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Building the Courtyard

Then Bezalel made the courtyard, which was enclosed with curtains made of finely woven linen. On the south side the curtains were 150 feet long.[a] 10 They were held up by twenty posts set securely in twenty bronze bases. He hung the curtains with silver hooks and rings. 11 He made a similar set of curtains for the north side—150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts set securely in bronze bases. He hung the curtains with silver hooks and rings. 12 The curtains on the west end of the courtyard were 75 feet long,[b] hung with silver hooks and rings and supported by ten posts set into ten bases. 13 The east end, the front, was also 75 feet long.

14 The courtyard entrance was on the east end, flanked by two curtains. The curtain on the right side was 22 1⁄2 feet long[c] and was supported by three posts set into three bases. 15 The curtain on the left side was also 22 1⁄2 feet long and was supported by three posts set into three bases. 16 All the curtains used in the courtyard were made of finely woven linen. 17 Each post had a bronze base, and all the hooks and rings were silver. The tops of the posts of the courtyard were overlaid with silver, and the rings to hold up the curtains were made of silver.

18 He made the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard of finely woven linen, and he decorated it with beautiful embroidery in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. It was 30 feet long, and its height was 7 1⁄2 feet,[d] just like the curtains of the courtyard walls. 19 It was supported by four posts, each set securely in its own bronze base. The tops of the posts were overlaid with silver, and the hooks and rings were also made of silver.

20 All the tent pegs used in the Tabernacle and courtyard were made of bronze.

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Footnotes

  1. 38:9 Hebrew 100 cubits [46 meters]; also in 38:11.
  2. 38:12 Hebrew 50 cubits [23 meters]; also in 38:13.
  3. 38:14 Hebrew 15 cubits [6.9 meters]; also in 38:15.
  4. 38:18 Hebrew 20 cubits [9.2 meters] long and 5 cubits [2.3 meters] high.

The Construction of the Courtyard

Bezalel[a] made the courtyard. For the south side[b] the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, 150 feet long, 10 with[c] 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[d] 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[e] hangings 75 feet long, with[f] 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,[g] 14 with hangings on one side[h] 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,[i] 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.[j] 18 The curtain[k] 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 38:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. Exodus 38:9 tn Heb “south side southward.”
  3. 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.
  4. Exodus 38:11 tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.
  5. Exodus 38:12 tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied.
  6. 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.
  7. Exodus 38:13 tn The text simply says “75 feet.”
  8. 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).
  9. 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).
  10. Exodus 38:17 tn Heb “they were banded with silver.”
  11. 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.