Esodo 38:26 Commento

Here is an account, I. Of the making of the brazen altar (Exo 38:1-7), and the laver (Exo 38:8). II. The preparing of the hangings for the enclosing of the court in which the tabernacle was to stand (Exo 38:9-20). III. A summary of the gold, silver, and brass, that was contributed to, and used in, the preparing of the tabernacle (Exo 38:21, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 38 This chapter is a continuation of the account of the making of the things belonging to the tabernacle, particularly the altar of burnt offering, Exo 38:1 the laver of brass, and the things it was made of, Exo 38:8 the court and its hangings, pillars, sockets, hooks and pins, Exo 38:9 then follows an account of the quantities of gold, silver, and brass, expended in the making of the several things appertaining to the sanctuary, Exo 38:21.

And of the thousand seven hundred seventy five shekels,.... Which remained of the sum collected, Exo 38:25 after the silver sockets were cast: he made hooks for the pillars: on each side of the court of the tabernacle on which the hangings were hung; these hooks, as Kimchi says (t), were in the form of the letter and were made to hang the sacrifices upon, when they took their skins off; and so it is said in the Misnah (u), that there were iron hooks fixed in the walls and pillars, on which they hung (the passover lambs) and skinned them; this was done in the second temple, when the hooks, it seems, were iron, but those of the tabernacle were silver: and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them; that is, overlaid the heads, tops, or knobs of the pillars with silver plates, and filleted, girded, or hooped other parts of them with silver. (t) Sepher Shorash. Rad. (u) Pesachim, c. 5. sect. 9.

Bezaleel makes the altar of burnt-offering, Exo 38:1-7. He makes the laver and its foot out of the mirrors given by the women, Exo 38:8. The court, its pillars, hangings, etc., Exo 38:9-20. The whole tabernacle and its work finished by Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their assistants, Exo 38:21-23. The amount of the gold contributed, Exo 38:24. The amount of the silver, and how it was expended, Exo 38:25-28. The amount of the brass, and how this was used, Exo 38:29-31.

A bekah for every man - The Hebrew word בקי beka, from בקי baka, to divide, separate into two, seems to signify, not a particular coin, but a shekel broken or cut in two; so, anciently, our farthing was a penny divided in the midst and then subdivided, so that each division contained the fourth part of the penny; hence its name fourthing or fourthling, since corrupted into farthing. There appear to be three particular reasons why much riches should be employed in the construction of the tabernacle, etc. 1. To impress the people's minds with the glory and dignity of the Divine Majesty, and the importance of his service. 2. To take out of their hands the occasion of covetousness; for as they brought much spoils out of Egypt, and could have little if any use for gold and silver in the wilderness, where it does not appear that they had much intercourse with any other people, and were miraculously supported, so that they did not need their riches, it was right to employ that in the worship of God which otherwise might have engendered that love which is the root of all evil. 3. To prevent pride and vainglory, by leading them to give up to the Divine service even the ornaments of their persons, which would have had too direct a tendency to divert their minds from better things. Thus God's worship was rendered august and respectable, incitements to sin and low desires removed, and the people instructed to consider nothing valuable, but as far as it might be employed to the glory and in the service of God.

FURNITURE OF THE TABERNACLE. (Exo. 38:1-31) the altar of burnt offering--The repetitions are continued, in which may be traced the exact conformity of the execution to the order.