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 » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 27
Commentary on Exodus 27 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The Altar of Burnt-Offering (cf. Exodus 38:1-7). - “ Make the altar (the altar of burnt-offering, according to Exodus 38:1) of acacia-wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad ( רבוּע “foured,” i.e., four-sided or quadrangular), and three cubits high. At its four corners shall its horns be from (out of) it, ” i.e., not removable, but as if growing out of it. These horns were projections at the corners of the altar, formed to imitate in all probability the horns of oxen, and in these the whole force of the altar was concentrated. The blood of the sin-offering was therefore smeared upon them (Leviticus 4:7), and those who fled to the altar to save their lives laid hold of them (vid., Exodus 21:14, and 1 Kings 1:50; also my commentary on the passage). The altar was to be covered with copper or brass, and all the things used in connection with it were to be made of brass. These were, - (1) the pans , to cleanse it of the ashes of the fat (Exodus 27:3 : דּשּׁן , a denom . verb from דּשׁן the ashes of fat, that is to say, the ashes that arose from burning the flesh of the sacrifice upon the altar, has a privative meaning, and signifies “to ash away,” i.e., to cleanse from ashes); (2) יעים shovels , from יעה to take away (Isaiah 28:17); (3) מזרקות , things used for sprinkling the blood, from fzarq to sprinkle; (4) מזלגות forks , flesh-hooks (cf. מזלג 1 Samuel 3:13); (5) מחתּת coal-scoops (cf. Exodus 25:38). וגו לכל־כּליו : either “for all the vessels thereof thou shalt make brass,” or “as for all its vessels, thou shalt make (them) of brass.”
The altar was to have מכבּר a grating , רשׂת מעשׂה net-work , i.e., a covering of brass made in the form of a net, of larger dimensions that the sides of the altar, for this grating was to be under the “compass” ( כּרכּב ) of the altar from beneath, and to reach to the half of it (half-way up, Exodus 27:5); and in it, i.e., at the four ends (or corners) of it, four brass rings were to be fastened, for the poles to carry it with. כּרכּב (from כּרכּב circumdedit ) only occurs here and in Exodus 38:4, and signifies a border ( סבבא Targums ), i.e., a projecting framework or bench running round the four sides of the altar, about half a cubit or a cubit broad, nailed to the walls (of the altar) on the outside, and fastened more firmly to them by the copper covering which was common to both. The copper grating was below this bench, and on the outside. The bench rested upon it, or rather it hung from the outer edge of the bench and rested upon the ground, like the inner chest, which it surrounded on all four sides, and in which there were no perforations. It formed with the bench or carcob a projecting footing, which caused the lower half of the altar to look broader than the upper on every side. The priest stood upon this carcob or bench when offering sacrifice, or when placing the wood, or doing anything else upon the altar. This explains Aaron's coming down ( ירד ) from the altar (Leviticus 9:22); and there is no necessity to suppose that there were steps to the altar, as Knobel does in opposition to Exodus 20:26. For even if the height of the altar, viz., three cubits, would be so great that a bench half-way up would be too high for any one to step up to, the earth could be slightly raised on one side so as to make the ascent perfectly easy; and when the priest was standing upon the bench, he could perform all that was necessary upon the top of the altar without any difficulty.
The poles were to be made of acacia-wood, and covered with brass, and to be placed in the rings that were fixed in the two sides for the purpose of carrying the altar. The additional instructions in Exodus 27:8, “hollow with tables shalt thou make it, as it was showed thee in the mount” (cf. Exodus 25:9), refer apparently, if we judge from Exodus 20:24-25, simply to the wooden framework of the altar, which was covered with brass, and which was filled with earth, or gravel and stones, when the altar was about to be used, the whole being levelled so as to form a hearth. The shape thus given to the altar of burnt-offering corresponded to the other objects in the sanctuary. It could also be carried about with ease, and fixed in any place, and could be used for burning the sacrifices without the wooden walls being injured by the fire.
(cf. Exodus 38:9-20). The Court of the dwelling was to consist of קלעים “hangings” of spun byssus, and pillars with brass (copper) sockets, and hooks and fastenings for the pillars of silver. The pillars were of course made of acacia-wood; they were five cubits high, with silvered capitals (Exodus 38:17, Exodus 38:19), and carried the hangings, which were fastened to them by means of the hooks and fastenings. There were twenty of them on both the southern and northern sides, and the length of the drapery on each of these sides was 100 cubits ( באמּה מאה , 100 sc., measured by the cubit), so that the court was a hundred cubits long (Exodus 27:18).
“ As for the breadth of the court on the west side, (there shall be) curtains fifty cubits; their pillars twenty; and the breadth of the court towards the front, on the east side, fifty cubits .” The front is divided in Exodus 27:14-16 into two כּתף , lit., shoulders, i.e., sides or side-pieces, each consisting of 15 cubits of hangings and three pillars with their sockets, and a doorway ( שׁער ), naturally in the middle, which was covered by a curtain ( מסך ) formed of the same material as the covering at the entrance to the dwelling, of 20 cubits in length, with four pillars and the same number of sockets. The pillars were therefore equidistant from one another, viz., 5 cubits apart. Their total number was 60 (not 56), which was the number required, at the distance mentioned, to surround a quadrangular space of 100 cubits long and 50 cubits broad.
(Note: Although any one may easily convince himself of the correctness of these numbers by drawing a figure, Knobel has revived Philo's erroneous statement about 56 pillars and the double reckoning of the pillars in the corner. And the statement in Exodus 27:14-16, that three pillars were to be made in front to carry the hangings on either side of the door, and four to carry the curtain which covered the entrance, may be easily shown to be correct, notwithstanding the fact that, as every drawing shows, four pillars would be required, and not three only, to carry 15 cubits of hangings, and five (not four) to carry a curtain 20 cubits broad, if the pillars were to be placed 5 cubits apart; for the corner pillars, as belonging to both sides, and the pillars which stood between the hangings and the curtain on either side, could only be reckoned as halves in connection with each side or each post; and in reckoning the number of pillars according to the method adopted in every other case, the pillar from which you start would not be reckoned at all. Now, if you count the pillars of the eastern side upon this principle (starting from a corner pillar, which is not reckoned, because it is the starting-point and is the last pillar of the side wall), you have 1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 3, 4, and then again 1, 2, 3; that is to say, 3 pillars for each wing and 4 for the curtain, although the hangings of each wing would really be supported by 4 pillars, and the curtain in the middle by 5.)
“ All the pillars of the court round about (shall be) bound with connecting rods of silver .” As the rods connecting the pillars of the court were of silver, and those connecting the pillars at the entrance to the dwelling were of wood overlaid with gold, the former must have been intended for a different purpose from the latter, simply serving as rods to which to fasten the hangings, whereas those at the door of the dwelling formed an architrave. The height of the hangings of the court and the covering of the door is given in Exodus 38:17 as 5 cubits, corresponding to the height of the pillars given in Exodus 28:18 of the chapter before us; but the expression in Exodus 38:18, “the height in the breadth,” is a singular one, and רחב is probably to be understood in the sense of רחב door-place or door-way, - the meaning of the passage being, “the height of the covering in the door-way.” In Exodus 28:18, “50 everywhere,” πεντήκοντα ἐπὶ πεντήκοντα (lxx), lit., 50 by 50, is to be understood as relating to the extent towards the north and south; and the reading of the Samaritan text, viz., באמּה for בחמשּׁים , is merely the result of an arbitrary attempt to bring the text into conformity with the previous באמּה מאה , whilst the lxx, on the other hand, by an equally arbitrary change, have rendered the passage ἑκατὸν εφ ̓ ἑκατὸν .
“ All the vessels of the dwelling in all the work thereof (i.e., all the tools needed for the tabernacle), and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, (shall be of) brass or copper .” The vessels of the dwelling are not the things required for the performance of worship, but the tools used in setting up the tabernacle and taking it down again.
If we inquire still further into the design and meaning of the court, the erection of a court surrounding the dwelling on all four sides is to be traced to the same circumstance as that which rendered it necessary to divide the dwelling itself into two parts, viz., to the fact, that on account of the unholiness of the nation, it could not come directly into the presence of Jehovah, until the sin which separates unholy man from the holy God had been atoned for. Although, by virtue of their election as the children of Jehovah, or their adoption as the nation of God, it was intended that the Israelites should be received by the Lord into His house, and dwell as a son in his father's house; yet under the economy of the law, which only produced the knowledge of sin, uncleanness, and unholiness, their fellowship with Jehovah, the Holy One, could only be sustained through mediators appointed and sanctified by God: viz., at the institution of the covenant, through His servant Moses; and during the existence of this covenant, through the chosen priests of the family of Aaron. It was through them that the Lord was to be approached, and the nation to be brought near to Him. Every day, therefore, they entered the holy place of the dwelling, to offer to the Lord the sacrifices of prayer and the fruits of the people's earthly vocation. But even they were not allowed to go into the immediate presence of the holy God. The most holy place, where God was enthroned, was hidden from them by the curtain, and only once a year was the high priest permitted, as the head of the whole congregation, which was called to be the holy nation of God, to lift this curtain and appear before God with the atoning blood of the sacrifice and the cloud of incense (Lev 16). The access of the nation to its God was restricted to the court. There it could receive from the Lord, through the medium of the sacrifices which it offered upon the altar of burnt-offering, the expiation of its sins, His grace and blessing, and strength to live anew. Whilst the dwelling itself represented the house of God, the dwelling-place of Jehovah in the midst of His people (Exodus 23:19; Joshua 6:24; 1 Samuel 1:7, 1 Samuel 1:24, etc.), the palace of the God-King, in which the priestly nation drew near to Him (1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 3:3; Psalms 5:8; Psalms 26:4, Psalms 26:6); the court which surrounded the dwelling represented the kingdom of the God-King, the covenant land or dwelling-place of Israel in the kingdom of its God. In accordance with this purpose, the court was in the form of an oblong, to exhibit its character as part of the kingdom of God. But its pillars and hangings were only five cubits high, i.e., half the height of the dwelling, to set forth the character of incompleteness, or of the threshold to the sanctuary of God. All its vessels were of copper-brass, which, being allied to the earth in both colour and material, was a symbolical representation of the earthly side of the kingdom of God; whereas the silver of the capitals of the pillars, and of the hooks and rods which sustained the hangings, as well as the white colour of the byssus-hangings, might point to the holiness of this site for the kingdom of God. On the other hand, in the gilding of the capitals of the pillars at the entrance to the dwelling, and the brass of their sockets, we find gold and silver combined, to set forth the union of the court with the sanctuary, i.e., the union of the dwelling-place of Israel with the dwelling-place of its God, which is realized in the kingdom of God.
The design and significance of the court culminated in the altar of burnt-offering, the principal object in the court; and upon this the burnt-offerings and slain-offerings, in which the covenant nation consecrated itself as a possession to its God, were burnt. The heart of this altar was of earth or unhewn stones, having the character of earth, not only on account of its being appointed as the place of sacrifice and as the hearth for the offerings, but because the earth itself formed the real or material sphere for the kingdom of God in the Old Testament stage of its development. This heart of earth was elevated by the square copper covering into a vessel of the sanctuary, a place where Jehovah would record His name, and come to Israel and bless them (Exodus 20:24, cf. Exodus 29:42, Exodus 29:44), and was consecrated as a place of sacrifice, by means of which Israel could raise itself to the Lord, and ascend to Him in the sacrifice. And this significance of the altar culminated in its horns, upon which the blood of the sin-offering was smeared. Just as, in the case of the horned animals, their strength and beauty are concentrated in the horns, and the horn has become in consequence a symbol of strength, or of fulness of vital energy; so the significance of the altar as a place of the saving and life-giving power of God, which the Lord bestows upon His people in His kingdom, was concentrated in the horns of the altar.
The instructions concerning the Oil For the Candlestick, and the daily trimming of the lamps by the priests, form a transition from the fitting up of the sanctuary to the installation of its servants.
Exodus 27:20
The sons of Israel were to bring to Moses (lit., fetch to thee) olive oil, pure (i.e., prepared from olives “which had been cleansed from leaves, twigs, dust, etc., before they were crushed”), beaten , i.e., obtained not by crushing in oil-presses, but by beating, when the oil which flows out by itself is of the finest quality and a white colour. This oil was to be “for the candlestick to set up a continual light.”
Exodus 27:21
Aaron and his sons were to prepare this light in the tabernacle outside the curtain, which was over the testimony (i.e., which covered or concealed it), from evening to morning, before Jehovah. “The tabernacle of the congregation,” lit., tent of assembly: this expression is applied to the sanctuary for the first time in the preset passage, but it afterwards became the usual appellation, and accords both with its structure and design, as it was a tent in style, and was set apart as the place where Jehovah would meet with the Israelites and commune with them (Exodus 25:22). The ordering of the light from evening to morning consisted, according to Exodus 30:7-8, and Leviticus 24:3-4, in placing the lamps upon the candlestick in the evening and lighting them, that they might give light through the night, and then cleaning them in the morning and filling them with fresh oil. The words “a statute for ever unto their generations (see at Exodus 12:14) on the part of the children of Israel,” are to be understood as referring not merely to the gift of oil to be made by the Israelites for all time, but to the preparation of the light, which was to be regarded as of perpetual obligation and worth. “For ever,” in the same sense as in Genesis 17:7 and Genesis 17:13.