Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Bronze Altar
27:1 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.
God now instructs Moses on how the items that will be used outside the structure are to be built, beginning with the first item one would see when entering the outer courtyard. The bronze altar is to be made of acacia wood and measure seven-and-a-half feet square with a height of four and a half feet.
27:2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
There were to be horn-like projections at each of the altar’s upper corners (see Psalms 118:27). The horns and the altar were to be one piece, and all were to be overlaid with bronze.
27:3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze.
They were to construct utensils for the operation of the bronze altar, including pots (Hebrew word ‘sî·rō·ṯāy’,[1] a common word for cooking pots, sometimes used to refer to a bowl-like object) to store ashes; shovels to remove ashes from the altar; basins (Hebrew word ‘miz̉·reqō·ṯāy’,[2] a bowl or basin designed to hold liquid, such as blood, water, or wine) to receive the blood of the sacrificed animal; forks (Hebrew word ‘miz·legō·ṯāy’,[3] a tool to grasp meat, sometimes translated as ‘fleshhook’); and fire pans (Hebrew word ‘mǎḥ·tō·ṯāy’,[4] can refer to a snuffholder, a firepan, a bucket, a pan, or container for carrying coals or incense, a censer), each to be made out of bronze.
27:4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar.
A grate was to be made for the altar, a network of bronze. The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘network’, is ‘rě·šěṯ’,[5] referring a network of crisscrossing of things, usually a network of ropes, wires, or metal strips, in this application a metal mesh grate. The grate was to be placed under the ledge (Hebrew ‘kǎr·kōḇ’,[6] a rim, a ledge, an edge) of the altar halfway down from the top of the altar. Some question if the grate was to place the meat on or be used to hold the wood (more than likely to place the meat on since nothing else serving that role was to be made). Some have even questioned whether the grate was placed around the outside of the altar for standing on when servicing the altar, as referenced in some rabbinic literature[7] (see Concept 1 below), or was it to be placed on the inside (see Concept 2)? While an exterior grate may have been part of the larger bronze altars built for the Temple to stand on, there is no indication in the text here to imply any other location other than on the interior of the altar. To be truly portable the bottom may have been open to the dirt (see Concept 3). Then rings, also made of bronze, were to be made and attached to each corner for transporting.
27:6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.
The altar was to be transported by poles that were to be made out acacia wood and overlaid with bronze. The rings were to be attached to the altar in such a way that, when the poles were inserted, allowed the altar to be carried from the side. The altar was to be made hollow (Hebrew word ‘neḇûḇ’,[8] meaning to hollow out or to create an empty space inside something), in this case it would refer to it being without a bottom. It was to be made out acacia wood boards (see verse one). Again God refers to the plan or model He showed Moses on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30).
Considerations
Reconciliation Through Sacrifice Revisited
The bronze altar was the primary instrument where an Israelite could seek reconciliation with God. It stood just beyond the opening in the courtyard and undoubtedly was in operation all hours of the day and night. This altar would be similar in construction and operation to a modern-day industrial BBQ (no disrespect intended). The bronze altar (also known as the Brazen Altar, or Altar of Burnt Offering), was the location where many of the offerings were to be made before God. There were several types of offerings,[9] and it was through offerings like these where the Israelite worshiped God, as they understood the giving something of worth (which is the root word in both the Middle English and Old English word ‘worship’) to please God, someone worthy of praise, not just appease Him. But more importantly, they understood the problem of sin and the absolute need for reconciliation of that problem, thus making the bronze altar a large part of each God-fearing Israelite’s life. God instructed that the altar be placed near the entrance of the Tabernacle (courtyard door, see Exodus 40:6), perhaps for people to watch their sacrifices being offered. The historian Josephus wrote this regarding King Solomon many years later regarding the placement of the bronze altar at the first Temple in his “The Antiquities of the Jews,” Book 8, Chapter Four (105):
But for the brazen altar, Solomon set it before the temple, over against the door, that when the door was opened, it might be exposed to sight, and the sacred solemnities, and the richness of the sacrifices, might be thence seen; and all the rest of the vessels they gathered together, and put them within the temple.[10]
The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘horns’ is ‘qǎr·nō·ṯāy’,[11] the root word being ‘qě’·rěn’, referring to either a horn or a hill, or perhaps some form of projection, as in the bony growths that grow out of the heads of various animals. In the Bible, horns have many applications, including being made into musical instruments, holding oil for anointing, etc. Scripture also often uses the illustration of horns being representative of political strength (for example see 1 Samuel 2:1; 1 Kings 22:11; Psalm 75:4; Jeremiah 48:25; Daniel 8:3-9, 20-21; Zachariah 1:18-21). The Hebrew word can also refer to a ray of light or the radiance of something.
It is interesting to note that the first appearance of this word was in Genesis 22:13 where God just stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and Abraham noticed a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Then the second time this word is used is here in the description of the construction of the bronze altar. Are these two altars connected? Remembering that shortly before Isaac had asked his father where the lamb was for the burnt offering and Abraham replied, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8, KJV) God did indeed provide Himself a lamb, His Son, as the ultimate offering, an offering made on the same hill many years later. Jesus was not sacrificed on an altar like these, but it does help us see how God uses these stories and processes of sacrifice that offer only a temporary solution to sin to point to the one and only eternal solution to sin, namely Jesus Christ.
The Courtyard of the Tabernacle
27:9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side.
The Tabernacle was to have an area cordoned off around the structure and all its outdoor components, with what may be called today a fenced-in courtyard. Once again starting with the south side, hangings (first appearance of the Hebrew word ‘qelā·’îm’,[12] a noun meaning a curtain, a drape, or something hanging), of fine linen were to extend 100 cubits or 150 feet.
27:10 Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
The hangings were to be supported by twenty vertical pillars made of bronze. The hooks to be attached to the pillars and the fillets (Hebrew word ‘hāšûq’,[13] bringing two or more together, something used to attach, could be a hook, a band around a pillar, etc.) are to be made of silver.
27:11 And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. 13 The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits.
The north wall of the courtyard was to be constructed in the same way as the south wall, both being 150 feet long. The west wall was to be constructed with hangings attached to ten pillars placed on ten bases, for a total width of fifty cubits or 75 feet.
27:14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15 On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases.
On the east side, the entrance to the courtyard, the hangings were to extend fifteen cubits (22.5 feet) from each of the walls forming a twenty-cubit wide (30 feet) opening in the middle of the east wall. The opening, referred to here as a gate (Hebrew word ‘šǎ’·’ǎr’,[14] an entrance),[15] was to have a screen twenty cubits wide, made of fine twined linen with blue, purple, and scarlet yarns embroidered much like the screen made for the entrance to the structure.[16] The screen was to be attached to four pillars and four bases (material described in next verse).
27:17 All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze.
All of the pillars used around the courtyard were to be filleted (banded together)[17] with silver, hooks made of silver, and the bases for each pillar were to be made of bronze.
27:18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze.
The courtyard dimensions are summarized as being 100 cubits (150 feet) long by 50 cubits (75 feet) wide with a height of the ‘fence’ to be 5 cubits (7 ½ feet) tall. Since there are to be 20 pillars along the length of the 100-cubit wall, each section of hangings would be 5 cubits (7 ½ feet) square.
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew text reads “rō’·ḥǎḇ[18] ḥǎmiš·šîm’[19] bǎ ḥǎmiš·šîm,” which could be translated as the “breadth (or width) fifty by fifty.” Most English translations do not translate the last two words. The Talmud offers the explanation that on the east side from in front of the structure to the entrance of the courtyard was fifty cubits square.
Said R. Judah, “Said Scripture, ‘The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty by fifty [= everywhere]’ (Ex. 27:18). [By adding the superfluous ‘by fifty,’] the Torah has ordained, ‘Take away fifty [Slotki: the excess of the length, a hundred cubits, over the breadth, fifty cubits, leaving a square area of 50 × 50], and surround them with the other fifty.’ ” [Slotki: Surrounding the square with equal strips cut from the remaining area of 50 × 50 cubits results in a larger square; the area of two bet seahs is consequently equal to 100 × 50 square cubits,[20]
27:19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
The Hebrew word ‘kelê’[21] is widely translated (jewelry, weapons, goods, utensils, vessel, tools, equipment, etc.), essentially referring to any useful object. Here it is used to refer to all utensils and tools are to be made of bronze including the tent pegs and undoubtedly the hammers too.
Oil for the Lamp
27:20 “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
God tells Moses to have the people bring pure beaten (Hebrew word ‘kā·ṯîṯ’,[22] meaning pressed or beaten) olive oil for the lamps on the lampstand. This was a higher grade of oil, usually pressed (filtered) for maximum purity (see also Exodus 29:40; Leviticus 24:2; Numbers 28:5; 1 Kings 5:11). Since the lamp would require regular attention, (Hebrew word ‘tā·mîḏ’,[23] a noun meaning continuity, referring to on-going and continuous actions), requiring maintenance and an ongoing supply of the best olive oil, in other words, the people of Israel would need to continually bring oil.
27:21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
Regarding the maintenance of the lampstand, Aaron and his sons were to tend it, taking care of the lamp’s wick and replenishing the oil. Many believe that the phrase “from evening to morning” is a reference to the lighting the lamp in the morning and at night (compare to Exodus 30:7). Others believe these passages refer to the lamp being continually lit or lit only at night (see Leviticus 24:2; 1 Samuel 3:3). However, in context, this verse appears to be a reference to an ongoing maintenance cycle.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 5518.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 4219.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 4207.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 4289.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 7568.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 3749.
[7] Sarna, N. M. (1991). Exodus (p. 173). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 5014.
[9] See Leviticus chapters 1-7, see also the Overview of Offerings between Leviticus chapters seven and eight.
[10] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 219). Peabody: Hendrickson.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 7161.
[12] ‘qě’·lǎ’ singular, Strong’s Hebrew 7050.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 2838.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 8179.
[15] See commentary under Genesis 19:1-3.
[16] See commentary under Exodus 26:36-37.
[17] Hebrew verb ‘meḥǔš·šā·qîm’, is the plural verb of hāšûq’, see verse ten, meaning to bind or attach, as a metaphor it can refer to love or delight.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 7341.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 2572.
[20] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 3, p. 116). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 3627.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 3795.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 8548.