Exodus 27

Exodus 27 details the construction of the brazen altar for burnt offerings and the design of the tabernacle's outer court. The altar, made of shittim wood overlaid with brass, was foursquare with horns and specific brass vessels for its service. The court was enclosed by hangings of fine linen, supported by brass pillars with silver fittings, and featured a gate of richly colored linen. Finally, the chapter commands the Israelites to provide pure olive oil for the perpetual lamp tended by Aaron and his sons.

Exodus 27 outlines the divine instructions for the altar of burnt offering and the court of the tabernacle. The altar was to be constructed of shittim wood, five cubits square and three cubits high, completely overlaid with brass, and fitted with horns at its corners. Accompanying the altar were various brass vessels for its service, along with a brass grate and staves for portability. Following this, the chapter describes the extensive court of the tabernacle, which was to be one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. Its perimeter was defined by hangings of fine twined linen, supported by brass pillars with silver hooks and fillets. The eastern entrance featured a twenty-cubit gate of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, adorned with needlework. All the court's pillars had brass sockets, and all its pins and vessels were of brass. The chapter concludes with the command for the children of Israel to provide pure beaten olive oil, ensuring the lamp in the tabernacle of the congregation burned continuously from evening to morning, a perpetual statute for Aaron and his sons.

Exodus 27 provides precise divine specifications for the construction of the altar of burnt offering and the layout of the tabernacle's outer court, concluding with instructions for the perpetual lamp. The altar was to be made of shittim wood, measuring five cubits in length and breadth, and three cubits in height, forming a foursquare structure. Its horns were to be integral to its design, and the entire altar, along with its associated vessels—such as pans for ashes, shovels, basins, fleshhooks, and firepans—were to be overlaid or made of brass. A brass grate of network was specified for the altar, placed beneath its compass, along with brass-overlaid shittim wood staves for carrying, inserted into brass rings. The altar was to be hollow, constructed of boards, precisely as revealed on the mount. Following the altar's description, the chapter details the extensive court of the tabernacle. The court's south and north sides were to be one hundred cubits long, enclosed by hangings of fine twined linen, supported by twenty brass pillars with brass sockets and silver hooks and fillets on each side. The west side measured fifty cubits with ten pillars and sockets, while the east side, also fifty cubits, served as the entrance. The gate itself was a twenty-cubit hanging of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, intricately wrought with needlework, supported by four pillars. The remaining sections of the east side were fifteen cubits each, with three pillars. All pillars of the court were to have silver fillets and hooks, with brass sockets. The overall dimensions of the court were one hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in breadth, with the hangings being five cubits high. All the vessels and pins of both the tabernacle and its court were to be made of brass, emphasizing durability and specific function. Finally, the chapter issues a command to the children of Israel to bring pure, beaten olive oil for the light. This oil was to ensure that the lamp in the tabernacle of the congregation, situated outside the veil before the testimony, would burn continuously from evening until morning, a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his descendants.