Exodus 38

Making the Altar and Court

¹He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. It was square. Its length was five cubits, its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits.

²He made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

³He made all the vessels of the altar: the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of bronze.

⁴He made for the altar a grating of a network of bronze, under the ledge around it beneath, reaching halfway up.

⁵He cast four rings for the four corners of bronze grating, to be places for the poles.

⁶He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze.

⁷He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

⁸He made the basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

⁹He made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits;

¹⁰their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

¹¹For the north side one hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

¹²For the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

¹³For the east side eastward fifty cubits,

¹⁴the hangings for the one side were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three;

¹⁵and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

¹⁶All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen.

¹⁷The sockets for the pillars were of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. Their capitals were overlaid with silver. All the pillars of the court had silver bands.

¹⁸The screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. Twenty cubits was the length, and the height along the width was five cubits, like the hangings of the court.

¹⁹Their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of bronze; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver.

²⁰All the pins of the tabernacle, and around the court, were of bronze.

Materials of the Tabernacle

²¹These are the amounts of materials used for the tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

²²Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.

²³With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.

²⁴All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

²⁵The silver of those who were counted of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary:

²⁶a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were counted, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.

²⁷The one hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil: one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, one talent per socket.

²⁸From the one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them.

²⁹The bronze of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.

³⁰With this he made the sockets to the door of the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, all the vessels of the altar,

³¹the sockets around the court, the sockets of the gate of the court, all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins around the court.

Previous Exodus 37

Next Exodus 39

Exodus 38 details the construction of the altar of burnt offering and the tabernacle courtyard, followed by a comprehensive inventory of materials used in the entire project. The chapter emphasizes the skilled craftsmanship of Bezalel and Oholiab, who faithfully executed God's detailed instructions using the generous offerings of the Israelites. This meticulous accounting demonstrates both divine precision in worship design and human faithfulness in stewardship of sacred resources.

Context

This chapter concludes the detailed construction narrative that began in chapter 36, transitioning toward the tabernacle's completion and consecration in chapters 39-40.

Key Themes

Outline

1-7
Construction of the Bronze Altar Bezalel builds the altar of burnt offering with acacia wood overlaid with bronze, including all its vessels and carrying poles.
8
The Bronze Basin The ceremonial washing basin is crafted from bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the tabernacle entrance.
9-20
Building the Tabernacle Court The courtyard is constructed with linen hangings, bronze pillars and sockets, and silver fittings, creating the sacred enclosure.
21-31
Inventory of Materials A detailed accounting records the gold, silver, and bronze contributed by the Israelites and used in the tabernacle's construction.

Making the Altar and Court

38:1–38:20

narrative narration solemn

Construction of the bronze altar for burnt offerings and the tabernacle courtyard with its hangings and pillars. These structures create the sacred space where Israel will offer sacrifices and worship God.

structural

Bronze appears seventeen times in these twenty verses, creating an acoustic drumbeat that reinforces the altar's role as the durable, fire-resistant threshold between Israel's offerings and God's holiness.

Materials of the Tabernacle

38:21–38:31

narrative narration contemplative

Detailed accounting of the gold, silver, and bronze materials used in tabernacle construction, demonstrating careful stewardship of the people's offerings. The passage records the substantial contributions made by the Israelites for God's dwelling place.

person_contrast

Moses transforms from lawgiver to accountant here, meticulously recording 29 talents of gold and 100 talents of silver—the only passage where he personally oversees financial stewardship rather than divine revelation.

Insight Literary Structure