Chapter Twenty-Six
The Tent-Like Structure
26:1 “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
Even though there is one more item that will be placed inside the tent-like structure (namely the altar of incense, or golden altar, see Exodus 30:1-10), the text now shifts to the building of the structure itself. We are introduced to the Hebrew word ‘yerî·’ā(h)’,[1] a noun that denotes a curtain, a hanging, or a form of a shelter covering; usually translated as curtain. Once again beginning from the inside, the structure’s interior is to be made from ten curtains of fine twined linen with blue, purple, and scarlet yarns depicting cherubim skillfully sewn into them.
26:2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
These curtains were to be forty-two feet long and six feet wide. They are to be coupled (Hebrew ‘ḥō·ḇerōṯ’,[2] meaning to join together, can refer to being placed in the proximity of each other without attachment) together creating two groups consisting of five curtains in each group.
26:4 And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
The edge of the last curtain of each set of curtains was to have fifty loops sewn in. These loops are to match fifty loops on the next curtain. The curtains are to be coupled together using fifty clasps that are to be made of gold, making one single whole curtain inside the structure.
26:7 “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.
The exterior of the structure was to have curtains made of goat’s hair (first introduced in the story of Jacob pretending to be his brother Esau in front of his blind father, see Genesis 27:16). The use of the eleventh curtain will be explained in verse nine.
26:8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. 9 You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent.
The exterior curtains were to be a little longer, being forty-five feet by six feet wide to provide an overlap (see verse 13). One single set of five curtains were to be coupled together and one set of six curtains were to be coupled together. The sixth curtain was to be used at the front of the structure and was to be doubled over.
26:10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. 11 “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.
Like the interior curtains, loops were to be made for the exterior curtains as well. The clasps were to be made of bronze instead of gold, undoubtedly for both greater strength and weather durability.
26:12 And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
The extra curtain was to be folded back in the front of the structure (see verse 9) and the part that remains (three feet) was to extend over the back of the structure.
26:13 And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. 14 And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
The extra length of the curtains, being 18 inches on each side, was to hang over the side edges of the structure. Two more layers were to cover the roof. The text reads that one layer is to be “tanned rams’ skins” and the top layer to be “goatskins,” here we find the same Hebrew phrase first encountered in Exodus 25:5 also translated as “goatskins,” which refers to an unknown animal.[3]
26:15 “You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.
The frame for the structure was to be made of acacia wood. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘frames’ is ‘qerā·šîm’,[4] which can be a board, a plank, or a frame (translations vary significantly, the exact meaning is unknown). Regardless of translation, the application is clear, these are to be part of the structure’s frame.
26:16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 17 There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. 18 You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side;
Each frame member was to be 15 feet long (which will be the height of the structure) and 27 inches wide. Two tenons (Hebrew word ‘yā·ḏôṯ’,[5] referring to a hand, this word is often used in the Old Testament in a figurative application, here they would be peg-like projections used to join to each other, like a hook) were to be attached to each frame. For the south wall, twenty boards were to be made, making the structure 45 feet long.
26:19 and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons;
Before describing the construction of the north side of the structure, God discusses the need to make 40 bases of silver for the 20 tenons of the south wall to sit on and attach to. The Hebrew word ‘ě·ḏěn’[6] can be translated base, pedestal, or socket. The actual size, shape, or weight of these bases are unknown, some estimate that they could have weighed up to 100 pounds each.
26:20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, 21 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. 22 And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames.
The construction of the northern wall is to be identical to the south wall. The rear of the structure (west side) is to be constructed using six boards (13.5 feet being the center segment, the next two verses describe the additional boards for the corners).
26:23 And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; 24 they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. 25 And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
These three verses can be difficult to understand, the New Living Translation may offer some clarity, “along with two additional frames to reinforce the rear corners of the Tabernacle. These corner frames will be matched at the bottom and firmly attached at the top with a single ring, forming a single corner unit. Make both of these corner units the same way. So there will be eight frames at the rear of the Tabernacle, set in sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.” (Exodus 26:22-25, NLT) Two additional boards would be placed “doubling up” and extend slightly beyond the side walls giving additional strength to the rear corners of the structure. They are to be attached together at the top, but not on the bottom.
26:26 “You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end.
Wooden bars were to be made from acacia wood, five bars for each side. The text does not elaborate how these bars are to be positioned on the boards. Some believe that this is a reference to five rows of bars, while others believe that there were three rows with the top and bottom using two shorter rods and the middle rod being a single long rod extending from the front to the rear.
26:29 You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
Each of the boards and bars were to be overlaid with gold and the rings that will hold the bars are to be made of gold. The conjunction ‘then’ found at the beginning of verse 30, can be interpreted as a directive to start construction once the items presented so far are completed[7] or it was a break to reiterate that everything was to be done according to the plan or model that God was showing to Moses (see also Exodus 25:9, 40).
26:31 “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
A veil (Hebrew word ‘pā·rō’·ḵěṯ’,[8] another word than means ‘curtain’, used 25 times in Scripture, which always refers to the curtain that separates the two inner rooms, including later in the Temple), is to be made out of fine linen and the blue-, purple- and scarlet-colored yarns. It was to be made with the image of at least two cherub angels worked into it (see verse one).
It was the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place in the Second Temple (although likely much thicker and heavier), that ripped from the top down when Jesus was crucified (see Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45), signifying that the separation between man and God was no longer required. Due to victory on the cross, Jesus gives every Christian direct access to God. The ripping of the curtain from the top down clearly identifies that this was the action of God, not of man.
26:32 And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. 34 You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.
The veil was to be supported on four vertical pillars (or posts) made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, using hooks also made of gold. Each vertical post was to set on one base made of silver. The Ark of the Testimony with the Mercy Seat lid on top were to be placed in the smaller room near the back of the structure and the veil was to separate the larger room called the Holy Place from that smaller room known as the Most Holy Place (essentially a cube-shaped room).
26:35 And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.
Both the table for the bread of Presence was to be placed along the north wall and the lampstand were to be placed along the south wall of the structure (the left side as you enter from the outside).
26:36 “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. 37 And 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 bases of bronze for them.
The Hebrew word ‘mā·sāḵ’,[9] is another term that can be translated as a curtain, or a cover. When translated as a screen, as it is here, it should not be confused with the English definition of a perforated plate, meshed wire, or netting, like what a modern screen door is made out of. This application would be more like what the word ‘curtain’ means to people in a modern home, something often opened and closed. This screen would need to be made with fine twined linen with the blue-, purple- and scarlet-colored yarns, embroidered in the linen using needlework (Hebrew phrase “mǎ·’ǎśē(h[10])’ rō·qēm,”[11] essentially meaning the product or workmanship of the weaver). This screen was to be supported on five wooden stand-alone pillars overlaid with gold using hooks made out of gold, the method of how they were suspended is not mentioned. These five pillars were to be set in five bases made from bronze.
Considerations
There are three metals that regularly appear in Scripture that relate to the concept of redemption, sometimes directly, like silver being exchanged for freedom of a slave, or indirectly, such as something made of bronze pointing to judgment. The three metals are gold, silver, and bronze. The Bible is consistent on how these metals are used. Here in the text where God is instructing Moses on how to construct the Tabernacle, we see that pure gold is used on things that are near to God. For example, all the metal objects inside of the structure are either overlaid with gold or are made entirely with gold. The metal represents purity and, indirectly, perfection; being without sin. The alloy of bronze, since it can withstand high heat and is a stronger metal, is used to construct objects such as the bronze altar where the animal sacrifices are made, it seemingly represents the opposite of gold, namely judgment and sin. Most of the metals outside the Tabernacle are made of bronze. One might easily summarize and conclude that this is reasonable since they need to be weather-resistant, that is true, but we risk missing another, subtle, but powerful theme being presented here.
The other metal is silver, and we have already seen the direct use of silver in Scripture (see Genesis 17:12-13; Exodus 21:32, some translations use the term ‘money’ but it is the same word referring to silver) and there are many more references in both the Old Testament (for example see Exodus 30:11-16; 38:26-27) and the New Testament (see Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3-10). Silver clearly represents redemption (or a ransom).[12] Note how silver is being used in the construction of the Tabernacle. If the interior of the structure represents God and the exterior represents the fallen world, note that the structure itself sits on silver and is never in direct contact of the earth (the entrance veil that is sitting on bronze is not attached to the structure). It is true that the purpose of the Tabernacle was to provide a way for a holy God to dwell among sinful people, but the story does not stop there. The Tabernacle, even in the subtle detail of gold sitting on silver, points to both the temporary system of atonement of sins through the sacrifices of animals, and it also points to redemption that is available to all people through the Messiah, Jesus. The silver represents the intermediary, the one who bridges the monstrous gap between God and mankind, He paid the price for our redemption with His blood. “But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God? Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:11-15, CSB, see also Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:23; 6:20)
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 3407.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 2266.
[3] See commentary under Exodus 25:5.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 7175 (‘qe’·rěš’, singular).
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 3027.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 134.
[7] See commentary under Exodus 24:12 regarding the Hebrew conjunction.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 6532.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 4539.
[10] Strong’s Hebrew 4639.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 7551.
[12] See commentary under Exodus 13:10-15.