Latest Commentaries

Moses gives guidelines concerning the slaughter of animals to be used for meals and not for sacrifices.

The requirements for worshipping the LORD when living in the Promised Land are brought to a close. Moses emphasizes the importance of obeying these commands to the letter.

Moses instructs the Israelites on how they are to conduct their worship in the land of Canaan. They are to bring all their offerings in the place which the Suzerain God chooses, and they are to rejoice for God’s blessings.

Moses asks the Israelites to worship the Suzerain (Ruler) God at the place which He chooses for His name to dwell.

Moses commands the Israelites to utterly destroy all the religious sites where the Canaanites serve their gods. He commands them to cut down the engraved images of the Canaanite gods in order to erase them from memory.

Now that the tabernacle had been erected, the LORD came to dwell amongst His people. He appeared as a cloud, like before, and His glory came to reside in the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:17-33 records the actual assembly of the tabernacle as the LORD commanded in verses 1-16. It began with the tabernacle itself, and then its furnishings were put in place. The altars were erected along with the laver. Then the curtains that comprised the walls of the courtyard were set up around the tabernacle.

The LORD commands Moses to set up the tabernacle. All of its components have now been built, so Moses assembles them.

Exodus 39:32-43 contains an inventory of the materials used to make the tabernacle and its furnishings. It signaled the completion of the tabernacle and listed the materials involved in its construction. Included in this section is a recognition of the people’s obedience by following the LORD’s instructions given to Moses. As a result, Moses blessed them.

Attached to the turban was its most prominent feature—the plate. It was engraved and fastened to the turban with a blue sash. The design of the golden plate was given in Exodus 28:36-38.

Other garments to be worn by the priests are made. These garments included the turban, caps, breeches, and the sash. The design of these items was given in Exodus 28:39-43.

The High Priest’s robe is constructed. It was made of blue material and decorated with pomegranates and gold bells. The design of the robe was given in Exodus 28:31-34.

Along with the ephod, the high priest wore a breastpiece. It was made of the same material as the ephod and had twelve stones arranged in four rows on it. Other items associated with the breastpiece were also built. The design of the breastpiece was given in Exodus 28:15-30.

The ephod is made. It is a special item of clothing for the high priest. It was fashioned of the material described in verse 1, along with twisted linen, as well as gold threads and onyx stones that would decorate it. The design of the ephod was given in Exodus 28:6-14.

Material for the priestly garments is manufactured. The specifications for making the material was given in Exodus 28:5.

Moses recounted the amount of material that was used to build the tabernacle. The emphasis here is on the amount of precious metals used to make the items for the tabernacle and in the tabernacle.

The tabernacle and all of its furnishings have now been built along with the two articles that were to be placed in the outer court (the altar of burnt offering and the laver). Now it was time to build the courtyard itself. The courtyard would surround the tabernacle and the outer court. The specifications for building the tabernacle courtyard were given in Exodus 27:9-19.

The bronze laver is constructed. The specifications for building the bronze laver and how it was to be used were given in Exodus 30:17-21.

The altar of burnt offering is built for the courtyard outside the tabernacle where worshippers would bring sacrifices to offer to the LORD. The specifications for building the altar of burnt offering and related utensils were given in Exodus 27:1-8.

The altar of incense is constructed. The making of the anointing oil and the incense is described. The specifications for building these items were given in Exodus 30:1-6.