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
38
Making the Bronze Altar and the Basin
1And he made the burnt-offering altar of acacia wood; its length was five cubits, and its width was five cubits—it was square—and its height was three cubits. 2And he made its horns on its four corners; its horns were of one piece with it;#Literally “from it” and he overlaid it with bronze. 3And he made all the equipment of the altar—the pots and the shovels and the sprinkling bowls and the forks#1 Samuel 2:13 mentions a fork with “three teeth” used by priests and the fire pans—all its equipment he made with bronze. 4And he made for the altar a grating, a work of bronze network under its ledge, below, up to its middle. 5And he cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders#Literally “houses” for the poles. 6And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with bronze. 7And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow with boards.
8And he made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the entrance of the tent of assembly.
Making the Courtyard
9And he made the courtyard; for the south#Or “southward southward” side were the hangings of the court of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits, 10with their twenty pillars and their twenty bases of bronze and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. 11And for the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits with their twenty pillars and their twenty bases of bronze and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. 12And for the west#Literally “sea” side fifty cubits of hangings with their ten pillars and their ten bases and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. 13And for the eastward side, toward sunrise, fifty cubits; 14fifteen cubits of hangings were to the shoulder,#Or “side,” referring to the span on one side of the courtyard’s entry with their three pillars and their three bases, 15and for the second shoulder#Or “side,” referring to the span on one side of the courtyard’s entry on each side#Literally “from this and from this” of the gate of the courtyard were fifteen cubits of hangings, with their three pillars and their three bases. 16All the hangings of the courtyard all around were finely twisted linen, 17and the bases for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their tops was silver, and all the pillars of the courtyard were banded with silver.
18And the screen of the gate of the courtyard was the work of an embroiderer, with blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen; it was twenty cubits long and five cubits high,#Literally “height in width” like the hangings of the courtyard, 19and with their four pillars and their four bases of bronze, with their silver hooks and with their tops and their bands of silver. 20And all the pegs#Literally “hands” for the tabernacle and for the courtyard all around were bronze.
Amounts of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Used
21These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which were recorded at the command of#Literally “mouth of” Moses, the work of the Levites, in the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22And Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, did all that Yahweh commanded Moses. 23And with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, a skilled craftsman and a designer and an embroiderer with the blue and with the purple and with the crimson yarns and with the linen.
24And all the gold used for the work, in the work of the sanctuary, it was the gold of the wave offering—twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
25And the silver recorded from the community was a hundred talents and a thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 26It was a bekah for the individual, the half shekel according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who was counted,#Literally “all of the going over to the being counted” from twenty years old#Literally “a son of twenty years” and above, for six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 27And it was one hundred talents of the silver to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the curtain—one hundred bases for one hundred talents of silver, a talent for each base. 28And from the thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and he overlaid their tops, and he made bands for them.
29And the bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30And he made with it the bases of the entrance of the tent of assembly and the bronze altar and the bronze grating that belonged to it and all the equipment of the altar 31and the bases of the courtyard all around and the bases of the gate of the courtyard and all the pegs#Literally “hands” of the tabernacle and all the pegs#Literally “hands” of the courtyard all around.
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