1And there Jehovah told Moses: 2‘Speak to the children of Israel and [ask for] the first fruits of everything that their hearts are willing to give… then you must [collect] it. 3These are the offerings that you are to ask for: gold, silver, and brass; 4as well as blue [thread], purple [yarn], scarlet [cloth], fine-spun linen, goats’ hair, 5rams’ skins that are dyed red and blue, and durable wood. 6[You will also ask for] lamp oil, fragrances for anointing oil, ingredients for incense, 7as well as rubies and other [precious] stones that will fit into a breastplate, and a full-length robe. 8‘You must also make a Sacred Place for Me, where I can appear among you. 9Everything you make for Me must follow the patterns that I will show you on the Mountain. There will be a pattern for the Sacred Place and patterns for all of its furnishings. And that’s how you are to make them. 10‘You must also build the Chest of Proofs. [Build it] from durable wood fifty inches wide, thirty inches deep, and thirty inches tall. 11Cover it with pure gold both inside and out, and put twisted gold wreaths around it. 12You must create four gold rings for it, and mount two rings on each side. 13Then make [two] staves of durable wood, cover them with gold, 14and put the staves into the rings on the sides of the Chest, to carry it. 15These staves should always be left in the rings on the Chest. 16‘Then you must put the Proofs that I will give you inside the Chest. 17‘You must also make the Propitiatory. It is to be a lid of pure gold, fifty inches long and thirty inches wide. 18And you will carve two cherubs from gold and mount them on the Propitiatory. 19A cherub will be mounted on this side of the Propitiatory, and a cherub will be mounted on its other side, so there will be cherubs on either end. 20The cherubs will face each other with their heads bowed toward the Propitiatory. And they must have wings that are outstretched over them [extending forward] over the Propitiatory. 21Then the Propitiatory must be put on top of the Chest, which will contain the Proofs that I will give you. 22‘This is where I will make My presence known to you. I will speak to you from above the Propitiatory, between the two cherubs on the Chest of Proofs, and talk to you and instruct you concerning everything that has to do with the children of Israel. 23‘You are also to make a table of pure gold that is forty inches long, twenty inches wide, and thirty inches tall. 24It must have gold wreaths going around it and a six-inch crown under it 25that has a twisted wreath circling it. 26‘You must also make four gold rings and fasten them to the four feet under the crown. 27These rings will be the supports for staves that will be used to carry the table. 28The staves should be made of durable wood and covered with pure gold, for carrying the table. 29‘You should also make dishes, incense burners, bowls, and cups (for drink offerings) of pure gold. 30They will always be set before Me on the table of Show Bread. 31‘You must also shape a lampstand from pure gold. The whole thing – it’s stem, branches, sockets, knobs, and lilies – will be a single piece. 32It is to have six branches that come from its sides… three branches for lamps on one side and three branches for lamps on the other side. 33[Each branch] that comes from the lampstand should be topped with an almond-shaped socket [to hold the lamps], which is to be mounted above a knob and a lily. 34Each will have four sockets that are shaped like almonds, and the knobs and flowers on each branch should be the same. 35There will be a knob under two branches and a knob under four branches that come from it, so that six branches come from the lampstand, and each will have four bowls shaped like almonds. 36The knobs and the branches must be a single piece that is carved from a block of pure gold. 37So, there must be seven lamps that all shine from the same side. 38‘And you will make funnels and serving plates of pure gold. 39They should each be made with a measurement of pure gold, 40using the pattern that I will show you on the mountain.’
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 CONCERNING AN OFFERING. (Exo. 25:1-40)
the Lord spake unto Moses, &c.--The business that chiefly occupied Moses on the mount, whatever other disclosures were made to him there, was in receiving directions about the tabernacle, and they are here recorded as given to him.
2 bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly, &c.--Having declared allegiance to God as their sovereign, they were expected to contribute to His state, as other subjects to their kings; and the "offering" required of them was not to be imposed as a tax, but to come from their own loyal and liberal feelings.
3 this is the offering which ye shall take of them--the articles of which the offerings should consist.
brass--rather copper, brass being a composite metal.
4 goats' hair--or leather of goats' skin.
5 badgers' skins--The badger was an unclean animal, and is not a native of the East--rather some kind of fish, of the leather of which sandals are made in the East. [See on
Exod 39:34 and
Ezek 16:10.]
shittim wood--or Shittah (
Isa 41:19), the acacia, a shrub which grows plentifully in the deserts of Arabia, yielding a light, strong, and beautiful wood, in long planks.
7 ephod--a square cloak, hanging down from the shoulders, and worn by priests.
8 a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them--In one sense the tabernacle was to be a palace, the royal residence of the King of Israel, in which He was to dwell among His people, receive their petitions, and issue His responses. But it was also to be a place of worship, in which God was to record His name and to enshrine the mystic symbols of His presence.
9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle--The proposed erection could be, in the circumstances of the Israelites, not of a fixed and stable but of a temporary and movable description, capable of being carried about with them in their various sojournings. It was made after "the pattern" shown to Moses, by which is now generally understood, not that it was an unheard-of novelty, or an entirely original structure, for it is ascertained to have borne resemblance in form and arrangements to the style of an Egyptian temple, but that it was so altered, modified, and purified from all idolatrous associations, as to be appropriated to right objects, and suggestive of ideas connected with the true God and His worship.
10 an ark--a coffer or chest, overlaid with gold, the dimensions of which, taking the cubit at eighteen inches, are computed to be three feet nine inches in length, two feet three inches in breadth.
11 a crown--a rim or cornice.
12 rings--staples for the poles, with which it was to be carried from place to place.
15 staves shall be in the rings of the ark--that is, always remain in the rings, whether the ark be at rest or in motion.
16 the testimony--that is, the two tables of stone, containing the ten commandments, and called "the testimony," because by it God did testify His sovereign authority over Israel as His people, His selection of them as the guardians of His will and worship, and His displeasure in the event of their transgressing His laws; while on their part, by receiving and depositing this law in its appointed place, they testified their acknowledgment of God's right to rule over them, and their submission to the authority of His law. The superb and elaborate style of the ark that contained "the testimony" was emblematic of the great treasure it held; in other words, the incomparable value and excellence of the Word of God, while its being placed in this chest further showed the great care which God has ever taken for preserving it.
17 thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold--to serve as a lid, covering it exactly. It was "the propitiatory cover," as the term may be rendered, denoting that Christ, our great propitiation [
1John 2:2;
1John 4:10], has fully answered all the demands of the law, covers our transgressions, and comes between us and the curse of a violated law.
18 two cherubim--The real meaning of these figures, as well as the shape or form of them, is not known with certainty--probably similar to what was afterwards introduced into the temple, and described in
Ezek 10:8-
Ezek 10:22. They stretched out their wings, and their faces were turned towards the mercy seat [
Exod 25:20], probably in a bowing attitude. The prevailing opinion now is, that those splendid figures were symbolical not of angelic but of earthly and human beings--the members of the Church of God interested in the dispensation of grace, the redeemed in every age--and that these hieroglyphic forms symbolized the qualities of the true people of God--courage, patience, intelligence, and activity.
22 there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat--The Shekinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, rested on the mercy seat, and was indicated by a cloud, from the midst of which responses were audibly given when God was consulted on behalf of His people. Hence God is described as "dwelling" or "sitting" between the cherubim.
23 table of shittim wood--of the same material and decorations as the ark [see on
Exod 25:5], and like it, too, furnished with rings for the poles on which it was carried [
Exod 25:26]. The staves, however, were taken out of it when stationary, in order not to encumber the priests while engaged in their services at the table. It was half a cubit less than the ark in length and breadth, but of the same height. [See on
Exod 25:10.]
24 crown--the moulding or ornamental rim, which is thought to have been raised above the level of the table, to prevent anything from falling off.
29 dishes--broad platters.
spoons--cups or concave vessels, used for holding incense.
covers--both for bread and incense.
bowls--cups; for though no mention is made of wine, libations were undoubtedly made to God, according to JOSEPHUS and the rabbins, once a week, when the bread was changed.
to cover withal--rather, "to pour out withal."
30 showbread--literally, presence bread, so called because it was constantly exhibited before the Lord, or because the bread of His presence, like the angel of His presence, pointed symbolically to Christ. It consisted of twelve unleavened loaves, said traditionally to have been laid in piles of six each. This bread was designed to be a symbol of the full and never-failing provision which is made in the Church for the spiritual sustenance and refreshment of God's people.
31 candlestick--literally, "a lamp bearer." It was so constructed as to be capable of being taken to pieces for facility in removal. The shaft or stock rested on a pedestal. It had seven branches, shaped like reeds or canes--three on each side, with one in the center--and worked out into knobs, flowers, and bowls, placed alternately [
Exod 25:32-
Exod 25:36]. The figure represented on the arch of Titus gives the best idea of this candlestick.
33 knops--old spelling for "knobs"--bosses.
37 they shall light the lamps . . . that they may give light--The light was derived from pure olive oil, and probably kept continually burning (compare
Exod 30:7;
Lev 24:2).
38 tongs--snuffers.
39 a talent of pure gold--in weight equivalent to 125 lbs. troy.
40 look that thou make them after their pattern--This caution, which is repeated with no small frequency in other parts of the narrative, is an evidence of the deep interest taken by the Divine King in the erection of His palace or sanctuary; and it is impossible to account for the circumstance of God's condescending to such minute details, except on the assumption that this tabernacle was to be of a typical character, and eminently subservient to the religious instruction and benefit of mankind, by shadowing forth in its leading features the grand truths of the Christian Church.