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Exodus 26-27

The Tabernacle

26 ^[a] “The tabernacle itself^[b] you are to make with^[c] ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet;^[d] you are to make them with^[e] cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer. ²The length of each^[f] curtain is to be 42 feet, and the width of each curtain is to be 6 feet^[g]—the same size for each of the curtains. ³Five curtains are to be joined,^[h] one to another,^[i] and the other^[j] five curtains are to be joined, one to another. ⁴You are to make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and in the same way you are to make loops^[k] in the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. ⁵You are to make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you are to make fifty loops on the end curtain which is on the second set, so that the loops are opposite one to another.^[l] ⁶You are to make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle is a unit.^[m]

⁷“You are to make curtains of goats’ hair^[n] for a tent over the tabernacle;^[o] you are to make^[p] eleven curtains. ⁸The length of each^[q] curtain is to be 45 feet, and the width of each curtain is to be 6 feet—the same size for the eleven curtains. ⁹You are to join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. You are to double over^[r] the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. ¹⁰You are to make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joins the second set. ¹¹You are to make fifty bronze clasps and put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it is a unit.^[s] ¹²Now the part that remains of the curtains of the tent—the half curtain that remains will hang over at the back of the tabernacle.^[t] ¹³The foot and a half^[u] on the one side and the foot and a half on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent will hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on one side and the other side, to cover it.^[v]

¹⁴“You are to make a covering^[w] for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather.^[x]

¹⁵“You are to make the frames^[y] for the tabernacle out of^[z] acacia wood as uprights.^[aa] ¹⁶Each^[ab] frame is to be 15 feet long, and each frame is to be 27 inches wide, ¹⁷with two projections^[ac] per frame parallel one to another.^[ad] You are to make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. ¹⁸So you are to make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side,^[ae] ¹⁹and you are to make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames—two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise^[af] two bases under the next frame for its two projections; ²⁰and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, twenty frames, ²¹and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame. ²²And for the back of the tabernacle on the west^[ag] you will make six frames. ²³You are to make two frames for the corners^[ah] of the tabernacle on the back. ²⁴At the two corners^[ai] they must be doubled at the lower end and finished together at the top in one ring. So it will be for both. ²⁵So there are to be eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame.

²⁶“You are to make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the back of the tabernacle on the west. ²⁸The middle bar in the center of the frames will reach from end to end.^[aj] ²⁹You are to overlay the frames with gold and make their rings of gold to provide places for the bars, and you are to overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan^[ak] that you were shown on the mountain.

³¹“You are to make a special curtain^[al] of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made^[am] with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. ³²You are to hang it^[an] with gold hooks^[ao] on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in^[ap] four silver bases. ³³You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain.^[aq] The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.^[ar] ³⁴You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on the north side.

³⁶“You are to make a hanging^[as] for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer.^[at] ³⁷You are to make for the hanging five posts of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and their hooks will be^[au] gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them.^[av]

The Altar

27 “You are to make the^[aw] altar of acacia wood, 7½ feet long,^[ax] and 7½ feet wide; the altar is to be square,^[ay] and its height is to be 4½ feet^[az] . ²You are to make its four horns^[ba] on its four corners; its horns will be part of it,^[bb] and you are to overlay it with bronze. ³You are to make its pots for the ashes,^[bc] its shovels, its tossing bowls,^[bd] its meat hooks, and its fire pans—you are to make all^[be] its utensils of bronze. ⁴You are to make a grating^[bf] for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on the network four bronze rings on its four corners. ⁵You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come^[bg] halfway up the altar.^[bh] ⁶You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze. ⁷The poles are to be put^[bi] into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it.^[bj] ⁸You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you^[bk] on the mountain, so they must make it.^[bl]

The Courtyard

⁹“You are to make the courtyard^[bm] of the tabernacle. For the south side^[bn] there are to be hangings^[bo] for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, 150 feet long for one side,^[bp] ¹⁰with^[bq] twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. ¹¹Likewise^[br] for its length on the north side, there are to be^[bs] hangings for 150 feet, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands^[bt] on the posts. ¹²The width of the court on the west side is to be 75 feet with hangings, with their ten posts and their ten bases. ¹³The width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be 75 feet. ¹⁴The hangings on one side^[bu] of the gate are to be^[bv] 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. ¹⁵On the second side^[bw] there are to be^[bx] hangings 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. ¹⁶For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of 30 feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases. ¹⁷All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands;^[by] their hooks are to be^[bz] silver, and their bases bronze. ¹⁸The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet^[ca] and the width 75 feet,^[cb] and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings^[cc] is to be^[cd] 7½ feet, with their bronze bases. ¹⁹All^[ce] the utensils of the tabernacle used^[cf] in all its service, all its tent pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.^[cg]

Offering the Oil

²⁰“You are to command the Israelites that they bring^[ch] to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps^[ci] will burn^[cj] regularly.^[ck] ²¹In the tent of meeting^[cl] outside the curtain that is before the testimony,^[cm] Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening^[cn] to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come.^[co]

Footnotes

Exodus 26:1 sn This chapter is given over to the details of the structure itself, the curtains, coverings, boards and walls and veil. The passage can be studied on one level for its function both practically and symbolically for Israel’s worship. On another level it can be studied for its typology, for the tabernacle and many of its parts speak of Christ. For this one should see the commentaries.
Exodus 26:1 tn The word order in Hebrew thrusts the direct object to the front for particular emphasis. After the first couple of pieces of furniture are treated (chap. 25), attention turns to the tabernacle itself.
Exodus 26:1 tn This is for the adverbial accusative explaining how the dwelling place is to be made.
Exodus 26:1 sn S. R. Driver suggests that the curtains were made with threads dyed with these colors (Exodus, 280). Perhaps the colored threads were used for embroidering the cherubim in the curtains.
Exodus 26:1 tn The construction is difficult in this line because of the word order. “Cherubim” is an adverbial accusative explaining how they were to make the curtains. And מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב (maʿaseh khoshev) means literally “work of a designer”; it is in apposition to “cherubim.” The Hebrew participle means “designer” or “deviser” so that one could render this “of artistic designs in weaving” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 280-81). B. Jacob says that it refers to “artistic weavers” (Exodus, 789).
Exodus 26:2 tn Heb “one” (so KJV).
Exodus 26:2 tn Heb “28 cubits” long and “4 cubits” wide.
Exodus 26:3 tn This is the active participle, not the passive. It would normally be rendered “joining together.” The Bible uses the active because it has the result of the sewing in mind, namely, that every curtain accompanies another (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 348).
Exodus 26:3 tn Heb “a woman to her sister,” this form of using nouns to express “one to another” is selected because “curtains” is a feminine noun (see GKC 448 §139.e).
Exodus 26:3 tn The phrase “the other” has been supplied.
Exodus 26:4 tn Here “loops” has been supplied.
Exodus 26:5 tn Heb “a woman to her sister.”
Exodus 26:6 tn Heb “one”; KJV “it shall be one tabernacle”; NRSV “that the tabernacle may be one whole”; NLT “a single unit.”
Exodus 26:7 sn This chapter will show that there were two sets of curtains and two sets of coverings that went over the wood building to make the tabernacle or dwelling place. The curtains of fine linen described above could be seen only by the priests from inside. Above that was the curtain of goats’ hair. Then over that were the coverings, an inner covering of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of hides of fine leather. The movement is from the inside to the outside because it is God’s dwelling place; the approach of the worshiper would be the opposite. The pure linen represented the righteousness of God, guarded by the embroidered cherubim; the curtain of goats’ hair was a reminder of sin through the daily sin offering of a goat; the covering of rams’ skins dyed red was a reminder of the sacrifice and the priestly ministry set apart by blood, and the outer covering marked the separation between God and the world. These are the interpretations set forth by Kaiser; others vary, but not greatly (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:459).
Exodus 26:7 sn This curtain will serve “for a tent over the tabernacle,” as a dwelling place.
Exodus 26:7 tn Heb “you will make them”
Exodus 26:8 tn Heb “one”
Exodus 26:9 sn The text seems to describe this part as being in front of the tabernacle, hanging down to form a valence at the entrance (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 284).
Exodus 26:11 tn Heb “one”
Exodus 26:12 sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 353) cites b. Shabbat 98b which says, “What did the tabernacle resemble? A woman walking on the street with her train trailing behind her.” In the expression “the half of the curtain that remains,” the verb agrees in gender with the genitive near it.
Exodus 26:13 tn Literally “cubit.”
Exodus 26:13 sn U. Cassuto states the following: “To the north and to the south, since the tent curtains were 30 cubits long, there were 10 cubits left over on each side; these covered the 9 cubits of the curtains of the tabernacle and also the bottom cubit of the boards, which the tabernacle curtains did not suffice to cover. It is to this that v. 13 refers” (Exodus, 353).
Exodus 26:14 sn Two outer coverings made of stronger materials will be put over the tent and the curtain, the two inner layers.
Exodus 26:14 tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.
Exodus 26:15 tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqq^erashim) means “boards” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “frames” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV) or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.
Exodus 26:15 tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.
Exodus 26:15 tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).
Exodus 26:16 tn Heb “the frame.”
Exodus 26:17 sn Heb “hands,” the reference is probably to projections that served as stays or supports. They may have been tenons, or pegs, projecting from the bottom of the frames to hold the frames in their sockets (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 286).
Exodus 26:17 tn Or “being joined each to the other.”
Exodus 26:18 tn Heb “on the south side southward.”
Exodus 26:19 tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”
Exodus 26:22 tn Or “westward” (toward the sea).
Exodus 26:23 sn The term rendered “corners” is “an architectural term for some kind of special corner structure. Here it seems to involve two extra supports, one at each corner of the western wall” (N. M. Sarna, Exodus [JPSTC], 170).
Exodus 26:24 tn Heb “they will be for the two corners.” This is the last clause of the verse, moved forward for clarity.
Exodus 26:28 sn These bars served as reinforcements to hold the upright frames together. The Hebrew term for these bars is also used of crossbars on gates (Judg 16:3; Neh 3:3).
Exodus 26:30 tn The noun is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), often translated “judgment” or “decision” in other contexts. In those settings it may reflect its basic idea of custom, which here would be reflected with a rendering of “prescribed norm” or “plan.”
Exodus 26:31 tn Although translated “curtain” (traditionally “veil,” so ASV, NAB, NASB) this is a different word from the one used earlier of the tent curtains, so “special curtain” is used. The word פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) seems to be connected with a verb that means “to shut off” and was used with a shrine. This curtain would form a barrier in the approach to God (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 289).
Exodus 26:31 tn The verb is the third masculine singular form, but no subject is expressed. It could be translated “one will make” or as a passive. The verb means “to make,” but probably has the sense of embroidering both here and in v. 1.
Exodus 26:32 tn Heb “put it.”
Exodus 26:32 tn This clause simply says “and their hooks gold,” but is taken as a circumstantial clause telling how the veil will be hung.
Exodus 26:32 tn Heb “on four silver bases.”
Exodus 26:33 tn The traditional expression is “within the veil,” literally “into the house (or area) of the (special) curtain.”
Exodus 26:33 tn Or “the Holy of Holies.”
Exodus 26:36 sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.
Exodus 26:36 tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).
Exodus 26:37 tn “will be” has been supplied.
Exodus 26:37 sn In all the details of this chapter the expositor should pay attention to the overall message rather than engage in speculation concerning the symbolism of the details. It is, after all, the divine instruction for the preparation of the dwelling place for Yahweh. The point could be said this way: The dwelling place of Yahweh must be prepared in accordance with, and by the power of, his divine word. If God was to fellowship with his people, then the center of worship had to be made to his specifications, which were in harmony with his nature. Everything was functional for the approach to God through the ritual by divine provisions. But everything also reflected the nature of God, the symmetry, the order, the pure wood, the gold overlay, or (closer to God) the solid gold. And the symbolism of the light, the table, the veil, the cherubim—all of it was revelatory. All of it reflected the reality in heaven. Churches today do not retain the pattern and furnishings of the old tabernacle. However, they would do well to learn what God was requiring of Israel, so that their structures are planned in accordance with the theology of worship and the theology of access to God. Function is a big part, but symbolism and revelation instruct the planning of everything to be used. Christians live in the light of the fulfillment of Christ, and so they know the realities that the old foreshadowed. While a building is not necessary for worship (just as Israel worshiped in places other than the sanctuary), it is practical, and if there is going to be one, then the most should be made of it in the teaching and worshiping of the assembly. This chapter, then, provides an inspiration for believers on preparing a functional, symbolical, ordered place of worship that is in harmony with the word of God. And there is much to be said for making it as beautiful and uplifting as is possible—as a gift of freewill offering to God. Of course, the most important part of preparing a place of worship is the preparing of the heart. Worship, to be acceptable to God, must be in Christ. He said that when the temple was destroyed he would raise it up in three days. While he referred to his own body, he also alluded to the temple by the figure. When they put Jesus to death, they were destroying the temple; at his resurrection he would indeed begin a new form of worship. He is the tent, the curtain, the atonement, that the sanctuary foreshadowed. And then, believers also (when they receive Christ) become the temple of the Lord. So the NT will take the imagery and teaching of this chapter in a number of useful ways that call for more study. This does not, however, involve allegorization of the individual tabernacle parts.
Exodus 27:1 tn The article on this word identifies this as the altar, meaning the main high altar on which the sacrifices would be made.
Exodus 27:1 tn The dimensions are 5 cubits by 5 cubits by 3 cubits high.
Exodus 27:1 tn Heb “four”; this refers to four sides. S. R. Driver says this is an archaism that means there were four equal sides (Exodus, 291).
Exodus 27:1 tn Heb “and 3 cubits its height.”
Exodus 27:2 sn The horns of the altar were indispensable—they were the most sacred part. Blood was put on them; fugitives could cling to them, and the priests would grab the horns of the little altar when making intercessory prayer. They signified power, as horns on an animal did in the wild (and so the word was used for kings as well). The horns may also represent the sacrificial animals killed on the altar.
Exodus 27:2 sn The text, as before, uses the prepositional phrase “from it” or “part of it” to say that the horns will be part of the altar—of the same piece as the altar. They were not to be made separately and then attached, but made at the end of the boards used to build the altar (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 363).
Exodus 27:3 sn The word is literally “its fat,” but sometimes it describes “fatty ashes” (TEV “the greasy ashes”). The fat would run down and mix with the ashes, and this had to be collected and removed.
Exodus 27:3 sn This was the larger bowl used in tossing the blood at the side of the altar.
Exodus 27:3 tn The text has “to all its vessels.” This is the lamed (ל) of inclusion according to Gesenius, meaning “all its utensils” (GKC 458 §143.e).
Exodus 27:4 tn The noun מִכְבָּר (mikhbar) means “a grating”; it is related to the word that means a “sieve.” This formed a vertical support for the ledge, resting on the ground and supporting its outer edge (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 292).
Exodus 27:5 tn The verb is the verb “to be,” here the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is “and it will be” or “that it may be,” or here “that it may come” halfway up.
Exodus 27:5 tn Heb “to the half of the altar.”
Exodus 27:7 tn The verb is a Hophal perfect with vav consecutive: וְהוּבָא (v^ehuvaʾ, “and it will be brought”). The particle אֶת (ʾet) here introduces the subject of the passive verb (see a similar use in 21:28, “and its flesh will not be eaten”).
Exodus 27:7 tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the preposition ב (bet): “in carrying it.” Here the meaning must be that the poles are not left in the rings, but only put into the rings when they carried it.
Exodus 27:8 tn The verb is used impersonally; it reads “just as he showed you.” This form then can be made a passive in the translation.
Exodus 27:8 tn Heb “thus they will make.” Here too it could be given a passive translation since the subject is not expressed. But “they” would normally refer to the people who will be making this and so can be retained in the translation.sn Nothing is said about the top of the altar. Some commentators suggest, in view of the previous instruction for making an altar out of earth and stone, that when this one was to be used it would be filled up with dirt clods and the animal burnt on the top of that. If the animal was burnt inside it, the wood would quickly burn. A number of recent scholars think this was simply an imagined plan to make a portable altar after the pattern of Solomon’s—but that is an unsatisfactory suggestion. This construction must simply represent a portable frame for the altar in the courtyard, an improvement over the field altar. The purpose and function of the altar are not in question. Here worshipers would make their sacrifices to God in order to find forgiveness and atonement, and in order to celebrate in worship with him. No one could worship God apart from this; no one could approach God apart from this. So too the truths that this altar communicated form the basis and center of all Christian worship. One could word an applicable lesson this way: Believers must ensure that the foundation and center of their worship is the altar, i.e., the sacrificial atonement.
Exodus 27:9 tn Or “enclosure” (TEV).
Exodus 27:9 tn Heb “south side southward.”
Exodus 27:9 tn Or “curtains.”
Exodus 27:9 sn The entire courtyard of 150 feet by 75 feet was to be enclosed by a curtain wall held up with posts in bases. All these hangings were kept in place by a cord and tent pegs.
Exodus 27:10 tn Heb “and.”
Exodus 27:11 tn Heb “and thus.”
Exodus 27:11 tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:11 sn These bands have been thought by some to refer to connecting rods joining the tops of the posts. But it is more likely that they are bands or bind rings surrounding the posts at the base of the capitals (see 38:17).
Exodus 27:14 tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here and in v. 15. The east end would contain the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 16).
Exodus 27:14 tn Here “will be” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:15 tn Heb “shoulder.”
Exodus 27:15 tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:17 tn The text uses the passive participle here: they are to “be filleted with silver” or “bound round” with silver.
Exodus 27:17 tn Here the phrase “are to be” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:18 tn Heb “100 cubits.”
Exodus 27:18 tn Heb “fifty.” The text has “and the width 50 [cubits] with 50.” This means that it is 50 cubits wide on the western end and 50 cubits wide on the eastern end.
Exodus 27:18 tn Here “hangings” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:18 tn Here the phrase “is to be” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:19 tn Heb “to all”; for use of the preposition ל (lamed) to show inclusion (“all belonging to”) see GKC 458 §143.e.
Exodus 27:19 tn Here “used” has been supplied.
Exodus 27:19 sn The tabernacle is an important aspect of OT theology. The writer’s pattern so far has been: ark, table, lamp, and then their container (the tabernacle); then the altar and its container (the courtyard). The courtyard is the place of worship where the people could gather—they entered God’s courts. Though the courtyard may not seem of much interest to current readers, it did interest the Israelites. Here the sacrifices were made, the choirs sang, the believers offered their praises, they had their sins forgiven, they came to pray, they appeared on the holy days, and they heard from God. It was sacred because God met them there; they left the “world” (figuratively speaking) and came into the very presence of God.
Exodus 27:20 tn The form is the imperfect tense with the vav showing a sequence with the first verb: “you will command…that they take.” The verb “take, receive” is used here as before for receiving an offering and bringing it to the sanctuary.
Exodus 27:20 tn Heb “lamp,” which must be a collective singular here.
Exodus 27:20 tn The verb is unusual; it is the Hiphil infinitive construct of עָלָה (ʿalah), with the sense here of “to set up” to burn, or “to fix on” as in Exod 25:37, or “to kindle” (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 370).
Exodus 27:20 sn The word can mean “continually,” but in this context, as well as in the passages on the sacrifices, “regularly” is better, since each morning things were cleaned and restored.
Exodus 27:21 tn The LXX has mistakenly rendered this name “the tent of the testimony.”
Exodus 27:21 tn Or “covenant,” or “treaty.”
Exodus 27:21 sn The lamps were to be removed in the morning so that the wicks could be trimmed and the oil replenished (30:7) and then lit every evening to burn through the night.
Exodus 27:21 sn This is the first of several sections of priestly duties. The point is a simple one here: those who lead the worship use the offerings of the people to ensure that access to God is illumined regularly. The NT will make much of the symbolism of light.

Matthew 25:1-30

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five^[a] of the virgins^[b] were foolish, and five were wise. ³When^[c] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra^[d] olive oil^[e] with them. ⁴But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. ⁵When^[f] the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The^[g] foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹‘No,’ they replied.^[h] ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then^[i] the door was shut. ¹¹Later,^[j] the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’^[k] ¹²But he replied,^[l] ‘I tell you the truth,^[m] I do not know you!’ ¹³Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.^[n]

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴“For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves^[o] and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵To^[p] one he gave five talents,^[q] to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work^[r] and gained five more. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. ¹⁸But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. ¹⁹After^[s] a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. ²⁰The^[t] one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir,^[u] you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹His master answered,^[v] ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²²The^[w] one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ ²³His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, ²⁵so^[x] I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ ²⁶But his master answered,^[y] ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? ²⁷Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers,^[z] and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!^[aa] ²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.^[ab] ²⁹For the one who has will be given more,^[ac] and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.^[ad] ³⁰And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness,^[ae] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Footnotes

Matthew 25:2 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:2 tn Grk “Five of them.”
Matthew 25:3 tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:3 tn The word “extra” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The point is that the five foolish virgins had only the oil in their lamps, but took along no extra supply from which to replenish them. This is clear from v. 8, where the lamps of the foolish virgins are going out because they are running out of oil.
Matthew 25:3 tn On the use of olive oil in lamps, see L&N 6.202.
Matthew 25:5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:8 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:9 tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”
Matthew 25:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Matthew 25:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:11 tn Grk “Open to us.”
Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
Matthew 25:13 tc Most later mss (C³ Γ ƒ¹³ 1241 1424^c M) add here “in which the Son of Man is coming” (ἐν ᾗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται, en |ē ho huios tou anthrōpou erchetai), reproducing almost verbatim the last line of Matt 24:44. The longer reading thus appears to be an explanatory expansion and should not be considered authentic. The earlier and better witnesses (P³⁵ א A B C* D L W Δ Θ ƒ¹ 33 565 892 1424* al lat co) lack this phrase.
Matthew 25:14 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
Matthew 25:15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:15 sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.
Matthew 25:16 tn Grk “traded with them.”
Matthew 25:19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:20 tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).
Matthew 25:21 tn Grk “His master said to him.”
Matthew 25:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
Matthew 25:26 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
Matthew 25:27 tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.
Matthew 25:27 sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”
Matthew 25:28 tn Grk “the ten talents.”
Matthew 25:29 tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”sn The one who has will be given more. Faithfulness yields great reward (see Matt 13:12; also Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26).
Matthew 25:29 sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.
Matthew 25:30 tn The Greek term translated “darkness” (σκότος) is associated with Tartarus in Aeschylus, Eumenides 72; other references to the darkness of death and the underworld can be found throughout the classical literature as far back as Homer. BDAG 932 s.v. σκότος 1 states: “Of the darkness of the place of punishment far removed fr. the heavenly kingdom (Philo, Exsecr. 152 βαθὺ σκότος. Cf. Wsd 17:20; PsSol 14:9.—σκ. κ. βόρβορος ‘gloom and muck’ await those who are untrue to the Eleusinian Mysteries, Ael. Aristid. 22, 10 K.=19 p. 421 D. Of the darkness of death and the underworld in Hom. and the Trag. As the domain of evil spirits PGM 36, 138; Theoph. Ant. 2, 7 [p. 110, 5]) τὸ σκ. τὸ ἐξώτερον the darkness outside Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30.”

Psalm 31:1-8

Psalm 31^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

31 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter.
Never let me be humiliated.
Vindicate me by rescuing me.^[b]
²Listen to me.^[c]
Quickly deliver me.
Be my protector and refuge,^[d]
a stronghold where I can be safe.^[e]
³For you are my high ridge^[f] and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation^[g] you lead me and guide me.^[h]
⁴You will free me^[i] from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
⁵Into your hand I entrust my life;^[j]
you will rescue^[k] me, O Lord, the faithful God.
⁶I hate those who serve worthless idols,^[l]
but I trust in the Lord.
⁷I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am.^[m]
⁸You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand^[n] in a wide open place.

Footnotes

Psalm 31:1 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
Psalm 31:1 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
Psalm 31:3 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
Psalm 31:3 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the Lord’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.)
Psalm 31:3 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
Psalm 31:4 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
Psalm 31:5 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
Psalm 31:5 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
Psalm 31:6 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
Psalm 31:7 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
Psalm 31:8 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”

Proverbs 8:1-11

The Appeal of Wisdom^[a]

8 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
²At the top^[b] of the prominent places along the way,
at the intersection^[c] of the paths she has taken her stand;
³beside the gates opening into^[d] the city,
at the entrance of the doorways she cries out:^[e]
⁴“To you, O people,^[f] I call out,
and my voice calls^[g] to all mankind.^[h]
⁵You who are naive, discern^[i] wisdom!
And you fools, understand discernment!^[j]
⁶Listen, for I will speak excellent things,^[k]
and my lips will utter^[l] what is right.
⁷For my mouth^[m] speaks truth,^[n]
and my lips^[o] hate wickedness.^[p]
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;^[q]
there is nothing in them twisted^[r] or crooked.
⁹All of them are clear^[s] to the discerning
and upright to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰Receive my instruction^[t] rather than^[u] silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold.
¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies,
and desirable things cannot be compared^[v] to her.

Footnotes

Proverbs 8:1 sn In this chapter wisdom is personified. In 1:20-33 wisdom proclaims her value, and in 3:19-26 wisdom is the agent of creation. Such a personification has affinities with the wisdom literature of the ancient Near East, and may have drawn on some of that literature, albeit with appropriate safeguards (Claudia V. Camp, Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs, 23-70). Wisdom in Proverbs 8, however, is not a deity like Egypt’s Ma'at or the Assyrian-Babylonian Ishtar. It is simply presented as if it were a self-conscious divine being distinct but subordinate to God, but in reality it is the personification of the attribute of wisdom displayed by God (R. B. Y. Scott, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 69-72; and R. Marcus, “On Biblical Hypostases of Wisdom,” HUCA 23 [1950-1951]: 157-71). Many have equated wisdom in this chapter with Jesus Christ. This connection works only in so far as Jesus reveals the nature of the Father, just as Proverbs presents wisdom as an attribute of God. Jesus’ claims included wisdom (Matt 12:42) and a unique knowledge of God (Matt 11:25-27). He even personified wisdom in a way that was similar to Proverbs (Matt 11:19). Paul saw the fulfillment of wisdom in Christ (Col 1:15-20; 2:3) and affirmed that Christ became our wisdom in the crucifixion (1 Cor 1:24, 30). So this personification in Proverbs provides a solid foundation for the similar revelation of wisdom in Christ. But because wisdom is a creation of God in Proverbs 8, it is unlikely that wisdom here is to be identified with Jesus Christ. The chapter unfolds in three cycles: After an introduction (1-3), wisdom makes an invitation (4, 5) and explains that she is noble, just, and true (6-9); she then makes another invitation (10) and explains that she is valuable (11-21); and finally, she tells how she preceded and delights in creation (22-31) before concluding with the third invitation (32-36).
Proverbs 8:2 tn Heb “head.” The word רֹאשׁ (roʾsh, “head”) refers to the highest area or most important place in the elevated area. The contrast with chapter 7 is striking. There the wayward woman lurked at the corners in the street at night; here wisdom is at the highest point in the open places in view of all.
Proverbs 8:2 tn Heb “at the house of the paths.” The “house” is not literal here, but refers to where the paths meet (cf. ASV, NIV), that is, the “crossroads” (so NAB, NRSV, NLT).
Proverbs 8:3 tn Heb “at the mouth of.”
Proverbs 8:3 tn The cry is a very loud ringing cry that could not be missed. The term רָנַן (ranan) means “to give a ringing cry.” It is often only a shrill sound that might come with a victory in battle, but its use in the psalms for praise shows that it also can have clear verbal content, as it does here. For wisdom to stand in the street and give such a ringing cry would mean that it could be heard by all. It was a proclamation.
Proverbs 8:4 tn Heb “men.” Although it might be argued in light of the preceding material that males would be particularly addressed by wisdom here, the following material indicates a more universal appeal. Cf. TEV, NLT “to all of you.”
Proverbs 8:4 tn The verb “calls” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of style.
Proverbs 8:4 tn Heb “sons of man.” Cf. NAB “the children of men”; NCV, NLT “all people”; NRSV “all that live.”
Proverbs 8:5 tn The imperative of בִּין (bin) means “to understand; to discern.” The call is for the simple to understand what wisdom is, not just to gain it.
Proverbs 8:5 tn Heb “heart.” The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) often functions metonymically for wisdom, understanding, discernment.
Proverbs 8:6 tc The MT reads נְגִידִים (n^egidim) “nobles.” HALOT interprets this as the plural form of the noun that lies behind the preposition נֶגֶד (neged), meaning “correct, proper expressions” (HALOT 667, s.v. נֶגֶד). The translation follows BHS in reading נְגָדִים (n^egadim) “noble things” as a substantival adjective based on the same root.
Proverbs 8:6 tn Heb “opening of my lips” (so KJV, NASB). The noun “lips” is a metonymy of cause, with the organ of speech put for what is said.
Proverbs 8:7 tn Heb “roof of the mouth.” This expression is a metonymy of cause for the activity of speaking.
Proverbs 8:7 tn The word “truth” (אֱמֶת, ʾemet) is derived from the verbal root אָמַן (ʾaman) which means “to be firm, trustworthy.” There are a number of derived nouns that have the sense of reliability: “pillars,” “master craftsman,” “nurse,” “guardian.” Modifiers related to this group of words include things like “faithful,” “surely,” “truly” (ʾamen). In the derived stems the verb develops various nuances: The Niphal has the meanings of “reliable, faithful, sure, steadfast,” and the Hiphil has the meaning “believe” (i.e., consider something dependable). The noun “truth” means what is reliable or dependable, firm or sure.
Proverbs 8:7 sn Wise lips detest wickedness; wisdom hates speaking wicked things. In fact, speaking truth results in part from detesting wickedness.
Proverbs 8:7 tn Heb “wickedness is an abomination to my lips” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
Proverbs 8:8 tn The phrase could be rendered with an understood ellipsis: “all the words of my mouth [are said] in righteousness”; or the preposition could be interpreted as a beth essentiae: “all the words of my mouth are righteousness.”
Proverbs 8:8 sn The verb פָּתַל (patal) means “to twist.” In the Niphal it means “to wrestle” (to twist oneself). It was used in Gen 30:8 for the naming of Naphtali, with the motivation for the name from this verb: “with great struggling.” Here it describes speech that is twisted. It is a synonym for the next word, which means “twisted; crooked; perverse.”
Proverbs 8:9 tn Heb “front of.” Describing the sayings as “right in front” means they are open, obvious, and clear, as opposed to words that might be twisted or perverse. The parallel word “upright” means “straight, smooth, right.” Wisdom’s teachings are in plain view and intelligible for those who find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:10 tn Heb “discipline.” The term refers to instruction that trains with discipline (e.g., Prov 1:2).
Proverbs 8:10 tn Heb “and not” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “in preference to.”
Proverbs 8:11 tn The verb יִשְׁווּ (yish^evu, from שָׁוָה, shavah) can be rendered “are not comparable” or with a modal nuance, “cannot be compared” with her.

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The Tabernacle

The Altar

The Courtyard

Offering the Oil

Footnotes

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Parable of the Talents

Footnotes

Psalm 31[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

The Appeal of Wisdom[a]

Footnotes

Psalm 31^[a]

The Appeal of Wisdom^[a]