Exodus 35:30 Kommentar

What should have been said and done upon Moses' coming down the first time from the mount, if the golden calf had not broken the measures and put all into disorder, now at last, when with great difficulty reconciliation was made, begins to be said and done; and that great affair of the setting up of God's worship is put into its former channel again, and goes on now without interruption. I. Moses gives Israel those instructions, received from God, which required immediate observance. 1. Concerning the sabbath (Exo 35:1-3). 2. Concerning the contribution that was to be made for the erecting of the tabernacle (Exo 35:4-9). 3. Concerning the framing of the tabernacle and the utensils of it (Exo 35:10-19). II. The people bring in their contributions (Exo 35:20-29). III. The head-workmen are nominated (Exo 35:30, etc.).

Here is the divine appointment of the master-workmen, that there might be no strife for the office, and that all who were employed in the work might take direction from, and give account to, these general inspectors; for God is the God of order and not of confusion. Observe, 1. Those whom God called by name to this service he filled with the Spirit of God, to qualify them for it, Exo 35:30, Exo 35:31. Skill in secular employments is God's gift, and comes from above, Jam 1:17. From him the faculty is, and the improvement of it. To his honour therefore all knowledge must be devoted, and we must study how to serve him with it. The work was extraordinary which Bezaleel was designed for, and therefore he was qualified in an extraordinary manner for it; thus when the apostles were appointed to be master-builders in setting up the gospel tabernacle they were filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding. 2. The were appointed, not only to devise, but to work (Exo 35:32), to work all manner of work, Exo 35:35. Those of eminent gifts, that are capable of directing others, must not thing that these will excuse them in idleness. Many are ingenious enough in cutting out work for other people, and can tell what this man and that man should do, but the burdens they ind on others they themselves will not touch with one of their fingers. These will fall under the character of slothful servants. 3. They were not only to devise and work themselves, but they were to teach others, Exo 35:34. Not only had Bezaleel power to command, but he was to take pains to instruct. Those that rule should teach; and those to whom God had given knowledge should be willing to communicate it for the benefit of others, not coveting to monopolize it.

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 35 This chapter begins with a renewal of the command of the sabbath, Exo 35:1 and contains an order for a freewill offering to be brought for the service of the sanctuary, and specifies the things to be brought, and for what uses, Exo 35:4 to which there was a ready compliance, and men and women, princes and the common people, everyone according to what they had in possession, brought and offered it freely, Exo 35:20 and for their encouragement, that their offering would not be in vain, they were informed there were two persons divinely inspired, to do, and teach to be done, all manner of work for the tabernacle, towards which they had made such a liberal and plentiful contribution, Exo 35:30.

And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God,.... This and the two following verses contain the account of the qualifications of Bezaleel, which he had in an extraordinary manner from the Lord, and these are expressed in the same words as in Exo 31:3; see Gill on Exo 31:3, Exo 31:4, Exo 31:5. . Exodus 35:34 exo 35:34 exo 35:34 exo 35:34And he hath put in his heart that he may teach,.... Instruct others in the things be had knowledge of; the Lord not only gave him gifts of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, to devise and contrive curious works, and how to perform them, but gave him a capacity, and inclined his mind to teach others, how to work these works; for not all that have knowledge have a capacity and a will to teach others also; this is of God: both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; who was joined with him as a companion and assistant in the same service; him the Lord also qualified, both to devise things, and to teach them others; of this man; see Gill on Exo 31:6.

For we are not wrong in saying just the same of Bezalel, that being entrusted by Moses with the building of the tabernacle, he became the constructor of those things there mentioned. He would not have taken the work in hand had he not previously acquired his knowledge by divine inspiration. He ventured upon the undertaking on Moses’ entrusting him with its execution. Accordingly the term entrusted suggests that his office and power in creation came to him as something adventitious, in the sense that before he was entrusted with that commission he had neither the will nor the power to act. But when he received authority to execute the works and power sufficient for the works, then he became the artificer of things that are, the power allotted to him on high being, as Eunomius says, sufficient for the purpose.

Moses assembles the congregation to deliver to them the commandments of God, Exo 35:1. Directions concerning the Sabbath, Exo 35:2, Exo 35:3. Free-will offerings of gold, silver, brass, etc., for the tabernacle, Exo 35:4-7. Of oil and spices, Exo 35:8. Of precious stones, Exo 35:9. Proper artists to be employed, Exo 35:10. The tabernacle and its tent, Exo 35:11. The ark, Exo 35:12. Table of the shew-bread, Exo 35:13. Candlestick, Exo 35:14. Altar of incense, Exo 35:15. Altar of burnt-offering, Exo 35:16. Hangings, pins, etc., Exo 35:17, Exo 35:18. Clothes of service, and holy vestments, Exo 35:19. The people cheerfully bring their ornaments as offerings to the Lord, Exo 35:20-22; together with blue, purple, scarlet, etc., etc., Exo 35:23, Exo 35:24. The women spin, and bring the produce of their skill and industry, Exo 35:25, Exo 35:26. The rulers bring precious stones, etc., Exo 35:27, Exo 35:28. All the people offer willingly, Exo 35:29. Bezaleel and Aholiab appointed to conduct and superintend all the work of the tabernacle, for which they are qualified by the spirit of wisdom, Exo 35:30-35.

The Lord hath called by name Bezaleel - See this subject discussed at large in the note on Exo 28:3 (note), where the subject of superseding the work of the hand by the extra use of machinery is particularly considered. 1. From the nature of the offerings made for the service of the tabernacle, we see of what sort the spoils were which the Israelites brought out of Egypt: gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, rams' skins dyed red, what we call badgers' skins, oil, spices, incense, onyx stones, and other stones, the names of which are not here mentioned. They must also have brought looms, spinning wheels, instruments for cutting precious stones, anvils, hammers, furnaces, melting-pots, with a vast variety of tools for the different artists employed on the work of the tabernacle, viz., smiths, joiners, carvers, gilders, etc. 2. God could have erected his tabernacle without the help or skill of man; but he condescended to employ him. As all are interested in the worship of God, so all should bear a part in it; here God employs the whole congregation: every male and female, with even their sons and their daughters, and the very ornaments of their persons, are given to raise and adorn the house of God. The women who had not ornaments, and could neither give gold nor silver, could spin goat's hair, and the Lord graciously employs them in this work, and accepts what they can give and what they can do, for they did it with a willing mind; they were wise of heart - had learned a useful business, their hearts were lifted up in the work, Exo 36:21, and all felt it a high privilege to be able to put only a nail in the holy place. By the free-will offerings of the people the tabernacle was erected, and all the costly utensils belonging to it provided. This was the primitive mode of providing proper places for Divine worship; and as it was the primitive, so it is the most rational mode. Taxes levied by law for building or repairing churches were not known in the ancient times of religious simplicity. It is an honor to be permitted to do any thing for the support of public worship; and he must have a strange, unfeeling, and ungodly heart, who does not esteem it a high privilege to have a stone of his own laying or procuring in the house of God. How easily might all the buildings necessary for the purpose of public worship be raised, if the money that is spent in needless self-indulgence by ourselves, our sons, and our daughters, were devoted to this purpose! By sacrifices of this kind the house of the Lord would be soon built, and the top-stone brought on with shouting, Grace, grace unto it!

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TABERNACLE. (Exo. 35:1-35) Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel, &c.--On the occasion referred to in the opening of this chapter, the Israelites were specially reminded of the design to erect a magnificent tabernacle for the regular worship of God, as well as of the leading articles that were required to furnish that sacred edifice [Exo 35:11-19]. (See on Exo. 25:1-40; Exo. 27:1-21; Exo. 30:1-31:18).

See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, &c.--Moses had made this communication before [see Exo 31:2-5; also see on Exo 31:2]. But now that the collection had been made, the materials were contributed, and the operations of building about to be commenced, it was with the greatest propriety he reminded the people that the individuals entrusted with the application of their gold and silver had been nominated to the work by authority to which all would bow.

Preliminaries to the Work. - Ex 35:1-29. After the restoration of the covenant, Moses announced to the people the divine commands with reference to the holy place of the tabernacle which was to be built. He repeated first of all (Exo 35:1-3) the law of the Sabbath according to Exo 31:13-17, and strengthened it by the announcement, that on the Sabbath no fire was to be kindled in their dwelling, because this rule was to be observed even in connection with the work to be done for the tabernacle. (For a fuller comment, see at Exo 20:9.). Then, in accordance with the command of Jehovah, he first of all summoned the whole nation to present freewill-offerings for the holy things to be prepared (Exo 35:4, Exo 35:5), mentioning one by one all the materials that would be required (Exo 35:5-9, as in Exo 25:3-7); and after that he called upon those who were endowed with understanding to prepare the different articles, as prescribed in ch. 25-30, mentioning these also one by one (Exo 35:11-19), even down to the pegs of the dwelling and court (Exo 27:19), and "their cords," i.e., the cords required to fasten the tent and the hangings round the court to the pegs that were driven into the ground, which had not been mentioned before, being altogether subordinate things. (On the "cloths of service," Exo 35:19, see at Exo 31:10.) In Exo 35:20-29 we have an account of the fulfilment of this command. The people went from Moses, i.e., from the place where they were assembled round Moses, away to their tents, and willingly offered the things required as a heave-offering for Jehovah; every one "whom his heart lifted up," i.e., who felt himself inclined and stirred up in his heart to do this. The men along with (על as in Gen 32:12; see Ewald, 217) the women brought with a willing heart all kinds of golden rings and jewellery: chak, lit., hook, here a clasp or ring; nezem, an ear or nose-ring (Gen 35:4; Gen 24:47); tabbaath, a finger-ring; cumaz, globulus aureus, probably little golden balls strung together like beads, which were worn by the Israelites and Midianites (Num 31:50) as an ornament round the wrist and neck, as Diod. Sic. relates that they were by the Arabians (3, 44). "All kinds of golden jewellery, and every one who had waved (dedicated) a wave (offering) of gold to Jehovah," sc., offered it for the work of the tabernacle. The meaning is, that in addition to the many varieties of golden ornaments, which were willingly offered for the work to be performed, every one brought whatever gold he had set apart as a wave-offering (a sacrificial gift) for Jehovah. הניף to wave, lit., to swing or move to and fro, is used in connection with the sacrificial ritual to denote a peculiar ceremony, through which certain portions of a sacrifice, which were not intended for burning upon the altar, but for the maintenance of the priests (Num 18:11), were consecrated to the Lord, or given up to Him in a symbolical manner (see at Lev 7:30). Tenuphah, the wave-offering, accordingly denoted primarily those portions of the sacrificial animal which were allotted to the priests as their share of the sacrifices; and then, in a more general sense, every gift or offering that was consecrated to the Lord for the establishment and maintenance of the sanctuary and its worship. In this wider sense the term tenuphah (wave-offering) is applied both here and in Exo 38:24, Exo 38:29 to the gold and copper presented by the congregation for the building of the tabernacle. So that it does not really differ from terumah, a lift of heave-offering, as every gift intended for the erection and maintenance of the sanctuary was called, inasmuch as the offerer lifted it off from his own property, to dedicate it to the Lord for the purposes of His worship. Accordingly, in Exo 35:24 the freewill-offerings of the people in silver and gold for the erection of the tabernacle are called terumah; and in Exo 36:6, all the gifts of metal, wood, leather, and woven materials, presented by the people for the erection of the tabernacle, are called קדשׁ תּרוּמת. (On heaving and the heave-offering, see at Exo 25:2 and Lev 2:9.)

Moses then informed the people that God had called Bezaleel and Aholiab as master-builders, to complete the building and all the work connected with it, and had not only endowed them with His Spirit, that they might draw the plans for the different works and carry them out, but "had put it into his (Bezaleel's) heart to teach" (Exo 35:34), that is to say, had qualified him to instruct labourers to prepare the different articles under his supervision and guidance. "He and Aholiab" (Exo 35:34) are in apposition to "his heart:" into his and Aholiab's heart (see Ges. 121, 3; Ewald, 311 a). The concluding words in Exo 35:35 are in apposition to אתם (them): "them hath He filled with wisdom...as performers of every kind of work and inventors of designs," i.e., that they may make every kind of work and may invent designs. In Exo 36:1, ועשׂה with vav consec. is dependent upon what precedes, and signifies either, "and so will make," or, so that he will make (see Ewald, 342 b). The idea is this, "Bezaleel, Aholiab, and the other men who understand, into whom Jehovah has infused (בּ נתן) wisdom and understanding, that they may know how to do, shall do every work for the holy service (worship) with regard to (ל as in Exo 28:38, etc.) all that Jehovah has commanded."