CHAPTERS 35-40, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE.
35:1-3, REPETITION OF THE LAW CONCERNING THE SABBATH.
35:1 AND MOSES GATHERED ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TOGETHER, AND SAID UNTO THEM, THESE [ARE] THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD HATH COMMANDED, THAT [YE] SHOULD DO THEM.
A.To this time it seems that Moses was the only one who knew the appearance of the Tabernacle, and its manner of construction.
B.The work was to be done by all who were competent, so all of them were brought together to learn what was required.
C.Before he gave the information and ordered the work to commence, he again instructed the people about the sabbath.
D.The reason for this repetition is not stated; We assume the people would be so eager, and would consider the work so sacred, that they thought the sabbath law surely would be suspended until the work was done.
35:2 SIX DAYS SHALL WORK BE DONE, BUT ON THE SEVENTH DAY THERE SHALL BE TO YOU AN HOLY DAY, A SABBATH OF REST TO THE LORD: WHOSOEVER DOETH WORK THEREIN SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.
A.This is a repetition of the law stated in Ex 31:15.
B.The PULPIT COMMENTARY notes a difference here between sacred work which was allowed and profane work which was not allowed: "Some work is rendered necessary by the very nature of that public worship which is especially commanded on the sabbath... Offering sacrifice was a heavy work -- cleansing the altar and its precincts after sacrifice was perhaps a heavier one -- reading aloud, teaching, preaching are works, the last-named to many a most exhausting work. Against such kinds of work there is no law. But physical toil, not needed for Divine worship, and so not necessary to be undergone on the sabbath day, stands on a different footing, and was forbidden...to the Jews. The spinning, weaving, dying, embroidering, carpenter-ing, metallurgy, which occupied hundreds during the rest of the week, were to cease upon the sabbath."
35:3 YE SHALL KINDLE NO FIRE THROUGHOUT YOUR HABITATIONS UPON THE SABBATH DAY.
A.THROUGHOUT YOUR HABITATIONS: So on the sabbath they were forbidden even to build a cooking fire at home.
B.This had already been explained to them in Ex 16:23 ("And he said unto them, this [is that] which the LORD hath said, tomorrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake [that] which ye will bake [today], and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning").
35:4-40:33, CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE AND ITS FURNITURE - Cf Ex 40:33 ("And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work").
35:4-20, THE PEOPLE WERE INVITED TO BRING OFFERINGS FOR THE SACRED TENT, AND TO ASSIST IN THE WORK.
35:4 AND MOSES SPAKE UNTO ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SAYING, THIS [IS] THE THING WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED, SAYING,
35:5 TAKE YE FROM AMONG YOU AN OFFERING UNTO THE LORD: WHOSOEVER [IS] OF A WILLING HEART, LET HIM BRING IT, AN OFFERING OF THE LORD; GOLD, AND SILVER, AND BRASS,
A.WILLING HEART: God would accept an offering from anyone who wanted (not under pressure) to give something.
B.Verses 5-10 correspond to Ex 25:2-7.
35:6 AND BLUE, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE LINEN, AND GOATS' [HAIR],
35:7 AND RAMS' SKINS DYED RED, AND BADGERS' SKINS, AND ACACIA WOOD,
35:8 AND OIL FOR THE LIGHT, AND SPICES FOR ANOINTING OIL, AND FOR THE SWEET INCENSE,
**ANOINTING OIL: The oil of dedication for the priests.
35:9 AND ONYX STONES, AND STONES TO BE SET FOR THE EPHOD, AND FOR THE BREASTPLATE.
**THE EPHOD: The sacred vest worn by the high priest.
35:10 AND EVERY WISE HEARTED AMONG YOU SHALL COME, AND MAKE ALL THAT THE LORD HATH COMMANDED;
**WISE HEARTED: (NKJ, GIFTED ARTISANS).
35:11 THE TABERNACLE, HIS TENT, AND HIS COVERING, HIS TACHES (hooks or clasps), AND HIS BOARDS, HIS BARS, HIS PILLARS, AND HIS SOCKETS,
**Details about all these components are given in Ex 26.
35:12 THE ARK, AND THE STAVES (poles) THEREOF, [WITH] THE MERCY SEAT, AND THE VEIL OF THE COVERING,
**All these parts are discussed in Ex 25 and Ex 26.
35:13 THE TABLE, AND HIS STAVES (poles), AND ALL HIS VESSELS (utensils, or equipment), AND THE SHEWBREAD,
**THE TABLE is explained in Ex 25.
35:14 THE CANDLESTICK ALSO FOR THE LIGHT, AND HIS FURNITURE (equipment), AND HIS LAMPS, WITH THE OIL FOR THE LIGHT,
**THE CANDLESTICK is explained in Ex 25.
35:15 AND THE INCENSE ALTAR, AND HIS STAVES (carrying poles), AND THE ANOINTING (ordination) OIL, AND THE SWEET INCENSE, AND THE HANGING (curtain) FOR THE DOOR AT THE ENTERING IN (entrance) OF THE TABERNACLE,
**All this is explained in Ex 30.
35:16 THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING, WITH HIS BRAZEN GRATE (bronze grating), HIS STAVES (carrying poles), AND ALL HIS VESSELS (equipment), THE LAVER AND HIS FOOT (stand),
**These things are explained in Ex 27 and Ex 30.
35:17 THE HANGINGS (curtains) OF THE COURT, HIS PILLARS (posts), AND THEIR SOCKETS (stands), AND THE HANGING FOR THE DOOR OF THE COURT,
**See all this discussed in Ex 27.
35:18 THE PINS (tent pegs) OF THE TABERNACLE, AND THE PINS (tent pegs) OF THE COURT, AND THEIR CORDS (ropes),
**The PINS (pegs) were driven down and the ropes attached to them to hold the covering tightly over the Tabernacle, and to steady the pillars which formed the walls.
35:19 THE CLOTHS OF SERVICE (the finely woven priestly clothes) (NKJ, GARMENTS OF MINISTRY), TO DO SERVICE IN THE HOLY [PLACE], THE HOLY GARMENTS FOR AARON THE PRIEST, AND THE GARMENTS OF HIS SONS, TO MINISTER IN THE PRIEST'S OFFICE.
**See the garments discussed in Ex 31.
35:20 AND ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DEPARTED FROM THE PRESENCE OF MOSES.
35:21-29, THE ZEAL OF THE PEOPLE IN OFFERING GIFTS FOR THE TABERNACLE AND THE WORK INVOLVED.
35:21 AND THEY CAME, EVERY ONE WHOSE HEART STIRRED HIM UP, AND EVERY ONE WHOM HIS SPIRIT MADE WILLING, [AND] THEY BROUGHT THE LORD'S OFFERING TO THE WORK OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGA-TION, AND FOR ALL HIS SERVICE, AND FOR THE HOLY GARMENTS (the priestly clothes).
A.AND FOR ALL HIS SERVICE: In the King James Version the use of HIS for ITS has clouded the thoughts of some. The antecedent to the pronoun is not the Lord, but the Tabernacle.
B.The OFFERINGS of course were to the LORD, but only in this instance in the sense they were for the Tent which was His.
35:22 AND THEY CAME, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, AS MANY AS WERE WILLING HEARTED, [AND] BROUGHT BRACELETS, AND EARRINGS, AND RINGS, AND TABLETS, ALL JEWELS OF GOLD: AND EVERY MAN THAT OFFERED [OFFERED] AN OFFERING OF GOLD UNTO THE LORD.
35:23 AND EVERY MAN, WITH WHOM WAS FOUND BLUE, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE LINEN, AND GOATS' [HAIR], AND RED SKINS OF RAMS, AND BADGERS' SKINS (seal skins, or perhaps dolphin skins), BROUGHT [THEM].
35:24 EVERY ONE THAT DID OFFER AN OFFERING OF SILVER AND BRASS BROUGHT THE LORD'S OFFERING: AND EVERY MAN, WITH WHOM WAS FOUND ACACIA WOOD FOR ANY WORK OF THE SERVICE, BROUGHT [IT].
35:25 AND ALL THE WOMEN THAT WERE WISE HEARTED (NKJ, GIFTED ARTI-SANS) (women who were skillful at weaving cloth) DID SPIN WITH THEIR HANDS, AND BROUGHT THAT WHICH THEY HAD SPUN, [BOTH] OF BLUE, AND OF PURPLE, [AND] OF SCARLET, AND OF FINE LINEN.
35:26 AND ALL THE WOMEN WHOSE HEART STIRRED THEM UP IN WISDOM (all those who were glad to do so, and who had the extra skill to do so) SPUN GOATS' [HAIR].
35:27 AND THE RULERS BROUGHT ONYX STONES, AND STONES TO BE SET, FOR THE EPHOD (sacred vest for the high priest), AND FOR THE BREASTPLATE;
35:28 AND SPICE, AND OIL FOR THE LIGHT, AND FOR THE ANOINTING OIL (oil for ordaining the priests), AND FOR THE SWEET INCENSE.
35:29 THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BROUGHT A WILLING OFFERING UNTO THE LORD, EVERY MAN AND WOMAN, WHOSE HEART MADE THEM WILLING TO BRING FOR ALL MANNER OF WORK, WHICH THE LORD HAD COMMANDED TO BE MADE BY THE HAND OF MOSES.
35:30-35, THE APPOINTMENT OF BEZALEL AND AHOLIAB TO OVERSEE THE WORK OF CONSTRUCTION.
35:30 AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SEE, THE LORD HATH CALLED BY NAME BEZALEL THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR, OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH;
**Verses 30-33 and BEZALEL have been discussed in Ex 31.
35:31 AND HE HATH FILLED HIM WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IN WISDOM, IN UNDERSTANDING, AND IN KNOWLEDGE, AND IN ALL MANNER OF WORKMANSHIP (God made him a skilled craftsman);
35:32 AND TO DEVISE CURIOUS WORKS (to design objects of art), TO WORK IN GOLD, AND IN SILVER, AND IN BRASS,
35:33 AND IN THE CUTTING OF STONES, TO SET [THEM], AND IN CARVING OF WOOD, TO MAKE ANY MANNER OF CUNNING WORK (NKJ, ARTISTIC WORKMANSHIP).
35:34 AND HE HATH PUT IN HIS HEART THAT HE MAY TEACH (gave him the ability to teach others to do the work, and so to form a body of workmen who could carry out the instructions), [BOTH] HE, AND AHOLIAB, THE SON OF AHISAMACH, OF THE TRIBE OF DAN (see AHOLIAB discussed in Ex 31).
35:35 THEM HATH HE FILLED WITH WISDOM OF HEART (with talent, skill, genius), TO WORK ALL MANNER OF WORK (artistic skills), OF THE ENGRAVER (a worker in metals, gems, and wood), AND OF THE CUNNING WORKMAN (NKJ, DESIGNER) (or, skillful weaver who could make a patterned fabric), AND OF THE EMBROIDERER (NKJ, TAPESTRY MAKER), IN BLUE, AND IN PURPLE, IN SCARLET, AND IN FINE LINEN, AND OF THE WEAVER (the ordinary weaver who wove a cloth of one color), [EVEN] OF THEM THAT DO ANY WORK, AND OF THOSE THAT DEVISE CUNNING WORK (NKJ, DESIGN ARTISTIC WORKS).
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