Exodus38
English Standard Version
1He the of of . was its , and its . It was , and was its .
2He for it on its . Its were of one piece with , and he it with .
3And he the of the , the , the , the , the , and the . He its of .
4And he for the a , a of , under its , .
5He on the of the as for the .
6He the of and them with .
7And he the through the the of the to it with them. He it , with .
8He the of and its of , from the of the who in the of the of .
9And he the . For the the of the were of , a ;
10their and their were of , but the of the and their were of .
11And for the there were hangings of a , their , their were of , but the of the and their were of .
12And for the were of , their , and their ; the of the and their were of .
13And for the to the , .
14The for of the gate were , with their and .
15And so for the . On both sides of the of the were of , with their and their .
16 the the were of .
17And the for the were of , but the of the and their were of . The of their was also of , and the of the were with .
18And the for the of the was with in and and yarns and . It was and in its , to the of the .
19And their were in number. Their were of , their of , and the of their and their of .
20And the for the and for the all were of .
21 are the of the , the of the , they were at the of , the of the under the of the of the .
22 the of , of , of the of , the Lord ;
23and with him was the of , of the of , an and and in and and yarns and fine twined .
24 the that was for the , in the of the , the from the , was and , by the of the .
25The from those of the who were was a and , by the of the :
26a a (that is, a , by the of the ), for who was in the , from and , for men.
27The of were for the of the and the of the ; a for the , a a .
28And of the shekels he for the and their and for them.
29The that was was and ;
30with it he the for the of the of , the and the for it and the of the ,
31the the , and the of the of the , all the of the , and the the .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 38.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The brazen altar and laver. (1–8). The court. (9–20). The offerings of the people. (21–31).
vv1-8
In all ages of the church there have been some persons more devoted to God, more constant in their attendance upon his ordinances, and more willing to part even with lawful things, for his sake, than others. Some women, devoted to God and zealous for the tabernacle worship, expressed zeal by parting with their mirrors, which were polished plates of brass. Before the invention of looking-glasses, these served the same purposes. (Ex 38:9-20)
vv9-20
The walls of the court being of curtains only, intimated that the state of the Jewish church itself was movable and changeable; and in due time to be taken down and folded up, when the place of the tent should be enlarged, and its cords lengthened, to make room for the Gentile world.
vv21-31
The foundation of massy pieces of silver showed the solidity and purity of the truth upon which the church is founded. Let us regard the Lord Jesus Christ while reading of the furniture of the tabernacle. While looking at the altar of burnt-offering, let us see Jesus. In him, his righteousness, and salvation, is a full and sufficient offering for sin. In the laver of regeneration, by his Holy Spirit, let our souls be washed, and they shall be clean; and as the people offered willingly, so may our souls be made willing. Let us be ready to part with any thing, and count all but loss to win Christ.
Key Words
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
מִזְבֵּחַ: an altar
עֹלָה: a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke)
שִׁטָּה: the acacia (from its scourging thorns)
עֵץ: a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)
חָמֵשׁ: five
אַמָּה: properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance)
אֹרֶךְ: length
רֹחַב: width (literally or figuratively)
רָבַע: to be quadrate
Cross References
Exodus 38The exact instructions for constructing the altar of burnt offering which are here executed.
Supported by John Calvin, JFB
The divine command for making the brass laver and its specific ritual purpose.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Historical record of the dedicated women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The original architectural pattern and dimensions for constructing the outer court.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The commandment for the census and the half-shekel ransom money used for building.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Poetic description of the sky being strong like a molten looking glass (polished brass mirror).
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament parallel of a devoted woman serving God continually at the temple.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The calling and divine endowment of Bezaleel and Aholiab for the work.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The specific pattern for the bronze grate of network under the altar's compass.
Supported by John Calvin
The command that all the pins of the tabernacle and court must be made of brass.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The standard definition of the shekel of the sanctuary used for valuation.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The instruction to make the horns on the four corners of the altar.
Supported by John Calvin
The command to make all the altar's vessels of brass.
Supported by John Calvin
The specific inventory and assignment of the pillars, sockets, and pins to the Levites.
Supported by Matthew Poole