Exodus
Exodus 36
1“Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Yahweh has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Yahweh has commanded.”
2Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Yahweh had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to the work to do it. 3They received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, with which to make it. They kept bringing free will offerings to him every morning. 4All the wise men, who performed all the work of the sanctuary, each came from his work which he did. 5They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people have brought much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make.”
6Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman make anything else for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing. 7For the stuff they had was sufficient to do all the work, and too much.
8All the wise-hearted men among those who did the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet. They made them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 9The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains had one measure. 10He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11He made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling. Likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second coupling. 12He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling. The loops were opposite to one another. 13He made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was a unit.
14He made curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the tabernacle. He made them eleven curtains. 15The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the width of each curtain. The eleven curtains had one measure. 16He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17He made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the coupling, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was outermost in the second coupling. 18He made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together, that it might be a unit. 19He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above.
20He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up. 21Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the width of each board. 22Each board had two tenons, joined to one another. He made all the boards of the tabernacle this way. 23He made the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward. 24He 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. 25For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards 26and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27For the far part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the far part. 29They were double beneath, and in the same way they were all the way to its top to one ring. He did this to both of them in the two corners. 30There were eight boards and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets—under every board two sockets.
31He made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32and 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. 33He made the middle bar to pass through in the middle of the boards from the one end to the other. 34He overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold as places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman. 36He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold. He cast four sockets of silver for them. 37He made a screen for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer; 38and the five pillars of it with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold, and their five sockets were of bronze.
Commentary
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What others are saying
5 commentators · 28 notes on this chapter
Matthew Henry4
Writes as a pastor rather than a critic. Expect devotional and practical application over historical or linguistic analysis, read through a Reformed covenantal frame — and expect the Old Testament to be read forward toward Christ throughout.
Why this voice is here: The most widely read English commentary for three centuries. Included as a baseline: where Henry and a modern voice diverge, the divergence itself is usually the interesting part.
I. The workmen set in without delay. Then they wrought, Exo 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…
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…
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, Exo 36:14-19. God has provided for his…
John Gill8
The most exhaustive and the most doctrinally committed here. Expect high — even supralapsarian — Calvinism applied consistently, and unusually heavy use of rabbinic and Talmudic sources for Jewish context. Where a passage bears on election or the will, Gill will read it in one direction, and knowing that in advance is the point.
Why this voice is here: The strongest Calvinist reading available in the public domain, and the best on Jewish background. Read alongside Clarke, not instead of him — between them you get both sides of the argument.
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man,.... Or every ingenious artificer under them: when they began to work is not precisely said, but it is very probable they set about it directly, as soon as they were furnished with materials for…
And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man,.... It was not enough that they had qualifications for this work, but they must have a call to it from Moses, to whom the whole affair was committed, to see that it was done according to the…
And they received of Moses all the offering,.... That is, Bezaleel and Aholiab received it of him, who delivered it to the several workmen, as the nature of their work required, some one thing, and some another: to some gold, to others silver, to others…
Adam Clarke9
The linguist of this set. Expect Hebrew and Greek word study, oriental custom, and geography — and an Arminian reading of grace and free will where Gill or Henry would read election. Note one real divergence: Clarke denied the eternal sonship of Christ, a position most of the tradition rejects, so read him closely on the person of Christ.
Why this voice is here: Where you want to know what a word actually says, Clarke is the one who will tell you — with the caveat above on Christ’s sonship.
Then wrought, etc. - The first verse of this chapter should end the preceding chapter, and this should begin with verse the second; as it now stands, it does not make a very consistent sense. By reading the first word ועשה veasah, then wrought, in the future…
The people bring much more than enough - With what a liberal spirit do these people bring their free-will offerings unto the Lords! Moses is obliged to make a proclamation to prevent them from bringing any more, as there was at present more than enough! Had…
Cherubims of cunning work - See on Exo 25:18 (note). Probably the word means no more than figures of any kind wrought in the diaper fashion in the loom, or by the needle in embroidery, or by the chisel or graving tool in wood, stone, or metal; see Clarke on…
Keil & Delitzsch3
The technical one, and Old Testament only. Expect Hebrew grammar, textual argument, and direct engagement with nineteenth-century critical scholarship — closer to a scholarly apparatus than a devotional read. Where a modern critic claims a text is late or composite, this is where the conservative counter-argument was made.
Why this voice is here: Old Testament only, and heavy going — but the place to look when someone asserts a passage cannot mean what it appears to.
Then the wise workmen came, every one from his work that they were making, and said to Moses, "Much make the people to bring, more than suffices for the labour (the finishing, as in Exo 27:19) of the work," i.e., they are bringing more than will be wanted for…
"And there was enough (דּיּם their sufficiency, i.e., the requisite supply for the different things to be made) of the property for every work to make it, and over" (lit., and to leave some over). By this liberal contribution of freewill gifts, for the work…
Ex 36:8-38:20. Execution of the Work. - Preparation of the dwelling-place: viz., the hangings and covering (Exo 36:8-19, as in Exo 26:1-14); the wooden boards and bolts (Exo 36:20-34, as in Ex 26:15-30); the two curtains, with the pillars, hooks, and rods…
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown4
The concise option. Three authors split the canon, so the voice shifts between sections. Expect brief, sober, conservative notes that resolve difficulties rather than dwelling on them — useful for orientation, thinner than Gill or Clarke where a passage is genuinely contested.
Why this voice is here: The quickest way to see what the mainstream Reformed reading of a passage is. Start here, then go to Gill or Clarke when it matters.
they (the workmen) received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought, &c.--It appears that the building was begun after the first few contributions were made; it was progressively carried on, and no necessity occurred to suspend…
they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough, &c.--By the calculations which the practised eyes of the workmen enabled them to make, they were unanimously of the opinion that the supply already far exceeded the demand and that no more…
he made a veil of blue--the second or inner veil, which separated the holy from the most holy place, embroidered with cherubim and of great size and thickness.
World English Bible — Public domain