with brass. H5178
3 And thou shalt make H6213 his pans H5518 to receive his ashes, H1878 and his shovels, H3257 and his basons, H4219 and his fleshhooks, H4207 and his firepans: H4289 all the vessels H3627 thereof thou shalt make H6213 of brass. H5178
4 And thou shalt make H6213 for it a grate H4345 of network H4639 of brass; H5178 and upon the net H7568 shalt thou make H6213 four H702 brasen H5178 rings H2885 in the four H702 corners H7098 thereof.
5 And thou shalt put H5414 it under the compass H3749 of the altar H4196 beneath, H4295 that the net H7568 may be even to H5704 the midst H2677 of the altar. H4196
6 And thou shalt make H6213 staves H905 for the altar, H4196 staves H905 of shittim H7848 wood, H6086 and overlay H6823 them with brass. H5178
7 And the staves H905 shall be put H935 into the rings, H2885 and the staves H905 shall be upon the two H8147 sides H6763 of the altar, H4196 to bear H5375 it.
8 Hollow H5014 with boards H3871 shalt thou make H6213 it: as it was shewed H7200 thee in the mount, H2022 so shall they make H6213 it.
9 And thou shalt make H6213 the court H2691 of the tabernacle: H4908 for the south H5045 side H6285 southward H8486 there shall be hangings H7050 for the court H2691 of fine twined H7806 linen H8336 of an hundred H3967 cubits H520 long H753 for one H259 side: H6285
10 And the twenty H6242 pillars H5982 thereof and their twenty H6242 sockets H134 shall be of brass; H5178 the hooks H2053 of the pillars H5982 and their fillets H2838 shall be of silver. H3701
11 And likewise for the north H6828 side H6285 in length H753 there shall be hangings H7050 of an hundred H3967 cubits long, H753 and his twenty H6242 pillars H5982 and their twenty H6242 sockets H134 of brass; H5178 the hooks H2053 of the pillars H5982 and their fillets H2838 of silver. H3701
12 And for the breadth H7341 of the court H2691 on the west H3220 side H6285 shall be hangings H7050 of fifty H2572 cubits: H520 their pillars H5982 ten, H6235 and their sockets H134 ten. H6235
13 And the breadth H7341 of the court H2691 on the east H6924 side H6285 eastward H4217 shall be fifty H2572 cubits. H520
14 The hangings H7050 of one side H3802 of the gate shall be fifteen H2568 H6240 cubits: H520 their pillars H5982 three, H7969 and their sockets H134 three. H7969
15 And on the other H8145 side H3802 shall be hangings H7050 fifteen H2568 H6240 cubits: their pillars H5982 three, H7969 and their sockets H134 three. H7969
16 And for the gate H8179 of the court H2691 shall be an hanging H4539 of twenty H6242 cubits, H520 of blue, H8504 and purple, H713 and scarlet, H8144 H8438 and fine twined H7806 linen, H8336 wrought with needlework: H7551 H4639 and their pillars H5982 shall be four, H702 and their sockets H134 four. H702
17 All the pillars H5982 round about H5439 the court H2691 shall be filleted H2836 with silver; H3701 their hooks H2053 shall be of silver, H3701 and their sockets H134 of brass. H5178
18 The length H753 of the court H2691 shall be an hundred H3967 cubits, H520 and the breadth H7341 fifty H2572 every where, H2572 and the height H6967 five H2568 cubits H520 of fine twined H7806 linen, H8336 and their sockets H134 of brass. H5178
19 All the vessels H3627 of the tabernacle H4908 in all the service H5656 thereof, and all the pins H3489 thereof, and all the pins H3489 of the court, H2691 shall be of brass. H5178
20 And thou shalt command H6680 the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 that they bring H3947 thee pure H2134 oil H8081 olive H2132 beaten H3795 for the light, H3974 to cause the lamp H5216 to burn H5927 always. H8548
21 In the tabernacle H168 of the congregation H4150 without H2351 the vail, H6532 which is before the testimony, H5715 Aaron H175 and his sons H1121 shall order H6186 it from evening H6153 to morning H1242 before H6440 the LORD: H3068 it shall be a statute H2708 for ever H5769 unto their generations H1755 on the behalf of the children H1121 of Israel. H3478
1 And thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
3 And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
4 And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of brass: and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.
5 And thou shalt put it under the ledge round the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.
6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.
7 And the staves thereof shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, in bearing it.
8 Hollow with planks shalt thou make it: as it hath been showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side:
10 and the pillars thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets `shall be' of silver.
11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.
12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings for the one side `of the gate' shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 And for the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.
17 All the pillars of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19 All the instruments of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
21 In the tent of meeting, without the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah: it shall be a statue for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
1 `And thou hast made the altar of shittim wood, five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth -- the altar is square -- and three cubits its height.
2 And thou hast made its horns on its four corners, its horns are of the same, and thou hast overlaid it `with' brass.
3 And thou hast made its pots to remove its ashes, and its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its fire-pans, even all its vessels thou dost make of brass.
4 `And thou hast made for it a grate of net-work of brass, and hast made on the net four rings of brass on its four extremities,
5 and hast put it under the compass of the altar beneath, and the net hath been unto the middle of the altar.
6 `And thou hast made staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and hast overlaid them `with' brass.
7 And the staves have been brought into the rings, and the staves have been on the two sides of the altar in bearing it.
8 Hollow with boards thou dost make it, as it hath been shewed thee in the mount, so do they make `it'.
9 `And thou hast made the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward, hangings for the court of twined linen, a hundred by the cubit `is' the length for the one side,
10 and its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets `are' of brass, the pegs of the pillars and their fillets `are' of silver;
11 and so for the north side in length, hangings of a hundred `cubits' in length, and its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets `are' of brass, the pegs of the pillars and their fillets `are' of silver.
12 `And `for' the breadth of the court at the west side `are' hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13 And `for' the breadth of the court at the east side, eastward, `are' fifty cubits.
14 And the hangings at the side `are' fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And at the second side `are' hangings fifteen `cubits', their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 `And for the gate of the court a covering of twenty cubits, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of an embroiderer; their pillars four, their sockets four.
17 All the pillars of the court round about `are' filleted `with' silver, their pegs `are' silver, and their sockets brass.
18 `The length of the court `is' a hundred by the cubit, and the breadth fifty by fifty, and the height five cubits, of twined linen, and their sockets `are' brass,
19 even all the vessels of the tabernacle, in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, `are' brass.
20 `And thou -- thou dost command the sons of Israel, and they bring unto thee pure beaten olive oil for the light, to cause the lamp to go up continually;
21 in the tent of meeting, at the outside of the vail, which `is' over the testimony, doth Aaron -- his sons also -- arrange it from evening till morning before Jehovah -- a statute age-during to their generations, from the sons of Israel.
1 And thou shalt make the altar of acacia-wood, five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth; the altar shall be square; and the height thereof three cubits.
2 And thou shalt make its horns at the four corners thereof; its horns shall be of itself; and thou shalt overlay it with copper.
3 And thou shalt make its pots to cleanse it of the fat, its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its firepans; for all the utensils thereof thou shalt employ copper.
4 And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of copper; and on the net shalt thou make four copper rings at its four corners;
5 and thou shalt put it under the ledge of the altar beneath, and the net shall be to the very middle of the altar.
6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with copper.
7 And its staves shall be put into the rings, that the staves may be on both sides of the altar, when it is carried.
8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it hath been shewn thee on the mountain, so shall they make [it].
9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side, southward, hangings for the court of twined byssus; a hundred cubits the length for the one side,
10 and the twenty pillars thereof, and their twenty bases of copper, the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver.
11 And likewise on the north side in length, hangings a hundred [cubits] long, and its twenty pillars, and their twenty bases of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver.
12 -- And the breadth of the court on the west side, hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their bases ten.
13 -- And the breadth of the court on the east side, eastward, fifty cubits;
14 the hangings on the one wing, of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their bases three.
15 And on the other wing hangings of fifteen [cubits]; their pillars three, and their bases three.
16 -- And for the gate of the court a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, embroidered with needlework; their pillars four, and their bases four.
17 All the pillars of the court round about shall be fastened together with [rods of] silver; their hooks of silver, and their bases of copper.
18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height five cubits of twined byssus; and their bases of copper.
19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for the service thereof and all the pegs thereof, and all the pegs of the court shall be of copper.
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee olive oil, pure, beaten, for the light, to light the lamp continually.
21 In the tent of meeting outside the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall dress them from evening to morning before Jehovah: [it is] an everlasting statute, for their generations, on the part of the children of Israel.
1 "You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and its height shall be three cubits.
2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it; and you shall overlay it with brass.
3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins, its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass.
4 You shall make a grating for it of network of brass: and on the net you shall make four brazen rings in its four corners.
5 You shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.
6 You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.
7 Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar, when carrying it.
8 Hollow with planks shall you make it: as it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
9 "You shall make the court of the tent: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side:
10 and the pillars of it shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11 Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and the pillars of it twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.
12 For the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13 The breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 For the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 For the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.
17 All the pillars of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19 All the instruments of the tent in all its service, and all the pins of it, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
20 "You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
1 And make an altar of hard wood, a square altar, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high.
2 Put horns at the four angles of it, made of the same, plating it all with brass.
3 And make all its vessels, the baskets for taking away the dust of the fire, the spades and basins and meat-hooks and fire-trays, of brass.
4 And make a network of brass, with four brass rings at its four angles.
5 And put the network under the shelf round the altar so that the net comes half-way up the altar.
6 And make rods for the altar, of hard wood, plated with brass.
7 And put the rods through the rings at the two opposite sides of the altar, for lifting it.
8 The altar is to be hollow, boarded in with wood; make it from the design which you saw on the mountain.
9 And let there be an open space round the House, with hangings for its south side of the best linen, a hundred cubits long.
10 Their twenty pillars and their twenty bases are to be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their bands are to be of silver.
11 And on the north side in the same way, hangings a hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars of brass on bases of brass; their hooks and their bands are to be of silver.
12 And for the open space on the west side, the hangings are to be fifty cubits wide, with ten pillars and ten bases;
13 And on the east side the space is to be fifty cubits wide.
14 On the one side of the doorway will be hangings fifteen cubits long, with three pillars and three bases;
15 And on the other side, hangings fifteen cubits long, with three pillars and three bases.
16 And across the doorway, a veil of twenty cubits of the best linen, made of needlework of blue and purple and red, with four pillars and four bases.
17 All the pillars round the open space are to have silver bands, with hooks of silver and bases of brass.
18 The open space is to be a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, with sides five cubits high, curtained with the best linen, with bases of brass.
19 All the instruments for the work of the House, and all its nails, and the nails of the open space are to be of brass.
20 Give orders to the children of Israel to give you clear olive oil for the lights, so that a light may be burning there at all times.
21 Let Aaron and his sons put this in order, evening and morning, before the Lord, inside the Tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the ark; this is to be an order for ever, from generation to generation, to be kept by the children of Israel.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on Exodus 27
Commentary on Exodus 27 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 27
This chapter treats of the altar of burnt offering, and of all things relative to it, Exodus 27:1, of the court of the tabernacle, its hangings on each side, with pillars, sockets, and hooks for them, Exodus 27:9 and it is concluded with an order to the Israelites to bring oil olive for the lamp of the sanctuary, Exodus 27:20.
And thou shall make an altar of shittim wood,.... This is a different altar from that made of earth before the tabernacle was built, Exodus 20:24 and from the altar of incense, Exodus 30:1 this was to offer burnt offerings on, and was placed at the door of the tabernacle, in the court of the people, where they brought their sacrifices to the priests to offer for them: it stood in the open air, as it was proper it should, that the smoke or the sacrifices might ascend up and scatter. This altar was not typical of the altar of the heart; though indeed all the saints are priests, and every sacrifice of theirs should come from the heart, and particularly love, which is more than all burnt offerings; but the heart is not this altar of brass to bear the fire of divine wrath, which none can endure; nor does it sanctify the gift, it being itself impure: nor of the Lord's table, or the table on which the Lord's supper is set; that is a table, and not an altar, a feast, and not a sacrifice; is not greater than the gift, nor does it sanctify: nor of the cross or Christ, on which he died, bore the sins or his people, and sanctified them by his blood; but of Christ himself, who by his office as a priest, his human nature is the sacrifice, and his divine nature the altar; and he is that altar believers in him have a right to eat of, Hebrews 13:10 his divine nature is greater than the human, is the support of it, which sanctifies and gives it virtue as a sacrifice, and which makes the sacrifices of all his people acceptable to God. This altar of burnt offering is said to be made of "shittim wood", a wood incorruptible and durable; Christ, as God, is from everlasting to everlasting; as man, though he once died, he now lives for evermore, and never did or will see corruption; his priesthood is an unchangeable priesthood, and passes not from one to another, and particularly his sacrifice is of a continual virtue and efficacy:
five cubits long, and five cubits broad: the altar shall be square: as to the length and breadth of it, which were alike, two yards and a half each, according to the common notion of a cubit. The altars of the Heathens were made in imitation of this, they were square as this was. Pausanias makes mention of an altar of Diana, that was τετραγωνος "square", sensibly rising up on high. And this figure may denote the perfection of Christ's sacrifice, and the permanency of it; though the altars in Solomon's temple, and in the visions of Ezekiel, are much larger, and which also were square, 2 Chronicles 4:1. Christ's sacrifice is large and extensive, making satisfaction for all his people, and for all their sins; and he is an altar large enough for all their sacrifices to be offered up to God with acceptance:
and the height thereof shall be three cubits; a proper height for a man to minister at; for as Aben Ezra observes, the height of a man is but four cubits ordinarily; so that a man serving at the altar would be a cubit, or half a yard more above it, and would have command of doing on it what he had to do.
Which were either for ornament, or for keeping what was laid upon the altar from falling off, or for the fastening of the sacrifice to them, and were what criminals fled to for refuge, and laid hold on; and may denote the power of Christ, who is the horn of salvation to preserve his people from a final falling away, and from ruin and destruction, and his protection of those that fly to him for refuge; and these horns being at the corners of the altar may respect the four parts of the world, from whence souls come to Christ for everlasting salvation:
his horns shall be of the same; that is, made of the same wood as the altar itself and so may lead to observe the like things: or "upwards out of it"F2ממנו "sursum exeo", Noldius, p. 615. , the altar; prominent from it, as the Arabic version, and so the sacrifices could be bound to them, Psalm 118:27,
and thou shalt overlay it with brass; with plates of brass, that it may endure the fire, and preserve the wood from being burnt with it; this may denote not only the brightness, lustre, and glory of Christ, like the shining brass, but his great strength in bearing the sins of his people, and all the punishment due unto them, even the fire of divine wrath, without being consumed by it. Jarchi observes, that it was overlaid with brass, because it was to make atonement for the impudence of the forehead, which is as brass, Isaiah 48:4.
And thou shall make his pans to receive his ashes,.... Not to receive them in as they fell, but to gather them up in, and carry them away; and this was done every morning about cockcrowing, not much sooner nor laterF3Misn. Yoma, c. 1. sect. 8. & Maimon, in ib. :
and his shovels; to throw up the ashes together to be put into the pans; Jarchi describes this vessel to be like the cover of a brass pot, with a handle to it; the same we call a fire shovel:
and his basins: to receive the blood of the sacrifice, and out of which it was sprinkled, as the word signifies, and may be rendered sprinkling basins:
and his flesh hooks; not such as were used to take flesh out of the pot, 1 Samuel 2:13 for there could be no use for such at the altar of burnt offering; but were, as Jarchi says, like hooks recurved, with which they struck into the flesh, and turned it upon the coals to hasten the burning of it; and with which very probably they kept the fire and the parts of the sacrifices in good order, until they were consumed:
and his fire pans; which were a kind of censers in which coals of fire were taken off from the altar of burnt offering, and carried to the altar of incense, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom observe, see Leviticus 16:12 but as censers did not belong to the altar of burnt offering, but to the altar of incense, Fortunatus ScacchusF4Sacr. Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 2. c. 73. p. 676, 677. is of opinion, that these were a larger sort of vessels, wherein the fire which came down from heaven was kept burning while the altar and grate were cleansed from the coals and ashes, and when the altar was had from place to place:
all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass; as being fittest for the use of this altar.
And thou shalt, make for it a grate of network of brass,.... Or "sieve", as in Amos 9:9, it was a plate of brass with holes in it, to let through either the blood that drained from the parts of the sacrifice, or the ashes of it; for this was the focus or hearth, on which the sacrifice and the wood were laid and burnt: this, according to the Targum of Jonathan on Exodus 38:4 was to receive the coals and bones which fell from the altar: and so may denote the purity of Christ's sacrifice, which was offered up without spot to God, and the use of him as the altar to sanctify our gifts, and take away the sins of our holy things:
and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof; by which, with chains put into them, the grate was fastened to the four horns of the altar, and the use of them was to let it down and hang in the middle of the altar, and to take it up when there was occasion for it; though some think these rings were not "in" the grate, but "by" it, as the particle may be rendered, a little lower than that, on the sides of the altar; into which the staves after mentioned were put, and with which the altar was carried when removed from place to place.
And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath,.... That is, the grate was to be put within the square compass of the altar, in the hollow part of it, for the wood and sacrifice to be laid upon it:
that the net may be even to the midst of the altar; and as the altar was three cubits high, this net or grate was let down by chains to its rings a cubit and a half, and being of such a depth was capable of containing a great deal.
And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood,.... Like those that were made for the ark, and for the same purpose:
and overlay them with brass; with plates of brass, whereas those for the ark were overlaid with gold.
And the staves shall be put into the rings,.... Not into the rings of the grate, as Jarchi and others: though Dr. LightfootF6Works, vol. 1. p. 722. thinks these came out of each corner through the altar frame, and hung out of the frame, and in these the staves being put, made the frame and the grate sure together, and so they were also carried together; but it seems rather, that as the grate had rings peculiar to that, to let it down and take it up, and with which it was carried, with a purple cloth covered over it, Numbers 4:13 so the altar had rings peculiar to that on the sides of it, into which these staves were put:
and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it; and which shows that the rings into which these were put were not the rings of the grate, for they were at the four corners of it, which hung upon the four horns of it; whereas the staves were on the two sides of it, in order to bear it from place to place, which was done by the Levites; and was typical of the ministers of the Gospel bearing the name of Christ, and spreading the doctrine of his sacrifice and satisfaction, in the world, which is the main and fundamental doctrine of the Gospel.
Hollow with boards shalt thou make it,.... The frame of it being made of boards of shittim wood, there was nothing within side but the grate, which was put within the square, down into the middle of it, and so was light of carriage; though the Targum of Jonathan, and other Jewish writers, represent this hollow as filled up with dust and earth, to answer to the altar of earth Moses was before bid to make; but this seems quite contrary to the present direction: the hollowness of the altar may denote the emptiness of Christ when he became a sacrifice: he emptied himself, as it were, when he became incarnate, of all his greatness, glory, and riches, and became mean and poor for the sake of his people, that they through his poverty might be made rich, Philippians 2:7.
as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it; or, "as he showed thee"F7הראה "fecit videre", Pagninus, Montanus; "ostendit Dominus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius; so Ainsworth. , that is, God. Moses had a model of this altar showed him, and he was to be careful to instruct the workmen, and see to it, that they built it exactly according to the model.
And thou shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward,.... This was a large court yard to the house of God, or tabernacle, which stood in it at the upper end of it; it was enclosed, but open to the air; and in it, between the entrance into it and the holy place, stood the altar of burnt offering before described, and on one side of that the laver for the priests to wash in; into this the people of Israel were admitted, and where they brought their sacrifices and worshipped: it was typical of the visible church of God on earth, which, though an enclosure, and is separated from the world, yet consists of professors, good and bad, of real saints and hypocrites; as into this court Israelites of every character, sex, and state entered. In David's time it was divided into various courts, and what answered to it when the temple was built were the several apartments called the courts of the priests, where they sacrificed, and the court of Israel, where the men Israelites worshipped, and the court of the women, where they were by themselves; and in later times there was another court separate from these, called the court of the Gentiles, into which they might enter; and the description of this court begins with that side of it which lay full south: there shall be
hangings for the court of fine twined linen of one hundred cubits long for one side; for the south side; and these hangings, with the rest all around, made the court, and were the walls of it; and from hence we learn, that it was one hundred cubits or fifty yards long, according to the common computation of a cubit; though it was three hundred inches more, this cubit being three inches more than is commonly supposed. These hangings, vails, or curtains, for so in the versions they are differently called, were the enclosure of the court; they were made of fine linen, six times twisted, but not of various colours, and curiously wrought with cunning work, as the curtains of the tabernacle were; and according to the signification of the word, they were wrought full of holes, like eyelet holes, or in the manner of network; so that though they kept persons from entering in, they might be seen through, and through them might be seen what was doing in the court: and all this may signify that the visible church of God on earth is separated from the world, and should consist of men called out of it, and of such who are clothed with that fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness of the saints, and which is the righteousness of Christ, and who have both inward and outward holiness; and though none but those who are admitted members of it may partake of its ordinances, yet others may be spectators of what is done in it.
And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass,.... On these pillars the hangings, rails, or curtains were set, and they were for one side, the south side, in number twenty; and so must stand five cubits, or two yards and a half or more, distant from each other, since the length of the hangings were one hundred cubits: these, according to Philo the JewF8De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 667. , were made of cedar, but if of wood, most probably of "shittim wood", as they are by most thought to be; though one would think, according to the plain and express words of the text, they as well as their sockets were of brass: and JosephusF9Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 2. expressly says they were of brass, and which seems fittest for the purpose: now though the church of God itself is a pillar, and so is every true member of it, 1 Timothy 3:15 yet ministers of the Gospel may be more especially designed, Proverbs 9:1 who are the principal support of the churches of God, and of the interest of religion; and are set for the defence of the Gospel, and are steadfast in the ministration of it:
the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver; the hooks on the pillars might be somewhat like our tenter hooks, and so Jarchi describes them, as having one end crooked upwards, and the other end fixed in the pillar; and as for the fillets, he says, they were silver threads round about the pillars; but whether they were upon the face or of them all, or on the top, or in the middle of them, he confesses his ignorance; only this he knew, that the word has the signification of girding or binding; and these fillets might not only be for ornament, but for the binding of the hangings to the pillars: and so Ben Gersom says, that they were silver threads, with which the curtains were bound to the pillars, that the wind might not separate them from them; and both the silver hooks and fillets may signify the word and ordinances as administered by the preachers of the Gospel, in which there is an union, conjunction, and communion between them and the churches.
And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of one hundred cubits long,.... The north and south sides of this court being equal, the same length of hangings were for the one as the other:
and his twenty pillars, and their twenty sockets of brass; there went on this side the same number of pillars and sockets, and of the same metal:
the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; just as they were on the south side.
And for the breadth of the court, on the west side,.... On the west end, the upper end of the court, near to which reached the holy of holies:
shall be hangings of fifty cubits: or twenty five yards and more, so that the court was but half as broad as it was long:
their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; which was a number proportionate to the hangings, and stood at an equal distance from each other, as the pillars for the sides, at five cubits, or two yards and a half, as commonly computed.
And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward,.... Which was the entrance into it:
shall be fifty cubits; the east end and west end were of the same measure.
The hangings of one side of the gate,.... Or entrance into the court:
shall be fifteen cubits; or seven yards and a half:
their pillars three, and their sockets three; and so stood at the same distance from one another as the rest of the pillars did, the distance of five cubits.
And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits,.... On the other side of the gate, or entrance into the court, on the northeast side, as the other may be supposed to be the southeast side, there was the same length of hangings:
their pillars three, and their sockets three; the same as on the other side of the gate.
And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits,.... Which, with the fifteen on each side, make the fifty cubits, the breadth of the court eastward, Exodus 27:13, this hanging was better than the rest, much finer and richer:
for it was of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needle work: and was of the same as the hangings for the door of the holy place, Exodus 26:36 this was a figure of Christ, and of the graces of the Spirit in him, and of his bloodshed, sufferings, and death; who is the door into the church, and to the ordinances of it, and leads on to the holy place, and even to the holy of holies, see John 10:9.
their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four: so that the pillars of this court at both sides and each end were sixty, twenty on each side, south and north, and ten at each end, west and east.
All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver,.... This is observed, because only mention is made before of the pillars that were on the south and north sides of the court, as filleted with silver; but inasmuch as those at both ends, east and west, were to be so likewise, this is added:
their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass; no notice having been taken of the hooks to the pillars at both ends, though they were as necessary there as elsewhere, and must be supposed, and though the sockets are mentioned, yet not their metal, and therefore are in general included here.
The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits,.... And as may be concluded from the length of the hangings on each side:
and the breadth fifty everywhere; at both ends, and was the breadth of the hangings there, and which all around made the court:
and the height five cubits; or two yards and a half, and somewhat more; it was but half the height of the tabernacle, and hence that might be seen above it every way; so that, according to Bishop Cumberland, it contained one rood, twenty one perches, and twenty seven square feet, and was half an Egyptian aroura, which is the square of one hundred Jewish or Egyptian cubits: "of fine twined linen"; of which the hangings were made, and here called the court, as they properly were, for they made it:
and their sockets of brass; the bases on which all the pillars stood, upon which the hangings of fine twined linen were, were of brass; which seems to be repeated, that the foundation of this court might be observed to be different from that of the tabernacle; the foundation of that, or the sockets, into which the boards of it were put, being of silver.
All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof,.... Which either refers to the vessels belonging to the altar of burnt offering, and so is a repetition of what is said, Exodus 27:3 or rather to instruments that were used at the setting up and taking down of the tabernacle; such as hammers and the like, to drive the staves into the rings, and knock out the pillars from their sockets, &c., as Jarchi and Ben Gersom observe; for otherwise the vessels used in the sanctuary were of gold or silver, or covered therewith, and not of brass, as these are afterwards said to be:
and all the pins thereof; what these were is not easy to say; for there was nothing made of brass in the holy or most holy place, but the taches or clasps, with which the curtains of goats' hair were coupled together, and the sockets on which the five pillars were set at the entrance of the door of the tabernacle, Exodus 26:11 and it is possible that those pillars might be fastened in their sockets with brass pins; for the clasps or taches can hardly be called pins:
and all the pins of the court shall be of brass; these were brass pins, or stakes fastened in the ground all round the court, to which cords were tied, and these fastened to the hangings; whereby they were kept tight and close, that the wind could not move them to and fro, as Jarchi and Ben Melech observe, and so JosephusF11Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 2. ; see Isaiah 33:20.
And thou shall command the children of Israel,.... Here begins a new section of the law; an account being given of the tabernacle, and its parts, and the furniture thereof, next the several parts of service done in it are observed; and the account begins with that of the candlestick in the holy place, in order to which Moses is directed to command the people of Israel, whose business it was to provide for it:
that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light; for the light of the candlestick, to light up the several lamps in the several branches of it; and the oil to be brought and used there was not any sort of oil, as what is got out of fishes, as train oil, or out of nuts, as oil of almonds, but what comes from the olive tree; and this must be pure and free from lees and dregs, and must be beaten with a pestle in a mortar, and not ground in a mill, that so it might be quite clear; for being bruised and beaten, only the pulp or flesh of the olive was broken, but being ground in a mill, the stones were broken and ground, and so the oil not so pure.Jarchi and Ben Melech, from their Rabbins, observe, that after the first drop was pressed out, they put them into mills and grind them; but then, though the oil was fit for offerings, it was not fit for the light of the candlestick. Ben Gersom says, they put the olives bruised into a basket, and the oil dropped from them without pressing at all; and this was the choicest and most excellent for the light. The quantity to be brought is not fixed; but the measure fixed by the wise men of Israel, as Jarchi says, was half a log, that is, for every lamp; and this was the measure for the longest nights, the nights of the month Tebet, and so the same for all other nights:
to cause the lamp to burn always night and day, continually, as it was proper it should, that the house of God might not be at any time in darkness; as it would otherwise be, since there were no windows in it; and his servants minister in it in the dark, even in the daytime, at the altar of incense, and at the shewbread table, which is not reasonable to suppose; and though there are some passages of Scripture which seem to intimate as though the lamps only burnt till the morning, and then went out, and were lighted every evening; this difficulty may be solved, and the matter reconciled by what JosephusF12Antiqu. l. 3. c. 8. sect. 3. relates, who must be an eyewitness of it, that three of the lamps burned before the Lord in the daytime, and the rest were lighted at the evening; and HecataeusF13Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408. , an Heathen writer, speaking of the golden candlestick, says, its light was unextinguished day and night, particularly the lamp which was in the middle; also the candlestick is by the ancient Jews, and by Nachmanides, said to have been never extinct.
In the tabernacle of the congregation,.... The reasons usually given for this name of the tabernacle are, either because the children of Israel gathered and met together here at certain times, or because here the Lord met with Moses, and his successors, as he had promised, Exodus 25:22, but neither of them will hold good; not the first, because the place where the candlestick was, and which Aaron and his sons are here said to order, was in the holy place, into which only the priests entered, and therefore could not be called the tabernacle of the congregation, from the people of Israel being gathered and assembling there; not the latter, because it was in the most holy place, where the Lord promised to meet with Moses, and commune with him, even from between the cherubim over the mercy seat there: indeed, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation the children of Israel assembled, and there the Lord met them, and so the whole might be called from thence, and there seems to be no other reason for it, Exodus 29:42 and this place was
without the vail, which is before the testimony; that is, without the vail which divided between the holy and the most holy place, and which vail was before the ark, where the law or the testimony was put; for the candlestick was in that part of the tabernacle which was without the vail, or in the holy place: and here
Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord; that is, they were to take care that the lamps which went out might be lighted; and that they be kept clear and burning, they were to trim and snuff them, for which they had proper instruments provided for them, Exodus 25:37. This points at the word of God, which shines as a light in a dark place, and is a lamp to the feet, and a light to the path, and to the constant application of Gospel ministers in preaching it, in order to enlighten men in all ages unto the end of the world:
it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations, on the behalf of the children of Israel; on whom it was incumbent to provide oil for the lamps, as long as the tabernacle and temple service lasted; and figured out either the maintenance of Gospel ministers by the churches, or the grace and gifts of the Spirit, with which they are furnished by the head of the church, often signified by oil in Scripture.