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Exodus 27

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Instructions for the Bronze Altar 1–8

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. ​

Design of the Tabernacle Court 9–19

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. ​

Oil for the Perpetual Lamp 20–21

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 statute for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 27

Verse 1

an altar of shittim wood — Mizbeach, altar, comes from zabach, to slay a sacrifice. This is the 'altar of burnt offering' (Ex 38:1), five cubits square and three high, set 'before the door of the tabernacle' (Ex 40:6). The earlier law forbade steps up to the LORD's altar (Ex 20:26). Hebrews says, 'We have an altar' (Heb 13:10).

Verse 2

his horns shall be of the same — Qeren, horn: one stands at each of the four corners, made as one piece with the altar and overlaid with brass. The blood of the bullock was put 'upon the horns of the altar with thy finger' (Ex 29:12). Adonijah 'caught hold on the horns of the altar' (1 Kgs 1:50), and the psalm binds the sacrifice 'even unto the horns of the altar' (Ps 118:27).

Verse 3

his pans to receive his ashes — Dashen, the verb for removing ashes, is also the verb of 'thou anointest my head with oil' (Ps 23:5); the pans clear away what the fire has consumed. The priest carried the ashes 'beside the altar' and then 'without the camp unto a clean place' (Lev 6:10–11). 'Basons' (mizraq) are sprinkling bowls, from zaraq, to sprinkle.

Verse 8

as it was shewed thee in the mount — This is the fourth such charge in these chapters (Ex 25:9, 40; 26:30). 'Hollow' is nabab, and 'boards' is luach, the word used for the 'tables of stone' (Ex 24:12). Ex 38:7 records that the altar was made 'hollow with boards'. Hebrews cites the instruction to Moses for the whole tabernacle (Heb 8:5).

Verse 9

the court of the tabernacle — Chatser is an enclosed yard. Its hangings (qela, screens) are fine twined linen, a hundred cubits long on the south side, which is named by two words, negeb and teman. The altar is set in it 'before the door of the tabernacle' (Ex 40:6), and Moses 'reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar' (Ex 40:33).

Verse 16

the gate of the court — Shaar is a gate. The hanging is twenty cubits wide, of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen 'wrought with needlework' (raqam), between hangings of fifteen cubits on each side (vv.14–15). That makes fifty cubits at the east end, the breadth of the court (v.13). It has the same threads as the hanging for the door of the tent (Ex 26:36).

Verse 18

the length of the court shall be an hundred cubits — The court is a hundred cubits by fifty, with hangings of fine twined linen five cubits high (qomah), half the ten-cubit boards of the tabernacle (Ex 26:16). Its sockets are of brass (nechosheth), while the pillars are 'filleted with silver' and have silver hooks (v.17). The sanctuary's own sockets were silver (Ex 26:19).

Verse 19

all the pins thereof — Yated is a peg or pin, of brass for both the tabernacle and the court, named with 'their cords' (Ex 35:18). The brass of the offering was 'seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels' (Ex 38:29), and from it were made 'all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about' (Ex 38:31).

Verse 20

pure oil olive beaten for the light — Zak is clear or pure, kathith beaten, crushed oil from the olive. 'Light' is maor, the word used of the 'lights in the firmament' (Gen 1:14). 'To burn always' translates tamid, continually, as the same command is repeated, 'to cause the lamps to burn continually' (Lev 24:2).

Verse 21

from evening to morning — 'Tabernacle of the congregation' is ohel moed, the tent of the appointed meeting (yaad, as in Ex 25:22). The lamp stands outside the veil, 'before the testimony', and Aaron and his sons 'order' (arak, arrange) it as 'a statute for ever'. Aaron lights the lamps at even (Ex 30:8). Samuel was laid down to sleep before 'the lamp of God went out' (1 Sam 3:3).