EXODUS CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Chapter 36, THE PROGRESS OF THE WORK, AND THE LIBERALITY OF THE PEOPLE.

36:1 THEN WROUGHT BEZALEL AND AHOLIAB, AND EVERY WISE HEARTED MAN, IN WHOM THE LORD PUT WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING TO KNOW HOW TO WORK ALL MANNER OF WORK FOR THE SERVICE OF THE SANCTUARY, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD HAD COMMANDED.

A.THEN WROUGHT BEZALEL AND AHOLIAB: The work of construction was under their direction.

B.EVERY WISE HEARTED MAN: (NKJ, GIFTED ARTISAN); The master-craftsmen.

C.ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD HAD COMMANDED: Everything from here through Chapter 39 follows closely the wording of Chap-ters 26-28, thus emphasizing the exactness of obedience which God expects of those who serve Him.

36:2 AND MOSES CALLED BEZALEL AND AHOLIAB, AND EVERY WISE HEARTED MAN, IN WHOSE HEART THE LORD HAD PUT WISDOM, [EVEN] EVERY ONE WHOSE HEART STIRRED HIM UP TO COME UNTO THE WORK TO DO IT:

A.WISE HEARTED MAN: (NKJ, GIFTED ARTISAN)

B.WHOSE HEART STIRRED HIM UP: Every one who was eager to work.

36:3 AND THEY RECEIVED OF MOSES ALL THE OFFERING, WHICH THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD BROUGHT FOR THE WORK OF THE SERVICE OF THE SANCTUARY, TO MAKE IT [WITHAL]. AND THEY BROUGHT YET UNTO HIM FREE OFFERINGS EVERY MORNING.

36:4 AND ALL THE WISE MEN, THAT WROUGHT ALL THE WORK OF THE SANCTUARY, CAME EVERY MAN FROM HIS WORK WHICH THEY MADE;

36:5 AND THEY SPAKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING, THE PEOPLE BRING MUCH MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR THE SERVICE OF THE WORK, WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED TO MAKE.

36:6 AND MOSES GAVE COMMANDMENT, AND THEY CAUSED IT TO BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE CAMP, SAYING, LET NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN MAKE ANY MORE WORK FOR THE OFFERING OF THE SANCTUARY. SO THE PEOPLE WERE RESTRAINED FROM BRINGING.

36:7 FOR THE STUFF THEY HAD WAS SUFFICIENT FOR ALL THE WORK TO MAKE IT, AND TOO MUCH.

NOTE: The rest of the chapter is relating the carrying out of the work already described in earlier chapters. Why the word for word repetition? Perhaps it is intended to draw attention to the importance of the Tabernacle. Maybe of greater signif-icance to us is the emphasis it places on the exact obedience God requires, even in minute details - cf Jn 4:34 ("Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work"); and Jn 17:4 ("I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"). The craftsmen did everything precisely according the Divine directions. They made no alterations; they did not try to make improvements; they added no ornaments. Let us know that we cannot improve upon the Gospel -- we are not en-titled to add to, take from, or modify His will in any way.

36:8 AND EVERY WISE HEARTED MAN AMONG THEM THAT WROUGHT THE WORK OF THE TABERNACLE MADE TEN CURTAINS [OF] FINE TWINED LINEN, AND BLUE, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET: [WITH] CHERUBIMS OF CUNNING WORK MADE HE THEM.

A.WISE HEARTED MAN: (NKJ, GIFTED ARTISAN)

B.WITH CHERUBIMS OF CUNNING WORK: (NKJ, OF ARTISTIC DESIGN)

36:9 THE LENGTH OF ONE CURTAIN [WAS] TWENTY AND EIGHT CUBITS, AND THE BREADTH OF ONE CURTAIN FOUR CUBITS: THE CURTAINS [WERE] ALL OF ONE SIZE.

**Each of the ten panels was fourteen yards long and two yards wide.

36:10 AND HE COUPLED THE FIVE CURTAINS ONE UNTO ANOTHER: AND [THE OTHER] FIVE CURTAINS HE COUPLED ONE UNTO ANOTHER.

**They were sewn together to make two curtains with five panels each.

36:11 AND HE MADE LOOPS OF BLUE ON THE EDGE OF ONE CURTAIN FROM THE SELVEDGE IN THE COUPLING: LIKEWISE HE MADE IN THE UTTERMOST SIDE OF [ANOTHER] CURTAIN, IN THE COUPLING OF THE SECOND.

36:12 FIFTY LOOPS MADE HE IN ONE CURTAIN, AND FIFTY LOOPS MADE HE IN THE EDGE OF THE CURTAIN WHICH [WAS] IN THE COUPLING OF THE SECOND: THE LOOPS HELD ONE [CURTAIN] TO ANOTHER.

36:13 AND HE MADE FIFTY TACHES OF GOLD, AND COUPLED THE CURTAINS ONE UNTO ANOTHER WITH THE TACHES: SO IT BECAME ONE TABERNACLE.

36:14 AND HE MADE CURTAINS [OF] GOATS' [HAIR] FOR THE TENT OVER THE TABERNACLE: ELEVEN CURTAINS HE MADE THEM.

36:15 THE LENGTH OF ONE CURTAIN [WAS] THIRTY CUBITS, AND FOUR CUBITS [WAS] THE BREADTH OF ONE CURTAIN: THE ELEVEN CURTAINS [WERE] OF ONE SIZE.

36:16 AND HE COUPLED FIVE CURTAINS BY THEMSELVES, AND SIX CURTAINS BY THEMSELVES.

36:17 AND HE MADE FIFTY LOOPS UPON THE UTTERMOST EDGE OF THE CURTAIN IN THE COUPLING, AND FIFTY LOOPS MADE HE UPON THE EDGE OF THE CURTAIN WHICH COUPLETH THE SECOND.

36:18 AND HE MADE FIFTY TACHES [OF] BRASS TO COUPLE THE TENT TOGETHER, THAT IT MIGHT BE ONE.

36:19 AND HE MADE A COVERING FOR THE TENT [OF] RAMS' SKINS DYED RED, AND A COVERING [OF] BADGERS' SKINS ABOVE [THAT].

36:20-34, THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE SACRED TENT.

36:20 AND HE MADE BOARDS FOR THE TABERNACLE [OF] ACACIA WOOD, STANDING UP.

36:21 THE LENGTH OF A BOARD [WAS] TEN CUBITS, AND THE BREADTH OF A BOARD ONE CUBIT AND A HALF.

36:22 ONE BOARD HAD TWO TENONS, EQUALLY DISTANT ONE FROM ANOTHER: THUS DID HE MAKE FOR ALL THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE.

36:23 AND HE MADE BOARDS FOR THE TABERNACLE; TWENTY BOARDS FOR THE SOUTH SIDE SOUTHWARD:

36:24 AND FORTY SOCKETS OF SILVER HE MADE UNDER THE TWENTY BOARDS; TWO SOCKETS UNDER ONE BOARD FOR HIS TWO TENONS, AND TWO SOCKETS UNDER ANOTHER BOARD FOR HIS TWO TENONS.

36:25 AND FOR THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABERNACLE, [WHICH IS] TOWARD THE NORTH CORNER, HE MADE TWENTY BOARDS,

36:26 AND THEIR FORTY SOCKETS OF SILVER; TWO SOCKETS UNDER ONE BOARD, AND TWO SOCKETS UNDER ANOTHER BOARD.

36:27 AND FOR THE SIDES OF THE TABERNACLE WESTWARD HE MADE SIX BOARDS.

36:28 AND TWO BOARDS MADE HE FOR THE CORNERS OF THE TABERNACLE IN THE TWO SIDES.

36:29 AND THEY WERE COUPLED BENEATH, AND COUPLED TOGETHER AT THE HEAD THEREOF, TO ONE RING: THUS HE DID TO BOTH OF THEM IN BOTH THE CORNERS.

36:30 AND THERE WERE EIGHT BOARDS; AND THEIR SOCKETS [WERE] SIXTEEN SOCKETS OF SILVER, UNDER EVERY BOARD TWO SOCKETS.

36:31 AND HE MADE BARS OF ACACIA WOOD; FIVE FOR THE BOARDS OF THE ONE SIDE OF THE TABERNACLE,

36:32 AND FIVE BARS FOR THE BOARDS OF THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABERNACLE, AND FIVE BARS FOR THE BOARDS OF THE TABERNACLE FOR THE SIDES WESTWARD.

36:33 AND HE MADE THE MIDDLE BAR TO SHOOT THROUGH THE BOARDS FROM THE ONE END TO THE OTHER.

36:34 AND HE OVERLAID THE BOARDS WITH GOLD, AND MADE THEIR RINGS [OF] GOLD [TO BE] PLACES FOR THE BARS, AND OVERLAID THE BARS WITH GOLD.

36:35-38, THE INSIDE CURTAIN FOR THE SACRED TENT.

36:35 AND HE MADE A VEIL [OF] BLUE, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE TWINED LINEN: [WITH] CHERUBIMS MADE HE IT OF CUNNING WORK.

36:36 AND HE MADE THEREUNTO FOUR PILLARS [OF] ACACIA [WOOD], AND OVERLAID THEM WITH GOLD: THEIR HOOKS [WERE OF] GOLD; AND HE CAST FOR THEM FOUR SOCKETS OF SILVER.

36:37 AND HE MADE AN HANGING FOR THE TABERNACLE DOOR [OF] BLUE, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE TWINED LINEN, OF NEEDLEWORK;

36:38 AND THE FIVE PILLARS OF IT WITH THEIR HOOKS: AND HE OVERLAID THEIR CHAPITERS AND THEIR FILLETS WITH GOLD: BUT THEIR FIVE SOCKETS [WERE OF] BRASS.

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