1Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen of violet, purple, and scarlet thread; with cherubim of quality workmanship you shall make them. 2The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; one measurement for all the curtains. 3Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. 4And you shall make loops of violet material on the edge of the one curtain on the extremity at the joint, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain at the second joint. 5Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second joint, that the loops may fit to one another. 6And you shall make fifty hooks of gold, and join the curtains together with the hooks, so that it may be one tabernacle. 7You shall also make curtains of goats' hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; one measurement for the eleven curtains. 9And you shall join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the face of the tent. 10You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost at the one joint, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain at the second joint. 11And you shall make fifty bronze hooks, put the hooks into the loops, and join the tent together, that it may be one. 12The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that. 15And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17Two tenons shall be in each board to join one to another. Thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19You shall make forty sockets of silver for the twenty boards: two sockets for each of the boards for its two tenons. 20And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, twenty boards 21and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets for each of the boards. 22For the side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24They shall be joined together at the bottom and they shall be joined together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25Thus there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver; sixteen sockets; two sockets for each board. 26And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the side westward. 28The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as housings for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30And you shall erect the tabernacle according to the ordinance which you were shown on the mountain. 31You shall make a veil of violet, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine twisted linen. It shall be done with cherubim of quality workmanship. 32You shall hang it upon four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33And you shall hang the veil from the hooks. And you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, inside the veil. The veil shall divide for you between the holy and the Holy of Holies. 34You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies. 35And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side. 36And you shall make a screen for the opening of the tent, of violet, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine twisted linen, the product of skillful weaving. 37And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 I. The house must be a
tabernacle or
tent, such as soldiers now use in the camp, which was both a mean dwelling and a movable one; and yet the ark of God had not better, till Solomon built the temple 480 years after this,
1Kgs 6:1. God manifested his presence among them thus in a tabernacle, 1. In compliance with their present condition in the wilderness, that they might have him with them wherever they went. Note, God suits the tokens of his favour, and the gifts of his grace, to his people's wants and necessities, according as they are, accommodating his mercy to their state, prosperous or adverse, settled or unsettled.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, Isa 43:2. 2. That it might represent the state of God's church in this world, it is a
tabernacle-state, Pss 15:1.
We have here no continuing city; being strangers in this world, and travellers towards a better, we shall never be fixed till we come to heaven. Church-privileges are movable goods, from one place to another; the gospel is not tied to any place; the candlestick is in a tent, and may easily be taken away,
Revel 2:5. If we make much of the tabernacle, and improve the privilege of it, wherever we go it will accompany us; but, if we neglect and disgrace it, wherever we stay it will forsake us.
What hath my beloved to do in my house? Jer 11:15.
II. The curtains of the tabernacle must correspond to a divine pattern. 1. They were to be very rich, the best of the kind,
fine twined linen; and colours very pleasing,
blue, and
purple, and
scarlet. 2. They were to be embroidered with cherubim (
Exod 26:1), to intimate that the angels of God pitch their tents round about the church,
Pss 34:7. As there were cherubim over the mercy-seat, so there were round the tabernacle; for we find the angels compassing, not only the throne, but the elders; see
Revel 5:11. 3. There were to be two hangings, five breadths in each, sewed together, and the two hangings coupled together with golden clasps, or tacks, so that it might be all one tabernacle,
Exod 26:6. Thus the churches of Christ and the saints, though they are many, are yet one, being
fitly joined together in holy love, and by the
unity of the Spirit, so growing into one
holy temple in
the Lord, Ephes 2:21,
Ephes 2:22;
Ephes 4:16. This tabernacle was very strait and narrow; but, at the preaching of the gospel, the church is bidden to
enlarge the place of her tent, and to
stretch forth her curtains, Isa 54:2.
7 Moses is here ordered to make a double covering for the tabernacle, that it might not rain in, and that the beauty of those fine curtains might not be damaged. 1. There was to be a covering of hair camlet curtains, which were somewhat larger every way than the inner curtains, because they were to enclose them, and probably were stretched out at some little distance from them,
Exod 26:7, etc. These were coupled together with brass clasps. The stuff being less valuable, the tacks were so; but the brass tacks would answer the intention as effectually as the golden ones. The bonds of unity may be as strong between curtains of goats' hair as between those of purple and scarlet. 2. Over this there was to be another covering, and that a double one (
Exod 26:14), one of
rams' skins dyed red, probably dressed with the wool on; another of
badgers' skins, so we translate it, but it should rather seem to have been some strong sort of leather (but very fine), for we read of the best sort of shoes being made of it,
Ezek 16:10. Now observe here, (1.) That the outside of the tabernacle was coarse and rough, the beauty of it was in the inner curtains. Those in whom God dwells must labour to be better than they seem to be. Hypocrites put the best side outwards, like
whited sepulchres; but
the king's daughter is all glorious within (
Pss 45:13); in the eye of the world black as the tents of Kedar, but, in the eye of God, comely as the curtains of Solomon,
Cant 1:5. Let our adorning be that of the hidden man of the heart, which God values,
1Pet 3:4. (2.) That where God places his glory he will create a defence upon it; even upon the habitations of the righteous there shall be a covert,
Isa 6:5,
Isa 6:6. The protection of Providence shall always be upon the beauty of holiness. God's tent will be a pavilion,
Pss 27:5.
15 Very particular directions are here given about the boards of the tabernacle, which were to bear up the curtains, as the stakes of a tent which had need to be strong,
Isa 54:2. These boards had tenons which fell into the mortises that were made for them in silver bases. God took care to have every thing strong, as well as fine, in his tabernacle. Curtains without boards would have been shaken by every wind; but
it is a good thing to have the
heart established with grace, which is as the boards to support the curtains of profession, which otherwise will not hold out long. The boards were coupled together with gold rings at top and bottom (
Exod 26:24), and kept firm with bars that ran through golden staples in every board (
Exod 26:26), and the boards and bars were all richly gilded,
Exod 26:29. Thus every thing in the tabernacle was very splendid, agreeable to that infant state of the church, when such things were proper enough to please children, to possess the minds of the worshippers with a reverence of the divine glory, and to affect them with the greatness of that prince who said,
Here will I dwell; in allusion to this the new Jerusalem is said to be of
pure gold, Revel 21:18. But the builders of the gospel church said,
Silver and gold have we none; and yet the glory of their building far exceeded that of the tabernacle,
2Cor 3:10,
2Cor 3:11.
How much better is wisdom than gold! No orders are given here about the floor of the tabernacle; probably that also was boarded; for we cannot think that within all these fine curtains they trod upon the cold or wet ground; if it was so left, it may remind us of
Exod 20:24,
An altar of earth shalt thou make unto me. 31 Two veils are here ordered to be made, 1. One for a partition between the holy place and the most holy, which not only forbade any to enter, but forbade them so much as to look into the holiest of all,
Exod 26:31,
Exod 26:33. Under that dispensation, divine grace was veiled, but now we behold it with open face,
2Cor 3:18. The apostle tells us (
Hebre 9:8,
Hebre 9:9) what was the meaning of this veil; it intimated that the ceremonial law
could not make the comers thereunto perfect, nor would the observance of it bring men to heaven; the
way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing; life and immortality lay concealed till they were
brought to light by the gospel, which was therefore signified by the rending of this veil at the death of Christ,
Matt 27:51. We have not
boldness to enter into the holiest, in all acts of devotion,
by the blood of Jesus, yet such as obliges us to a holy reverence and a humble sense of our distance. 2. Another veil was for the outer door of the tabernacle,
Exod 26:36,
Exod 26:37. Through this first veil the priests went in every day to minister in the holy place, but not the people,
Hebre 9:6. This veil, which was all the defence the tabernacle had against thieves and robbers, might easily be broken through, for it could be neither locked nor barred, and the abundance of wealth in the tabernacle, one would think, might be a temptation; but by leaving it thus exposed, (1.) The priests and Levites would be so much the more obliged to keep a strict watch upon it, and, (2.) God would show his care of his church on earth, though it is weak and defenceless, and continually exposed. A curtain shall be (if God please to make it so) as strong a defence to his house as gates of brass and bars of iron.