Exodus Chapter 39
1 Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.
2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3 They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in with the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen, the work of the skilful workman.
4 They made shoulder straps for it, joined together. It was joined together at the two ends.
5 The skilfully woven band that was on it, with which to fasten it on, was of the same piece, like its work: of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, as the LORD commanded Moses.
6 They worked the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel.
7 He put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
8 He made the breastplate, the work of a skilful workman, like the work of the ephod: of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9 It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its width a span, being double.
10 They set in it four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz, and beryl was the first row;
11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold settings.
14 The stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, for the twelve tribes.
15 They made on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.
16 They made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
17 They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
18 The other two ends of the two braided chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, in its front.
19 They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which was towards the side of the ephod inward.
20 They made two more rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its front, close by its coupling, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod.
21 They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be on the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD commanded Moses.
22 He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23 The opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around its opening, that it should not be torn.
24 They made on the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet, and twined linen.
25 They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates around the skirts of the robe, between the pomegranates;
26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as the LORD commanded Moses.
27 They made the tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons,
28 the turban of fine linen, the linen headbands of fine linen, the linen trousers of fine twined linen,
29 the sash of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer, as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engravings of a signet: "HOLY TO THE LORD".
31 They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; so they did.
33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,
34 the covering of rams' skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen,
35 the ark of the covenant with its poles, the mercy seat,
36 the table, all its vessels, the show bread,
37 the pure lamp stand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light,
38 the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent,
39 the bronze altar, its grating of bronze, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base,
40 the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting,
41 the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.
43 Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded. They had done so; and Moses blessed them.
Footnotes
- Verse 9 (Span)
- A span is the length from the tip of a man's thumb to the tip of his little finger when his hand is stretched out (about half a cubit, or 9 inches, or 22.8 cm.)
- Verse 11 (Sapphire)
- or, lapis lazuli
Version: World English Bible
- About World English Bible (WEB)
- WEB Glossary
- WEB Web Site (source documents)
- Bible on one web page
- Download WEB (for MS Word)
Audio
To Listen to this Chapter
The mp3 Audio File should start to play in a new Tab. Then return to this Tab to follow the text whilst listening.
Exodus Chapter 39 Guide
Very full details are given concerning the preparation of the holy garments of the priests, all of which were made atrictly according to the pattern.
We then come to the definite statement, "Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle and tent of meeting: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so did they."
The work thus completed was brought by the workmen to Moses for final inspection, and in rapid survey the whole is again mentioned, the story closing with the words, "And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as Jehovah had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them."
This almost monotonous repetition of the fact that the work was carried out according to the pattern is full of significance. Everything was intended to teach the people that the one simple basis of relationship between them and God must ever be implicit obedience to the minutest detail of divine instructions. In the economy of God no apparently trivial matter is really trivial or unimportant. Man cannot approach God in any way of his own contriving, and no people have any right to expect God's guidance save as they are devoted to Him and His methods and His work.
From "An Exposition of the Whole Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
Exodus Chapter 39 Commentary
Chapter Outline
- The priests' garments. -- (1-31)
- The tabernacle completed. -- (32-43)
Verses 1-31
The priests' garments were rich and splendid. The church in its infancy was thus taught by shadows of good things to come; but the substance is Christ, and the grace of the gospel. Christ is our great High Priest. When he undertook the work of our redemption, he put on the clothes of service, he arrayed himself with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, girded himself with resolution to go through the undertaking, took charge of all God's spiritual Israel, laid them near his heart, engraved them on the palms of his hands, and presented them to his Father. And he crowned himself with holiness to the Lord, consecrating his whole undertaking to the honour of his Father's holiness. True believers are spiritual priests. The clean linen with which all their clothes of service must be made, is the righteousness of saints, Re 19:8.
Verses 32-43
The tabernacle was a type or emblem of Jesus Christ. As the Most High dwelt visibly within the sanctuary, even on the ark, so did he reside in the human nature and tabernacle of his dear Son; in Christ dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col 2:9. The tabernacle was a symbol of every real Christian. In the soul of every true follower of the Saviour the Father dwells, the object of his worship, and the author of his blessings. The tabernacle also typified the church of the Redeemer. The meanest and the mightiest are alike dear to the Father's love, freely exercised through faith in Christ. The tabernacle was a type and emblem of the heavenly temple, Re 21:3. What, then, will be the splendour of His appearance, when the cloud shall be withdrawn, and his faithful worshippers shall see him as he is!
From the "Concise Commentary on the Bible" by Matthew Henry.