The Building of the Ark of the Covenant and Furnishings and Courtyard of the Tabernacle

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Exodus 37:1) And Bezaleel made the ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

Chapter 36 told of how Bezaleel, Aholiab, and the other skilled workers began working on the tabernacle according to the specifications the Lord had given Moses on the mount.  The work continued in chapter 37 with Bezaleel making the ark of acacia wood.  It measured 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

(2) And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold all around it.

Bezaleel overlaid the wooden ark with pure gold inside and out, and made a crown molding of gold all around the top of the chest.

(3) And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set in its four corners, two rings on one side, and two rings on the other side of it.

He made a gold ring on each corner which made for two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

(4) And he made staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. (5) And he put the staves into the rings at the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

He made poles or rods of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.  He put the staves into the rings on each side of the ark so that the ark might be carried by them.  All this work on the ark was being done just as instructed by God in Exodus chapter 25.

(6) And he made the mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width.

Bezaleel made the mercy seat that was both a lid for the ark and a seat on top of it.  He made it of pure gold and it was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

(7) And he made two cherubim of gold, beaten out of one piece on the two ends of the mercy seat; (8) One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side; out of the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. (9) And the cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings; with their faces one to the other, the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

He made the mercy seat with two cherubim, hammered and formed one with the seat, on each side of it.  The cherubim were made on each end facing each other with their wings spread above and covering the mercy seat.

(10) And he made the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. (11) And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a crown of gold all around it.

Bezaleel then made a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He overlaid it with pure gold with a crown molding of gold all around it.

(12) Also he made a border of a handbreadth all around it, and made a crown of gold for the border all around it.

He made another border or frame about the width of a hand to go all around the table, and it, too, had a crown molding of gold all around it.  As first discussed when God gave Moses these instructions in chapter 25, most theologians figured this was a separate border from the one on top that may have gone from table leg to table leg all around, and acted as a brace around the middle or bottom of the table legs.

(13) And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that were in its four feet. (14) The rings were over against the border as places for the staves to bear the table. (15) And he made the staves of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table.

He made four rings of gold placed on the four corners of the table at the table legs at the border that was to be made all around from leg to leg.  The rings were to be where poles were inserted with which to lift and carry the table.  He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

(16) And he made the vessels which were on the table, its dishes, its spoons, its bowls, and its covers of pure gold.

Bezaleel made all the dishes and utensils that would be used on the table out of pure gold.

(17) And he made the candlestick of pure gold; of hammered work he made the candlestick; its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece.

He made a candlestand of pure gold, and rather than poured into a mold, it was hammered and worked from one piece with branches, bowls, knobs, and flowers.

(18) And six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the candlestick out of one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side.

The original word for candlestick in the scripture above is "menorah" and the seven-branched candelabrum that word brings to mind is more likely what is meant in this scripture rather than a single candlestick.  Bezaleel made it with three branches on one side of the main stick or shaft and three branches on the other side, making seven places for oil lamps, including the shaft in the middle. 

(19) There were three bowls made like almond blossoms on one branch, with a knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, with a knob and a flower, and so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. (20) And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, each with its knobs and its flowers.

The bowls for the oil lamps on each of the branches that extended from each side of the main candlestick were made as almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.  The main shaft of the candlestick was made with four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with an ornamental knob and flower.

(21) And a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, and a knob under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. (22) Their knobs and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold.

The making of this part is no clearer to me than the description of how it should be made in chapter 25.  It sounds as if there was to be another knob made underneath connecting two branches, and connecting another two and the other two, making six branches with three knobs underneath, but since I thought the branches were to be arranged three on one side and three on the other, it does not make sense to me.  I had to refer back to my notes on the initial instructions for this in verse 25 to get any help in explaining it.  Even back there none of the old commentaries I read bothered to explain this, but Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, did mention an interpretation of Jarchi, who was a medieval French rabbi and Torah commentator.  The previous scripture had just spoken of the bowls that were each to have a knob and a flower, and then the next verse speaks of "a knob under two branches of the same".  If "the same" is still referencing each bowl with its knob and flower, then verse 21's "knob" is speaking of the same knob, and what Dr. Gill said Jarchi wrote about it makes sense.  According to him, the knob was like a pomegranate (or an apple), and "two branches were drawn from the two sides of it...this clause is repeated twice in this verse, signifying there should be a knop under each of the three branches on one side, and three on the other side."  Once again these knobs and branches were to be hammered from one mass of gold, and not poured into molds and soldered together.

(23) And he made its seven lamps, its snuffers, and its snuff dishes of pure gold. (24) Of a talent of pure gold he made it, and all its vessels.

He made seven lamps, snuffers, and snuff dishes for each of the bowls at the end of each of the branches (three on each side) and one for the middle shaft.  He made the candlestick and all its utensils from a full talent of gold.  The old theologians and commentators that I read varied greatly in their opinions about exactly how much gold this was, but as discussed in chapter 25, I gathered that generally a talent was understood to be about the weight of a person, and was considered to be roughly 120 pounds.

(25) And he made the incense altar of acacia wood; the length of it was a cubit and the width of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; its horns were of the same.

"He", I assume Bezaleel is the one still making these items, made an incense altar of acacia wood.  It was square, 18 inches on each side, and 36 inches high.  It was made with horns, or some similar projections pointing upward that resembled horns, from the same acacia wood as the altar, probably carved from the same piece of wood.

(26) And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top of it and its sides all around, and its horns; he also made for it a crown of gold all around it.

He overlaid the incense altar with pure gold on its top and sides and on the horns of it.  He also made for it a crown molding of gold.

(27) And he made two rings of gold for it under its crown, by its two corners on both sides, to be places for the staves with which to bear it. (28) And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.

Two golden rings were made for the altar under the crown molding on each side, into which poles or bars would be placed in order to carry the altar.  The poles were also made of acacia wood like the altar itself, and overlaid with gold.

(29) And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

It was said that he made the holy anointing oil and the incense of sweet spices, "according to the work of the apothecary".  An apothecary was one who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes.  There was an art to making the perfect anointing oil and pure incenses, and he had the talent for it.

(Exodus 38:1) And he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width, it was square, and its height was three cubits.

"He" still refers to Bezaleel from chapter 37.  Either he personally made the altar of burnt offering, or it was made under his direction.  He made it of acacia wood, square, 7 1/2 feet on each side, and 4 1/2 feet high.

(2) And he made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of the same piece; and he overlaid it with brass.

He made horns or some similar projections on the four corners of the altar, of the same piece of wood as the altar, not made separately and applied to the altar.  The altar was then overlaid with brass.

(3) And he made all the vessels for the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its vessels he made of brass.

He made all the vessels and utensils for the altar from brass.  As discussed when God first gave Moses the instructions for these in chapter 27, there were pans for receiving the ashes of the burnt sacrifices, basins for the blood, shovels and forks for handling the pieces of flesh and animal parts, and fire pans for the burning embers or coals of fire.

(4) And he made a grate of brass network for the altar, under its rim, in the midst of it. (5) And he cast four rings for the four corners of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

He made a brass grate for the altar probably over a hollowed area in the middle of the altar, where the fire would burn. As discussed in chapter 27, in the "midst" meant the "middle".  Exodus 27:5 expressed it with a little more detail:  "And you shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be even to the midst of the altar."  He made four rings in the four corners of the grate in which to put poles or bars to move it.

(6) And he made the staves of acacia wood, and overlaid them with brass. (7) And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it; he made the altar hollow with boards.

He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with brass.  He put the poles into the rings on the side of the altar with which to carry it.  As I had confusion when I first read the description of this altar's poles in chapter 27, I still have it.  I originally thought the rings were on the brass grate and that poles would remove the grate, not carry the entire altar.  Perhaps the brass grate was one piece with the entire overlay of brass and therefore poles through those rings would carry the entire altar.  For the first time I am picturing this altar a little differently; maybe instead of the brass being on top and going down to the middle of the sides, perhaps it was on the bottom going halfway up to the middle.  It does say the altar was hollow.  Perhaps it was open at the top and the ashes would fall through the sides.  If the brass grate was on the sides and under the top, it could be carried by rings on the corners of the brass.  I got no help from the old commentaries that I read, so I was on my own to try to imagine this!  :-)

(8) And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, from the mirrors of the women assembling, who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

He made a brass basin with a brass foot or stand.  He made them from the mirrors of the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle.  We can assume these were devoted women, attending more consistently at the place of public worship than others.  Their mirrors were likely highly reflective brass rather than glass with brass handles as we might picture today.

(9) And he made the court; on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits long. (10) There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty brass sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

"He" would still seem to be Bezaleel, but I am beginning to believe more certainly that he alone didn't personally do all this work, but that it was done under his direction.  As I assumed that the "he" in chapter 36 referred back to "every wise hearted man among them who worked on the tabernacle" (Exodus 36:8), I believe all this work being discussed now must be done by other talented and skilled workers than just Bezaleel.  After all, we did read that he was more than a talented craftsman; he had the ability to teach others (Exodus 35:4).

They now made the courtyard for the tabernacle, enclosed on the south side with hangings of fine woven linen, fifty yards long.  The hangings hung on twenty pillars set in brass sockets.  As discussed in chapter 27 when God first gave Moses these instructions, the silver fillets were probably some sort of connecting rods between the pillars.  The rods probably went across the top of the pillars as a sort of curtain rod upon which the hooks holding the hangings were attached.  Since there were only twenty pillars in a length of fifty yards, the hangings couldn't have hung on the pillars alone, so surely hung on hooks on the fillets or rods.

(11) And for the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty brass sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. (12) And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were silver. (13) And for the east side fifty cubits.

The north side was made identical to the south side, with hangings fifty yards long on twenty pillars set in sockets of brass, with silver rods and hooks.  On the east and west sides the hangings were made 25 yards long set on ten pillars set in ten sockets, with silver rods and hooks.

(14) The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, (15) And for the other side of the court gate, on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.

At the gate or entrance to the court they made hangings 7 1/2 yards long hanging on three pillars in three sockets on both sides of the entrance.

(16) All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen.  (17) And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were silver; and the overlaying of their capitals were silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

All the hangings of the courtyard were made from fine woven linen.  All the sockets for the pillars were made of brass, the hooks and rods were made of silver, and the capitals or tops of the pillars were overlaid with silver.  All the pillars were banded with silver, or perhaps this referred to the rods upon which hung the silver hooks.  

(18) And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and of fine woven linen; twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court.

Hangings or curtains were made for the gate itself of the courtyard of fine woven linen embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet.  They were ten yards long and 7 1/2 feet high like the hangings of the courtyard walls.

(19) And there were four pillars with their four sockets of brass; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their fillets was silver. (20) And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were of brass.

There were four pillars on which the hangings of the gate itself hung.  They stood in brass sockets, their capitals were overlaid with silver, and they had bands or rods of silver and silver hooks.  All the tent pins or pegs were made of brass.

(21) This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.

The preceding account contained a detail of all the articles which had been commanded by Moses (from commandment of the Lord)  for the tabernacle for the service of the Levites, over whom Ithamar, the son of Aaron, apparently presided.

(22) And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. (23) And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Bezaleel and Aholiab, men gifted and chosen by God (Exodus 35), had done and overseen the work.

(24) All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

The gold that was used in the work of the tabernacle, the gold that had been offered freely by the people, amounted to 29 talents and 730 shekels.  A talent was 3000 shekels.  What the exact weight of a talent of gold was varies from "expert" to "expert", some saying 60 pounds and some saying as much as 120 pounds; regardless, we are talking about hundreds, even thousands, of pounds of gold!

(25) And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: (26) A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men.

The silver that was counted here appears to be the silver that was collected in numbering the people, where everyone of twenty years old and upwards (603,550 men) paid half a shekel (Exodus 30:12-14).  The silver amounted to 100 talents and 1775 shekels.  The measuring of weight of silver may have varied a little from the weight of gold (again I get conflicting reports), but again, we are talking about hundreds, actually thousands, of pounds of silver!

(27) And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket.

The hundred talents of silver were used for the sockets of the sanctuary and for the veil, one talent of silver for each socket.  I didn't personally count each of the sockets, but according to this scripture there were a hundred, and Dr. John Gill wrote, "there were ninety six sockets for the sanctuary or tabernacle, and four for the vail".  A talent being from 50 to 100 pounds of silver, there was a lot of value in the bases of the pillars!

(28) And of the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and filleted them.

From the remaining 1775 shekels of silver, the hooks, fillets, and overlaying of the capitals for the pillars of the court were made.

(29) And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels. (30) And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, the brazen altar, the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, (31) And the sockets of the court all around, the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins for the tabernacle, and all the pins for the court all around.

The brass from the freewill offerings totaled 70 talents and 2400 shekels.  Once again, I didn't find a definitive answer as to exactly how much brass this was, but it would be in the thousands of pounds.  With this brass were made the brass altar and grate, the vessels and utensils for the altar, the sockets for the courtyard and its gate, and the tent pegs.

In these two chapters, we see how generous the people were in giving for the building of the tabernacle, and how faithful the workmen were in following the instructions of God given to them by Moses.