Exodus25
English Standard Version
1The Lord to ,
2 to the of , that they for me a . From every whose you shall the for me.
3And this is the that you shall from them: , , and ,
4 and and yarns and fine twined , ’ hair,
5 ’ , , ,
6 for the , for the and for the ,
7 , and for , for the and for the .
8And let them me a , that I may in their .
9 as I you concerning the of the , and of its , so you shall it.
10They shall an of . Two and a shall be its , a and a its , and a and a its .
11You shall it with , and shall you it, and you shall on it a of it.
12You shall of for it and them on its , on the of it, and on the other of it.
13You shall of and them with .
14And you shall the into the on the of the to the by them.
15The shall in the of the ; they shall not be from it.
16And you shall into the the that I shall you.
17You shall a of . Two and a shall be its , and a and a its .
18And you shall of ; of shall you them, on the of the .
19 on the one , and on the . Of one piece with the shall you the on its .
20The shall out their , the with their , their to ; toward the shall the of the be.
21And you shall the on the of the , and in the you shall the that I shall you.
22 I will with you, and from the , from the that are the of the , I will with you about that I will give you in for the of .
23You shall a of . Two shall be its , a its , and a and a its .
24You shall it with and a of it.
25And you shall a it a , and a of around the .
26And you shall for it of , and the to the at its .
27 the the shall lie, as for the to the .
28You shall the of , and them with , and the shall be with these.
29And you shall its and for incense, and its and with which to pour ; you shall of .
30And you shall the on the me .
31You shall a of . The shall be of : its , its , its , its , and its shall be of one piece with it.
32And there shall be out of its , of the out of of it and of the out of the of it;
33 made like , each with and , on , and made like , each with and , on the —so for the out of the .
34And on the itself there shall be made like , with their and ,
35and a of one piece with of the going from the .
36Their and their shall be of one piece with it, the of it a of of .
37You shall for it. And the shall be set so as to give on the in of it.
38Its and their shall be of .
39It shall be , with these , out of a of .
40And that you them after the for them, which is being you on the .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 25.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: What the Israelites were to offer for making the tabernacle. (1–9). The ark. (10–22). The table, with its furniture. (23–30). The candlestick. (31–40).
vv1-9
God chose the people of Israel to be a peculiar people to himself, above all people, and he himself would be their King. He ordered a royal palace to be set up among them for himself, called a sanctuary, or holy place, or habitation. There he showed his presence among them. And because in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, this royal palace was ordered to be a tabernacle, that it might move with them. The people were to furnish Moses with the materials, by their own free will. The best use we can make of our worldly wealth, is to honour God with it in works of piety and charity. We should ask, not only, What must we do? but, What may we do for God? Whatever they gave, they must give it cheerfully, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver, 2Co 9:7. What is laid out in the service of God, we must reckon well bestowed; and whatsoever is done in God's service, must be done by his direction. (Ex 25:10-22)
vv10-22
The ark was a chest, overlaid with gold, in which the two tables of the law were to be kept. These tables are called the testimony; God in them testified his will. This law was a testimony to the Israelites, to direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them, if they transgressed. This ark was placed in the holy of holies; the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, and the incense burned, before it, by the high priest; and above it appeared the visible glory, which was the symbol of the Divine presence. This was a type of Christ in his sinless nature, which saw no corruption, in personal union with his Divine nature, atoning for our sins against it, by his death. The cherubim of gold looked one towards another, and both looked downward toward the ark. It denotes the angels' attendance on the Redeemer, their readiness to do his will, their presence in the assemblies of saints, and their desire to look into the mysteries of the gospel. It was covered with a covering of gold, called the mercy-seat. God is said to dwell, or sit between the cherubim, on the mercy-seat. There he would give his law, and hear supplicants, as a prince on his throne.
vv23-30
A table was to be made of wood, overlaid with gold, to stand in the outer tabernacle, to be always furnished with the shew-bread. This table, with the articles on it, and its use, seems to typify the communion which the Lord holds with his redeemed people in his ordinances, the provisions of his house, the feasts they are favoured with. Also the food for their souls, which they always find when they hunger after it; and the delight he takes in their persons and services, as presented before him in Christ.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
תְּרוּמָה: a present (as offered up), especially in sacrifice or as tribute
אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
נָדַב: to impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously
זָהָב: gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky
Cross References
Exodus 25Explicitly cites God's command to Moses to make the tabernacle according to the pattern shown on the mount.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Directly quotes verse 40 regarding making all things according to the pattern shown on the mount.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Directly links giving 'willingly with his heart' to God loving a cheerful giver.
Supported by Matthew Henry
New Testament description of the ark of the covenant, its construction, and the golden contents.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Identifies Christ as the true 'propitiatory' (hilasterion), fulfilling the type of the golden mercy seat.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Mentions the cherubims of glory overshadowing the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Explains the contents of the Ark of the Covenant, including the tables of the covenant.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Fulfillment of God speaking to Moses from between the two cherubims above the mercy seat.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament description of the Tabernacle's first room containing the table, showbread, and candlestick.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The historical execution of this command, where willing-hearted Israelites bring these exact materials.
Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin, JFB
The ultimate fulfillment of God's desire to dwell ('tabernacle') among His people.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Historical confirmation that nothing was in the ark except the two tables of stone (the testimony).
Supported by Matthew Poole
Echoes the cherubims looking down by describing angels desiring to look into the mysteries of salvation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The actual fabrication of the table of showbread and its golden vessels by Bezaleel.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Prescribes the setting of the twelve cakes of showbread upon the pure table before Jehovah.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
The historical execution of Bezaleel making the golden candlestick and its bowls, knops, and flowers.
Supported by Matthew Henry
David receives a similar divinely revealed pattern by the Spirit for the construction of the temple.
Supported by John Calvin
The parallel passage detailing the actual construction of the ark of shittim wood by Bezaleel.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Describes Moses hearing God's voice speaking to him from between the two cherubims over the mercy seat.
Supported by John Calvin, JFB
An earlier command in this chapter to place the Testimony inside the Ark.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Calvin
Poetic address to God who 'dwellest between the cherubims,' based on this verse's promise.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jesus references David eating the showbread, which was not lawful but for the priests.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Zechariah's prophetic vision of a golden candlestick with seven lamps, reflecting the Tabernacle design.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Repeats the command to rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion shown in the mount.
Supported by Calvin
Mentions badgers' skin (tachash) used for luxury leather, illuminating the material used for the tabernacle covering.
Supported by JFB
Shows the fulfillment of the command regarding the permanent placement of the ark's carrying staves.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Warns Aaron not to enter the Holy Place at all times, where God appears over the mercy seat.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Historical account of the priest giving David the hallowed showbread taken from before the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Confirms the candlestick was made according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mount.
Supported by Matthew Poole