Exodus 36

King James Version

Full text for Exodus Chapter 36

1¶ Then wrought Bezaleel 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.

2And Moses called Bezaleel 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:

3And 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.

4And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;

5And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.

6And 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.

7For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

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.

9The length of one curtain [was] twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains [were] all of one size.

10And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and [the other] five curtains he coupled one unto another.

11And 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.

12Fifty 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.

13And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.

14¶ And he made curtains [of] goats' [hair] for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.

15The length of one curtain [was] thirty cubits, and four cubits [was] the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains [were] of one size.

16And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.

17And 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.

18And he made fifty taches [of] brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.

19And he made a covering for the tent [of] rams' skins dyed red, and a covering [of] badgers' skins above [that].

20And he made boards for the tabernacle [of] shittim wood, standing up.

21The length of a board [was] ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.

22One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

23And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:

24And 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.

25And for the other side of the tabernacle, [which is] toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,

26And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

27And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.

28And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

29And 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.

30And there were eight boards; and their sockets [were] sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.

31And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

32And 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.

33And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings [of] gold [to be] places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35¶ And he made a vail [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: [with] cherubims made he it of cunning work.

36And he made thereunto four pillars [of] shittim [wood], and overlaid them with gold: their hooks [were of] gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

37And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;

38And 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Bezaleel, Aholiab, and other wise-hearted craftsmen began the work of the Tabernacle, utilizing the abundant offerings from the Israelites. So plentiful were the contributions that Moses had to command the people to cease bringing more, as the materials were more than sufficient. The chapter then details the meticulous creation of the Tabernacle's various components, including its inner curtains, outer coverings, wooden framework, inner veil, and door hanging, all according to the Lord's specific instructions.

Medium Summary

Exodus 36 opens with Bezaleel, Aholiab, and other divinely gifted craftsmen commencing the work of the Tabernacle, having been called by Moses. They received all the offerings from the Israelites, which were so generous that the wise men reported to Moses that the people had brought much more than enough material. Consequently, Moses issued a proclamation throughout the camp, restraining the people from bringing further offerings, as the existing provisions were entirely sufficient. The chapter then transitions to the detailed construction of the Tabernacle's main components. This includes the inner curtains of fine linen with cherubims, coupled with gold taches, and the outer coverings of goats' hair, rams' skins, and badgers' skins, joined with brass taches. Furthermore, the skilled workers fashioned the tabernacle's sturdy framework from shittim wood boards, set in silver sockets and reinforced with gold-overlaid bars. Finally, the chapter describes the creation of the elaborate inner veil with cherubims and its gold-overlaid pillars, along with the embroidered hanging for the tabernacle door, complete with its own pillars.

Long Summary

Exodus 36 commences by highlighting the commencement of work on the Tabernacle by Bezaleel, Aholiab, and all other wise-hearted individuals whom the Lord had endowed with skill and understanding. Moses personally summoned these gifted craftsmen, whose hearts were stirred to undertake the sacred task. They began by receiving the substantial offerings that the children of Israel had freely brought for the sanctuary's construction. The generosity of the people was so overwhelming that the craftsmen reported to Moses that the contributions far exceeded the necessary amount for the work commanded by the Lord. In response, Moses issued a camp-wide proclamation, instructing both men and women to cease bringing any more offerings for the sanctuary, as the existing materials were more than sufficient, indeed, "too much." Following this, the chapter meticulously details the fabrication of the Tabernacle's various structural elements. First, the inner set of ten curtains was made from fine twined linen, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with skillfully woven cherubims. These curtains, each twenty-eight cubits long, were coupled together with fifty loops of blue and fifty gold taches to form a single unified tabernacle. Next, eleven curtains of goats' hair were crafted to serve as a tent covering over the tabernacle, coupled together with brass taches. An additional covering of rams' skins dyed red and badgers' skins was placed above these. The construction then moved to the tabernacle's rigid framework, consisting of shittim wood boards, each ten cubits long and one and a half cubits wide, with two tenons. Twenty boards were made for the south side and twenty for the north, each supported by two silver sockets. Six boards were made for the west side, along with two corner boards, all joined and set in silver sockets. These boards were reinforced by shittim wood bars, five for each side, with a middle bar running through the boards from end to end. All the boards and bars were overlaid with gold, and gold rings were fashioned to hold the bars. Finally, the chapter describes the creation of the inner veil, made of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, featuring cherubims of cunning work. This veil was supported by four gold-overlaid shittim wood pillars set in silver sockets. The hanging for the tabernacle door was also crafted from blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, intricately embroidered, and supported by five gold-overlaid pillars with brass sockets.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Wisdom and SkillThe Lord endowed Bezaleel, Aholiab, and other wise-hearted men with specific wisdom and understanding, enabling them to perform all the intricate work required for the sanctuary. This highlights the belief that artistic and technical abilities for sacred tasks are divinely bestowed.
  • Abundant OfferingsThe children of Israel brought such generous and free-will offerings for the Tabernacle's construction that the craftsmen reported having more than enough materials. This demonstrates the people's eagerness and devotion in contributing to God's dwelling place.
  • Cessation of GivingDue to the overwhelming abundance of materials, Moses had to issue a command throughout the camp for the people to stop bringing offerings. This unusual directive underscores the extraordinary generosity of the Israelites and the sufficiency of their contributions.
  • Tabernacle CurtainsThe chapter details the meticulous creation of two sets of curtains: an inner set of fine linen with cherubims, joined by gold taches, and an outer set of goats' hair, rams' skins, and badgers' skins, joined by brass taches, forming the primary enclosure and covering of the Tabernacle.
  • Tabernacle FrameworkThe structural integrity of the Tabernacle was established through precisely crafted shittim wood boards, fitted with tenons and set into silver sockets. These boards were further strengthened by gold-overlaid bars, ensuring the stability of the sacred structure.
  • Veil and Door HangingTwo significant textile elements, the inner veil and the tabernacle door hanging, were created from fine linen and vibrant colored threads, adorned with cherubims or needlework. The veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, while the door hanging served as the entrance to the Tabernacle.