Exodus, Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Verses 1-31: Construction of the Altar of Burnt Offering, the Basin, and the Courtyard; The Materials Used

1. Bezalel made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—it was square—and three cubits high.
2. He made horns on its four corners, the horns being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.
3. He made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans. All its utensils he made of bronze.
4. He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway up.
5. He cast four rings at the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles.
6. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
7. He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it. He made the altar hollow, out of boards.
8. He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
9. He made the courtyard. For the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long;
10. their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver.
11. And for the north side the hangings were a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases; the hooks of the posts and their bands were of silver.
12. For the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten posts and ten bases; the hooks of the posts and their bands were of silver.
13. And for the east side fifty cubits,
14. the hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three posts and three bases,
15. and for the other side similarly, on both sides of the gate of the courtyard were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three posts and three bases.
16. All the hangings of the courtyard all around were of fine twisted linen.
17. The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
18. The screen for the gate of the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine twisted linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its width, corresponding to the hangings of the courtyard,
19. with their four posts and their four bases. The posts had hooks, and their bands were of silver.
20. All the pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard all around were of bronze.
21. This is the amount of the materials used for the tabernacle, 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, son of Aaron the priest.
22. Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses;
23. and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine linen.
24. The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
25. The silver from those of the congregation who were numbered was a hundred talents and a thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary:
26. a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred and fifty men.
27. The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent for a base.
28. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them.
29. The bronze from the wave offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.
30. And with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils of the altar,
31. the bases around the courtyard, the bases of the gate of the courtyard, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the courtyard.

Interpretation: Chapter 38 continues detailing the construction of the Tabernacle with a focus on the altar of burnt offering, the basin for washing, and the surrounding courtyard, emphasizing the practical and spiritual aspects of the design. The meticulous account of the materials used—gold, silver, and bronze—donated by the community, reflects the collective effort and resources dedicated to creating a sacred space for worship. This chapter not only highlights the skilled craftsmanship of Bezalel and Oholiab but also the importance of community involvement and contribution to religious and communal life. The precise accounting of materials underscores the transparency and responsibility in handling communal resources for sacred purposes.