1 `And thou dost make the tabernacle: ten curtains of twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet; `with' cherubs, work of a designer, thou dost make them;
2 the length of the one curtain `is' eight and twenty by the cubit, and the breadth of the one curtain four by the cubit, one measure `is' to all the curtains;
3 five of the curtains are joining one unto another, and five curtains are joining one to another.
4 `And thou hast made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain, at the end in the joining; and so thou makest in the edge of the outermost curtain, in the joining of the second.
5 fifty loops thou dost make in the one curtain, and fifty loops thou dost make in the edge of the curtain which `is' in the joining of the second, causing the loops to take hold one unto another;
6 and thou hast made fifty hooks of gold, and hast joined the curtains one to another by the hooks, and the tabernacle hath been one.
7 `And thou hast made curtains of goats' `hair', for a tent over the tabernacle; thou dost make eleven curtains:
8 the length of the one curtain `is' thirty by the cubit, and the breadth of the one curtain four by the cubit; one measure `is' to the eleven curtains;
9 and thou hast joined the five curtains apart, and the six curtains apart, and hast doubled the six curtains over-against the front of the tent.
10 `And thou hast made fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain, the outermost in the joining, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which is joining the second;
11 and thou hast made fifty hooks of brass, and hast brought in the hooks into the loops, and hast joined the tent, and it hath been one.
12 `And the superfluity in the curtains of the tent -- the half of the curtain which is superfluous -- hath spread over the hinder part of the tabernacle;
13 and the cubit on this side, and the cubit on that, in the superfluity in the length of the curtains of the tent, is spread out over the sides of the tabernacle, on this and on that, to cover it;
14 and thou hast made a covering for the tent, of rams' skins made red, and a covering of badgers' skins above.
15 `And thou hast made the boards for the tabernacle, of shittim wood, standing up;
16 ten cubits `is' the length of the board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of the one board;
17 two handles `are' to the one board, joined one unto another; so thou dost make for all the boards of the tabernacle;
18 and thou hast made the boards of the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward;
19 and forty sockets of silver thou dost make under the twenty boards, two sockets under the one board for its two handles, and two sockets under the other board for its two handles.
20 `And for the second side of the tabernacle, for the north side, `are' twenty boards,
21 and their forty sockets of silver, two sockets under the one board, and two sockets under another board.
22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward, thou dost make six boards.
23 And two boards thou dost make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
24 And they are pairs beneath, and together they are pairs above its head unto the one ring; so is it for them both, they are for the two corners.
25 And they have been eight boards, and their sockets of silver `are' sixteen sockets, two sockets under the one board, and two sockets under another board.
26 `And thou hast made bars of shittim wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
27 and five bars for the boards of the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle at the two sides, westward;
28 and one hath caused the middle bar in the midst of the boards to reach from end unto end;
29 and the boards thou dost overlay `with' gold, and their rings thou dost make of gold places for bars, and hast overlaid their bars with gold;
30 and thou hast raised up the tabernacle according to its fashion which thou hast been shewn in the mount.
31 `And thou hast made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of a designer; he maketh it `with' cherubs;
32 and thou hast put it on four pillars of shittim wood, overlaid `with' gold, their pegs `are' of gold, on four sockets of silver.
33 `And thou hast put the vail under the hooks, and hast brought in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony; and the vail hath made a separation for you between the holy and the holy of holies.
34 `And thou hast put the mercy-seat on the ark of the testimony, in the holy of holies.
35 `And thou hast set the table at the outside of the vail, and the candlestick over-against the table on the side of the tabernacle southward, and the table thou dost put on the north side.
36 `And thou hast made a covering for the opening of the tent, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of an embroiderer;
37 and thou hast made for the covering five pillars of shittim `wood', and hast overlaid them `with' gold, their pegs `are' of gold, and thou hast cast for them five sockets of brass.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 26
Commentary on Exodus 26 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 26
Moses here receives instructions,
These particulars, thus largely recorded, seem of little use to us now; yet, having been of great use to Moses and Israel, and God having thought fit to preserve down to us the remembrance of them, we ought not to overlook them. Even the antiquity renders this account venerable.
Exd 26:1-6
Exd 26:7-14
Moses is here ordered to make a double covering for the tabernacle, that it might not rain in, and that the beauty of those fine curtains might not be damaged.
Exd 26:15-30
Very particular directions are here given about the boards of the tabernacle, which were to bear up the curtains, as the stakes of a tent which had need to be strong, Isa. 54:2. These boards had tenons which fell into the mortises that were made for them in silver bases. God took care to have every thing strong, as well as fine, in his tabernacle. Curtains without boards would have been shaken by every wind; but it is a good thing to have the heart established with grace, which is as the boards to support the curtains of profession, which otherwise will not hold out long. The boards were coupled together with gold rings at top and bottom (v. 24), and kept firm with bars that ran through golden staples in every board (v. 26), and the boards and bars were all richly gilded, v. 29. Thus every thing in the tabernacle was very splendid, agreeable to that infant state of the church, when such things were proper enough to please children, to possess the minds of the worshippers with a reverence of the divine glory, and to affect them with the greatness of that prince who said, Here will I dwell; in allusion to this the new Jerusalem is said to be of pure gold, Rev. 21:18. But the builders of the gospel church said, Silver and gold have we none; and yet the glory of their building far exceeded that of the tabernacle, 2 Co. 3:10, 11. How much better is wisdom than gold! No orders are given here about the floor of the tabernacle; probably that also was boarded; for we cannot think that within all these fine curtains they trod upon the cold or wet ground; if it was so left, it may remind us of ch. 20:24, An altar of earth shalt thou make unto me.
Exd 26:31-37
Two veils are here ordered to be made,