1Bezaleel, Aholiab y todo hombre sabio de corazón a quien Jehová dio sabiduría e inteligencia para saber hacer toda la obra del servicio del santuario, harán todas las cosas que ha mandado Jehová. 2Y Moisés llamó a Bezaleel y a Aholiab, y a todo varón sabio de corazón, en cuyo corazón había dado Jehová sabiduría, y a todo hombre a quien su corazón le movió a venir a la obra para trabajar en ella. 3Y recibieron de Moisés toda la ofrenda que los hijos de Israel habían traído para la obra del servicio del santuario, a fin de hacerla. Y ellos seguían trayendo ofrendas voluntarias cada mañana. 4Vinieron, por tanto, todos los maestros que hacían toda la obra del santuario, cada uno de la obra que hacía. 5Y hablaron a Moisés, diciendo: El pueblo trae mucho más de lo que se necesita para la obra del servicio que Jehová ha mandado que se haga. 6Entonces Moisés mandó pregonar por el campamento, diciendo: Ningún hombre ni mujer haga más obra para ofrecer para el santuario. Y así el pueblo fue impedido de ofrendar más; 7pues tenían material abundante para hacer toda la obra, y sobraba. 8Y todos los sabios de corazón entre los que hacían la obra, hicieron el tabernáculo de diez cortinas, de lino torcido, y de azul, y de púrpura y carmesí; las cuales hicieron de obra de arte, con querubines. 9La longitud de una cortina era de veintiocho codos, y la anchura de cuatro codos: todas las cortinas tenían una misma medida. 10Y juntó las cinco cortinas la una con la otra: asimismo unió las otras cinco cortinas la una con la otra. 11E hizo las lazadas de azul en la orilla de una cortina, en el borde, a la juntura; y así hizo en la orilla al borde de la segunda cortina, en la juntura. 12Cincuenta lazadas hizo en una cortina, y otras cincuenta en la segunda cortina, en el borde, en la juntura; las lazadas sostenían a una cortina con la otra. 13Hizo también cincuenta corchetes de oro, con los cuales juntó las cortinas, la una con la otra; y se hizo un tabernáculo. 14Hizo asimismo cortinas de pelo de cabras para la tienda sobre el tabernáculo, y las hizo en número de once. 15La longitud de una cortina era de treinta codos, y la anchura de cuatro codos; las once cortinas tenían una misma medida. 16Y juntó las cinco cortinas de por sí, y las seis cortinas aparte. 17Hizo además cincuenta lazadas en la orilla de la postrera cortina en la juntura, y otras cincuenta lazadas en la orilla de la otra cortina en la juntura. 18Hizo también cincuenta corchetes de bronce para juntar la tienda, de modo que fuese una. 19E hizo una cubierta para la tienda de pieles de carneros teñidas de rojo, y encima una cubierta de pieles de tejones. 20Además hizo las tablas para el tabernáculo de madera de acacia, para estar derechas. 21La longitud de cada tabla de diez codos, y de codo y medio la anchura. 22Cada tabla tenía dos espigas para unirlas una con otra; así hizo todas las tablas del tabernáculo. 23Hizo, pues, las tablas para el tabernáculo; veinte tablas al lado del mediodía, al sur. 24Hizo también las cuarenta bases de plata debajo de las veinte tablas; dos bases debajo de una tabla para sus dos espigas, y dos bases debajo de la otra tabla para sus dos espigas. 25Y para el otro lado del tabernáculo, al lado norte, hizo veinte tablas, 26con sus cuarenta bases de plata: dos bases debajo de la una tabla, y dos bases debajo de la otra tabla. 27Y para el lado occidental del tabernáculo hizo seis tablas. 28Para las esquinas del tabernáculo en los dos lados hizo dos tablas, 29las cuales se juntaban por abajo, y asimismo por arriba a un gozne; y así hizo a la una y a la otra en las dos esquinas. 30Eran, pues, ocho tablas, y sus bases de plata dieciséis; dos bases debajo de cada tabla. 31Hizo también las vigas de madera de acacia; cinco para las tablas de un lado del tabernáculo, 32Y cinco vigas para las tablas del otro lado del tabernáculo, y cinco vigas para las tablas del lado del tabernáculo a la parte occidental. 33E hizo que la viga del medio pasase por medio de las tablas de un extremo al otro. 34Y cubrió las tablas de oro, e hizo de oro los anillos de ellas por donde pasasen las vigas: cubrió también de oro las vigas. 35Hizo asimismo el velo de azul, y púrpura, y carmesí, y lino torcido, el cual hizo con querubines de obra de arte. 36Y para él hizo cuatro columnas de madera de acacia; y las cubrió de oro, los capiteles de las cuales eran de oro; e hizo para ellas cuatro bases de plata de fundición. 37Hizo también el velo para la puerta del tabernáculo, de azul, y púrpura, y carmesí, y lino torcido, obra de recamador; 38Y sus cinco columnas con sus capiteles: y cubrió las cabezas de ellas y sus molduras de oro: pero sus cinco bases las hizo de bronce.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 I. The workmen set in without delay. Then they wrought,
Exod 36:1. When God had qualified them for the work, then they applied themselves to it. Note, The talents we are entrusted with must not be laid up, but laid out; not hid in a napkin, but traded with. What have we all our gifts for, but to do good with them? They began when Moses called them,
Exod 36:2. Even those whom God has qualified for, and inclined to, the service of the tabernacle, yet must wait for a regular call to it, either extraordinary, as that of prophets and apostles, or ordinary, as that of pastors and teachers. And observe who they were that Moses called: Those
in whose heart God had put wisdom for this purpose, beyond their natural capacity, and
whose heart stirred them up to come to the work in good earnest. Note, Those are to be called to the building of the gospel tabernacle whom God has by his grace made in some measure fit for the work and free to engage in it. Ability and willingness (with resolution) are the two things to be regarded in the call of ministers. Has God given them not only knowledge, but wisdom? (for those that would win souls must be wise, and have their hearts stirred up to come to the work, and not to the honour only; to do it, and not to talk of it only), let them come to it with full purpose of heart to go through with it. The materials which the people had contributed were delivered by Moses to the workmen,
Exod 36:3. They could not create a tabernacle, that is, make it out of nothing, nor work, unless they had something to work upon; the people therefore brought the materials and Moses put them into their hands. Precious souls are the materials of the gospel tabernacle; they are
built up a spiritual house, 1Pet 2:5. To this end they are to offer themselves a free-will offering to the Lord, for his service (
Roma 15:16), and they are then committed to the care of his ministers, as builders, to be framed and wrought upon by their edification and increase in holiness, till they all come, like the curtains of the tabernacle,
in the unity of the faith, to be a holy temple, Ephes 2:21,
Ephes 2:22;
Ephes 4:12,
Ephes 4:13.
II. The contributions restrained. The people continued to bring
free offerings every morning, Exod 36:3. Note, We should always make it our morning's work to bring our offerings unto the Lord; even the spiritual offerings of prayer and praise, and a broken heart surrendered entirely to God. This is that which the duty of every day requires. God's compassions are new every morning, and so must our duty to him be. Probably there were some that were backward at first to bring their offering, but their neighbours' forwardness stirred them up and shamed them. The zeal of some provoked many. There are those who will be content to follow who yet do not care for leading in a good work. It is best to be forward, but better late than never. Or perhaps some who had offered at first, having pleasure in reflecting upon it, offered more; so far were they from grudging what they had contributed, that they doubled their contribution. Thus, in charity,
give a portion to seven, and also to eight; having given much, give more. Now observe, 1. The honesty of the workmen. When they had cut out their work, and found how their stuff held out, and that the people were still forward to bring in more, they went in a body to Moses to tell him that there needed no more contributions,
Exod 36:4,
Exod 36:5. Had they sought their own things, they had now a fair opportunity of enriching themselves by the people's gifts; for they might have made up their work, and converted the overplus to their own use, as perquisites of their place. But they were men of integrity, that scorned to do so mean a thing as to sponge upon the people, and enrich themselves with that which was offered to the Lord. Those are the greatest cheats that cheat the public. If to murder many is worse than to murder one, by the same rule to defraud communities, and to rob the church or state, is a much greater crime than to pick the pocket of a single person. But these workmen were not only ready to account for all they received, but were not willing to receive more than they had occasion for, lest they should come either into the temptation or under the suspicion of taking it to themselves. These were men that knew when they had enough. 2. The liberality of the people. Though they saw what an abundance was contributed, yet they continued to offer, till they were forbidden by proclamation,
Exod 36:6,
Exod 36:7. A rare instance! Most need a spur to quicken their charity; few need a bridle to check it, yet these did. Had Moses aimed to enrich himself, he might have suffered them still to bring in their offerings; and when the work was finished might have taken the remainder to himself: but he also preferred the public before his own private interest, and was therein a good example to all in public trusts. It is said (
Exod 36:6),
The people were restrained from bringing; they looked upon it as a restraint upon them not to be allowed to do more for the tabernacle; such was the zeal of those people, who gave
to their power, yea, and beyond their power, praying the collectors
with much entreaty to receive the gift, 2Cor 8:3,
2Cor 8:4. These were the fruits of a first love; in these last-days charity has grown too cold for us to expect such things from it.
8 The first work they set about was the framing of the house, which must be done before the furniture of it was prepared. This house was not made of timber or stone, but of curtains curiously embroidered and coupled together. This served to typify the state of the church in this world, the palace of God's kingdom among men. 1. Though it is upon the earth, yet its foundation is not in the earth, as that of a house is; no, Christ's kingdom is not of this world, nor founded in it. 2. It is mean and mutable, and in a militant state; shepherds dwelt in tents, and God is the Shepherd of Israel; soldiers dwelt in tents, and the Lord is a man of war, and his church marches through an enemy's country, and must fight its way. The kings of the earth enclose themselves in cedar (
Jer 22:15), but the ark of God was lodged in curtains only. 3. Yet there is a beauty in holiness; the curtains were embroidered, so is the church adorned with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, that
raiment of needle-work, Pss 45:14. 4. The several societies of believers are united in one, and, as here, all
become one tabernacle; for there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 14 Here, 1. The shelter and special protection that the church is under are signified by the curtains of hair-cloth, which were spread over the tabernacle, and the covering of rams' skins and badgers' skins over them,
Exod 36:14-
Exod 36:19. God has provided for his people a
shadow from the heat, and a covert from storm and rain, Isa 4:6. They are armed against all weathers; the sun and the moon shall not smite them: and they are protected from the storms of divine wrath, that hail which will
sweep away the refuge of lies, Isa 28:17. Those that dwell in God's house shall find, be the tempest ever so violent, or the dropping ever so continual, it does not rain in. 2. The strength and stability of the church, though it is but a tabernacle, are signified by the boards and bars with which the curtains were borne up,
Exod 36:20-
Exod 36:34. The boards were coupled together and joined by the bars which shot through them; for the union of the church, and the hearty agreement of those that are its stays and supporters, contribute abundantly to its strength and establishment.
35 In the building of a house there is a great deal of work about the doors and partitions. In the tabernacle these were answerable to the rest of the fabric; there were curtains for doors, and veils for partitions. 1. There was a veil made for a partition between the holy place, and the most holy,
Exod 36:35,
Exod 36:36. This signified the darkness and distance of that dispensation, compared with the New Testament, which shows us the glory of God more clearly and invites us to draw near to it; and the darkness and distance of our present state, in comparison with heaven, where we shall be
ever with the Lord and
see him as he is. 2. There was a veil made for the door of the tabernacle,
Exod 36:37,
Exod 36:38. At this door the people assembled, though forbidden to enter; for, while we are in this present state, we must get as near to God as we can.