Exodus 38

This chapter belongs to the account of the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 35–40. Following Exodus 37, which describes the making of the ark of the covenant, the table, the lampstand, and the altar of incense, this chapter describes the making of the furnishings placed in the outer court of the tabernacle and of the court itself.

Outline

• Verses 1–7: The altar of burnt offering is made of acacia wood, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and is overlaid with bronze. Its horns, utensils, bronze grating, and poles are made along with it.
• Verse 8: The bronze laver (a basin holding water for washing) and its stand are made from the mirrors of the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting.
• Verses 9–20: The court is enclosed with hangings of fine linen. The south and north sides measure 100 cubits, and the west and east sides 50 cubits. The hangings on either side of the gate are 15 cubits each, and the embroidered screen of the gate is 20 cubits. The bases and pegs are of bronze, and the hooks and bands are of silver.
• Verses 21–23: Ithamar the son of Aaron tallies the inventory. Bezalel of the tribe of Judah makes everything, and Oholiab of the tribe of Dan works with him.
• Verses 24–31: The gold offered amounts to 29 talents and 730 shekels, the silver to 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, and the bronze to 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. The silver comes from 603,550 men twenty years old and upward, each contributing half a shekel, and it is used to make the bases and hooks.

Key Verses

• Exodus 38:8 "of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation" — This verse shows that a tabernacle furnishing was made from personal possessions offered by unnamed women.
• Exodus 38:22 "made all that the LORD commanded Moses" — This reflects a recurring theme of the tabernacle narrative: the emphasis on carrying out exactly what was commanded.
• Exodus 38:26 "A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel" — This shows that the ransom regulation of Exodus 30 was actually put into practice.

People and Places

• Moses: The leader who received the command to build the tabernacle and conveyed it to the people.
• Aaron: The high priest and father of Ithamar.
• Ithamar: The fourth son of Aaron, who supervised the accounting of the materials used by the Levites.
• Bezalel and Oholiab: The craftsmen responsible for building the tabernacle. Bezalel was the son of Uri and the grandson of Hur.
• Altar of burnt offering: The bronze altar placed in the court.

Points for Reflection

• Much of this chapter repeats almost verbatim the instructions of Exodus 27 and 30. Many interpreters regard this as a narrative technique intended to show that command and obedience corresponded precisely.
• The figure of 603,550 men in verse 26 matches the census total in Numbers 1. Interpreters differ on how the two records relate to each other.
• The text states only that the laver was made from the women's mirrors. Stories about the mirrors that were added in later Jewish commentary tradition should be distinguished from what the text itself says. The women who served at the entrance also appear in 1 Samuel 2:22.
• In Reformed tabernacle typology, the altar of burnt offering is associated with Christ's sacrifice on the cross and the laver with washing and purification, with Hebrews 9 and 10:22 cited in support. Others, however, urge caution, holding that assigning symbolic meaning to every individual furnishing can lead to excessive allegorizing.
• Because the silver from 603,550 men is reckoned as 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, the text implies that one talent equals 3,000 shekels.