Deeper Commentary
Exo 26:1 Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains;
of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim. By
the work of the skilful workman you shall make them-
The ark was covered in the tabernacle by the various layers of the
tent detailed in Ex. 26:1-6: sea cows' skins, red rams skins, goats hair,
blue, purple, scarlet and linen. These would form a kind of rainbow over
the ark, and above that there was the Angel in the pillar of cloud or
fire. This "pattern of things in the Heavens" (Heb. 9:23,24) replicated the visions of a
throne (the ark) over-arched by a rainbow and the glory of God.
When David says in 2 Sam. 7:2 that he doesn't want Yahweh to have to dwell in "curtains", this doesn't mean that David was concerned that God's ark was under a tent, whilst he lived in a house. Rather is the reference to the ten curtains which comprised the tabernacle. David was assuming that he could change the Mosaic commandments about the tabernacle, and move God's purpose forward to something more permanent. We see here how he didn't consider the laws of Moses [of which the commands about the tabernacle were part] to be static. He saw them as open to interpretation and development. This was not a position he came to lightly, seeing he had been terribly punished for thinking he could flout the legislation about how the ark was to be transported.
Many of the commands within the "law of Moses" were clearly only intended for the wilderness generation, indeed they could only have been obeyed by them then; and David wondered whether the entire commands about the tabernacle were in that category. Those today who claim that Mosaic legislation is eternally binding need to give this due weight. It's not just that the Mosaic law was abrogated by the Lord's death; but the whole nature of that law was that it was never intended to all be literally applied to every subsequent generation. And that meant that it was the spirit of it which was to be discerned and followed.
Exo 26:2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits,
and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains shall have
one measure-
28 cubits is 42 feet (12.8 meters), and 4 cubits is 6 feet (1.8
meters). "Curtain" in Hebrew is literally a thing which hang and shakes,
and the essential word is used for "fear". The impression is of man
trembling before Yahweh's holiness.
Exo 26:3 Five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and the
other five curtains shall be coupled one to another-
"Coupled together" is s.w. "have fellowship with" (Ps. 94:20), and
often of men 'joining together'. Clearly we are to sense that the curtains
represented God's people. The theme of coupling and joining together
occurs throughout the record of the tabernacle. Unity amongst believers is
to be the outcome of the indwelling of God's glory. Disunity results from
simply not having perceived His glory. For before that, all disunity
disappears as we are awed by His grace and convicted of our own smallness
and unworthiness.
Exo 26:4 You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from
the edge in the coupling; and likewise you shall make in the edge of the
curtain that is outmost in the second coupling-
See on :3. "Blue" may refer to a mussel they had picked up on the
shores of the Red Sea, which was used for dying things blue. If we wish to
attach symbolic meaning to everything- and that isn't necessarily the
right way to read the tabernacle account- then we could think of "blue" as
representing the sky, heaven. It is of God that we are bound together,
linked together by His Spirit in a unity which can only come from Him. For
the human tendency is naturally to disagreement and disunity rather than
to unity.
Exo 26:5 You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make
fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that is in the second coupling. The
loops shall be opposite one to another-
The record loves to stress the interlocking nature of the tabernacle.
This points forward to our unity between each other, linked together by
the blue loops of Heaven; God's unity. See on :4.
Exo 26:6 You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one
to another with the clasps: and the tabernacle shall be one-
There is great emphasis in Ex. 26 that the tabernacle was "one",
joined together in such a way that taught the lesson of unity. The
spiritual tabernacle, the believers, was "pitched" by the Lord-
translating a Greek word which suggests 'crucifixion' (Heb. 8:2). Through
the cross, the one, united tabernacle was pitched. To tear down that
structure by disuniting the body is to undo the work of the cross.
Exo 26:7 You shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the
tabernacle. You shall make them eleven curtains-
"Covering" is literally 'a tent'. There was to be a tent over the
tent, as if a vertical expression of the horizontal division of the
tabernacle into the holy and most holy places. The external appearance of
the tabernacle would therefore have been rough; and beauty was on the
inside. This contrasts with the pagan way of attaching value to external
beauty, whilst inside, the places of worship were not so attractive. God
looks upon the internal, upon the heart; and leaves the external as
unattractive to secular eyes.
Exo 26:8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the
breadth of each curtain four cubits: the eleven curtains shall have one
measure-
Comparing this with the size of the actual tabernacle, which is far
smaller, it is clear that the tent which covered it must have been sloped,
and also probably extended to each side of the tabernacle. Hence the
mention of an overhang in :12.
Exo 26:9 You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by
themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of
the tent-
"By themselves" is s.w. "pole" or "stave", and this makes better
sense. The idea is 'curtains on poles' or curtain rods.
Exo 26:10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that
is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain
which is outmost in the second coupling-
The tabernacle represents God’s dwelling place. He
now no longer lives in any physical structure, but in the hearts of His
people, who between them comprise His new dwelling place. We can however
learn lessons from the principles behind the tabernacle construction.
Great emphasis was placed on how the components were all interlocking- the
curtains coupled together, the boards were joined by bars etc. It is by
our unity and connection with each other that God will dwell amongst us.
Christianity can’t be lived in isolation- we need each other.
Exo 26:11 You shall make fifty clasps of brass, and put the clasps into
the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one-
As noted on :10, the language looks forward to the unity of the body
of believers. "That it may be one" is clearly alluded to by the Lord Jesus
when He prayed "that they may be one" (Jn. 17:11,21-23).
Exo 26:12 The overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent,
the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle-
See on :8. The "part that remains" is the half-breadth by which the
rough outer tent would overlap the linen covering.
Exo 26:13 The cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of
that which remains in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang
over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover
it-
The outer tent of goats' hair was 30 cubits broad (Ex. 26:8), whilst
the internal linen 'tent' was 28 cubits. There was therefore one cubit
overhang on each side. "The cubit" here therefore means "one cubit".
Exo 26:14 You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red,
and a covering of sea cow hides above-
They were dyed red to represent how the blood of
Christ is the covering for God’s people.
Exo 26:15 You shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood,
standing up-
"Acacia" is literally "thorns". It is translated "thorns" in Josh.
23:13. It refers to the common thorn bushes found in the scrubland they
were passing through in the desert. Thorns were part of the curse in Eden.
But from this weak material which was very difficult to work with,
brittle, fragile and very weak, God covered this weak, difficult wood with
gold and constructed a system with it where His glory might dwell. It all
speaks of how He uses us. And we connect this with how God speaks of His
people are wood from a vine tree, which is not used by anyone else for
making anything; but He uses it for His work (Ez. 15:1-6). We shouldn't be surprised at the brittle nature of the folk with whom God works, their difficulty in binding together and resistance to being worked with- this is as it were all God has to work with.
It was a surprising choice of material to be used in God’s dwelling
place. But His choice of us with
all our weakness and dysfunction, the common, weak stuff of the
wilderness, is no less surprising. The choice of acacia wood for
constructing the tabernacle is one of several points in the whole
enterprise where it seems a less than ideal material was chosen, from a
construction point of view. This aspect emphasizes that God prefers to
work with the soft, weak and easily broken in order to do His work.
"Standing up" seems to mean that the boards were not to merely sink into the dust of the earth, but to hold together in such a way that they would be stable, because the outer tent would keep the wind from blowing over the structure. This detail may be significant if we follow through the idea that the boards represent God's people. They are not to sink into the dust, but to take strength and stability from connection with each other, and to trust in God's protection from the wind.
Exo 26:16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and one and a half
cubits the breadth of each board-
Acacia bushes don't grow so long nor straight. These boards would
have been very difficult to construct (see on :15), and would have
involved much joining together of pieces of wood which were difficult to
work with. It was an appropriate symbol for the kind of human material
which goes to make up God's dwelling place. For God dwells in the
community of His people, and not within wood and stone. The materials of
the tabernacle therefore represent us His people. See on :17.
Exo 26:17 There shall be two tenons in each board, joined to one another:
thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle-
"Tenons" is the word for "hands", again encouraging us to see the
boards as God's people, joined together by as it were holding hands. See
on :16.
Exo 26:18 You shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for
the south side southward-
Heb. "on the south side, to the right". Semitic thought is often
expressed from the perspective of a person facing east. See on :20.
Exo 26:19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards;
two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under
another board for its two tenons-
If each socket weighed a talent (Ex. 38:27), the forty silver sockets
would have been really big and solid. The connection between the boards
was critical, because according to Ex. 26:15 they were "standing up". This
seems to mean that the boards were not to merely sink into the dust of the
earth, but to hold together in such a way that they would be stable. So
the large size and weight of the sockets is appropriate. The internal
cohesion and corroboration within the account of the tabernacle is such
that it is a profound reflection of the Divine inspiration of the record.
Exo 26:20 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty
boards-
"The north side" is literally "the left side". As noted on Ex. 26:18,
the south side was "to the right". Semitic thought is often expressed from
the perspective of a person facing east. The left hand side was considered
the side of lesser favour (Gen 48:13-20). This perhaps was why the
candlestick was placed on the right or south side of the tent (Ex. 40:24).
Exo 26:21 and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board,
and two sockets under another board-
Sockets, eden, is related to adon, "Lord", in that
the word carries the same idea of strength. Again, language appropriate to
persons is used of the tabernacle components; for the whole thing pointed
forward to the body of believers, in whom God walks and dwells.
Exo 26:22 For the far part of the tabernacle westward you shall make six
boards-
"Westward" is LXX "the back". These six boards would have given a
breadth of only nine cubits. We can therefore conclude that the corner
post boards of :23 on each side were half a cubit broad, to account for
the extra cubit.
Exo 26:23 You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in
the far part-
As explained on :22, these corner posts were half a cubit broad.
Exo 26:24 They shall be double beneath, and in the same way they shall be
whole to its top to one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall
be for the two corners-
The Hebrew is unclear. GNB, which uses "frames" instead of NEV
"boards", offers: "These corner frames are to be joined at the bottom and
connected all the way to the top. The two frames that form the two corners
are to be made in this way".
Exo 26:25 There shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver,
sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under
another board-
The LXX gives "posts" instead of "boards", suggesting there may have
been other material in between those posts. "Sockets" is rendered "bases"
by some. The idea was that the boards did not sink down into the dust of
the earth (see on :15), but the whole structure was kept upright by the
tight connection between the boards / posts. These "eight boards" are the
six and two of :22,23.
Exo 26:26 You shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the
one side of the tabernacle-
As noted often, acacia wood is very weak. The bars themselves would
likely have been made from various parts of this weak bush wood being
joined together. The boards likewise were made of this very weak material
which it was difficult to join together. But the overall design enabled
the whole system to stand strongly, without sinking into the earth (:15),
because of the strength of the interconnections. It is a profound picture
of the strength of the overall body of believers thanks to the working of
God's Spirit and His design; at least potentially. And the strength is
only possible if the interconnections are made and not broken by petty
arguments about "fellowship".
Exo 26:27 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 far part westward-
We are left to assume that these bars would have passed through rings
made on the boards for this purpose.
Exo 26:28 The middle bar in the midst of the boards shall pass through
from end to end-
This middle bar would therefore have been 30 cubits / 45 feet
long. It would have had to be constructed of bits of acacia, which is no
more than a common thorn bush. This singular middle bar, which held the
boards in shape and close to each other, looks forward to the Lord Jesus.
Exo 26:29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of
gold for places for the bars: and you shall overlay the bars with gold-
The weak acacia wood was to be overlaid with gold. "Overlay" in
Hebrew carries the idea of to be seen, to be looked at. This was how God
looked at that weak acacia wood, as if it was the finest gold. This was an
Old Testament anticipation of what the New Testament calls imputed
righteousness; we the weak acacia wood, the thorn bush, are looked at as
pure gold. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, and one outcome of
love is to consider the beloved as far more glorious than they are.
Exo 26:30 You shall set up the tabernacle according to the way that it was
shown to you on the mountain-
We wonder whether Moses was given a vision of how the tabernacle
would look when constructed.
Exo 26:31 You shall make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen, with cherubim. The work of the skilful workman shall it be
made-
The veil represented the flesh of the Lord Jesus (Heb. 10:20), and
also the fact that the way into the most holy place, representing God
Himself in Heaven, was somehow barred. But when the Lord died, the veil
was torn from top [by God] to bottom (Mt. 27:51), and thus the way into
direct personal fellowship with God was permanently opened for all- not
just the high priest once a year (Heb. 9:8,24; 10:19). This
understanding was so radical for Jewish minds. For the high priest could
only nervously enter the most holy place briefly, once every year on the
day of atonement. But now the believer in Christ can enter into full and
permanent fellowship with God Himself. This was all achieved through the
Lord's flesh being torn. The fine linen speaks of His righteousness (Rev.
19:8), the blue of His association with God in Heaven, the crimson of His
blood, and the purple of His Kingship (Jn. 19:2). All this was worked into
the veil, and the overall product of it was glory to God, represented by
the image of cherubim superimposed upon all this.
The veil represents Christ in His humanity (Heb.
10:20). His character was complexly woven and beautiful, with the white
linen or righteousness (Rev. 19:8) running as a thread through His entire
character. Weaving complex strands and patterns therefore speaks of how
God worked to develop the character of Christ, and He likewise weaves in
our lives too, if we are open to His working.
Exo 26:32 You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold;
their hooks shall be of gold, on four sockets of silver-
At this point we may note that the LXX usually gives "incorruptible
wood" for "acacia". Yet as noted on :15, "acacia" is s.w. "thorn". It was
the common thorn bush of the desert, a result of the curse in Eden; and
yet there is this sense of incorruption and eternity associated with it by
the LXX. The LXX has Ex 30:1-10 coming after Ex. 26:32, and this may well
be correct.
Exo 26:33 You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring the
ark of the testimony in there within the veil: and the veil shall separate
the holy place from the most holy for you-
The veil screened off the Most Holy Place, where the
very presence of God was. When Christ died, this veil was torn down (Mt.
26:51), from top to bottom- indicating it was done by God and not men.
Through His death, anyone who believes in Him can do continually what the
High Priest could do only once per year- come right into the very presence
of God Himself.
Exo 26:34 You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the
most holy place-
This again indicates that the mercy seat was not part of the ark, but
was a detachable lid.
Exo 26:35 You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand over
against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you
shall put the table on the north side-
The structure of the tabernacle pointed ahead to man's approach to
God under the Christian dispensation. First, a man had to bow his head in
order to pass through the gate. Humility is essential. Then there was
acceptance of the principle of sacrifice, the large altar; followed by the
laver or washing basin, speaking of baptism. Beyond that is the table of
shewbread (breaking of bread), the candlestick (church life) and the
incense altar (prayer). After this is the veil, through which we can pass
in Christ into the most holy place, and the presence of God Himself.
Exo 26:36 You shall make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer-
The New Testament therefore speaks of "the second veil" (Heb. 9:3)
which screened the most holy place. This was of the same material as the
veil which covered the door into the holy place, but was more elaborate,
including the cherubim motif whereas the first veil didn't. Perhaps the
idea is that it is through the Lord Jesus, represented by the veil, that
we enter into the community of believers; He is the door and by Him alone
a sheep can enter the fold. But it is likewise also through Him,
displaying an even greater glory and beauty, that we shall enter into the
presence of God Himself.
The "fine twined linen" was given to them on leaving Egypt, as it was characteristic of Egypt ("fine twined linen fom Egypt" Ez. 27:7). It was apparently only in Egypt at that time that such fine linen was "made from yarn of which each thread was composed of many delicate strands". We see that the best wealth we take from Egypt / the world is to be devoted to the Lord's work.
Exo 26:37 You shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and
overlay them with gold: their hooks shall be of gold; and you shall cast
five sockets of brass for them-
We contrast this gold and brass with the gold and silver fittings for
the veil which screened the most holy place. It is easy to over interpret,
to see significance never intended, in our European obsession with a 'this
= that' schema or hermeneutic. Probably the simple idea was that there was
to be an increasing sense of glory as one approached closer to the most
holy place. We may note that the expense, beauty and intricacy of the
tabernacle grew greater the closer one got to the most holy. There was no
natural light in the tabernacle; it had no windows. And only the high
priest could enter the most holy once / year. The progressive beauty of
God's tabernacle was revealed to fewer and fewer people, the further one
progressed. This is in total contrast to the religious ways of the
surrounding religions, which made the greatest display of glory and beauty
on the outside, in the eyes of as many as possible; and progressively
decreased in detail and beauty within them.
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