Exodus 38
38
The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering
1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches. 2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it,#tn Heb “its horns were from it,” meaning from the same piece. and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 He made all the utensils of the altar – the pots, the shovels, the tossing bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans – he made all its utensils of bronze. 4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. 5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide places for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar#tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity. hollow, out of boards.
8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served#sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 Hebrew text]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said. at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
The Construction of the Courtyard
9 He made the courtyard. For the south side#tn Heb “south side southward.” the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long, 10 with#tn While this verse could be translated as an independent sentence, it is probably to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause in line with Exod 27:10-12, as well as v. 12 of this passage. their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 11 For the north side the hangings were#tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied. one hundred fifty feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 12 For the west side there were#tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied. hangings seventy-five feet long, with#tn The text simply has “their posts ten and their bases ten”; this may be added here as a circumstantial clause with the main sentence in order to make sense out of the construction. their ten posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide,#tn The text simply says “seventy-five feet.” 14 with hangings on one side#tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15). of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases, 15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other,#tn Heb “from this and from this” (cf, 17:12; 25:19; 26:13; 32:15; Josh 8:22, 33; 1 Kgs 10:19-20; Ezek 45:7). the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.#tn Heb “they were banded with silver.” 18 The curtain#tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area. for the gate of the courtyard was of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. It was thirty feet long, and like the hangings in the courtyard, it was seven and a half feet high, 19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze.
The Materials of the Construction
21 This is the inventory#tn The Hebrew word is פְּקוּדֵי (pÿqude), which in a slavishly literal way would be “visitations of” the tabernacle. But the word often has the idea of “numbering” or “appointing” as well. Here it is an accounting or enumeration of the materials that people brought, so the contemporary term “inventory” is a close approximation. By using this Hebrew word there is also the indication that whatever was given, i.e., appointed for the tabernacle, was changed forever in its use. This is consistent with this Hebrew root, which does have a sense of changing the destiny of someone (“God will surely visit you”). The list in this section will also be tied to the numbering of the people. of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted#tn The same verb is used here, but now in the Pual perfect tense, third masculine singular. A translation “was numbered” or “was counted” works. The verb is singular because it refers to the tabernacle as a unit. This section will list what made up the tabernacle. by the order#tn Heb “at/by the mouth of.” of Moses, being the work#tn The noun is “work” or “service.” S. R. Driver explains that the reckonings were not made for the Levites, but that they were the work of the Levites, done by them under the direction of Ithamar (Exodus, 393). of the Levites under the direction#tn Heb “by the hand of.” of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary#tn These words form the casus pendens, or independent nominative absolute, followed by the apodosis beginning with the vav (ו; see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 469). (namely,#tn Heb “and it was.” the gold of the wave offering) was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels,#sn There were 3000 shekels in a talent, and so the total weight here in shekels would be 87,730 shekels of gold. If the sanctuary shekel was 224 grs., then this was about 40,940 oz. troy. This is estimated to be a little over a ton (cf. NCV “over 2,000 pounds”; TEV “a thousand kilogrammes”; CEV “two thousand two hundred nine pounds”; NLT “about 2,200 pounds”), although other widely diverging estimates are also given. according to the sanctuary shekel.
25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels,#sn This would be a total of 301,775 shekels (about 140,828 oz), being a half shekel exacted per person from 605,550 male Israelites 20 years old or more (Num 1:46). The amount is estimated to be around 3.75 tons. according to the sanctuary shekel, 26 one beka per person, that is, a half shekel,#sn The weight would be about half an ounce. according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old or older,#tn Heb “upward.” 603,550 in all.#tn The phrase “in all” has been supplied. 27 The one hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the special curtain – one hundred bases for one hundred talents, one talent per base. 28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels#tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds. he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.
29 The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.#sn The total shekels would have been 212,400 shekels, which would be about 108,749 oz. This would make about 2.5 to 3 tons. 30 With it he made the bases for the door of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar, 31 the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around.#sn The bronze altar is the altar for the burnt offering; the large bronze basin is not included here in the list.
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Exodus 38: NET
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Exodus 38
38
1Also he made the altar of the burnt offering of Shittim wood: fiue cubites was the length therof, and fiue cubites the breadth thereof: it was square and three cubites hie. 2And hee made vnto it hornes in the foure corners thereof: the hornes thereof were of the same, and he ouerlayd it with brasse. 3Also he made al the instruments of the altar: the ashpans, and the besoms, and the basins, the fleshhookes, and the censers: all the instruments thereof made he of brasse. 4Moreouer he made a brasen grate wrought like a net to the Altar, vnder the compasse of it beneath in the middes of it, 5And cast foure rings of brasse for the foure endes of the grate to put barres in. 6And he made the barres of Shittim wood, and couered them with brasse. 7The which barres he put into the rings on the sides of the altar to beare it withall, and made it hollow within the boardes. 8Also he made the Lauer of brasse, and the foote of it of brasse of the glasses of the women that did assemble and came together at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. 9Finally he made the court on the South side full South: the hangings of the court were of fine twined linnen, hauing an hundreth cubites. 10Their pillars were twentie, and their brasen sockets twentie: the hookes of the pillars, and their filets were of siluer. 11And on the Northside the hanginges were an hundreth cubites: their pillars twentie, and their sockets of brasse twentie, the hookes of the pillars and their filets of siluer. 12On the Westside also were hangings of fiftie cubites, their ten pillars with their ten sockets: the hookes of the pillars and their filets of siluer. 13And toward ye Eastside, full East were hangings of fiftie cubites. 14The hangings of the one side were fifteene cubites, their three pillars, and their three sockets: 15And of the other side of the court gate on both sides were hangings of fifteene cubites, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 16All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen: 17But the sockets of ye pillars were of brasse: the hookes of the pillars and their filets of siluer, and the couering of their chapiters of siluer: and all the pillars of the court were hooped about with siluer. 18He made also the hanging of the gate of the court of needle worke, blewe silke, and purple, and skarlet, and fine twined linen euen twentie cubites long, and fiue cubites in height and bredth, like the hangings of the court. 19And their pillars were foure with their foure sockets of brasse: their hookes of siluer, and the couering of their chapiters, and their filets of siluer. 20But all the pins of the Tabernacle and of the court round about were of brasse. 21These are the parts of the Tabernacle, I meane, of the Tabernacle of the Testimonie, which was appovnted by the commandement of Moses for the office of the Leuites by the hande of Ithamar sonne to Aaron the Priest. 22So Bezaleel the sonne of Vri the sonne of Hur of the tribe of Iudah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses. 23And with him Aholiab sonne of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, a cunning workeman and an embroiderer and a worker of needle work in blew silke, and in purple, and in skarlet, and in fine linen. 24All ye gold that was occupied in all ye worke wrought for the holy place (which was the gold of the offring) was nine and twentie talents, and seuen hundreth and thirtie shekels, according to the shekel of the Sanctuarie. 25But the siluer of them that were numbred in the Congregation, was an hundreth talents, and a thousand seuen hundreth seuentie and fiue shekels, after the shekel of the Sanctuarie. 26A portion for a man, that is, halfe a shekel after ye shekel of the Sanctuarie, for all them that were numbred from twentie yeere olde and aboue, among sixe hundreth thousande, and three thousand, and fiue hundreth and fiftie men. 27Moreouer there were an hundreth talentes of siluer, to cast ye sockets of ye Sanctuary, and the sockets of the vaile: an hundreth sockets of an hundreth talents, a talent for a socket. 28But he made the hookes for the pillars of a thousande seuen hundreth and seuentie and fiue shekels, and ouerlayde their chapiters, and made filets about them. 29Also the brasse of the offering was seuentie talents, and two thousande, and foure hundreth shekels. 30Whereof he made the sockets to the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate which was for it, with all the instruments of the Altar, 31And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets for the court gate, and al the pins of the Tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
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