Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:18-21

18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:

21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

Today we start to get the count of the boards. The tabernacle would have two long sides, which would face to the North and the South. They would each be comprised of 20 boards, each board was a cubit-and-a-half wide, so 30 cubits length in all, or approximately 45 feet.

The first layer of curtains we were told was to be made of ten parts, each four cubits wide, so forty cubits for the whole, which would be enough to cover the entire length of thirty cubits for the tabernacle and the ten cubits of height for the back wall. The second layer of curtains was made of eleven parts, so forty-four cubits for the whole, which would be enough to cover the top, the back, and have a little left over at the front to form a border around the entrance, as was described in those earlier verses.

Yesterday we also heard how each board would be forked into two tenons at the base, and today we hear that these would each be inserted into a double socket made of silver, providing a solid foundation for the structure.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:15-17

15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.

16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

17 Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

We now discuss the body of the temple, the frame that the curtains will be laid over. The boards are to be constructed of the same shittim wood that is at the core of all the temple instruments.

This raises an interesting question. These boards were not of insignificant length: 10 cubits tall, which is approximately 15 feet. This means that to make a board of this length one needs a tree that grows straight and tall. The shittah tree can grow very tall, even over 60 feet, but it is known for having twisted and gnarled trunks. With careful selection, perhaps the Israelites were able to find angles in the tree from which sufficiently long boards could be extracted. Or perhaps they had to resort to special techniques to reshape curved portions, such as steam bending, or even they might have had to find ways to construct the boards from several composite parts, such as with scarf joints. I don’t actually know if the construction of these boards would have been a special challenge, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it required special thought and selection.

Whatever the process, they were to create dozens of boards that stood 10 cubits tall, a cubit-and-a-half wide, and each with “two tenons” at the bottom, which means the board was forked into two shafts at the base. As we will see in tomorrow’s verses, those forked ends would be perfect for inserting the boards into a solid foundation.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:12-14

12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.

Today’s verses continue the description of the second layer of curtains that were to be laid over the top of the tabernacle, thickening its roof and outer walls. This second layer was to be larger than the first, and would have extra space to be laid over the back of the tabernacle and to form a border that would overhang the front and sides of the tabernacle’s entrance, at least that seems to be the intention being described in these verses.

Then, two more layers would follow: one of rams’ skins and one of badgers’ skins. The dimensions of these layers are not given, nor whether they were made of a single sheet, or two parts joined together as with the first two layers. In any case, we have four layers of covering and that is the last of them.

In tomorrow’s verses we will turn our attention to the structure over which all of these layers are being laid, the wood and metal frame that would give the structure its shape and strength.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:7-11

7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.

8 The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.

9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.

10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.

We now move on to the second set of curtains. There are many similarities between this and the first, but also some notable differences. The first curtains were made of linen, which is made from the flax plant. This curtain is to be made from the hair of goats. If we take a peek ahead, the next layers will be made of rams skins and then badgers skins. Thus we have a progression from plant, to hair, to skin; the layers are becoming more animal as they go. What is more, they are becoming more wild. The linen is artificially woven by man, the goat’s hair grows on the beast, and the skins are obviously a result of an animal’s death. Also, the ram is a domesticated sheep, whereas the badger is a wild creature and unclean for the Israelites to eat, ergo more wild.

Another difference is that the individual curtains are longer than the previous. They are thirty cubits long as opposed to twenty-eight. Also there are eleven of them, and they are paired into two groups of five and six, as opposed to the ten linen curtains paired into five and five. Thus, these goat’s skin curtains, when combined together, are both longer and wider than the others, which makes sense given that it will be overlaying the first.

As with the first set of curtains, these are to have loops made in the long edge of both halves, and then those loops connected by a series of taches or hooks. This time the taches would be made of brass, though, not gold as with the first set of curtains. This again shows how the outer layer is less refined and precious than the inner.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:4-6

4 And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.

5 Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.

6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

From yesterday’s verses we heard the design of ten curtains, and how five of them would be joined together along their long edges to make one larger, almost-square curtain, and the same would be done for the other five.

These two halves would now need to be joined together, the manner of which being detailed in today’s verses. First, they would stitch loops of blue along both edges to be united, then there would be taches—which are two sided hooks—that could hold onto a loop from one curtain on one side, and the loop from the other curtain on the other side.

This, of course, this raises the question: if we were going to stitch five curtains together into a half, and five curtains together into another half, why not just stitch all ten together into a whole? Why depend on this less-permanent loop-and-hook system? I can see three reasons.

The first is that the two halves may have been more practical. We know that the Israelites moved many times during their wandering in the wilderness, and the tabernacle had to be disassembled, carried, and reassembled wherever they went. It may well be that rolling/folding and carrying two twenty-cubit by twenty-eight-cubit pieces of cloth was more manageable than a forty-cubit by twenty-eight-cubit piece of cloth.

The second is that there may have been some symbolism in the design. The joining of two in one brings to mind the union of God and man, held together in many places, each hook representing a promise, a covenant, a ritual, or a sacrifice that existed between the two. The visible split between the two also calls to mind the tear that would be made by the spear in Jesus’s side. I’m sure there are other symbolic interpretations that could be thought of as well.

The third comes from verse 33 in this chapter, in which we will hear that these taches were to rest above the inner veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place. Having a physical divide may have allowed for this outer curtain to have a holy portion and a most holy portion, in accordance with the rest of the interior.

Speaking of the placement of this joined curtain, its position in relation to the rest of the tabernacle is not specified in today’s verses. In the following passages we will hear of an almost-identical curtain, though, and that one we are explicitly was laid over the wood-and-gold framework of the tabernacle like a tent covering. It is assumed that it was therefore the same for this first covering, as that seems to be the only thing that its size matches up to.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:1-3

1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

2 The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.

3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.

In later verses we will learn how the frame of the tabernacle was to be built, and that it would be covered with the curtains that are described in these verses. Each individual curtain would be a very long rectangle, 7 times as long as they were wide, which seems a symbolic ratio to me.

The construction of each curtain would be done with “fine twined linen,” meaning many separate strands of flax woven together, and they would be stitched with the pattern of a cherubim, which was to be an intricate, “cunning work.” Thus, there was to be complexity and multiplicity in this border, a unifying of separate strands to create both a functional and beautiful whole.

That unifying of separate parts continues as we are told that the ten curtains were to be joined together in two main parts. Five curtains for one part, five for the other. From the following verses we will be made to understand that each curtain would be joined to its neighbor along the long sides. Thus the two composite pieces would become twenty-eight cubits by twenty, nearly a square. How the five curtains would be joined together is not clear. Perhaps they were stitched together, permanently bound together as one after first being formed as individuals. By whatever method, though, the ten had become two.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 26:1

1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

God is working from the inside out in His directions for the tabernacle. First He gave the testimony of Hebrew law, written upon the tablets of stone in the mountain. Those, He explained, were to be housed within the Ark of the Covenant, the first religious relic He described the fashion of. He went on to describe the table of shewbred, the menorah, and the lamps, which would be placed just outside the curtain where the ark resided. Now, in today’s verses, he goes further outward to describe the border of the tabernacle, which was to be defined by a series of curtains.

It seems to me that God is describing a body, whether that be the body of a man, or the body of a people. Looking at the design of the tabernacle, the written law reminds me of John’s pronouncement: “in the beginning was the Word,” meaning that first comes the idea, the concept, the Spirit of God, animating from within. Around that spiritual core are the instruments of ritual, the religious practices that keep the body connected to that inner spiritual core, that remind us of our center. Then, the outer layers, the skin that separate the spiritual from the outside world. The outer layer has one face pointed outward, one face pointing inward, a duality that allows one to navigate their surrounding domain while keeping the inner sacred sacred.

Let us keep that representation in mind as we examine the details of these curtains tomorrow.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 25:37-40

37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.

39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

The lamps mentioned in verse 37 were the top cup on each staff of the menorah. Once the design of the tabernacle and later temple were revealed, the necessity of this light would become apparent, as the holy place would be closed off, without any windows or direct sunlight.

Then there were the tongs and snuffdishes, which are assumed to be related to the care and maintenance of the lamps, perhaps to trim and collect the burned portions of the wick.

None of today’s items are described in detail, though verse 40 suggests that Moses was shown an appearance of them, which would allow him to relate their design afterwards. We are told, however, that they were all to be made from a talent of pure gold, which was the largest unit of measurement among the ancient Israelites. Thus, these instruments were to be made of a full measure, signifying a completeness and wholeness in their design.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 25:31-36

31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

34 And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

We now hear the description for the temple menorah. As with the other temple instruments it is to be made of pure gold, and the manner of its fashioning is spelled out in explicit detail. It can be hard to follow in text form, but comparing the words to visual recreations of the temple menorah can help one to understand the design being given here. These words describe a central staff, with three pairings coming off of it, resulting in seven sections that are each composed of the decorative shapes here mentioned.

When reviewing modern day recreations, one will soon notice that the top oil-wells really do look like almonds and the bumps along each arm really do look like flowers. The word “knop” only means an ornamental knob, so that part is often depicted as a generic decorative element.

It is worth noting that the word “menorah” only means lamp, and there are different types of menorahs in the Jewish culture. Thus, not every image of a menorah might be a depiction of the temple menorah. The one that most people will encounter, the hanukkiah, is specific to the Hanukkah celebration and is totally separate from the temple menorah. As such, it will not follow the rules that apply to this temple menorah. As the temple menorah is only for use within the temple, and Israel currently has no temple, there is no actual, functioning temple menorah today, only illustrative recreations.

One final note is that there is clearly a lot of symbolization in the design of the menorah. Much has been made of numbering the different parts and assigning meaning to those figures. I do believe that God does not specify something so explicitly without purpose, and therefore I suspect that there are valid interpretations of those figures, but I do not know which interpretations those are. At the very least, I can say that the flowers and the knobs and the dividing structure bring to mind a living tree, flowering and bearing fruit, carrying the seed of life within. As such I would identify it with God, His living creations, and the nourishment He gives to preserve and develop that life.

Note: It can be difficult to visualize some of the structures described in these verses. Here is an excellent and extremely focused series of animations that show the visual form of the temple and its instruments, built up verse-by-verse from the Exodus record: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpjohncRg94EZ55nJrbaKfi-lfeo3MFgl&si=6wm1J9Sdnu7LKYC_

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 25:29-30

29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

As with the Ark of the Covenant, after hearing the dimensions and materials of the table, we are then given its purpose, which is to hold the shewbred and all of the dishes related to it. We do not hear much of the shewbread in these verses, but the full details of how it was used is given in Leviticus 34:5-9:

And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The twelve loaves of bread is clearly a symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel, each of which would have access to the rites and rituals of the tabernacle, which was where the table of shewbread was kept. The shewbread was also made without leaven, calling to mind the haste with which Israel departed Egypt, and also symbolizes a state of purity and incorruption. The bread would be accented with frankincense, which was a sweet-smelling resin, sometimes burned as incense. Every sabbath the bread would be replaced with fresh loaves, and all of it was to be consumed by the priests, part of their nourishment by the hand of providence.

There are many overlapping symbols and images in all of this. The bread is the Israelite people. They are to remain unleavened, meaning uncorrupted by foreign philosophies and idolatry. They are to be refreshed regularly, upon every sabbath day. They are also to provide for the priests nourishment, so that the priests can provide for their spiritual refreshing. Also, they are to bring up a sweet fragrance to the Lord, which is the doing of good works and the words of sincere prayer. Finally, they are to rest upon a solid foundation, symbolized by the table, which is the ethical and moral bedrock defined by the commandments of Almighty God.

From these symbols we see the basis, the practice, and the outcome of living the Hebrew gospel. It is an amazing wealth of symbolism contained within a simple, repetitive practice.