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Exodus 36

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The Skilled Workers Begin the Task 1–7

1
And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom Jehovah hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Jehovah hath commanded. ​
2
And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Jehovah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: ​
3
and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning. ​
4
And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they wrought;
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and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make. ​
6
And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. ​
7
For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

Making the Inner Curtains 8–13

8
And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, Bezalel made them. ​
9
The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure.
10
And he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five curtains he coupled one to another.
11
And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling.
12
Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the loops were opposite one to another.
13
And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was one. ​

Making the Tent Coverings 14–19

14
And he made curtains of goats’hairfor a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. ​
15
The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure.
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And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
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And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling.
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And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. ​
19
And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above. ​

Constructing the Tabernacle Framework 20–34

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And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia wood, standing up. ​
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Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
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Each board had two tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
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And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward;
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and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. ​
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And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,
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and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
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And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
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And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part.
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And they were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in the two corners.
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And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
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And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, ​
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and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward.
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And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other.
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And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. ​

The Veil and the Entrance Screen 35–38

35
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, made he it. ​
36
And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
37
And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; ​
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and the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass. ​

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

Study Notes for Exodus 36

Verse 1

every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding — The skill is a gift: 'wise hearted' (chakam leb), with chokmah and tabunah, wisdom and understanding. Bezaleel of Judah was filled 'with the spirit of God' for the craft (31:2–3), and Aholiab of Dan was given with him, 'in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom' (31:6).

Verse 2

whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work — Two things meet: Moses 'called' them, and each one's heart 'stirred him up' (nasa, lifted him). The same phrase describes the givers of 35:21, 'every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing'. The workmen were chosen by the LORD and came willingly.

Verse 3

free offerings every morning — The first gifts were the terumah, the contribution of ch. 35, and the workers 'received' it from Moses. Then came nedabah, freewill offerings, which people kept bringing 'every morning' (boqer), after the 'willing offering' of every man and woman (35:29).

Verse 5

much more than enough — The craftsmen themselves tell Moses. 'Enough' is day, sufficiency, the word of v.7, 'sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much', and of Mal 3:10, 'room enough to receive it'. The people gave 'much more' (rabah) than the work the LORD 'commanded to make' needed.

Verse 6

the people were restrained from bringing — The word went out by a proclamation ('caused it to be proclaimed', literally to pass a voice) through the camp. 'Restrained' is kala, the word of Gen 8:2, 'the rain from heaven was restrained'. 'Neither man nor woman' repeats 35:29, 'every man and woman', who had brought gifts.

Verse 8

with cherubims of cunning work made he them — The ten inner curtains are 'fine twined linen' in 'blue, and purple, and scarlet', with cherubim woven in (chashab, devised work). Cherubim guarded the way to the tree of life (Gen 3:24) and are on the veil (v.35); the curtains repeat 26:1.

Verse 13

so it became one tabernacle — The ten curtains were coupled in two sets of five (v.10), and the two sets are joined by fifty 'taches of gold' (qeres, a clasp), a word found only in the tabernacle passages (26:6, 11, 33; 35:11; 36:13, 18; 39:33). The linen sheets become echad, 'one' dwelling (mishkan).

Verse 14

curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle — The verse uses two words: mishkan, the dwelling of linen below, and ohel, the tent of goats' hair above it. There are 'eleven' curtains, one more than the ten below, and each is thirty cubits long (v.15) against twenty-eight for the linen (v.9). The pattern is that of 26:7.

Verse 18

fifty taches of brass — These are the same fifty clasps, but of nechosheth, brass, to couple the goats' hair 'tent'; the gold ones (v.13) join the linen. Gold clasps join the linen within, brass clasps join the goats' hair tent above, and brass is again the metal of the court, whose pillars have sockets of brass (27:10).

Verse 19

rams' skins dyed red, and … badgers' skins — These are the two top coverings, and 'dyed red' is adam. The 'badgers' skins' are tachash, which the KJV also uses in Ezek 16:10, 'shod thee with badgers' skin'. On the march 'the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it' was borne with the curtains (Num 4:25).

Verse 20

boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up — Shittah is acacia, in the plural shittim. The same wood made the ark (25:10), table (25:23) and altar (27:1). The boards are qeresh, frames set 'standing up' (amad), upright, and overlaid with gold (v.34).

Verse 24

forty sockets of silver — Eden, a base. The silver is that of the census: each man numbered gave half a shekel as 'atonement money' for 'the service of the tabernacle' (30:13–16). Of the hundred talents, 'were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail … a talent for a socket' (38:27).

Verse 31

bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side — There are five bars on each side (vv.31–32), and the 'middle bar' (v.33) which 'shoot through the boards from the one end to the other', as in 26:26–28. The bars held the boards together, passing through rings of gold (v.34).

Verse 34

rings of gold to be places for the bars — The boards and bars are overlaid (tsaphah) with gold, as 26:29 commanded. 'Places' is literally 'houses' (bayith), a ring being a house for the bar. So the frames of the tabernacle's sides were wood within and gold without.

Verse 35

a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen — These are the materials of the inner curtains (v.8), with cherubim in 'cunning work'. It was hung to 'divide … between the holy place and the most holy' (26:33). At the cross 'the veil of the temple was rent in twain' (Matt 27:51); Hebrews speaks of the way 'through the veil, that is to say, his flesh' (Heb 10:20).

Verse 37

an hanging for the tabernacle door — Masak, a screen, is made in the same four materials as the veil but 'of needlework' (raqam, embroidery) with no cherubim, where the veil (v.35) was 'cunning work' with cherubim. It hung at the entrance of the tent, as 26:36 commanded.

Verse 38

their five sockets were of brass — The five pillars at the door stood on brass (nechosheth), where the four pillars of the veil stood on 'sockets of silver' (v.36). Their capitals ('chapiters') and 'fillets' (connecting rods) were overlaid with gold. Silver is for the veil, brass for the door.