Read-Post Through the Bible

[daniel1212av]

V. 19: "That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." – (Rom 15:16) 

Vs. 20 – 23: (cf. 33:24). ”For mine Angel shall go before thee,...”  “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” – (1 Cor 10:4)  "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."  – (Rev 22:16)

V. 24: “...thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.”  "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" – (2 Cor 10:5)

Exo_23:20-27
Jehovah would send an angel before them, who should guard them on the way from injury and destruction, and bring them to the place prepared for them, i.e., to Canaan. The name of Jehovah was in this angel (Exo_23:21), that is to say, Jehovah revealed Himself in him; and hence he is called in Exo_33:15-16, the face of Jehovah, because the essential nature of Jehovah was manifested in him. This angel was not a created spirit, therefore, but the manifestation of Jehovah Himself, who went before them in the pillar of cloud and fire, to guide and to defend them (Exo_13:21). But because it was Jehovah who was guiding His people in the person of the angel, He demanded unconditional obedience (Exo_23:21), and if they provoked Him (תּמּר for תּמר, see Exo_13:18) by disobedience, He would not pardon their transgression; but if they followed Him and hearkened to His voice, He would be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries (Exo_23:22). And when the angel of the Lord had brought them to the Canaanites and exterminated the latter, Israel was still to yield the same obedience, by not serving the gods of the Canaanites, or doing after their works, i.e., by not making any idolatrous images, but destroying them (these works), and smiting to pieces the pillars of their idolatrous worship (מצבת does not mean statues erected as idols, but memorial stones or columns dedicated to idols: see my Comm. on 1Ki_14:23), and serving Jehovah alone. Then would He bless them in the land with bountiful provision, health, fruitfulness, and length of life (Exo_23:23-26). “Bread and water” are named, as being the provisions which are indispensable to the maintenance of life, as in Isa_3:1; Isa_30:20; Isa_33:16. The taking away of “sickness” (cf. Exo_15:26) implied the removal of everything that could endanger life. The absence of anything that miscarried, or was barren, insured the continuance and increase of the nation; and the promise that their days should be fulfilled, i.e., that they should not be liable to a premature death (cf. Isa_65:20), was a pledge of their well-being. – MHCC

Exo 23:20-33 -
Relation of Jehovah to Israel. - The declaration of the rights conferred by Jehovah upon His people is closed by promises, through which, on the one hand, God insured to the nation the gifts and benefits involved in their rights, and, on the other hand, sought to promote that willingness and love which were indispensable to the fulfilment of the duties incumbent upon every individual in consequence of the rights conferred upon them. These promises secured to the people not only the protection and help of God during their journey through the desert, and in the conquest of Canaan, but also preservation and prosperity when they had taken possession of the land.

Exo_23:27
But the most important thing of all for Israel was the previous conquest of the promised land. And in this God gave it a special promise of His almighty aid. “I will send My fear before thee.” This fear was to be the result of the terrible acts of God performed on behalf of Israel, the rumour of which would spread before them and fill their enemies with fear and trembling (cf. Exo_15:14.; Deu_2:26; and Jos_2:11, where the beginning of the fulfilment is described), throwing into confusion and putting to flight every people against whom (בּהם - אשׁר) Israel came. ערף את־איב נתן to give the enemy to the neck, i.e., to cause him to turn his back, or flee (cf. Psa_18:41; Psa_21:13; Jos_7:8, Jos_7:12). אליך: in the direction towards thee. – K+D

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Exo_23:28
In addition to the fear of God, hornets (הצּרעה construed as a generic word with the collective article), a very large species of wasp, that was greatly dreaded both by man and beast on account of the acuteness of its sting, should come and drive out the Canaanites, of whom three tribes are mentioned instar omnium, from before the Israelites. Although it is true that Aelian (hist. anim. 11, 28) relates that the Phaselians, who dwelt near the Solymites, and therefore probably belonged to the Canaanites, were driven out of their country by wasps, and Bochart (Hieroz. iii. pp. 409ff.) has collected together accounts of different tribes that have been frightened away from their possessions by frogs, mice, and other vermin, “the sending of hornets before the Israelites” is hardly to be taken literally, not only because there is not a word in the book of Joshua about the Canaanites being overcome and exterminated in any such way, but chiefly on account of Jos_24:12, where Joshua says that God sent the hornet before them, and drove out the two kings of the Amorites, referring thereby to their defeat and destruction by the Israelites through the miraculous interposition of God, and thus placing the figurative use of the term hornet beyond the possibility of doubt. These hornets, however, which are very aptly described in Wis. 12:8, on the basis of this passage, as προδρόμους, the pioneers of the army of Jehovah, do not denote merely varii generis mala, as Rosenmüller supposes, but acerrimos timoris aculeos, quibus quodammodo volantibus rumoribus pungebantur, ut fugerent (Augustine, quaest. 27 in Jos.). If the fear of God which fell upon the Canaanites threw them into such confusion and helpless despair, that they could not stand before Israel, but turned their backs towards them, the stings of alarm which followed this fear would completely drive them away. Nevertheless God would not drive them away at once, “in one year,” lest the land should become a desert for want of men to cultivate it, and the wild beasts should multiply against Israel; in other words, lest the beasts of prey should gain the upper hand and endanger the lives of man and beast (Lev_26:22; Eze_14:15, Eze_14:21), which actually was the case after the carrying away of the ten tribes (2Ki_17:25-26). He would drive them out by degrees (מעט מעט, only used here and in Deu_7:22), until Israel was sufficiently increased to take possession of the land, i.e., to occupy the whole of the country. This promise was so far fulfilled, according to the books of Joshua and Judges, that after the subjugation of the Canaanites in the south and north of the land, when all the kings who fought against Israel had been smitten and slain and their cities captured, the entire land was divided among the tribes of Israel, in order that they might exterminate the remaining Canaanites, and take possession of those portions of the land that had not yet been conquered (Jos_13:1-7). But the different tribes soon became weary of the task of exterminating the Canaanites, and began to enter into alliance with them, and were led astray by them to the worship of idols; whereupon God punished them by withdrawing His assistance, and they were oppressed and humiliated by the Canaanites because of their apostasy from the Lord (Judg 1 and 2).

Exo_23:31-33
The divine promise closes with a general indication of the boundaries of the land, whose inhabitants Jehovah would give up to the Israelites to drive them out, and with a warning against forming alliances with them and their gods, lest they should lead Israel astray to sin, and thus become a snare to it. On the basis of the promise in Gen_15:18, certain grand and prominent points are mentioned, as constituting the boundaries towards both the east and west. On the west the boundary extended from the Red Sea (see Exo_13:18) to the sea of the Philistines, or Mediterranean Sea, the south-eastern shore of which was inhabited by the Philistines; and on the east from the desert, i.e., according to Deu_11:24, the desert of Arabia, to the river (Euphrates). The poetic suffix מו affixed to גּרשׁתּ answers to the elevated oratorical style. Making a covenant with them and their gods would imply the recognition and toleration of them, and, with the sinful tendencies of Israel, would be inevitably followed by the worship of idols. The first כּי in Exo_23:33 signifies if; the second, imo, verily, and serves as an energetic introduction to the apodosis. מוקשׁ, a snare (vid., Exo_10:7); here a clause of destruction, inasmuch as apostasy from God is invariably followed by punishment (Jdg_2:3). – K+D

V. 32:  “Thou shalt make no covenant with them...” This is a command specific to the inhabitants who were being served an “eviction notice” and not a “stay of execution.” While this prohibition may not forbid making any just agreements with the lost, such as Abraham and Jacob did (Gn. 21:27, 26:28) and which are impossible to avoid today, it definitely forbids making any agreement that would require compromise with Bibical faith. As hate crime laws grow in scope and enforcement even most forum TOU's and some software and EULA's would require muzzling of Christians expression of Bible doctrine. Presently, requirements of the 501(c)(3) tax code, which almost all ministries subscribe too (apparently unnecessarily), only forbids official promotion of candidates by the church or officials acting as a church representative, but potentially could be interpreted much more broadly. In such cases we must agree, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29; cf. 4:19).

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(Exo 24)  "And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. 2{} And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. 3{} And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. 4{} And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5{} And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. 6{} And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7{} And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8{} And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. 9{} Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10{} And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 11{} And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. 12{} And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. 13{} And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. 14{} And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. 15{} And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. 16{} And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17{} And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18{} And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights."

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Exo 24:1-8 -
A solemn covenant was made between God and Israel. Very solemn it was, typifying the covenant of grace between God and believers, through Christ. As soon as God separated to himself a peculiar people, he governed them by a written word, as he has done ever since. God's covenants and commands are so just in themselves, and so much for our good, that the more we think of them, and the more plainly and fully they are set before us, the more reason we may see to comply with them. The blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the altar, on the book, and on the people. Neither their persons, their moral obedience, nor religious services, would meet with acceptance from a holy God,
except through the shedding and sprinkling of blood. Also the blessings granted unto them were all of mercy; and the Lord would deal with them in kindness. Thus the sinner, by faith in the blood of Christ, renders willing and acceptable obedience. – MHCC

Exo 24:2 -
Moses alone shall come near - The people stood at the foot of the mountain. Aaron and his two sons and the seventy elders went up, probably about half way, and Moses alone went to the summit. – Clarke

V. 3 The congregation once again agrees to the conditions of this covenant, to obey the revealed Word of God through Moses.

Exo 24:3 - Moses told the people all the words of the Lord - He laid before them all the precepts, in the foregoing chapters, and put it to them, whether they were willing to submit to these laws or no? And all the people answered, All the words which the Lord hath said we will do - They had before consented in general to be under God's government; here they consent in particular to these laws now given. – Wesley

Exo 24:3 -
Moses - told the people all the words of the Lord - That is, the ten commandments, and the various laws and ordinances mentioned from the beginning of the 20th to the end of the 23d chapter. – Clarke

Exo 24:4 - And Moses wrote the words of the Lord - That there might be no mistake; as God dictated them on the mount, where, it is highly probable, God taught him the use of letters. These Moses taught the Israelites, from whom they afterwards travelled to Greece and other nations. As soon as God had separated to himself a peculiar people, he governed them by a written word, as he has done ever since, and will do while the world stands. Pillars according to the number of the tribes - These were to represent the people, the other party to the covenant; and we may suppose they were set up over against the altar, and that Moses as mediator passed to and fro between them. Probably each tribe set up and knew its own pillar, and their elders stood by it. He then appointed sacrifices to be offered upon the altar.  – Wesley

Exo 24:3-4 -
The ceremony described in Exo_24:3-11 is called “the covenant which Jehovah made with Israel” (Exo_24:. It was opened by Moses, who recited to the people “all the words of Jehovah” (i.e., not the decalogue, for the people had heard this directly from the mouth of God Himself, but the words in Exo_20:22-26), and “all the rights” (ch. 21-23); whereupon the people answered unanimously (אחד קול), “All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do.” This constituted the preparation for the conclusion of the covenant. It was necessary that the people should not only know what the Lord imposed upon them in the covenant about to be made with them, and what He promised them, but that they should also declare their willingness to perform what was imposed upon them. The covenant itself was commenced by Moses writing all the words of Jehovah in “the book of the covenant” (Exo_24:4 and Exo_24:7), for the purpose of preserving them in an official record. The next day, early in the morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and erected twelve boundary-stones or pillars for the twelve tribes, most likely round about the altar and at some distance from it, so as to prepare the soil upon which Jehovah was about to enter into union with the twelve tribes. As the altar indicated the presence of Jehovah, being the place where the Lord would come to His people to bless them (Exo_20:24), so the twelve pillars, or boundary-stones, did not serve as mere memorials of the conclusion of the covenant, but were to indicate the place of the twelve tribes, and represent their presence also. – K+D

Exo 24:5 -
Young men of the children of Israel - See Exo_19:22; Exo_28:1; Lev_1:5.
Burnt offerings ... peace offerings - The burnt offerings Lev. 1 figured the dedication of the nation to Yahweh, and the peace offerings Lev. 3 their communion with Yahweh and with each other. – Barnes

Exo 24:7 -
The book of the covenant - See Exo_20:22 note. The people had to repeat their assent to the book of the covenant before the blood was thrown upon them. Compare 2Ki_23:2, 2Ki_23:21; 2Ch_34:30. – Barnes
Exo 24:6-8 -
The blood was divided into two parts. One half was swung by Moses upon the altar (זרק to swing, shake, or pour out of the vessel, in distinction from הזּה to sprinkle) the other half he put into basins, and after he had read the book of the covenant to the people, and they had promised to do and follow all the words of Jehovah, he sprinkled it upon the people with these words: “Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah has made with you over all these words.” As several animals were slaughtered, and all of them young oxen, there must have been a considerable quantity of blood obtained, so that the one half would fill several basins, and many persons might be sprinkled with it as it was being swung about. The division of the blood had reference to the two parties to the covenant, who were to be brought by the covenant into a living unity; but it had no connection whatever with the heathen customs adduced by Bähr and Knobel, in which the parties to a treaty mixed their own blood together. For this was not a mixture of different kinds of blood, but it was a division of one blood, and that sacrificial blood, in which animal life was offered instead of human life, making expiation as a pure life for sinful man, and by virtue of this expiation restoring the fellowship between God and man which had been destroyed by sin. But the sacrificial blood itself only acquired this signification through the sprinkling or swinging upon the altar, by virtue of which the human soul was received, in the soul of the animal sacrificed for man, into the fellowship of the divine grace manifested upon the altar, in order that, through the power of this sin-forgiving and sin-destroying grace, it might be sanctified to a new and holy life. In this way the sacrificial blood acquired the signification of a vital principle endued with the power of divine grace; and this was communicated to the people by means of the sprinkling of the blood. As the only reason for dividing the sacrificial blood into two parts was, that the blood sprinkled upon the altar could not be taken off again and sprinkled upon the people; the two halves of the blood are to be regarded as one blood, which was first of all sprinkled upon the altar, and then upon the people. In the blood sprinkled upon the altar, the natural life of the people was given up to God, as a life that had passed through death, to be pervaded by His grace; and then through the sprinkling upon the people it was restored to them again, as a life renewed by the grace of God. In this way the blood not only became a bond of union between Jehovah and His people, but as the blood of the covenant, it became a vital power, holy and divine, uniting Israel and its God; and the sprinkling of the people with this blood was an actual renewal of life, a transposition of Israel into the kingdom of God, in which it was filled with the powers of God's spirit of grace, and sanctified into a kingdom of priests, a holy nation of Jehovah (Exo_19:6). And this covenant was made “upon all the words” which Jehovah had spoken, and the people had promised to observe. Consequently it had for its foundation the divine law and right, as the rule of life for Israel. – K+D

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Exo 24:9-11 -
The elders saw the God of Israel; they had some glimpse of his glory, though whatever they saw, it was something of which no image or picture could be made, yet enough to satisfy them that God was with them of a truth. Nothing is described but what was under his feet. The sapphires are the pavement under his feet; let us put all the wealth of this world under our feet, and not in our hearts. Thus the believer sees in the face of Jesus Christ, far clearer discoveries of the glorious justice and holiness of God, than ever he saw under terrifying convictions; and through the Saviour, holds communion with a holy God. – MHCC

Exo 24:9 - Then went up Moses, and Aaron--in obedience to a command given (Exo_24:1-2; also Exo_19:24), previous to the religious engagement of the people, now described.

Nadab, and Abihu--the two oldest sons of Aaron [Exo_6:23].

seventy of the elders--a select number; what was the principle of selection is not said; but they were the chief representatives, the most conspicuous for official rank and station, as well as for their probity and weight of character in their respective tribes. – JFB

V. 10: "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." "And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it."  (Ezek. 1:26; Cf. Ezek. 10:1; 28:13; Rv. 21:19)

Exo 24:10 -
They saw the God of Israel - The seventy elders, who were representatives of the whole congregation, were chosen to witness the manifestation of God, that they might be satisfied of the truth of the revelation which he had made of himself and of his will; and on this occasion it was necessary that the people also should be favored with a sight of the glory of God; see Exo_20:18. Thus the certainty of the revelation was established by many witnesses, and by those especially of the most competent kind.

A paved work of a sapphire stone - Or sapphire brick-work. I suppose that something of the Musive or Mosaic pavement is here intended; floors most curiously inlaid with variously coloured stones or small square tiles, disposed in a great variety of ornamental forms. Many of these remain in different countries to the present day. The Romans were particularly fond of them, and left monuments of their taste and ingenuity in pavements of this kind, in most countries where they established their dominion. Some very fine specimens are found in different parts of Britain.
Sapphire is a precious stone of a fine blue color, next in hardness to the diamond. The ruby is considered by most mineralogists of the same genus; so is also the topaz: hence we cannot say that the sapphire is only of a blue color; it is blue, red, or yellow, as it may be called sapphire, ruby, or topaz; and some of them are blue or green, according to the light in which they are held; and some white. A very large specimen of such a one is now before me. The ancient oriental sapphire is supposed to have been the same with the lapis lazuli. Supposing that these different kinds of sapphires are here intended, how glorious must a pavement be, constituted of polished stones of this sort, perfectly transparent, with an effulgence of heavenly splendor poured out upon them! The red, the blue, the green, and the yellow, arranged by the wisdom of God, into the most beautiful emblematic representations, and the whole body of heaven in its clearness shining upon them, must have made a most glorious appearance. As the Divine glory appeared above the mount, it is reasonable to suppose that the Israelites saw the sapphire pavement over their heads, as it might have occupied a space in the atmosphere equal in extent to the base of the mountain; and being transparent, the intense brightness shining upon it must have greatly heightened the effect.

It is necessary farther to observe that all this must have been only an appearance, unconnected with any personal similitude; for this Moses expressly asserts, Deu_4:15. And though the feet are here mentioned, this can only be understood of the sapphirine basis or pavement, on which this celestial and indescribable glory of the Lord appeared. There is a similar description of the glory of the Lord in the Book of Revelation, Rev_4:3 : “And he who sat [upon the throne] was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” In neither of these appearances was there any similitude or likeness of any thing in heaven, earth, or sea. Thus God took care to preserve them from all incentives to idolatry, while he gave them the fullest proofs of his being. In Scheuchzer’s Physica Sacra, among his numerous fine engravings, there is one of this glorious manifestation, which cannot be too severely reprehended. The Supreme Being is represented as an old man, sitting on a throne, encompassed with glory, having a crown on his head, and a scepter in his hand, the people prostrate in adoration at the foot of the piece. A print of this kind should be considered as utterly improper, if not blasphemous. -
Clarke
V. 13: Notice Joshua, the next leader of Israel, is with Moses as he goes up into the mount of God.

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Exo 24:11 -
He laid not his hand - i. e. He did not strike them. It was believed that a mortal could not survive the sight of God Exo_33:20; Gen_32:30; Jdg_6:22; Jdg_13:22 : but these rulers of Israel were permitted to eat and drink, while they were enjoying in an extraordinary degree the sense of the divine presence, and received no harm. – Barnes

V.11:  "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." The New Testament parallel to this is when disciples met Christ after His resurrection, though they were blinded to Him, and they constrained Him to tarry with them “ "And it came to Ex. pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31{} And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32{} And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:30-32). 

But in what sense did Moses and the 70 elders see God? Moses was told, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."(Exo 33:20), and thus Mose could only see His back parts. But in a representative yet real sense Jacob said “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” (Gn. 32:30). Like wise, after seeing the angel of the LORD Manoah said unto his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Jdg. 13:22). We are assured by Jesus,   "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18; cf. 1 Jn. 4:12; 3 Jn. 1:11). And as the Divine son of God “being in the form of God,thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6, 7), so He could say, "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45{} And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me" (John 12:44-45; Cf. Is. 6).

EX. 24:11 - They saw the God of Israel.” This title is very appropriately given to Jehovah here, because He, the God of the fathers, had become in truth the God of Israel through the covenant just made. We must not go beyond the limits drawn in Exo_33:20-23 in our conceptions of what constituted the sight (חזה Exo_24:11) of God; at the same time we must regard it as a vision of God in some form of manifestation which rendered the divine nature discernible to the human eye. Nothing is said as to the form in which God manifested Himself. This silence, however, is not intended “to indicate the imperfection of their sight of God,” as Baumgarten affirms, nor is it to be explained, as Hoffmann supposes, on the ground that “what they saw differed from what the people had constantly before their eyes simply in this respect, that after they had entered the darkness, which enveloped the mountain that burned as it were with fire at its summit, the fiery sign separated from the cloud, and assumed a shape, beneath which it was bright and clear, as an image of untroubled bliss.” The words are evidently intended to affirm something more than, that they saw the fiery form in which God manifested Himself to the people, and that whilst the fire was ordinarily enveloped in a cloud, they saw it upon the mountain without the cloud. For, since Moses saw the form (תּמוּנה) of Jehovah (Num_12:, we may fairly conclude, notwithstanding the fact that, according to Exo_24:2, the representatives of the nation were not to draw near to Jehovah, and without any danger of contradicting Deu_4:12 and Deu_4:15, that they also saw a form of God. Only this form is not described, in order that no encouragement might be given to the inclination of the people to make likenesses of Jehovah. Thus we find that Isaiah gives no description of the form in which he saw the Lord sitting upon a high and lofty throne (Isa_6:1). Ezekiel is the first to describe the form of Jehovah which he saw in the vision, “as the appearance of a man” (Eze_1:26; compare Dan_7:9 and Dan_7:13). – K+D

"And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3{} And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4{} And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5{} And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6{} For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7{} And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8{} And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves" (Mark 9:2-8). 

V. 14: Moses is careful to delegate authority in his absence. But the problem with Aaron as one of those authorities, who, though he was useful to Moses was not God's original plan (Ex. 4:14), will be made manifest.

Exo 24:14 –
Tarry ye here for us - Probably Moses did not know that he was to continue so long on the mount, nor is it likely that the elders tarried the whole forty days where they were: they doubtless, after waiting some considerable time, returned to the camp; and their return is supposed to have been the grand cause why the Israelites made the golden calf, as they probably reported that Moses was lost.
Aaron and Hur are with you - Not knowing how long he might be detained on the mount, and knowing that many cases might occur which would require the interference of the chief magistrate, Moses constituted them regents of the people during the time he should be absent. – Clarke

Exo 24:14 - he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us--There is a circular valley or hollow a good way up on the brow of Jebel Musa, which was their halting place, while he alone was privileged to ascend the highest peak. The people stood below, as in the "outer court," the elders in the "holy place," Moses, as a type of Christ, in "the holy of holies." – JFB

[daniel1212av]

Exo 24:12-18 -
A cloud covered the mount six days; a token of God's special presence there. Moses was sure that he who called him up would protect him. Even those glorious attributes of God which are most terrible to the wicked, the saints with humble reverence rejoice in. And through faith in the atoning Sacrifice, we hope for greater honour than Moses ever enjoyed on earth. Now we see through a glass darkly, but when he shall appear, then face to face. This vision of God will continue with equal, if not increasing brightness of joy; not for a few days only, but through eternity. – MHCC

Exo_24:15-17
When he ascended the mountain, upon which the glory of Jehovah dwelt, it was covered for six days with the cloud, and the glory itself appeared to the Israelites in the camp below like devouring fire (cf. Exo_19:16); and on the seventh day He called Moses into the cloud. Whether Joshua followed him we are not told; but it is evident from Exo_32:17 that he was with him on the mountain, though, judging from Exo_24:2 and Exo_33:11, he would not go into the immediate presence of God.

Exo_24:18
“And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights,” including the six days of waiting, - the whole time without eating and drinking (Deu_9:9). The number forty was certainly significant, since it was not only repeated on the occasion of his second protracted stay upon Mount Sinai (Exo_34:28; Deu_9:18), but occurred again in the forty days of Elijah's journey to Horeb the mount of God in the strength of the food received from the angel (1Ki_19:, and in the fasting of Jesus at the time of His temptation (Mat_4:2; Luk_4:2), and even appears to have been significant in the forty years of Israel's wandering in the desert (Deu_8:2). In all these cases the number refers to a period of temptation, of the trial of faith, as well as to a period of the strengthening of faith through the miraculous support bestowed by God. – K+D

Exo 24:18 -
During this period of forty days, and the second period when the tables were renewed, Moses neither ate bread nor drank water.[Dt. 9:9]. Compare marginal references. In like manner, Elijah fasted for forty days, when he visited the same spot 1Ki_19:8. The two who met our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration Mat_17:3, the one representing the law, the other representing the Prophets, thus shadowed forth in their own experience the Fast of Forty days in the wilderness of Judaea. – Barnes

[daniel1212av]

(Exo 25)  "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2{} Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3{} And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4{} And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5{} And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and gotcha2tim wood, 6{} Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7{} Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8{} And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9{} According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. 10{} And they shall make an ark of gotcha2tim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11{} And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12{} And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13{} And thou shalt make staves of gotcha2tim wood, and overlay them with gold. 14{} And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. 15{} The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16{} And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 17{} And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18{} And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19{} And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20{} And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21{} And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22{} And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. 23{} Thou shalt also make a table of gotcha2tim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24{} And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25{} And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 26{} And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. 27{} Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. 28{} And thou shalt make the staves of gotcha2tim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. 29{} And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30{} And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me alway. 31{} And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32{} And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: 33{} Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. 34{} And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. 35{} And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. 36{} Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. 37{} And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. 38{} And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39{} Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. 40{} And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount."

[daniel1212av]

Exodus 25 -
(Exo_25:1-9)   What the Israelites were to offer for making the tabernacle.
(Exo_25:10-22)   The ark.
(Exo_25:23-30)   The table, with its furniture.
(Exo_25:31-40)   The candlestick – MHCC

Under the New covenant that which was physical (as a “type” of that which was to come) under the Old typically finds it's reality (the “antitype”) in that which is spiritual, so that not only is the law written by the “finger of God” (the Holy Spirit) in believers hearts rather than tablets of stone, but the temple of the LORD is that of the believer, individually and corporately,  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"  (1 Cor. 3:16). "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 2:5). When Peter sought to make dwelling places for Jesus, Moses and Elijah (which shows his esteem and earnest hospitality) on the  mount of transfiguration (Mt. 17: 1-8), the Father commanded, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” (v. 5). The Holy Spirit effects the “DNA” of the the Temple, and as we yield to Him in consecrated obedience to God's word then we will grow “in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" (Eph 4:13). Only as the Biblical Christ is our vision and we obey Him will we rightly manifest Him and make disciples after His image.  However, characteristic disobedience (worldliness, selfishness, etc.) results in a temple that is largely deformed, presenting a misconstruance of Christ, one that is more to our preferences, and that is where we overall stand today. And i come much short myself.   

Exo 25:1-9 -
God chose the people of Israel to be a peculiar people to himself, above all people, and he himself would be their King. He ordered a royal palace to be set up among them for himself, called a sanctuary, or holy place, or habitation. There he showed his presence among them. And because in the wilderness they dwelt in tents, this royal palace was ordered to be a tabernacle, that it might move with them. The people were to furnish Moses with the materials, by their own free will. The best use we can make of our worldly wealth, is to honour God with it in works of piety and charity. We should ask, not only, What must we do? but, What may we do for God? Whatever they gave, they must give it cheerfully, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver, 2Co_9:7. What is laid out in the service of God, we must reckon well bestowed; and whatsoever is done in God's service, must be done by his direction.  – MHCC

Exo 25:1-9 -
Yahweh had redeemed the Israelites from bondage. He had made a covenant with them and had given them laws. He had promised, on condition of their obedience, to accept them as His own “peculiar treasure,” as “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation” Exo_19:5-6. And now He was ready visibly to testify that He made his abode with them. He claimed to have a dwelling for Himself, which was to be in external form a tent of goats’ hair Exo_19:4, to take its place among their own tents, and formed out of the same material (see Exo_26:7 note). The special mark of His presence within the tent was to be the ark or chest containing the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone Exo_31:18, symbolizing the divine law of holiness, and covered by the mercy-seat, the type of reconciliation. Moses was divinely taught regarding the construction and arrangement of every part of the sanctuary. The directions which were given him are comprised in Exo. 25:1–31:11. The account of the performance of the work, expressed generally in the same terms, is given Exo. 35:21–40:33.
Moses is commanded to invite the people to bring their gifts for the construction and service of the sanctuary and for the dresses of the priests.

Exo_25:2
An offering - The word is used here in its general sense, being equivalent to korban, κορβᾶν korban, (compare Mar_7:11). On the marginal rendering “heave offering,” see the note at Exo_29:27.
That giveth it willingly with his heart - The public service of Yahweh was to be instituted by freewill offerings, not by an enforced tax. Compare 1Ch_29:3, 1Ch_29:9,1Ch_29:14; Ezr_2:68-69; 2Co_8:11-12; 2Co_9:7. On the zeal with which the people responded to the call, see Exo_35:21-29; Exo_36:5-7.

Exo_25:3
Gold, and silver, and brass - The supply of these metals possessed by the Israelites at this time probably included what they had inherited from their forefathers, what they had obtained from the Egyptians Exo_12:35, and what may have been found amongst the spoils of the Amalekites Exo_17:8-13. But with their abundant flocks and herds, it can hardly be doubted that they had carried on important traffic with the trading caravans that traversed the wilderness, some of which, most likely, in the earliest times were furnished with silver, with the gold of Ophir (or gold of Sheba, as it seems to have been indifferently called), and with the “brass” (the alloy of copper and tin, called bronze) of Phoenicia and Egypt. Compare Exo_38:24 note.

Exo_25:4
Blue, and purple, and scarlet - i. e. the material dyed with these colors. The Jewish tradition has been very generally received that this material was wool. Compare Heb_9:19 with Lev_14:4, Lev_14:49, etc. When spun and dyed by the women, it was delivered in the state of yarn; and the weaving and embroidering was left to Aholiab and his assistants, Exo_35:25, Exo_35:35. The “blue” and “purple” dye are usually thought to have been obtained from shell-fish, the “scarlet” from the cochineal insect of the holm-oak.

Fine linen - The fine flax or the manufactured linen, for which Egypt was famous Eze_27:7, and which the Egyptians were in the habit of using for dresses of state Gen_41:42. It was used as the groundwork of the figured curtains of the tabernacle as well as of the embroidered hangings of the tent and the court. See Exo_35:35.

Exo_25:5
Rams’ skins dyed red - Skins tanned and colored like the leather now known as red morocco.
Badgers’ skins - Rather, leather, probably of a sky-blue color, formed from the skins of the תחשׁ  tachash (a general name for marine animals), which was well adapted as a protection against the weather.
gotcha2tim wood - The word שׁטים  shîṭṭâm is the plural form of שׁטה  shîṭâh, which occurs as the name of the growing tree, Isa_41:19. The tree is satisfactorily identified with the Acacia seyal, a gnarled and thorny tree, somewhat like a solitary hawthorn in its habit and manner of growth, but much larger. It flourishes in the driest situations, and is scattered more or less numerously over the Sinaitic Peninsula. It appears to be the only good wood produced in the wilderness. No other kind of wood was employed in the tabernacle or its furniture. In the construction of the temple cedar and fir took its place 1Ki_5:8; 1Ki_6:18; 2Ch_2:8.

Exo_25:6-7
See the notes to Exo. 27; 28; 30,

Exo_25:8
sanctuary - i. e. a hallowed place. This is the most comprehensive of the words that relate to the place dedicated to Yahweh. It included the tabernacle with its furniture, its tent, and its court.
That I may dwell among them - The purpose of the sanctuary is here definitely declared by the Lord Himself. It was to be the constant witness of His presence among His people. Compare the marginal references.

Exo_25:9
According to all that I shew thee - The tabernacle and all that pertained to it were to be in strict accordance with the ideas revealed by the Lord to Moses (compare Exo_25:40; Exo_26:30; Act_7:44; Heb_8:5). The word here translated “pattern” is also used to denote the plans for the temple which were given by David to Solomon 1Ch_28:11-12, 1Ch_28:19; it is elsewhere rendered “form, likeness, similitude,” Deu_4:16-17; Eze_8:3, Eze_8:10.
The tabernacle - The Hebrew word signifies the “dwelling-place.” It here denotes the wooden structure, containing the holy place and the most holy place, with the tent which sheltered it. See Exo_26:1 note. – Barnes

[daniel1212av]

Exo 25:10-15 -
The Ark of the Covenant (cf. Exo_37:1-9). - They were to make an ark (ארון) of acacia-wood, two cubits and a half long, one and a half broad, and one and a half high, and to plate it with pure gold both within and without. Round about it they were to construct a golden זר, i.e., probably a golden rim, encircling it like an ornamental wreath. They were also to cast four golden rings and fasten them to the four feet (פּעמת walking feet, feet bent as if for walking) of the ark, two on either side; and to cut four poles of acacia-wood and plate them with gold, and put them through the rings for carrying the ark. The poles were to remain in the rings, without moving from them, i.e., without being drawn out, that the bearers might not touch the ark itself (Num_4:15). – K+D

Exo 25:10-22 -
The ark was a chest, overlaid with gold, in which the two tables of the law were to be kept. These tables are called the testimony; God in them testified his will. This law was a testimony to the Israelites, to direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them, if they transgressed. This ark was placed in the holy of holies; the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, and the incense burned, before it, by the high priest; and above it appeared the visible glory, which was the symbol of the Divine presence. This was a type of Christ in his sinless nature, which saw no corruption, in personal union with his Divine nature, atoning for our sins against it, by his death. The cherubim of gold looked one towards another, and both looked downward toward the ark. It denotes the angels' attendance on the Redeemer, their readiness to do his will, their presence in the assemblies of saints, and their desire to look into the mysteries of the gospel. It was covered with a covering of gold, called the mercy-seat. God is said to dwell, or sit between the cherubim, on the mercy-seat. There he would give his law, and hear supplicants, as a prince on his throne. – MHCC

V. 18: Although the LORD commanded Israel that they could not make for themselves any graven image (Ex. 20:40), yet under the express command of God they were to make these cherubims of gold. Later Moses was commanded to make the bronze serpent (Num. 21: 6-9), and which, true to form, they later worshiped (2 Kg. 18:4).  To make such images today that invited worship would be presuming to add to the (closed) canon of Scripture, as do any traditions which are held to be of equal authority with the written Word of God. 

But what of the cherubim? This is the first of the rare mentions of these creatures, the first being that of Gn. 3:24, of which Keil +Delitzsch comment, 

The word כּרוּב cherub has no suitable etymology in the Semitic, but is unquestionably derived from the same root as the Greek γρύψ or γρυπές, and has been handed down from the forefathers of our race, though the primary meaning can no longer be discovered. The Cherubim, however, are creatures of a higher world, which are represented as surrounding the throne of God, both in the visions of Ezekiel (Eze_1:22., Gen_10:1) and the Revelation of John (Joh_4:6); not, however, as throne-bearers or throne-holders, or as forming the chariot of the throne, but as occupying the highest place as living beings (חיּות, ζῷα) in the realm of spirits, standing by the side of God as the heavenly King when He comes to judgment, and proclaiming the majesty of the Judge of the world. In this character God stationed them on the eastern side of paradise, not “to inhabit the garden as the temporary representatives of man,” but “to keep the way of the tree of life,” i.e., to render it impossible for man to return to paradise, and eat of the tree of life. Hence there appeared by their side the flame of a sword, apparently in constant motion, cutting hither and thither, representing the devouring fire of the divine wrath, and showing the cherubim to be ministers of judgment.

Adam Clarke adds,
From the description in Exo_26:1, Exo_26:31; 1Ki_6:29, 1Ki_6:32; 2Ch_3:14, it appears that the cherubs were sometimes represented with two faces, namely, those of a lion and of a man; but from Eze_1:5, etc.; Eze_10:20, Eze_10:21, we find that they had four faces and four wings; the faces were those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle; but it seems there was but one body to these heads. The two-faced cherubs were such as were represented on the curtains and veil of the tabernacle, and on the wall, doors, and veil of the temple; those with four faces appeared only in the holy of holies. The word כרב or כרוב  kerub never appears as a verb in the Hebrew Bible, and therefore is justly supposed to be a word compounded of כ  ke a particle of resemblance, like to, like as, and רב  rab, he was great, powerful, etc. Hence it is very likely that the cherubs, to whatever order of beings they belonged, were emblems of the All-Mighty, and were those creatures by whom he produced the great effects of his power

Exo 25:23-30 -
(Compare Exo_37:10-16.) The table and the candlestick figured on the Arch of Titus at Rome are those of the Maccabaean times, but made as nearly as possible after the ancient models reproduced under the direction of Solomon and Zerubbabel. The details and size of the figure, and the description of Josephus, appear to agree very nearly with the directions here given to Moses, and to illustrate them in several particulars. Josephus says that the table was like the so-called Delphic tables, richly ornamented pieces of furniture in use amongst the Romans, which were sometimes, if not always, covered with gold or silver.

Exo_25:24
See Exo_25:11 note. The moulding of the table is still seen at the ends of the sculptured figure.

Exo_25:25
A border - Rather a framing, which reached from leg to leg so as to make the table firm, as well as to adorn it with a second moulding of gold. Two fragments of such framing are still seen in the sculpture attached to the legs halfway down.

Exo_25:27
Over against the border - Rather, Over against the framing; that is, the rings were to be placed not upon the framing itself, but at the extremities of the legs answering to each corner of it.

Exo_25:29
Dishes - deep vessels like “bowls,” similar to the large silver vessels (or chargers) which were filled with fine flour, and formed part of the offerings of the Princes of Israel (Num_7:13 following).
Spoons - Rather, the small gold cups that were filled with frankincense in the offerings of the Princes Num_7:14, and represented on the table in the sculpture.
Covers ... bowls - Or flagons and chalices, such as were used for the rite of the drink offering, which appears to have regularly accompanied every Meat offering (Lev_23:18; Num_6:15; Num_28:14, etc.). The subject is important in its bearing upon the meaning of the showbread: the corrected rendering of the words tends to show that it was a true Meat offering.
To cover withal - See the margin. The first part of the verse might be better rendered: And thou shalt make its bowls and its incense-cups and its flagons and its chalices for pouring out “the drink offerings.”

Exo_25:30
The showbread table was placed in the holy place on the north side Exo_26:35. Directions for preparing the showbread are given in Lev_24:5-9. It consisted of twelve large cakes of unleavened bread, which were arranged on the table in two piles, with a golden cup of frankincense on each pile. It was renewed every Sabbath day. The stale loaves were given to the priests, and the frankincense appears to have been lighted on the altar for a memorial. The showbread, with all the characteristics and significance of a great national Meat offering, in which the twelve tribes were represented by the twelve cakes, was to stand before Yahweh “perpetually,” in token that He was always graciously accepting the good works of His people, for whom atonement had been made by the victims offered on the altar in the court of the sanctuary. The showbread or bread which is set forth would be more fairly rendered “bread of the presence.” See the notes at Lev_24:5-9. – Barnes

[daniel1212av]

(Exo 26)  "Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. 2{} The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. 3{} The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. 4{} And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 5{} Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. 6{} And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle. 7{} And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. 8{} The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure. 9{} And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. 10{} And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 11{} And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12{} And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle. 13{} And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14{} And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins. 15{} And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of gotcha2tim wood standing up. 16{} Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. 17{} Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18{} And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. 19{} And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. 20{} And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: 21{} And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22{} And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. 23{} And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. 24{} And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. 25{} And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26{} And thou shalt make bars of gotcha2tim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 27{} And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward. 28{} And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. 29{} And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30{} And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount. 31{} And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32{} And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of gotcha2tim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33{} And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. 34{} And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. 35{} And thou shalt set the table without the veil, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side. 36{} And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. 37{} And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of gotcha2tim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them."

[daniel1212av]

Exodus 26 -
The ten curtains of the tabernacle, and of what composed, Exo_26:1. Their length, Exo_26:2, Exo_26:3; their loops, Exo_26:4, Exo_26:5; their taches, Exo_26:6. The curtains of goats’ hair for a covering, Exo_26:7; their length and breadth, Exo_26:8. Coupled with loops, Exo_26:9, Exo_26:10, and taches, Exo_26:11. The remnant of the curtains, how to be employed, Exo_26:12, Exo_26:13. The covering of rams’ skins, Exo_26:14. The boards of the tabernacle for the south side, Exo_26:15; their length, Exo_26:16, tenons, Exo_26:17, number, Exo_26:18, sockets, Exo_26:19. Boards, etc., for the north side, Exo_26:20, Exo_26:21. Boards, etc., for the west side, Exo_26:22; for the corners, Exo_26:23; their rings and sockets, Exo_26:24, Exo_26:25. The bars of the tabernacle, Exo_26:26-30. The veil, its pillars, hooks, and taches, Exo_26:31-33. How to place the mercy-seat, Exo_26:34. The table and the candlestick, Exo_26:35. The hanging for the door of the tent, Exo_26:36; and the hangings for the pillars, Exo_26:37. – Clarke

Exo 26:1-37 -
(Compare Exo. 36:8-33.) The tabernacle was to comprise three main parts, the tabernacle Exo_26:1-6, more strictly so-called, its tent Exo_26:7-13, and its covering Exo_26:14 (Compare Exo_35:11;

Exo_39:33-34; Exo_40:19, Exo_40:34; Num_3:25, etc.). These parts are very clearly distinguished in the Hebrew, but they are confounded in many places of the English Version (see Exo_26:7,

Exo_26:9, etc.). The tabernacle itself was to consist of curtains of fine linen woven with colored figures of cherubim, and a structure of boards which was to contain the holy place and the most holy place; the tent was to be a true tent of goats’ hair cloth to contain and shelter the tabernacle: the covering was to be of red rams’ skins and “tachash” skins Exo_25:5, and was spread over the goats’ hair tent as an additional protection against the weather. On the external form of the tabernacle and the arrangement of its parts, see cuts at the end of the chapter.

Exo_26:1
The tabernacle - The משׁכן  mîshkân, i. e. the dwelling-place; the definite article regularly accompanies the Hebrew word when the dwelling-place of Yahweh is denoted. But in this place the word is not used in its full sense as denoting the dwelling-place of Yahweh: it denotes only the tabernacle-cloth Exo_26:6. The word is, in fact, employed with three distinct ranges of meaning,

(1) in its strict sense, comprising the cloth of the tabernacle with its woodwork (Exo_25:9; Exo_26:30;
Exo_36:13; Exo_40:18, etc.);

(2) in a narrower sense, for the tabernacle-cloth only (Exo_26:1, Exo_26:6; Exo_35:11; Exo_39:33-34, etc.);

(3) in a wider sense, for the tabernacle with its tent and covering (Exo_27:19; Exo_35:18, etc.).
With ten curtains - Rather, of ten breadths. Five of these breadths were united so as to form what, in common usage, we should call a large curtain Exo_26:3. The two curtains thus formed were coupled together by the loops and taches to make the entire tabernacle-cloth Exo_26:6.
Of cunning work - More properly, of the work of the skilled weaver. The colored figures of cherubim (see Exo_25:4, Exo_25:18) were to be worked in the loom, as in the manufacture of tapestry and carpets (see Exo_26:36 note). On the different kinds of workmen employed on the textile fabrics, see Exo_35:35.

Exo_26:3
Each curtain formed of five breadths (see Exo_26:1), was 42 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth, taking the cubit at 18 inches.

Exo_26:4
The meaning appears to be, “And thou shalt make loops of blue on the edge of the one breadth (which is) on the side (of the one curtain) at the coupling; and the same shalt thou do in the edge of the outside breadth of the other (curtain) at the coupling.” The “coupling” is the uniting together of the two curtains: (“selvedge” is the translation of a word signifying extremity or end).

Exo_26:5
The words “in the edge,” etc. mean, “on the edge of the breadth that is at the coupling in the second (curtain).”

Exo_26:6
Taches of gold - Each “tache,” or clasp, was to unite two opposite loops.
Couple the curtains - i. e. couple the two outside breadths mentioned in Exo_26:4.

Exo_26:7
A covering upon the tabernacle - A tent over the tabernacle. The Hebrew word here used, is the regular one for a tent of skins or cloth of any sort.

Exo_26:9
tabernacle - tent, not tabernacle. The passage might be rendered, “thou shalt equally divide the sixth breadth at the front of the tent.” In this way, half a breadth would overhang at the front and half at the back.

Exo_26:10
Or: “And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the outside breadth of the one (curtain) at the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the outside breadth of the other (curtain) at the coupling.”

Exo_26:11
In the tent, clasps of bronze were used to unite the loops of the two curtains; in the tabernacle, clasps of gold, compare Exo_26:6, Exo_26:37.
Couple the tent together - Not “covering,” as in the margin. By “the tent” is here meant the tent-cloth alone.

Exo_26:13
The measure of the entire tabernacle-cloth was about 60 ft. by 42; that of the tent-cloth was about 67 ft. by 45. When the latter was placed over the former, it spread beyond it at the back and front about 3 ft. (the “half-curtain,” Exo_26:9, Exo_26:12) and at the sides 18 inches.

Exo_26:16
The board would therefore be about 15 ft. long, and 27 in. broad.

Exo_26:18
The entire length of the structure was about 45 ft. in the clear, and its width about 15 ft.
The south side southward - Or, the south side on the right. As the entrance of the tabernacle was at its east end, the south side, to a person entering it, would be on the left hand: but we learn from Josephus that it was usual, in speaking of the temple, to identify the south with the right hand and the north with the left hand, the entrance being regarded as the face of the structure and the west end as its back.  – Barneses

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Exo_26:19
Sockets - More literally, bases, or foundations. Each base weighed a talent, that is, about 94 lbs. (see

Exo_38:27), and must have been a massive block. The bases formed a continuous foundation for the walls of boards, presenting a succession of sockets or mortices (each base having a single socket), into which the tenons were to fit. They served not only for ornament but also for the protection of the lower ends of the boards from the decay which would have resulted from contact with the ground.
Exo_26:22

The sides of the tabernacle westward - Rather, the back of the tabernacle toward the west. See Exo_26:18.

Exo_26:23
In the two sides - Rather, at the back.

Exo_26:24
The corner boards appear to have been of such width, and so placed, as to add 18 in. to the width of the structure, making up with the six boards of full width Exo_26:22 about 15 ft. in the clear (see Exo_26:18). The “ring” was so formed as to receive two bars meeting “beneath” and “above” at a right angle.

Exo_26:27
For the two sides westward - For the back toward the west. Compare Exo_26:22,

Exo_26:28
In the midst of the boards - If we suppose the boards to have been of ordinary thickness Exo_26:16, the bar was visible and passed through an entire row of rings. In any case, it served to hold the whole wall together.

Exo_26:31
Vail - Literally, separation (see Exo_35:12 note).

Exo_26:33
Taches - Not the same as the hooks of the preceding verse, but the clasps of the tabernacle-cloth (see Exo_26:6).

Exo_26:34-35
See Exo_25:10-16, Exo_25:23, Exo_25:31.

Exo_26:36
The door of the tent - The entrance to the tent, closed by the “hanging” or curtain Exo_27:16.
Wrought with needlework. - The work of the embroiderer. The entrance curtain of the tent and that of the court Exo_27:16 were to be of the same materials, but embroidered with the needle, not made in figures in the loom (see Exo_26:1; Exo_35:35).

Exo_26:37
Rice pillars - These, it should be observed, belonged to the entrance of the tent, not, in their architectural relation, to the entrance of the tabernacle.

Sockets of brass - Their bases (see Exo_26:19) were of bronze (like the taches of the tentcloth, Exo_26:11), not of silver, to mark the inferiority of the tent to the tabernacle.

We are indebted to Mr. Fergusson for what may be regarded as a satisfactory reconstruction of the sanctuary in all its main particulars. He holds that what sheltered the Mishkan was actually a tent of ordinary form, such as common sense and practical experience would suggest as best suited for the purpose.

According to this view the five pillars at the entrance of the tent Exo_26:37 were graduated as they would naturally be at the entrance of any large tent of the best form, the tallest one being in the middle to support one end of a ridge-pole.

Such a ridge-pole, which must have been sixty feet in length, would have required support, and this might have been afforded by a plain pole in the middle of the structure. Over this framing of wood-work the tent-cloth of goats’ hair was strained with its cords and tent-pins in the usual way. (See cut.)
Above the tent-cloth of goats’ hair was spread the covering of red rams’ skins.

The five pillars, to reach across the front of the tent, must have stood five cubits (about 7 1/2 ft.) apart. Their heads were united by connecting rods (“fillets” Exo_27:10) overlaid with gold Exo_36:38. The spaces at the sides and back may have been wholly or in part covered in for the use of the officiating priests, like the small apartments which in after times skirted three sides of the temple. It was probably here that those portions of the sacrifices were eaten which were not to be carried out of the sacred precincts Lev_6:16, Lev_6:26. We may also infer that priests lodged in them. Compare 1Sa_3:2-3. – Barn

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(Exo 27)  "And thou shalt make an altar of gotcha2tim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. {2} 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. {3} And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. {4} And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. {5} And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. {6} And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of gotcha2tim wood, and overlay them with brass. {7} And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. {8} Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

 {9} 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: {10} 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. {11} 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. {12} And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. {13} And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. {14} The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. {15} And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. {16} 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. {17} All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. {18} 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. {19} 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.

 {20} 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. {21} In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, 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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Exodus 27 -
The altar of burnt-offerings, and its dimensions, Exo_27:1; its horns, Exo_27:2; pans, shovels, etc., Exo_27:3; its grate and net work, Exo_27:4, Exo_27:5; its staves, Exo_27:6, Exo_27:7. Court of the tabernacle, with its pillars and hangings, Exo_27:9-15. Gate of the court, its pillars, hangings, length, breadth, and height, Exo_27:16-18. All the vessels used in the court of the tabernacle to be of brass, Exo_27:19. The Israelites to provide pure olive oil for the light, Exo_27:20. Every thing to be ordered by Aaron and his sons, Exo_27:21. – Clarke

Exo 27:1-8 -
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 the hollow of the altar, about the middle of which the fire was kept, and the sacrifice burnt. It was made of net-work like a sieve, and hung hollow, that the ashes might fall through. This brazen altar was a type of Christ dying to make atonement for our sins. The wood had been consumed by the fire from heaven, if it had not been secured by the brass: nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of God, if it had not been supported by Divine power. – MHCC

Exo 27:1-2 - ALTAR FOR BURNT OFFERING. (Exo. 27:1-21)

altar of gotcha2tim wood--The dimensions of this altar which was placed at the entrance of the sanctuary were nearly three yards square, and a yard and a half in height. Under the wooden frame of this chest-like altar the inside was hollow, and each corner was to be terminated by "horns"--angular projections, perpendicular or oblique, in the form of horns. The animals to be sacrificed were bound to these (Psa_118:27), and part of the blood was applied to them. – JFB

Exo 27:1-8 -
(Compare Exo_38:1-7.) The great altar which stood in the court immediately in front of the tabernacle was commonly called the altar of burnt-offering, because on it were burnt the whole burnt-offerings, and all those parts of the other animal sacrifices which were offered to the Lord. It was also called the brazen altar, because it was covered with bronze, in distinction from the golden altar or altar of incense Exo_39:38-39; Exo_40:5-6.

Exo_27:2
His horns shall be of the same - These horns were projections pointing upward in the form either of a small obelisk, or of the horn of an ox. They were to be actually parts of the altar, not merely superadded to it. On them the blood of the sin-offering was smeared Exo_29:12; Lev_4:7; Lev_8:15; Lev_9:9; Lev_16:18. To take hold of them appears to have been regarded as an emphatic mode of laying claim to the supposed right of sanctuary (Exo_21:14 note; 1Ki_1:50).

Exo_27:3
Pans - Rather pots as in Exo_38:3; 1Ki_7:45. On the use to which these pots were put in disposing of the ashes of the altar, see Lev_1:16.
Basons - Vessels used for receiving the blood of the victims and casting it upon the altar (see Exo_24:6; Lev_1:5; etc.).
Fleshhooks - These were for adjusting the pieces of the victims upon the altar (compare 1Sa_2:13).
Firepans - The same word is rendered snuffdishes, Exo_25:38; Exo_37:23 : censers, Lev_10:1; Lev_16:12; Num_4:14; Num_16:6, etc. These utensils appear to have been shallow metal vessels which were employed merely to carry burning embers from the brazen altar to the altar of incense.

Exo_27:5
The compass of the altar - A shelf or projecting ledge, of convenient width, carried round the altar half way between the top and the base. It was supported all round its outer edge by a vertical net-like grating of bronze that rested on the ground.

Exo_27:8
Hollow with boards - Slabs, or planks, rather than boards. The word is that which is used for the stone tables of the law Exo_24:12; Exo_31:18, not that applied to the boards of the tabernacle Exo_26:15.
The brazen altar was a hollow casing, formed of stout acacia planks covered with plates of bronze, seven feet six in length and width and four feet six in height. Jewish as well as Christian authorities have supposed that, when it was fixed for use, it was filled up with earth or rough stones. If we connect this suggestion with the old rule regarding the altar of earth and the altar of stone given in Exo_20:24-25, the woodwork might in fact be regarded merely as the case of the altar on which the victims were actually burned. The shelf round the sides Exo_27:5 was required as a stage for the priests to enable them to carry on their work conveniently on the top of the altar. Hence, it is said of Aaron that he came down from the altar Lev_9:22. According to rabbinical tradition, there was a slope of earth at the south side banked up for the priest to ascend to the stage (compare Exo_20:26). – Barnes

Exo 27:9-11 -
(cf. Exo_38:9-20). The Court of the dwelling was to consist of קלעים “hangings” of spun byssus, and pillars with brass (copper) sockets, and hooks and fastenings for the pillars of silver. The pillars were of course made of acacia-wood; they were five cubits high, with silvered capitals (Exo_38:17, Exo_38:19), and carried the hangings, which were fastened to them by means of the hooks and fastenings. There were twenty of them on both the southern and northern sides, and the length of the drapery on each of these sides was 100 cubits (באמּה מאה, 100 sc., measured by the cubit), so that the court was a hundred cubits long (Exo_27:18). – K+D


Exo 27:9-19 -
The court of the tabernacle - (Compare Exo_38:9-20)

Exo_27:9
The south side southward - The south side on the right. See Exo_26:18.

Exo_27:10
Sockets - Bases. See Exo_26:19.
Fillets - Rather, Connecting rods; curtain-rods of silver connecting the heads of the pillars. The hangings were attached to the pillars by the silver hooks; but the length of the space between the pillars would render it most probable that they were also in some way fastened to these rods.

Exo_27:13
The east side eastward - On the front side eastward.

Exo_27:16
An hanging - An entrance curtain, which, unlike the hangings at the sides and back of the court, could be drawn up, or aside, at pleasure. The words are rightly distinguished in our Bible in Num_3:26.
Wrought with nedlework - The work of the embroiderer. See Exo_26:36; Exo_35:35. On the materials, see Exo_25:4.

Exo_27:17
Filleted with silver - Connected with silver rods. See Exo_27:10,

Exo_27:19
All the vessels ... - All the tools of the tabernacle used in all its workmanship, and all its tent-pins, and all the tent-pins of the court, shall be of bronze. The working tools of the sanctuary were most probably such things as axes, knives, hammers, etc. that were employed in making, repairing, setting up and taking down the structure. Compare Num_3:36.
The tabernacle - The word is here to be taken as including both the משׁכן  mîshkân and the tent, as in Num_1:51, Num_1:53, etc. (see Exo_26:1 note).
The pins – tent-pins. – Barnes