The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 27 -

(Exodus 38:1–7)

“You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.(a)

Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans.

Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh.

Set the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.

Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

The Courtyard

(Exodus 38:9–20)

You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long (b) on one side,

with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.

Likewise there are to be curtains on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

The curtains on the west side of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide,(c) with ten posts and ten bases.

The east side of the courtyard, toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide.

Make the curtains on one side fifteen cubits long,(d) with three posts and three bases,

and the curtains on the other side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.

The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long,(e) with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.

All the posts around the courtyard shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases.

The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide,(f) with curtains of finely spun linen five cubits high,(g) and with bronze bases.

All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

The Oil for the Lamps

(Leviticus 24:1–4)

And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony,(h) Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.

Footnotes

(a)27:1 The altar was approximately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).

(b)27:9 100 cubits is approximately 150 feet or 45.7 meters; also in verse 11.

(d)27:14 15 cubits is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters; also in verse 15.

(e)27:16 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters.

(f)27:18 The courtyard was approximately 150 feet long and 75 feet wide (45.7 meters long and 22.9 meters wide).

(g)27:18 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.

(h)27:21 The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

(Exodus 38:1–7)

“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits (a) long, and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square. Its height shall be three cubits.(b)

You shall make its horns on its four corners. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with bronze.

You shall make its pots to take away its ashes; and its shovels, its basins, its meat hooks, and its fire pans. You shall make all its vessels of bronze.

You shall make a grating for it of network of bronze. On the net you shall make four bronze rings in its four corners.

You shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.

You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.

Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it.

You shall make it hollow with planks. They shall make it as it has been shown you on the mountain.

The Courtyard

(Exodus 38:9–20)

“You shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side.

Its pillars shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

Likewise for the length of the north side, there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

The width of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

For the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

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.

All the pillars of the court around shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of bronze.

The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of bronze.

All the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of bronze.

The Oil for the Lamps

(Leviticus 24:1–4)

“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Footnotes

(a)27:1 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

(b)27:1 The altar was to be about 2.3×2.3×1.4 meters or about 7½×7½×4½ feet.