King James Version
Exodus 27
21 verses with commentary
The Bronze Altar
And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bronze altar (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach) of acacia wood overlaid with bronze stands at the tabernacle entrance—the first object worshipers encounter. Bronze consistently represents judgment; this altar where animals are consumed by fire prefigures Christ bearing God's judgment in our place. Measuring 5 × 5 × 3 cubits (approximately 7.5' square, 4.5' high), its size indicates the magnitude of sin req...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXVII.
THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING.
(1) **Thou shalt make an altar.**—Heb., *the altar. *It is assumed that a sanctuary must have an altar, worship without sacrifice being unknown. (See Exodus 5:1-3; Exodus 8:25-28; Exodus 12:27; Exodus 18:12; Exodus 20:24-26, &c.)
**Of shittim wood.**—This direction seems at first sight to conflict with those given in Exodus 20:24-25, where altars were required t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. Moses went into the midst of the cloud--**the visible token of God's presence. Divine grace animated and supported him to enter with holy boldness.
**Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights--**The six days spent in waiting are not included. During that protracted period he was miraculously supported (De 9:9), on a peak scarcely thirty paces in compass.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
Four horns at the altar's corners, all one piece with it, overlaid with bronze. Horns in Scripture symbolize power and strength (Psalm 18:2); the altar's horns represent salvation's power—refuge for those grasping them (1 Kings 1:50-51). The four corners suggest universal availability—salvation extends to earth's four corners. That horns are one piece with the altar shows power inherent in the cro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **The horns of it.**—It is not true to say, as Kalisch does, that “the altars of almost all ancient nations were frequently provided with horns.” On the contrary, horns were, so far as is known, peculiar to Israelite altars. Originally, they would seem to have been mere ornaments at the four upper corners, but ultimately they came to be regarded as essential to an altar, and the virtue of the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
Bronze utensils—pans (for ashes), shovels, basins (for blood), fleshhooks, firepans—all bronze. Even the implements serving the altar share its bronze (judgment) character. This teaches that everything associated with sin-bearing must partake of judgment's nature. The practical tools for handling sacrifice, ashes, and blood must be consecrated for their solemn work. There's no 'common' service at ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **His pans to receive his ashes.**—Scuttles, in which the ashes were placed for removal from the sanctuary, are intended. The word translated “to receive his ashes” is a rare one, and implies a mixture with the ashes of unburnt fat.
**His shovels.**—A right rendering. The “shovels” would be used in clearing away the ashes from off the altar.
**His basons.**—Basins were needed to receive the bl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 25 Ex 25:1-40. Concerning an Offering.
**1. the Lord spake unto Moses, &c.--**The business that chiefly occupied Moses on the mount, whatever other disclosures were made to him there, was in receiving directions about the tabernacle, and they are here recorded as given to him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.
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KJV Study Commentary
A grate (network) of bronze holds the sacrifice, with bronze rings at its four corners. This grate sits below the altar's top, allowing ashes to fall through while supporting the burning sacrifice. The open network permits air circulation, enabling complete combustion—total consumption of the offering. Christ's sacrifice was complete, exhaustive, holding back nothing. The bronze rings again emphas...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **A grate of network.**—Rather, *a grating of network. *The position of the grating is doubtful. According to one view, it reached from the middle of the altar to its base, and protected the sides of the altar from the feet of the ministering priests. According to another, it surrounded the upper part of the altar, and was intended to catch any portions of the victims that accidentally fell of...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly, &c.--**Having declared allegiance to God as their sovereign, they were expected to contribute to His state, as other subjects to their kings; and the "offering" required of them was not to be imposed as a tax, but to come from their own loyal and liberal feelings.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
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KJV Study Commentary
The grate is placed 'under the compass of the altar beneath, that the network may be even to the midst of the altar.' This precise positioning—halfway up—ensures optimal burning. The attention to mechanics demonstrates that atonement, while spiritual, occurred in the material realm. Christ's death wasn't mystical abstraction but physical, historical event. The grate's exact placement prefigures ho...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Under the compass of the altar beneath.**—The position of the network depends upon this expression. Was “the compass of the altar” its circumference at the top, or was it a belt or step encircling the altar half-way up? The low height of the altar—four feet six inches—would seem to make a “step” unnecessary; but the altar may undoubtedly have been surrounded by a “belt” for ornament.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. this is the offering which ye shall take of them--**the articles of which the offerings should consist.
**brass--**rather copper, brass being a composite metal.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
Staves for the altar—acacia wood overlaid with bronze. Again the pattern: wood (humanity) covered with bronze (judgment). The altar must be transportable, following God's people through wilderness wanderings. Sin's consequences travel with fallen humanity; we carry guilt wherever we go. But the altar (atonement provision) also travels with us—God's grace matches our need. The staves prefigure how ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Staves for the altar.**—See Note 2 on Exodus 27:4.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. goats' hair--**or leather of goats' skin.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
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KJV Study Commentary
The staves are inserted through rings on the altar's sides for carrying—maintaining the pattern seen with the ark and table. Holy things must not be touched directly; God provides the prescribed means of transport. The altar, though bronze (judgment) rather than gold (deity), still requires reverent handling. Even judgment's instrument, when consecrated for God's atoning purposes, demands holy app...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. badgers' skins--**The badger was an unclean animal, and is not a native of the East--rather some kind of fish, of the leather of which sandals are made in the East. [See on Ex 39:34 and Eze 16:10.]
**shittim wood--**or Shittah (Is 41:19), the acacia, a shrub which grows plentifully in the deserts of Arabia, yielding a light, strong, and beautiful wood, in long planks.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. it was: Heb. he shewed
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KJV Study Commentary
The altar is made 'hollow with boards'—not solid but a frame, likely filled with earth or stones at each camp (Exodus 20:24-25). This hollow construction made it portable yet functional. The principle: the altar's form matters (God's prescribed pattern) but its core is filled with created materials (earth/stones). Christ's humanity (earth) filled divine form, making atonement both heavenly in orig...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Hollow with boards.**—Compare the second Note on Exodus 27:1.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
The altar of burnt offerings.(1-8)
The court of the tabernacle.(9-19)
The oil for the lamps.(20-21)
**Verses 1-8**
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into...
Read full commentary →The Court of the Tabernacle
And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
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KJV Study Commentary
The courtyard (חָצֵר, chatser) surrounding the tabernacle measures 100 × 50 cubits (approximately 150' × 75'), enclosed by fine linen hangings. This courtyard creates consecrated space—distinct from common ground yet accessible to all Israel. The white linen (righteousness) walls define boundaries between holy and common. They separate without hiding; transparency allows viewing in but creates cle...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE.
(9-18) Almost every ancient temple stood within a sacred enclosure, which isolated it from the common working world, and rendered its religious character more distinctly apparent. Such enclosures were particularly affected by the Egyptians, and were usually oblong squares, surrounded by walls, with, for the most part, a single entrance. An open space of this kind, alwa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. ephod--**a square cloak, hanging down from the shoulders, and worn by priests.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
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KJV Study Commentary
Twenty pillars with twenty bronze sockets support the south side's hangings. Bronze sockets (versus silver inside the tabernacle) mark this outer courtyard as the place of judgment (bronze) before entering full redemption (silver). The twenty pillars suggest expectation/waiting—those in the courtyard await fuller access. These pillars, supporting righteous boundaries, prefigure how Christ's judgme...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **And the twenty pillars thereof . . . —**Heb., *and its pillars, twenty *(in number), *and their bases, also twenty *(shall be) *of bronze. *Kalisch says that the pillars of the court were “of wood, not plated with metal” (*Comment., *p. 371); but the present passage, and also Exodus 38:10, rightly translated, contradict this view.
**The hooks of the pillars.**—Comp. Exodus 26:37. As the pil...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them--**In one sense the tabernacle was to be a palace, the royal residence of the King of Israel, in which He was to dwell among His people, receive their petitions, and issue His responses. But it was also to be a place of worship, in which God was to record His name and to enshrine the mystic symbols of His presence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
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KJV Study Commentary
The north side receives identical treatment—twenty pillars, twenty bronze sockets, silver hooks and silver fillets (bands connecting pillars). The symmetry emphasizes that God's standards are consistent, not variable based on approach direction. North or south, the same righteousness (linen), same judgment foundation (bronze), same redeeming connections (silver hooks/bands) apply. Christ is 'the s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11, 12) **The north side **. . . This side of the court was to be in exact correspondence with the south. The western side was to be of only half the length (fifty cubits), and required therefore only half the number of pillars and sockets.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle--**The proposed erection could be, in the circumstances of the Israelites, not of a fixed and stable but of a temporary and movable description, capable of being carried about with them in their various sojournings. It was made after "the pattern" shown to Moses, by which is now generally understood, not that it was an unh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
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KJV Study Commentary
The west end (rear) spans 50 cubits with ten pillars and ten sockets. Half as wide as the length (50 vs. 100), the courtyard forms a 2:1 rectangle. The number ten represents completeness; the west wall (behind the Most Holy Place) stands on complete foundation. This wall, most distant from the entrance, backs the holiest location—suggesting that God's deepest holiness rests on complete, perfect fo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. an ark--**a coffer or chest, overlaid with gold, the dimensions of which, taking the cubit at eighteen inches, are computed to be three feet nine inches in length, two feet three inches in breadth.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
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KJV Study Commentary
The east end (entrance side) also measures 50 cubits but contains the gate. The east faces the rising sun—symbolically appropriate for the entrance, as Christ is the 'Sun of righteousness' (Malachi 4:2) and 'Morning Star' (Revelation 22:16). This entrance side establishes that access comes from a specific direction, according to divine appointment. We don't approach God from any angle but through ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **On the east side eastward.**—Rather, *in front, towards the east. *Both the tabernacle and the Temple faced to the east, which was regarded as “the front of the world” by the Orientals generally. The belief was probably connected with the sun’s rising, towards which men in early times looked anxiously. It was, however, a belief quite separate from sun-worship.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. a crown--**a rim or cornice.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
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KJV Study Commentary
On one side of the entrance: 15 cubits of hangings with three pillars and three sockets. The entrance doesn't span the full 50-cubit width but creates a defined gate. On each side of this gate, hangings maintain the boundary—righteousness (linen) surrounds the entrance, reminding us that access occurs within righteous parameters. We enter by grace but unto righteousness. The three pillars may sugg...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The hangings of one side.**—Rather, *at one side. *On three sides of the court—the south, the west, and the north—there was to be no interruption in the hangings—no entrance or gateway. But it was otherwise on the fourth side, towards the east. Here was to be the entrance to the court, and here consequently the line of hangings was to be broken in the middle. A curtain, similar to that at t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. rings--**staples for the poles, with which it was to be carried from place to place.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
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KJV Study Commentary
The other side of the entrance receives identical treatment—15 cubits of hangings, three pillars, three sockets. The symmetry creates a balanced, dignified entrance, suggesting that God's invitation is orderly, not chaotic. The matching sides show that all who enter do so on equal terms—no side entrance for privileged few, no inferior gate for lesser ones. Christ, the Door, is the same for all—'wh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet , and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework : and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
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KJV Study Commentary
The gate itself: 20 cubits of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen with needlework—matching the tabernacle's entrance and veil but without cherubim. The colorful, beautiful gate stands out from the plain white courtyard walls, drawing eyes and feet to the entrance. Christ, our Gate, displays heaven (blue), royalty (purple), sacrifice (scarlet), and righteousness (linen). His beauty attract...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) F**or the gate of the court**—i.e., the entrance.
**An hanging.**—The word is the same as that similarly translated in Exodus 26:36 and Exodus 26:37 of Exodus 26; and the description of the “hanging” is also, word for word, the same. It would contrast strongly with the plain white “sail-cloth” round the rest of the enclosure, and would clearly point out to all the place of entrance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
Four pillars support the gate—the number of universality (four corners of earth). The entrance, though singular (one gate), extends to all (four pillars). Silver hooks and fillets but bronze sockets—the connection is redemptive (silver) while the foundation is judgment-bearing (bronze). Christ's universal invitation ('Come unto me, all' - Matthew 11:28) rests on His bearing judgment for all. The d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Filleted with silver.**—Rather, *united by silver rods. *(See the last Note on Exodus 27:10.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. staves shall be in the rings of the ark--**that is, always remain in the rings, whether the ark be at rest or in motion.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. fifty: Heb. fifty by fifty
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KJV Study Commentary
Summary: the courtyard's complete dimensions—100 × 50 cubits, 5 cubits high (approximately 150' × 75' × 7.5'). These specific measurements create defined sacred space, neither too vast (overwhelming) nor too small (restrictive). The 5-cubit height (about 7.5 feet) allowed visibility of activity inside while maintaining separation—a reminder that God's workings are neither completely hidden nor ful...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **The length . . . an hundred cubits.**—Comp. Exodus 27:9, where this is given as the length of the hangings.
**The breadth fifty.**—Comp. Exodus 27:12.
**The height five cubits.**—This had not been previously either stated or implied. It has been noted that, with one exception, all the measurements of the tabernacle and the court, as distinct from the furniture, are either five cubits or som...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. the testimony--**that is, the two tables of stone, containing the ten commandments, and called "the testimony," because by it God did testify His sovereign authority over Israel as His people, His selection of them as the guardians of His will and worship, and His displeasure in the event of their transgressing His laws; while on their part, by receiving and depositing this law in its appoin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
All the tabernacle's vessels and all its pins (tent pegs) shall be bronze. Even the humble stakes securing the structure share judgment's metal. Nothing is too small or insignificant to be specified by God. The tent pegs—driven into earth, invisible to worshipers—bear bronze character. This teaches that even hidden, foundational elements of atonement partake of judgment. Christ's work includes not...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
THE VESSELS AND PINS.
(19) **All the vessels of the tabernacle**—i.e., all those which had not already been appointed to be of **a **richer material. (Comp. Exodus 25:38.) Bronze was the most convenient material for vessels, and maintained its place even in the magnificent Temple of Solomon (1Kings 7:15-45; 2Kings 25:13-14).
**All the pins thereof.**—These had not been previously mentioned; but th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold--**to serve as a lid, covering it exactly. It was "the propitiatory cover," as the term may be rendered, denoting that Christ, our great propitiation [1Jo 2:2; 4:10], has fully answered all the demands of the law, covers our transgressions, and comes between us and the curse of a violated law.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-19**
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, w...
Read full commentary →Oil for the Lampstand
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. to burn: Heb. to ascend up
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KJV Study Commentary
Pure beaten olive oil for the lampstand's light—the oil must be the finest quality, extracted by beating/crushing (not pressing), and olive oil (symbol of the Spirit). The command for perpetual light ('burn always') means the priesthood must never let it extinguish. Christ, anointed by the Spirit without measure (John 3:34), is the perpetual light. His light never dims, never needs rekindling. Our...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
THE OIL FOR THE LAMP.
(20) **Thou shalt command the children of Israel **that **they bring **thee **pure olive oil.**—This instruction had been already given (Exodus 25:2; Exodus 25:6), only not with such particularity. “Oil” had been required, but not “pure olive oil beaten.” By this is meant the best possible olive oil—that which was obtained by “beating,” or pounding in a mortar; which was free...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. two cherubim--**The real meaning of these figures, as well as the shape or form of them, is not known with certainty--probably similar to what was afterwards introduced into the temple, and described in Eze 10:8-22. They stretched out their wings, and their faces were turned towards the mercy seat [Ex 25:20], probably in a bowing attitude. The prevailing opinion now is, that those splendid f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-21**
The pure oil signified the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which all believers receive from Christ, the good Olive, and without which our light cannot shine before men. The priests were to light the lamps, and tend them. It is the work of ministers, by preaching and expounding the Scriptures, which are as a lamp, to enlighten the church, God's tabernacle upon earth. Blessed be...
Read full commentary →In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
Aaron and his sons shall order the lamps from evening to morning before the Lord continually—a statute forever. Priestly duty involves tending God's light, maintaining it through the night. Darkness surrounds (evening to morning), but the light must persist. This prefigures Christ our High Priest who maintains light through history's 'night' until the daybreak. It also speaks to believers' priestl...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) I**n the tabernacle of the congregation.**—Heb., *in the tent of meeting*—*i.e., *the place where God met the earthly ruler of His people. (See Exodus 25:22.)
**Before the testimony**—*i.e., *in front of the Ark which contained “the Testimony,” or “Two Tables.” (See Note on Exodus 16:34.)
**Aaron and his sons.**—The priestly character of Aaron and his descendants, laid down in the next chapte...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-21**
The pure oil signified the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which all believers receive from Christ, the good Olive, and without which our light cannot shine before men. The priests were to light the lamps, and tend them. It is the work of ministers, by preaching and expounding the Scriptures, which are as a lamp, to enlighten the church, God's tabernacle upon earth. Blessed be...
Read full commentary →