SDMB Weekly Bible Study (SDMBWBS)-Week 48 Exodus 25-27

Cafe Society
1

Welcome to the SDMB Weekly Bible Study, back from hiatus. This week, we are discussing Exodus 25-27 (the Tabernacle).

I’ve been putting this off because I’m not sure I can commit to doing this every week. But I think we might be able to just make this more a community thing, like the MMP. Those of us who are interested can post start these if no one else has. It doesn’t even have to be on Sunday, although that would be easier.

stpauler’s rules still apply:

Past links:

Genesis 49 & 50 (this includes links to all previous Genesis threads)
Exodus 1
Exodus 2
Exodus 3
Exodus 4
Exodus 5&6
Exodus 7-10
Exodus 11-12
Exodus 13
Exodus 14 + 15
Exodus 16-18
Exodus 19+20
Exodus 21-23
Exodus 24

2

Exodus 25-27–New International Version (NIV)

Offerings for the Tabernacle

25 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[a]; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Ark

10 “Have them make an ark** of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.

17 “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Table

23 “Make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 25 Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. 27 The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. 29 And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. 30 Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

The Lampstand

31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

37 “Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. 38 Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. 39 A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. 40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

The Tabernacle
**
26** “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker. 2 All the curtains are to be the same size—twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. 3 Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. 4 Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. 5 Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. 6 Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.

7 “Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 8 All eleven curtains are to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. 9 Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 10 Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. 11 Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. 12 As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. 13 The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. 14 Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.

15 “Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, 17 with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 18 Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle 19 and make forty silver bases to go under them—two bases for each frame, one under each projection. 20 For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames 21 and forty silver bases—two under each frame. 22 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, 23 and make two frames for the corners at the far end. 24 At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. 25 So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.

26 “Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. 28 The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. 29 Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

30 “Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.

31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 34 Put the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

36 “For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. 37 Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.

The Altar of Burnt Offering

27 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

The Courtyard

9 “Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits[n] long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. 13 On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.

16 “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer—with four posts and four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. 19 All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Oil for the Lampstand

20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.

Footnotes:

[a] Exodus 25:5 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
** Exodus 25:10 That is, a chest

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

These Scriptures are copyrighted by the Biblica, Inc.® and have been made available on the Internet for your personal use only. Any other use including, but not limited to, copying or reposting on the Internet is prohibited. These Scriptures may not be altered or modified in any form and must remain in their original context. These Scriptures may not be sold or otherwise offered for sale.

3

I removed all the footnotes converting all the lengths, because they got unwieldy. But it would be interesting to discuss that if someone knows how we determine those lengths.

4

Thanks for starting this again. I do hope stpauler is okay.

I’m finding a conversion of Hebrew cubits ~ 45.2 cm or 17.8". (site: Cubits Converter and Ark Size Calculator no idea how valid, though) Therefore, my response to the measurements of the curtain is :eek::eek::eek: !!

And I only have questions.

I take it that we are definitely in a settled and rich time for the Hebrews to be able to make and afford all of these things? It sounds like a lot of work and expense to make the curtains as well as everything else. It also doesn’t sound as if acacia was that sturdy but was probably common?

And then the temple! Wow!

I grew up Catholic and went to a Catholic school through high school and I have never read these passages before, which is why these threads have been so interesting to me! (And as a DM, I could have used these descriptions in my dungeons! :slight_smile: ) I understand why we didn’t read them, as they are dry, but they are also a part of it! They are showing how god wanted to be worshiped, or his temple/ark/altar to look. It’s again reminding me of Iliad or other epic poems that have these kinds of descriptions and again it’s interesting to read what a group found important enough to write down.

Thanks!

vislor

5

Yay! Another bible study thread!

This reads to me as “God puts out an RFP for some general contract work”. It’s interesting what is specified in detail and what is not. I assume everything that’s mentioned has some symbolic meaning.

For example, why yarn dyed blue, purple and scarlet? Were those colors chosen because they’re expensive? Or cheap? Or are they God’s sacred colors?

6

First, thanks for reviving this, Big T, and I hope stpauler is OK. I had these comments prepared many weeks ago, when the series stopped. I’m kinda swamped for time, and not home, so I don’t have my sources handy.

We’re now in the third section of the book of Exodus, God and Israel (“married” by the covenant) build a house together, called the Tabernacle. The organizational structure of the rest of the book (including the last bit of Ch 24) is interesting indeed:
Ch 24:12 – 18 - Revelation
Ch 25 – 31:11 – blue prints for the Tabernacle (detailed construction information)
31:12 – 17 – laws of Sabbath
31:18 – 34:55 – The Golden Calf incident
35:1 – 3 – laws of Sabbath
35:4 – 40:33 – building the Tabernacle (exact reverse order of the blueprint instructions)
40:34 – 38 Revelation

Note the pervasive symmetry, which is astounding, and unique in the bible texts (so far as I am aware.)

There’s also a lot of info about the construction/architecture of the Tabernacle and the religious implements, which frankly, becomes tedious except to biblical scholars.

As we move along, you might note the cloud. In 24:14, the cloud covers the mountain and in 18, Moses moves into the cloud. The cloud indicates the intimate indwelling presence of God, and watch its progress up and down. At the end of the book (40:38), the cloud rests over the Tabernacle amidst the people.

The instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle are complex, and not fully understood. A google search of “tabernacle of Moses” will find several pages of images, both maps and models, of what different scholars think was meant. The instructions begin with the inner core of the Tabernacle (the holiest place) and work outward, six chapters of excruciating detail. When we get to the actual construction of the Tabernacle (at 35:4), we’ll get the same, entire detail but reversed, starting with the exterior and working our way in. Again, this section has astonishing literary symmetry.

The mission statement is in 25:8: “Make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.” The concept is that the intimate presence of God will come to live among the people Israel. There’s an interesting mystical interpretation of 25:9 and 26:30, that God “shows” Moses some sort of heavenly tabernacle, and orders building a facsimile on earth. In the bible, the realms of heaven and earth are separate (unlike, say, Greek mythology.)

A cubit is about 18 inches, so the NIV gives the approx measurements in footnotes. Again, there’s been a LOT written about the construction, measurements, colors, etc. I personally find most of it boring, but I find the literary structure of the text interesting.

Summary of the instructions:
Step 1: Make the Ark (25:10-16). In verse 15, the poles are not to be removed so that no one touches the (finished) ark. This is the Ark of the Covenant made famous in the first INDIANA JONES movie. The Hebrew word aron translated “ark” is NOT related to Noah’s, although the English word “ark” is used for both. The Ark has two functions: (1) it holds the tablets of witness, and is at the center of the Tabernacle, the most intimate piece; and (2) it acts as a throne or podium for God’s intimate presence.

Step 2: Make the cover for the Ark (25:17 – 22).

Step 3: Make a table (25:23 – 30)

Step 4: Make a lampstand (Hebrew: menorah.) KJV uses “candlestick” which is anachronistic, candles were not invented until the Roman period. These were oil lamps.

Step 5: Making three cloth coverings for the walls and roof: a multicovered cloth (26:1 – 6), a cloth of goat hair (26:7 – 13) and one of tanned ram-skins (26:14)

Step 6: Set up a frame (planks) (26:15 – 30)

Step 7: Make curtains and screens (26:31 – 37.) The inner part of the tabernacle is called the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant rests. Then there is a curtain, and the next layer is called the Holy where the table, lampstand, and altar are placed; and finally the Court of the Tabernacle where the people congregate.

Step 8: Make an altar (27:1 – 8)

Step 9: Enclose the tabernacle (27:9 – 19)

Israelite architecture is basically a set of room dividers, to separate spaces (holy space from other space.) In contrast, Greek architecture is mainly columns to enclose a vast space while Roman architecture is arches, to hold up vast weight.

7

Responding quickly to some questions:

[The Israelites had plenty of gold and such because they received wealth from the Egyptians before they left Egypt (See Ex 11:2-3). Some say, they “plundered” and others say that the fear of God made the Egyptians pay the unpaid wages. Note that they will use much of this in the construction of the golden calf, coming up. So, there was certainly wealth, explained in the text. I ahve no clue whether acacia was common, I’ll be home next week and can check some of my sources.

Purple was an expensive color, used by royalty even back then and used by royalty in later eras because it was a tradition. The blue is, I think, also rare – and I’ll need to get home and check my source and check the Hebrew – but I think the Hebrew word is not just the color “blue” in general, but a specific blue-dye, made from a Mediterranean snail that was very hard to obtain. It will, in later commandment, be used to describe a fringe of blue to be worn on the corners of garments.

8

I hadn’t thought about leaving the measurements in to give you scale. Here are the footnotes from the link in the second post:

[ul]
[li]Exodus 25:10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 17[/li][li]Exodus 25:23 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4 feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters wide and 68 centimeters high[/li][li]Exodus 25:25 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters[/li][li]Exodus 25:39 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms[/li][li]Exodus 26:2 That is, about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide[/li][li]Exodus 26:8 That is, about 45 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13.5 meters long and 1.8 meters wide[/li][li]Exodus 26:13 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters[/li][li]Exodus 26:14 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals (see 25:5)[/li][li]Exodus 26:16 That is, about 15 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long and 68 centimeters wide[/li][li]Exodus 27:1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters[/li]Exodus 27:1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters long and wide
[li]Exodus 27:9 That is, about 150 feet or about 45 meters; also in verse 11[/li][li]Exodus 27:12 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters; also in verse 13[/li][li]Exodus 27:14 That is, about 23 feet or about 6.8 meters; also in verse 15[/li][li]Exodus 27:16 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters[/li][li]Exodus 27:18 That is, about 150 feet long and 75 feet wide or about 45 meters long and 23 meters wide[/li][li]Exodus 27:18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters[/ul][/li]
The curtain is in 26:2, so the NIV has it at 42ft (13m) long and 6ft (1.8m) wide, which gives 18 inches or about 45 cm for the cubit, which fits with your citation (with rounding). I was actually under the impression this was less certain, but if they are that close, that’s something.

I seem to remember a note in the NIV that they were assuming 18 inches to the cubit. I’d actually be surprised if it were precise enough to the tenth of an inch, but maybe they had the tech. Especially since this is a holy thing, where they’d want to get as precise as possible.

9

OK, as promised, I’ve looked up the colors.

Blue, purple, and crimson were the most expensive dyed yarns of antiquity [Sources: A. Brenner, Colour Terms in the Old Testament (1982). R J Forbes Studies in Ancient Technology vol 4 (1964.)] These dyes were all from animals.

Blue (Hebrew: tekhelet) is from a marine snail (genus: murex) that exudes a yellowish goop that becomes red-purple dye when exposed to sunlight. Blue is often teamed with purple (Hebrew: 'argaman) because the same goop produces different shades depending on species of snail. The “blue” and “purple” therefore don’t mean the colors in general, but this specific dye (What they translate “blue” was probably what we’d call violet, while “purple” was more reddish, but this is mostly guesswork.)

Similarly, “scarlet” doesn’t mean the color red, the Hebrew is tola’at shani, basically “worm red” so it’s again a specific dye, this one from the eggs of a kind of locust.

The Phoenician coast was well-known in antiquity for dyeing, archaeologists and such have found huge piles of marine-snail shells dating to 1500 BCE or thereabouts. Modern attempts indicate that it took thousands of snails to produce enough dye for one robe, so the yarns were very costly and marks of wealth or royalty.

10

Thanks for the details. So those dyes are similar to the gold–because of the sacrifice needed to procure such expensive items. Rather than any divine significance to the substance itself.

11

Yes thanks for looking up the details! Very interesting!

12

New thread for Exodus 28-30

13

Some scholars have noted that the arrangement of the Tabernacle is similar to the arrangement of Ramesses II war camp at the battle of Qadesh including the layout and the throne with two winged figures.