The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 38 -

(Exodus 27:1–8)

He also made the altar of holocaust from setim wood: five cubits square, and three in height,

the horns of which proceeded from the corners. And he covered it with layers of brass.

And for its uses, he prepared diverse vessels out of brass: kettles, forceps, little hooks, larger hooks, and receptacles for the fire.(a)

And he made its grating of brass, in the manner of a net, and under it, in the midst of the altar, its base,

casting four rings at the four ends of the net in order to set the bars, so as to carry it.

These bars he also made of setim wood, and he covered them with layers of brass.

And he drew them through the rings, which projected from the sides of the altar. But the altar itself was not solid, but hollow, made from panels and empty inside.

The Bronze Basin

(Exodus 30:17–21)

He also made the washtub of brass, with its base made from the mirrors of the women who kept watch at the door of the tabernacle.(b)

The Courtyard

(Exodus 27:9–19)

He also made the atrium, at the south side of which were hangings of fine twisted linen of one hundred cubits and

twenty columns of brass with their bases. The heads of the columns and all of the engraving work were of silver.

Equally, at the northern area, the hangings, the columns, and the bases and heads of the columns were of the same measure and work and metal.

Yet truly, on that side which looks out toward the west, there were hangings of fifty cubits, and ten columns with their bases of brass. And the heads of the columns and all of the engraving work were of silver.

Furthermore, toward the east, he prepared hangings of fifty cubits:

of which, there were fifteen cubits, among three columns with their bases, holding up one side,

and on the other side, (for between the two he made the entrance of the tabernacle) there were equally hangings of fifteen cubits, and three pillars, and the same number of bases.(c)

All the hangings of the atrium were woven from fine twisted linen.

The bases of the columns were of brass, but their heads with all of their engravings were of silver. Now he also overlaid the columns of the atrium themselves with silver.

And he made, at its entrance, a hanging, wrought with embroidery, of hyacinth, purple, vermillion, and fine twisted linen, which held twenty cubits in length, yet truly it was five cubits in height, as with the measure of all the hangings of the atrium.

Now the columns at the entrance were four, with bases of brass, and their heads and engravings were of silver.

Likewise, the tent pegs of the tabernacle and the atrium all around he made of brass.

An Inventory of Materials

(Ezra 2:68–70; Nehemiah 7:70–73)

These are the instruments of the tabernacle of the testimony, which were enumerated according to the instruction of Moses, with the ceremonies of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest,

which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur from the tribe of Judah, had completed, just as the Lord decreed through Moses.

He was joined by his associate, Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, who himself was also an exceptional artisan of wood, and of weaving, as well as of embroidery, with hyacinth, purple, vermillion, and fine linen.

All of the gold that was expended in the work of the Sanctuary, and that was offered in donation, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, according to the measure of the Sanctuary.(d)

Now it was offered by those who were past the numbering of twenty years and above: from six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men able to bear arms.

There were, beyond that, one hundred talents of silver, from which were cast the bases for the Sanctuary and for the entrance where the veil hangs.

One hundred bases were made from one hundred talents, a single talent being counted for each base.

But from one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, he made the heads of the columns, which he also clothed with silver.(e)

Likewise, of brass, there was offered seventy-two thousand talents, and four hundred more shekels,

from which were cast the bases at the entrance of the tabernacle of the testimony, and the altar of brass with its grating, and the vessels which pertain to its use,

and the bases of the atrium, as much at the circumference as at its entrance, and the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the atrium all round.

Footnotes

(a)38:3 The word ‘fuscinulas’ refers to smaller hooks, sometimes with three hooks joined; the word ‘uncinos’ refers to a single larger hook.(Conte)

(b)38:8 The women at the door of the tabernacle had mirrors with them, probably so that they could look into the tabernacle. They were not allowed to enter the tabernacle. This may have been the Tabernacle that was being worked on, for the parts would have to be assembled to assure that they were made to the correct specifications. Or it may have been the existing tent which held the ark and the tablets of the testimony prior to the building of the Tabernacle.(Conte)

(c)38:15 The Temple of Jerusalem was a symbol and foreshadowing of the Christ. The Tabernacle that prepared for the Temple was a symbol and foreshadowing of the Virgin Mary.(Conte)

(d)38:24 This was about 2,000 pounds of gold. Almost all of this gold came from the Egyptians (who gave it to the Israelites as they were leaving), for the Israelites possessed very little during their servitude in Egypt.(Conte)

(e)38:28 It is not clear whether this weight refers to talents or to shekels. If the silver refers only to the silver at the heads of the columns, then it would be shekels.(Conte)

(Exodus 27:1–8)

He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. It was square. Its length was five cubits,(a) its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits.

He made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

He made all the vessels of the altar: the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of bronze.

He made for the altar a grating of a network of bronze, under the ledge around it beneath, reaching halfway up.

He cast four rings for the four corners of bronze grating, to be places for the poles.

He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze.

He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

The Bronze Basin

(Exodus 30:17–21)

He made the basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

The Courtyard

(Exodus 27:9–19)

He made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits;

their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

For the north side one hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

For the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

For the east side eastward fifty cubits,

the hangings for the one side were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three;

and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen.

The sockets for the pillars were of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. Their capitals were overlaid with silver. All the pillars of the court had silver bands.

The screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. Twenty cubits was the length, and the height along the width was five cubits, like the hangings of the court.

Their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of bronze; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver.

All the pins of the tabernacle, and around the court, were of bronze.

An Inventory of Materials

(Ezra 2:68–70; Nehemiah 7:70–73)

These are the amounts of materials used for the tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.

With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.

All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents

(b)

and seven hundred thirty shekels, according to the shekel

(c)

of the sanctuary.

The silver of those who were counted of the congregation was one hundred talents

(d)

and one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels,(e) according to the shekel of the sanctuary:

a beka

(f)

a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel

(g)

of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were counted, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.

The one hundred talents

(h)

of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil: one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, one talent per socket.

From the one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels(i) he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them.

The bronze of the offering was seventy talents

(j)

and two thousand four hundred shekels.(k)

With this he made the sockets to the door of the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, all the vessels of the altar,

the sockets around the court, the sockets of the gate of the court, all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins around the court.

Footnotes

(a)38:1 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)38:24 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces.

(d)38:25 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds

(e)38:25 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

(f)38:26 a beka is about 5 grams or about 0.175 ounces

(g)38:26 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

(h)38:27 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds.

(i)38:28 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1775 shekels is about 17.75 kilograms or about 39 pounds.

(j)38:29 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds

(k)38:29 70 talents + 2400 shekels is about 2124 kilograms, or 2.124 metric tons.