Welcome to the SDMB weekly Bible Study (SDMBWBS). This week we will be finishing up with Exodus 39-40. Since the discussion can turn into a very broad and hijackable thread, we would like the following rules to be adhered to:
[ol]
[li]These SDMBWBS threads are to deal with the books and stories in the Bible as literature. What we hope to achieve is an understanding of the stories, the time in which they were written, their context, and possibly their cultural relevance. [/li][li]While it is up to the individual to choose to believe or disbelieve any portion, that is not to be the discussion of the thread. If you must, please choose to witness/anti-witness in Great Debates. [/li][li]The intention is to go through the Bible from front to back in order. While different books are needed to be referred to in order to understand context, please try and keep the focus on the thread’s selected chapter(s)/verse(s).[/li][li]Since different religions have chosen which books to include or omit, the threads will use the Catholic version of 46 Old Testament Books and 27 New Testament Books. It’s encouraged to discuss why a book was included/omitted during the applicable threads only. BibleHub, as far as I know, is a good resource that compiles many different versions of the verses into one page. (The SDMB Staff Reports on “Who Wrote the Bible” are also a good overview). Please feel free to use whatever source you want, including–and even more helpfully–the original language.[/li][li]Hopefully, we can get through these threads with little to no moderation. As a gentle reminder, if a poster comes in and ignores these rules, please use the “report post” function instead of responding.[/li][/ol]
Links to previous threads:
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[li]Genesis Threads[/ul][/li]
[ul]
[li]Exodus 1[/li][li]Exodus 2[/li][li]Exodus 3[/li][li]Exodus 4[/li][li]Exodus 5-6[/li][li]Exodus 7-10[/li][li]Exodus 11-12[/li][li]Exodus 13[/li][li]Exodus 14-15[/li][li]Exodus 16-18[/li][li]Exodus 19-20[/li][li]Exodus 21-23[/li][li]Exodus 24[/li][li]Exodus 25-27[/li][li]Exodus 28-30[/li][li]Exodus 31[/li][li]Exodus 32[/li][li]Exodus 33[/li][li]Exodus 34[/li][li]Exodus 35-38[/li][li]Exodus 39-40[/li][/ul]
[Exodus 39 - 40](Exodus - The Israelites Oppressed - These are - Bible Gateway 39-40&version=NIV) – New International Version (NIV)
The Priestly Garments
39 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.
**The Ephod **
[SUP]2[/SUP]They[SUP][a][/SUP] made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. [SUP]3[/SUP]They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen - the work of skilled hands. [SUP]4[/SUP]They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. [SUP]5[/SUP]Its skillfully woven waistband was like it - of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the LORD commanded Moses.
[SUP]6[/SUP]They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. [SUP]7[/SUP]Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
**The Breastpiece **
[SUP]8[/SUP]They fashioned the breastpiece - the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. [SUP]9[/SUP]It was square - a span[SUP]**[/SUP] long and a span wide - and folded double. [SUP]10[/SUP]Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; [SUP]11[/SUP]the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; [SUP]12[/SUP]the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; [SUP]13[/SUP]the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper.[SUP][c][/SUP] They were mounted in gold filigree settings. [SUP]14[/SUP]There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
[SUP]15[/SUP]For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. [SUP]16[/SUP]They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. [SUP]17[/SUP]They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, [SUP]18[/SUP]and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. [SUP]19[/SUP]They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. [SUP]20[/SUP]Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. [SUP]21[/SUP]They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod - as the LORD commanded Moses.
**Other Priestly Garments **
[SUP]22[/SUP]They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth - the work of a weaver - [SUP]23[/SUP]with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar,[SUP][d][/SUP] and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. [SUP]24[/SUP]They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. [SUP]25[/SUP]And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. [SUP]26[/SUP]The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the LORD commanded Moses.
[SUP]27[/SUP]For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen - the work of a weaver - [SUP]28[/SUP]and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. [SUP]29[/SUP]The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn - the work of an embroiderer - as the LORD commanded Moses.
[SUP]30[/SUP]They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. [SUP]31[/SUP]Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the LORD commanded Moses.
**Moses Inspects the Tabernacle **
[SUP]32[/SUP]So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. [SUP]33[/SUP]Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; [SUP]34[/SUP]the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather[SUP][e][/SUP] and the shielding curtain; [SUP]35[/SUP]the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; [SUP]36[/SUP]the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; [SUP]37[/SUP]the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; [SUP]38[/SUP]the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; [SUP]39[/SUP]the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; [SUP]40[/SUP]the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; [SUP]41[/SUP]and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.
[SUP]42[/SUP]The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. [SUP]43[/SUP]Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Setting Up the Tabernacle
40 Then the LORD said to Moses: [SUP]2[/SUP]"Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. [SUP]3[/SUP]Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. [SUP]4[/SUP]Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. [SUP]5[/SUP]Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
[SUP]6[/SUP]"Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; [SUP]7[/SUP]place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. [SUP]8[/SUP]Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.
[SUP]9[/SUP]"Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. [SUP]10[/SUP]Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. [SUP]11[/SUP]Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.
[SUP]12[/SUP]“Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. [SUP]13[/SUP]Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. [SUP]14[/SUP]Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. [SUP]15[/SUP]Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” [SUP]16[/SUP]Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]17[/SUP]So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. [SUP]18[/SUP]When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. [SUP]19[/SUP]Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]20[/SUP]He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. [SUP]21[/SUP]Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]22[/SUP]Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain [SUP]23[/SUP]and set out the bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]24[/SUP]He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle [SUP]25[/SUP]and set up the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]26[/SUP]Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain [SUP]27[/SUP]and burned fragrant incense on it, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]28[/SUP]Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. [SUP]29[/SUP]He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the LORD commanded him.
[SUP]30[/SUP]He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, [SUP]31[/SUP]and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. [SUP]32[/SUP]They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the LORD commanded Moses.
[SUP]33[/SUP]Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.
The Glory of the LORD
[SUP]34[/SUP]Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. [SUP]35[/SUP]Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
[SUP]36[/SUP]In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; [SUP]37[/SUP]but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out - until the day it lifted. [SUP]38[/SUP]So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
Footnotes:
[LIST=a]
[li]Exodus 39:2 Or He; also in verses 7, 8 and 22[/li][li]Exodus 39:9 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters[/li][li]Exodus 39:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.[/li][li]Exodus 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.[/li][li]Exodus 39:34 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals[/li][/LIST]
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Dex’s Notes
EXODUS 39
This chapter corresponds to Chapter 28 (Making the Priestly Vestments), with a little additional information, and seven affirmations that each item was done exactly as instructed.
Verse 32: Note that the wording “all the work… was completed” matches Genesis 2:1. There must be a lot of anxiety: they’ve finished it, but is it done right? And what do we do next (post-natal let-down)? Now we must share it, hand it over to God. Again verses 42 - 43 reflect the verbs of creation: Moses is to the Tabernacle as God is to the world. After creation, a blessing - Moses blesses the people, as God blessed everything (Gen 2:3).
CH 40
The chapter marks the opening of the Tabernacle, on the first day of the first month, one year exactly from the date of the announcement of freedom (see Ex 12:1). This is reiterated in verse 17. The NIV re-orders the sentence to make smoother English, but the Hebrew word order is “on the first day of the first month, set up the Tabernacle” meaning the date is important. First day of first month, a new year, another new beginning.
(The Hebrew calendar is a complicated one that I won’t deal with here. Suffice to say that there are several different “new years.” This one is in the spring, first new moon, and the celebration of Passover is 14 days later at the full moon. This marked the new year for most official purposes, such as taxes, counting the years of the kings, etc. The more commonly expressed Jewish New Year Rosh Hashonah, comes in the fall - that’s the spiritual new year. )
They set up the Tabernacle, and then the staff comes in. The priests are washed with water and then anointed with oil, basically two washings. The first (v 12) is a kind of “rebirth” the second (v 13) is an investiture or transformation. Again, in verses 32-33, two washings: the priests wash before entering the Tabernacle and before approaching the altar.
Verse 20: At the core of the Israelite religion, the center of the holiest place, was tablets of covenantal law. This is a religion based on words and laws.
Moses is the first person to set things up and serve in God’s residence. The repetitions in verses 22ff indicate extreme obedience, he was following instructions perfectly.
Verses 34 - 38 end the book of Exodus, with a Revelation. Recall the symmetry of this last section of the book:
Revelation (Chs 24:12 - 18)
Blue Prints for the Tabernacle (Chs 25 - 31:11)
Laws of Sabbath (Heb: Shabbat) (Chs 31:12 - 17)
The Golden Calf incident (31:18 - 34:55)
Laws of Sabbath (35:1 - 3)
Construction of the Tabernacle (35:4 - 40:33)
Revelation (40:32 - 38)
So here’s another symmetry: the section began with the cloud on the mountain top (24:15) and ends with the cloud coming down to settle in the Tabernacle (40:32ff.) The intimate presence (“glory”) of God begins on the mountain, and comes to reside on earth. The necessary in-between step is the building of the Tabernacle.
OVERVIEW OF EXODUS:
I find this a remarkable work of literature and theology (or “inspirational literature,” if you prefer. If you don’t think it’s historic or you don’t want religion, think of it as epic fantasy with an incredibly strong moral center.
The book starts with a people in slavery, misery, and oppression; and ends with a Divine Spirit hovering over them, day and night. It starts with an unjust society, ruled by the whim of one man (Pharaoh) and ends with a society of laws of justice independent of the leadership.
For me, it’s extremely uplifting.
This has been very interesting. Thanks!
I do find it interesting as I don’t think I had ever read them before. I’m not saying I’m going to read it often but I do find the descriptions of the items and the tabernacle interesting. It is too bad that the parallels in language couldn’t be kept in English better. Glad to have the experts on the boards!
vislor
I actually was recently thinking about how the Bible feels more modern because it doesn’t overuse descriptions like the “classics” of English literature tend to do (to make up for the lack of visuals). But here’s a clear counterexample. This shows just how important this all was.
We know a whole lot about what the temple looked like, but Moses or even later Jesus we have to guess.
Can you expand on this or do you have an example in mind? Or were you thinking of the general trend of repeating things and, like me, are just now seeing that the bible did it as well?
What I’m finding interesting, based on that idea, is how modern the bible does feel because they kept translating it and working to keep it modern. It seems that in doing so, though, they do lose some of the literature aspects of it and even lose some of the literary prose, as we have seen in these threads.
Thanks!
vislor
I just mean that you hardly ever read long descriptions of scenes or people or anything. You have it here, because the Tabernacle is important. But, most of the time, the narrative is a very matter of fact style.
The only exception I can think of is in Song of Songs, where the lover and the beloved are heavily described. But even that’s not the kind where they are trying to paint a picture in your mind. Even the poetry in Psalms is not heavy with visual imagery.
I associate all this with modern fiction. We have movies and television and other things for raw beauty. Otherwise, you just tend to get told what’s going on, like someone is telling you a story.
It has nothing to do with the translation. Just not getting bogged down in getting the reader to visualize the scene.
BigT:
Well, don’t forget that the details of Tabernacle construction aren’t merely descriptions, they’re laws as well. When the Israelites were later to set up sanctuaries, this was the template that these sanctuaries were meant to follow. It wasn’t exactly the same (after all, the Holy Temples in Jerusalem were much grander than the smaller, mobile Tablernacle) but the laws of what elements are required for a valid sanctuary, and knowledge of what can or can’t be changed (for practicality or grandeur), all have their starting point in these chapters. And the Priestly garments in future generations were created based on the specifications of these chapters, without variation.
Not much to add except my usual thanks to all.
When I last did Bible study on this passage, the theme that came out was the meticulous loving care the author was taking to get every detail exactly right. As much craftmanship went into the writing as goes into the manufacture of the various artifacts described. This meant a lot to the Jews, and they wanted it to be perfect.
Being able to witness that kind of devotion makes the observer better people. IMO.
Regards,
Shodan
Darn, we lost traction again. I really miss this! I have really enjoyed the study of the Bible this way.
If I can help, I will! Do I just need to post the next chapter(s)?
Thanks!
vislor
Sorry. I didn’t know if people would want to continue without Dex’s comments, especially since Leviticus has even less going on narrative wise. I meant to set up a thread asking for opinions, but with the holidays and then family stuff, I never go around to it. And since no one messaged me or anything, I assumed no one cared.
Plus it was a relief not to have a weekly thing to manage while I was going through some tough times.
It’s a bit more complicated than just posting the scripture. You have to figure out how much scripture to post in order to make a cohesive whole, to give us enough to actually talk about without giving us too much. Dex and I had ongoing discussions on how to group these things. (I mostly used this website as a base, grouping together subsections I thought were too short.)
For example, I would inititially suggest grouping Leviticus like this:
1-5 6-7 8-10 11-15 16 17-19
20 21-22 23 24 25-26 27
Some of it is just grouping, and some of it is just ideas of what topics might suggest longer things to talk about, like when Sabbath or the death penalty come up. I also separate out narrative sections from the legal sections.
If you want, I can go ahead and create my fancy scripture portions separated out like that, upload them somewhere, and send you a link. (The way I make them is semi-automated.)
IMHO, the book of exodus was the deliverance of Israel people to the slavery from Egypt. Both chapter 39 & 40 was a detail instruction from God on what and how the tabernacle should be build.
You are probably correct that we need Dex’s input. I’m no scholar of them but enjoyed reading Dex and other’s input on the passages. If you need a break from the posting it, certainly send me the link(s). However, without the scholar’s inputs, it might not be worth it to go to the next chapters without discussing the current chapters. Further, if you needed a break, that’s certainly understandable! I didn’t hear anything and wanted poster’s to know that at least I appreciate the discussion!
Thanks!
vislor
BigT:
I’m sorry to hear you were having tough times. Is everything OK now?
Better, but OK is debatable. I think I’ll take visior up on his offer, just so I don’t have to worry about whether the thread gets posted. In the future, I may just have a place set up with the scriptures, and anyone who wants to can post it, kinda like the MMP or poker game.
BTW, when Dex was telling me of people who might be able to sort of “take his place” he mentioned you and your comments. Do you think you’d be willing to check in once a week or so and leave your fairly scholarly comments, or at least to answer questions people might have?
Well, I was going to create a Google Docs account with the pertinent documents in it, but Google is trying to force me to give a phone number, and I’m not giving my phone number to something I’m going to be turning over to or co-managing with someone else. (There’s nothing in the terms about keeping the verification number private from the user.)
I may work around it using various means, but, until I do, I guess I’ll just email vislor a zip file with the important stuff in it.
Also, my apologies for misspelling your name earlier, vislor.
I’ll try to do so. All the best, Big T
Yes, all the best.
No problem about the name.
I will try and keep this going!
vislor