1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering. 3 This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, brass, 4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, 5 rams' skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood, 6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate. 8 Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it. 10 "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it. 16 You shall put the testimony which I shall give you into the ark. 17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, all that I command you for the children of Israel. 23 "You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth, and one and a half cubits its height. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 25 You shall make a rim of a handbreadth around it. You shall make a golden molding on its rim around it. 26 You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet. 27 the rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls to pour out offerings with. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always. 31 "You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. Of hammered work shall the lampstand be made, even its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of its one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lampstand; 34 and in the lampstand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers; 35 and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 36 Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold. 37 You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories. 40 See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.
The Lord addresses Moses out of the Divine glory, and commands him to speak unto the Israelites, that they may give him free-will offerings, Exodus 25:1, Exodus 25:2. The different kinds of offerings, gold, silver, and brass, Exodus 25:3. Purple, scarlet, fine linen, and goats' hair, Exodus 25:4. Rams' skins, badgers' skins, (rather violet-coloured skins), and shittim wood, Exodus 25:5. Oil and spices, Exodus 25:6. Onyx stones, and stones for the ephod and breastplate, Exodus 25:7. A sanctuary is to be made after the pattern of the tabernacle, Exodus 25:8, Exodus 25:9. The ark and its dimensions, Exodus 25:10. Its crown of gold, Exodus 25:11. Its rings, Exodus 25:12. Its staves, and their use, Exodus 25:13-15. The testimony to be laid up in the ark, Exodus 25:16. The mercy-seat and its dimensions, Exodus 25:17. The cherubim, how made and placed, Exodus 25:18-20. The mercy-seat to be placed on the ark, and the testimony to be put within it, Exodus 25:21. The Lord promises to commune with the people from the mercy-seat, Exodus 25:22. The table of shew-bread, and its dimensions, Exodus 25:23. Its crown and border of gold, Exodus 25:24, Exodus 25:25. Its rings, Exodus 25:26, Exodus 25:27. Staves, Exodus 25:28. Dishes, spoons, and bowls, Exodus 25:29. Its use, Exodus 25:30. The golden candlestick; its branches, bowls, knops, and flowers, Exodus 25:31-36. Its seven lamps, Exodus 25:37. Tongs and snuffers, Exodus 25:38. The weight of the candlestick and its utensils, one talent of gold, Exodus 25:39. All to be made according to the pattern showed to Moses on the mount, Exodus 25:40.
INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 25
In this chapter an order is given for a freewill offering towards various things for the worship and service of God, and the materials to be offered, which would be useful and acceptable, are mentioned particularly, Exodus 25:1, as also another order to build a sanctuary for God, after a model that he would give, Exodus 25:8, and, an ark to put in the law on tables of stone, the fashion of which, and the various things belonging to it, are described, Exodus 25:10, and a mercy seat with cherubim on it to be set over the ark, where the Lord promises to meet Moses and commune with him, Exodus 25:17 and a table with various appurtenances to it to place the shewbread on, Exodus 25:23 and a candlestick of gold, whose parts are described, and all the instruments relative to it, Exodus 25:31.
(Exodus 25:1-9) What the Israelites were to offer for making the tabernacle.
(Exodus 25:10-22) The ark.
(Exodus 25:23-30) The table, with its furniture.
(Exodus 25:31-40) The candlestick.
Directions Concerning the Sanctuaryand Priesthood - Exodus 25-31
To give a definite external form to the covenant concluded with His people, and construct a visible bond of fellowship in which He might manifest Himself to the people and they might draw near to Him as their God, Jehovah told Moses that the Israelites were to erect Him a sanctuary, that He might dwell in the midst of them (Exodus 25:8). The construction and arrangement of this sanctuary were determined in all respects by God Himself, who showed to Moses, when upon the mountain, a pattern of the dwelling and its furniture, and prescribed with great minuteness both the form and materials of all the different parts of the sanctuary and all the things required for the sacred service. If the sanctuary was to answer its purpose, the erection of it could not be left to the inventive faculty of any man whatever, but must proceed from Him, who was there to manifest Himself to the nation, as the Holy One, in righteousness and grace. The people could only carry out what God appointed, and could only fulfil their covenant duty, by the readiness with which they supplied the materials required for the erection of the sanctuary and completed the work with their own hands. The divine directions extended to all the details, because they were all of importance in relation to the design of God. The account therefore is so elaborate, that it contains a description not only of the directions of God with reference to the whole and every separate part (ch. 25-31), but also of the execution of the work in all its details (ch. 35-40).
The following is the plan upon which this section is arranged. After the command of God to the people to offer gifts for the sanctuary about to be erected, which forms the introduction to the whole (Exodus 25:1-9), the further directions commence with a description of the ark of the covenant, which Jehovah had appointed as His throne in the sanctuary, that is to say, as it were, with the sanctuary in the sanctuary (Exodus 25:10-22). Then follow - (1) the table of shew-bread and the golden candlestick (Ex 25:23-40), as the two things by means of which the continual communion of Israel with Jehovah was to be maintained; (2) the construction of the dwelling, with an account of the position to be occupied by the three things already named (ch. 26); (3) the altar of burnt-offering, together with the court which was to surround the holy dwelling (Ex 27:1-19). This is immediately followed by the command respecting the management of the candlestick (Exodus 27:20, Exodus 27:21), which prepares the way for an account of the institution of the priesthood, and the investiture and consecration of the priests (ch. 28 and 29), and by the directions as to the altar of incense, and the service to be performed at it (Exodus 30:1-10); after which, there only remain a few subordinate instructions to complete the whole (Ex 30:11-31:17). "The description of the entire sanctuary commences, therefore," as Ranke has aptly observed, "with the ark of the law, the place of the manifestation of Jehovah, and terminates with the altar of incense, which stood immediately in front of it." The dwelling was erected round Jehovah's seat, and round this the court. The priests first of all presented the sacrifices upon the altar of burnt-offering, and then proceeded into the holy place and drew near to Jehovah. The highest act in the daily service of the priests was evidently this standing before Jehovah at the altar of incense, which was only separated by the curtain from the most holy place.
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