Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

Exodus 37-38
New English Translation

The Making of the Ark

37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was 45 inches, its width 27 inches, and its height 27 inches. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding border[a] of gold for it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put[b] on its four feet, with[c] two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark.

6 He made[d] an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was 45 inches, and its width was 27 inches. 7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid, 8 one cherub on one end[e] and one cherub on the other end.[f] He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends. 9 The cherubim were spreading their wings[g] upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim[h] faced each other,[i] looking toward the atonement lid.[j]

The Making of the Table

10 Bezalel[k] made the table of acacia wood; its length was 36 inches, its width 18 inches, and its height 27 inches. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its[l] plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

The Making of the Lampstand

17 Bezalel[m] made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece.[n] 18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next[o] branch, and the same[p] for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it.[q] 22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece;[r] all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made the lampstand[s] and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

The Making of the Altar of Incense

25 Bezalel[t] made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was 18 inches and its width 18 inches—a square—and its height was 36 inches. Its horns were of one piece with it.[u] 26 He overlaid it with pure gold—its top,[v] its four walls,[w] and its horns—and he made a surrounding border of gold for it.[x] 27 He also made[y] two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides,[z] as places[aa] for poles to carry it with. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering

38 Bezalel[ab] made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood 7½ feet long and 7½ feet wide—it was square—and its height was 4½ feet. 2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it,[ac] and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 He made all the utensils of the altar—the pots, the shovels, the tossing bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans—he made all its utensils of bronze. 4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. 5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide places for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar[ad] hollow, out of boards.

8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served[ae] at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

The Construction of the Courtyard

9 Bezalel[af] made the courtyard. For the south side[ag] the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, 150 feet long, 10 with[ah] their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 11 For the north side the hangings were[ai] 150 feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 12 For the west side there were[aj] hangings 75 feet long, with[ak] their ten posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was 75 feet wide,[al] 14 with hangings on one side[am] of the gate that were 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases, 15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other,[an] the hangings were 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.[ao] 18 The curtain[ap] for the gate of the courtyard was of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. It was 30 feet long and, like the hangings in the courtyard, it was 7½ feet high, 19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze.

The Materials of the Construction

21 This is the inventory[aq] of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted[ar] by the order[as] of Moses, being the work[at] of the Levites under the direction[au] of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary[av] (namely,[aw] the gold of the wave offering) was 29 talents and 730 shekels,[ax] according to the sanctuary shekel.

25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels,[ay] according to the sanctuary shekel, 26 one beka per person, that is, a half shekel,[az] according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old or older,[ba] 603,550 in all.[bb] 27 The 100 talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the special curtain—100 bases for 100 talents, one talent per base. 28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels[bc] he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.

29 The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.[bd] 30 With it he made the bases for the door of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar, 31 the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around.[be]

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:2 tn Or “molding.”
  2. Exodus 37:3 tn “that he put” has been supplied.
  3. Exodus 37:3 tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.
  4. Exodus 37:6 tn Heb “and he made.”
  5. Exodus 37:8 tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”
  6. Exodus 37:8 tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.
  7. Exodus 37:9 tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings”—“spreaders of wings.”
  8. Exodus 37:9 tn The subject, “the cherubim,” has been added again in the translation for smoothness.
  9. Exodus 37:9 tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”
  10. Exodus 37:9 tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”
  11. Exodus 37:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. Exodus 37:16 tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).
  13. Exodus 37:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  14. Exodus 37:17 tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. Exodus 37:19 tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”
  16. Exodus 37:19 tn Heb “thus for six branches….”
  17. Exodus 37:21 tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.
  18. Exodus 37:22 tn Heb “were from it.”
  19. Exodus 37:24 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  20. Exodus 37:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  21. Exodus 37:25 tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.
  22. Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “roof.”
  23. Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “its walls around.”
  24. Exodus 37:26 tn Heb “and he made for it border gold around.”
  25. Exodus 37:27 tn Heb “and he made.”
  26. Exodus 37:27 sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.
  27. Exodus 37:27 tn Heb “for houses.”
  28. Exodus 38:1 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  29. Exodus 38:2 tn Heb “its horns were from it,” meaning from the same piece.
  30. Exodus 38:7 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  31. Exodus 38:8 sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 HT]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said.
  32. Exodus 38:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  33. Exodus 38:9 tn Heb “south side southward.”
  34. Exodus 38:10 tn While this verse could be translated as an independent sentence, it is probably to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause in line with Exod 27:10-12, as well as v. 12 of this passage.
  35. Exodus 38:11 tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.
  36. Exodus 38:12 tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied.
  37. Exodus 38:12 tn The text simply has “their posts ten and their bases ten”; this may be added here as a circumstantial clause with the main sentence in order to make sense out of the construction.
  38. Exodus 38:13 tn The text simply says “75 feet.”
  39. Exodus 38:14 tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15).
  40. Exodus 38:15 tn Heb “from this and from this” (cf, 17:12; 25:19; 26:13; 32:15; Josh 8:22, 33; 1 Kgs 10:19-20; Ezek 45:7).
  41. Exodus 38:17 tn Heb “they were banded with silver.”
  42. Exodus 38:18 tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area.
  43. Exodus 38:21 tn The Hebrew word is פּקוּדֵי (pequde), which in a slavishly literal way would be “visitations of” the tabernacle. But the word often has the idea of “numbering” or “appointing” as well. Here it is an accounting or enumeration of the materials that people brought, so the contemporary term “inventory” is a close approximation. By using this Hebrew word there is also the indication that whatever was given, i.e., appointed for the tabernacle, was changed forever in its use. This is consistent with this Hebrew root, which does have a sense of changing the destiny of someone (“God will surely visit you”). The list in this section will also be tied to the numbering of the people.
  44. Exodus 38:21 tn The same verb is used here, but now in the Pual perfect tense, third masculine singular. A translation “was numbered” or “was counted” works. The verb is singular because it refers to the tabernacle as a unit. This section will list what made up the tabernacle.
  45. Exodus 38:21 tn Heb “at/by the mouth of.”
  46. Exodus 38:21 tn The noun is “work” or “service.” S. R. Driver explains that the reckonings were not made for the Levites, but that they were the work of the Levites, done by them under the direction of Ithamar (Exodus, 393).
  47. Exodus 38:21 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
  48. Exodus 38:24 tn These words form the casus pendens, or independent nominative absolute, followed by the apodosis beginning with the vav (ו; see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 469).
  49. Exodus 38:24 tn Heb “and it was.”
  50. Exodus 38:24 sn There were 3000 shekels in a talent, and so the total weight here in shekels would be 87,730 shekels of gold. If the sanctuary shekel was 224 grs., then this was about 40,940 oz. troy. This is estimated to be a little over a ton (cf. NCV “over 2,000 pounds”; TEV “a thousand kilogrammes”; CEV “two thousand two hundred nine pounds”; NLT “about 2,200 pounds”), although other widely diverging estimates are also given.
  51. Exodus 38:25 sn This would be a total of 301,775 shekels (about 140,828 oz), being a half shekel exacted per person from 603,550 male Israelites 20 years old or more (Num 1:46). The amount is estimated to be around 3.75 tons.
  52. Exodus 38:26 sn The weight would be about half an ounce.
  53. Exodus 38:26 tn Heb “upward.”
  54. Exodus 38:26 tn The phrase “in all” has been supplied.
  55. Exodus 38:28 tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds.
  56. Exodus 38:29 sn The total shekels would have been 212,400 shekels, which would be about 108,749 oz. This would make about 2.5 to 3 tons.
  57. Exodus 38:31 sn The bronze altar is the altar for the burnt offering; the large bronze basin is not included here in the list.
Listen to Exodus 37-38
Close NIV

Exodus 37-38
New International Version

The Ark(A)

37 Bezalel(B) made the ark(C) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[a] 2 He overlaid it with pure gold,(D) both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

6 He made the atonement cover(E) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 Then he made two cherubim(F) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 8 He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. 9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing(G) the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.(H)

The Table(I)

10 They[b] made the table(J) of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.[c] 11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold(K) and made a gold molding around it. 12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth[d] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. 14 The rings(L) were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 15 The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. 16 And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

The Lampstand(M)

17 They made the lampstand(N) of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 18 Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 21 One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.(O)

23 They made its seven lamps,(P) as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent[e] of pure gold.

The Altar of Incense(Q)

25 They made the altar of incense(R) out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high[f]—its horns(S) of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 27 They made two gold rings(T) below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.(U)

29 They also made the sacred anointing oil(V) and the pure, fragrant incense(W)—the work of a perfumer.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(X)

38 They[g] built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits[h] high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.[i] 2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.(Y) 3 They made all its utensils(Z) of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. 6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

8 They made the bronze basin(AA) and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women(AB) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard(AC)

9 Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits[j] long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 The west end was fifty cubits[k] wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 13 The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits[l] long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

18 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits[m] long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits[n] high, 19 with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 20 All the tent pegs(AD) of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

The Materials Used

21 These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law,(AE) which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar(AF) son of Aaron, the priest. 22 (Bezalel(AG) son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; 23 with him was Oholiab(AH) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) 24 The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary(AI) was 29 talents and 730 shekels,[o] according to the sanctuary shekel.(AJ)

25 The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census(AK) was 100 talents[p] and 1,775 shekels,[q] according to the sanctuary shekel— 26 one beka per person,(AL) that is, half a shekel,[r] according to the sanctuary shekel,(AM) from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more,(AN) a total of 603,550 men.(AO) 27 The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases(AP) for the sanctuary and for the curtain—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. 28 They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

29 The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.[s] 30 They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, 31 the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:1 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 6
  2. Exodus 37:10 Or He; also in verses 11-29
  3. Exodus 37:10 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4 feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters wide and 68 centimeters high
  4. Exodus 37:12 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  5. Exodus 37:24 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
  6. Exodus 37:25 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  7. Exodus 38:1 Or He; also in verses 2-9
  8. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
  9. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters long and wide
  10. Exodus 38:9 That is, about 150 feet or about 45 meters
  11. Exodus 38:12 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
  12. Exodus 38:14 That is, about 22 feet or about 6.8 meters
  13. Exodus 38:18 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters
  14. Exodus 38:18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
  15. Exodus 38:24 The weight of the gold was a little over a ton or about 1 metric ton.
  16. Exodus 38:25 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 27
  17. Exodus 38:25 That is, about 44 pounds or about 20 kilograms; also in verse 28
  18. Exodus 38:26 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams
  19. Exodus 38:29 The weight of the bronze was about 2 1/2 tons or about 2.4 metric tons.
Next
Exodus 36
Exodus 39
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV