| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Exodus Chapter
Twenty-five
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 25
In this chapter an order
is given for a freewill offering towards various things for the worship and
service of God, and the materials to be offered, which would be useful and
acceptable, are mentioned particularly, Exodus 25:1, as
also another order to build a sanctuary for God, after a model that he would
give, Exodus 25:8, and,
an ark to put in the law on tables of stone, the fashion of which, and the
various things belonging to it, are described, Exodus 25:10, and a
mercy seat with cherubim on it to be set over the ark, where the Lord promises
to meet Moses and commune with him, Exodus 25:17 and a
table with various appurtenances to it to place the shewbread on, Exodus 25:23 and a
candlestick of gold, whose parts are described, and all the instruments
relative to it, Exodus 25:31.
Exodus 25:1 Then
the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying:
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord
spake unto Moses,.... When on the mount, and in the midst of the cloud with him:
saying; as follows.
Exodus 25:2 2 “Speak
to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who
gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
YLT 2`Speak unto the sons of Israel, and they take
for Me a heave-offering; from every man whose heart impelleth him ye do take My
heave-offering.
Speak unto the
children of Israel,.... That is, when he should go down from the mountain to the
camp:
that they bring
me an offering; the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call it a
"separation": something separated from their substance, and devoted
to the service of God, and for the use of the sanctuary afterwards to be built:
of every man
that giveth it willingly, with his heart, ye shall take my offering; or take what
was offered to him, be it more or less, and of whatsoever person, high and low,
rich and poor, so be it it is freely given from the heart; not grudgingly or
through force, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; and in such manner did David and
his people many hundreds of years after this offer towards building of the
temple, and the vessels belonging to that, see 1 Chronicles 29:6
according to the Jewish writers, none but the children of Israel were to offer
to this service, and only such who knew what they did; for thus they criticize
on the words,"speak unto the children of "Israel": this exempts
an Heathen and an idolater; "of every man"; this excludes a little
one; "that giveth it willingly with his heart"; this exempts a deaf
and dumb man, and a fool, because they have no knowledge to offer freelyF26Maimon.
& Bartenora in Misn. Trumot, c. 1. sect. 1. 'however, this we may learn
from hence, that whatever we do for the worship and service of God, we should
do it freely, cheerfully, and cordially; for God loves a cheerful giver; and if
this was required under the legal dispensation, it is much more necessary and
obligatory under the Gospel dispensation, and more suitable to it where all
things are done and given freely of God, and such large blessings of grace are
liberally bestowed by him on persons undeserving.
Exodus 25:3 3 And
this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and
bronze;
YLT 3`And this [is] the heave-offering which ye
take from them; gold, and silver, and brass,
And this is the
offering which ye shall take of them,.... That is, some one or
other of the following things were to be taken of each of them that had a
heart, and it was in the power of their hands to give; it was not expected that
something of each of these should be had of everyone, but every man was to
give, and it was to be received of him, what of these would suit him best to
bestow, some one thing, some another, as they were possessed of, and had a
heart to give; and for which service many of them were abundantly supplied with
what they had brought out of Egypt; and as it was the Lord that gave them
favour in the eyes of the Egyptians to lend or give them the riches they had,
they were under the greater obligation to part with somewhat of it freely for
his service; and especially as it would be to the spiritual profit and
advantage both of them and theirs:
gold and
silver, and brass; "gold", for those things that were to he made of gold;
as the mercy seat and cherubim, the candlestick, &c. or were covered with
it, as the ark, the shewbread table, and other things; and silver, for those
that were made of that, as the silver sockets to the boards of the tabernacle,
the silver trumpets, &c. and "brass" for the altar of burnt
offering, its pans, shovels, basins, rings, and staves, and other things: Aben
Ezra rightly observes, that no mention is made of iron, there being no use of
that for anything in the tabernacle to be made of it; as also there was not in
the temple of Solomon, and where there was not so much as a tool of iron heard
in it while it was building, 1 Kings 6:7 it may
be, because instruments of war, slaughtering weapons, were made of iron; and to
show that God is the God of peace in his sanctuary, and so in all the churches:
gold and silver vessels the Israelites borrowed or begged of the Egyptians, and
brought them with them when they came out of Egypt, Exodus 11:2.
Exodus 25:4 4 blue,
purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair;
YLT 4and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and linen,
and goats' [hair],
And blue, and
purple, and scarlet,.... The Jewish doctors are much divided about the sense of the
words so rendered by us; some will have one colour, and some another meant;
but, according to those learned men, who have taken much pains in searching
into the meaning of them, as Bochart and Braunius, it appears that our version
of them is most correct: and by these we are not to understand the colours
themselves, which could not be brought, nor even the materials for dying them
are intended; but wool, or clothes, either silken or linen of those colours: of
the former the apostle has taught us to expound them, Hebrews 9:19 and so
Jarchi interprets them of wool thus died, and JosephusF1Antiqu. l.
3. c. 6. sect. 1. also; which was made up into yarn, and wove, and was much
used in the garments of the priests, in the curtains of the tabernacle, and in
the vail between the holy and the most holy place:
and fine linen; the best of
which was made in Egypt only, as Aben Ezra says, and much wore there,
especially by the priests; and they had such an abundance of it that they
traded to other nations with it, see Isaiah 19:9 and of
which the Israelites might bring a considerable quantity with them out of
Egypt; and
goats' hair; though the
word hair is not in the text, it is rightly supplied, as it is by the
Septuagint version, and others, for not goats themselves, but their hair must
be meant; of this the curtains for the covering of the tabernacle were made;
Jarchi interprets it the down of goats, the short, small, fine hair that grows
under the other.
Exodus 25:5 5 ram
skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood;
YLT 5and rams' skins made red, and badgers' skins,
and shittim wood,
And rams' skins
died red,.... Of these were made a covering for the tent or tabernacle:
and badgers'
skins, which were for the same use: the Septuagint version calls them
hyacinth or blue skins; according to which, they seem to be the rams' skins
died blue; and so JosephusF2Ut supra. (Antiq. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 1.)
seems to have understood it; and it is much questionable whether the same
creature is meant we call the badger, since that with the Israelites was an
unclean creature; nor is its skin made use of for shoes, or well could be, as
the skin of this creature is said to be, Ezekiel 16:10.
Jarchi says it was a kind of beast only at that time; and Aben Ezra says, it
was known in those days but not now: and
shittim wood; supposed by
the Jewish writers, as KimchiF3Sepher Shorash. rad. שוט , and Ben Melech from him, to be the best and most
excellent kind of cedar: Aben Ezra conjectures, and he delivers it but as a
conjecture, that there might be near Mount Sinai a forest of
"shittim" trees; and while the Israelites were there they cut them
down for booths, which they might carry with them when they removed from
thence; for, he says, Moses did not speak of the tabernacle till after the day
of atonement: and since Acacia is by much the largest and the most common tree
of the deserts of Arabia, as Dr. ShawF4Travels, p. 144. Ed. 2.
observes, he thinks there some reason to conjecture, that the "shittim
wood", whereof the several utensils of the tabernacle, &c. were made,
was the wood of Acacia: and long ago it was the opinion of CordusF5Apud
Drus. Heb. Adag. Decur. 3. Adag. 4. that the "shittim wood" was the
Acacia of Dioscorides; and it is the same with the Senton or Santon of the
Arabians, which is the Egyptian thorn that grows in the wilderness, of which
HerodotusF6Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 96. says, they cut wood of two
cubits out of and make ships of burden of it: this is said to grow in the parts
of Egypt at a distance from the sea; in the mountains of Sinai, at the Red sea,
about Suez, in the barren wilderness; which circumstances seem to determine it
to be the "shittim wood"F7Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr.
vol. 2. p. 204. : some places where it might grow in plenty seem to have had
their names from it, see Numbers 25:1.
Exodus 25:6 6 oil
for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense;
YLT 6oil for the light, spices for the anointing
oil, and for the perfume of the spices,
Oil for the
light,.... For the light of the lamps in the candlestick: this was oil
olive, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi, see Exodus 27:20,
spices for
anointing oil; for the anointing of Aaron and his sons, and the tabernacle and
its vessels, such as pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, and cassia:
and for sweet
incense; as stacte, onycha, and galbanum; from whence they had this oil
and these spices, it is not easy to say, unless they brought them out of Egypt
with them; which is likely, since the deserts of Arabia could not furnish them
with them.
Exodus 25:7 7 onyx
stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
YLT 7shoham stones, and stones for setting for an
ephod, and for a breastplate.
Onyx stones,.... So called
from their likeness to the nail of a man's finger: the Targum of Onkelos calls
them stones of beryl; and the Targum of Jonathan gems of beryl; and the
Septuagint version, stones of sardius; and some take them to be the sardonyx
stones, which have a likeness both to the onyx and to the sardius:
and stones to
be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate; two onyx stones were set
in the ephod, one of the garments of the high priest, and an onyx stone, with
eleven other precious stones, were set in the breastplate of the high priest:
these stones were doubtless among the jewels set in gold and silver the
Israelites had of the Egyptians, and brought with them out of Egypt.
Exodus 25:8 8 And
let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
YLT 8`And they have made for Me a sanctuary, and I
have tabernacled in their midst;
And let them
make me a sanctuary,.... An holy place to dwell in, and so called from his dwelling
in it, as follows:
that I may
dwell amongst them; in the midst of them, where the tabernacle was always placed;
and there he dwelt as their King and their God, to whom they might have
recourse on all occasions, and whom they should serve and worship; this
sanctuary was to be made of many of the materials before mentioned by the
Israelites, whom Moses should employ, and to whom he should give directions for
the making it, according to the pattern showed him: and so the Jewish writers
interpret "make me", or "to me", i.e. of mine, of mine holy
things, things sanctified and separated to his use; and they bring this passage
to prove that the workmen in the temple were to be paid only out of the holy
things, or money given for the repair of itF8Maimon. & Bartenora
in Misn. Temurah, c. 7. sect. 1. : this was a type of the human nature of
Christ, the true sanctuary and tabernacle which God pitched and not man, and in
which the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily; and of the church of God, the
temple of the living God, among whom he walks, and with whom he dwells, Hebrews 8:2.
Exodus 25:9 9 According
to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the
pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
YLT 9according to all that which I am shewing
thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all its vessels, even
so ye do make [it].
According to
all that I show thee,.... That is, the sanctuary was to be made in all respects
exactly according to the view of it that Moses now had upon the mount from God,
and which he was to communicate to the workmen for their instruction and
direction:
after the
pattern of the tabernacle, and of the pattern of all the instruments thereof,
even so shall ye make it: and by the "pattern" is not meant an idea of it,
impressed on the mind of Moses, or a picture of it which was shown him, but a
little edifice representing it in all its parts, a perfect model of it: and so
MaimonidesF9Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 3. says, "Tabnith",
the word here used, signifies the structure and disposition of anything, i.e.
the form of it in a four square, in roundness, in a triangle, or in any of the
like figures, see Hebrews 8:5 and so
David had, by the Spirit, a pattern of the temple, and which he gave to his son
Solomon, to build according to it, 1 Chronicles 28:11.
Exodus 25:10 10 “And
they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be
its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
YLT 10`And they have made an ark of shittim wood;
two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth, and a
cubit and a half its height;
And they shall
make an ark of shittim wood,.... A chest or coffer to put things into, and
into this were to be put the two tables of stone on which the law was written,
and it was to be made of the wood before mentioned, Exodus 25:5 this
was a very eminent type of Christ, with whom the name of an ark, chest, or
coffer where treasure lies, agrees; for the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
and the riches of grace, even all the fulness of it, lie in him; and all the
epithets of this ark are suitable to him, as when it is called the ark of God,
the ark of his strength, the glory of God, the face of God, Jehovah, and God
himself, the holy ark, and ark of the covenant: and its being made of
"shittim wood", which is an incorruptible wood, a wood that rots not,
by which the Septuagint version here, and in Exodus 25:5 and
elsewhere render it, may denote the duration of Christ in his person, and the
natures united in it; in his divine nature, from everlasting to everlasting, he
is God; in his human nature he saw no corruption, and though he died he lived
again, and lives for evermore; in his offices, as Mediator, Redeemer, Saviour,
prophet, priest, and King, he abideth for ever; and in his grace and the
fulness of it, which, like himself, is the same today, yesterday, and forever:
two cubits and
a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof,
and a cubit and a half the height thereof; if this cubit was a
common cubit, consisting of a foot and a half or eighteen inches, then the
length of this ark was forty five inches, and its breadth and height twenty
seven each; according to Dr. CumberlandF11Of Scripture Weights and
Measures, ch. 2. p. 34, 56. , the Egyptian and Jewish cubit was above twenty
one inches, and then the ark must be fifty three inches long or more, and
thirty two and three quarters broad and high, or more: and JosephusF12Antiqu.
l. 3. c. 6. sect. 5. says, the length of it was five spans, and the breadth and
height of it three spans each.
Exodus 25:11 11 And you shall overlay it
with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a
molding of gold all around.
YLT 11and thou hast overlaid it [with] pure gold,
within and without thou dost overlay it, and thou hast made on it a ring of
gold round about.
And thou shalt
overlay it with pure gold,.... Not gild it, but put a plate of pure
gold over it:
within and
without shalt thou overlay it; so that nothing of the wood could be seen:
this may denote the glory of Christ in both his natures, divine and human, the
riches of his person and office, which are unsearchable and durable, and his
preciousness to them that believe, Song of Solomon 5:10,
and shalt make
upon it a crown of gold round about: or a cornish of pure
gold upon it, every way, which was a square on which the mercy seat was set;
which may point at the honour and glory of Christ, especially in his kingly
office, who has indeed on his head many crowns; one a crown of pure gold, his
divine Father has set upon him; another which the church has crowned him with,
and indeed both angels and saints cast their crowns at his feet, and set the
crown on his head, or give him the glory of all they have and are.
Exodus 25:12 12 You
shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners;
two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.
YLT 12`And thou hast cast for it four rings of
gold, and hast put [them] on its four feet, even two rings on its one side, and
two rings on its second side;
And thou shalt
cast four rings of gold for it,.... For which a mould was to be made, and
the gold being melted was poured into it, and so the rings were fashioned:
and put them in
the corners thereof; or, "in its feet", as Aben Ezra, though Jarchi says it
had no feet; but as the word used so signifies always, it is more probable it
had feet; and the rather, that it might not stand upon the ground, but on feet,
as chests and coffers usually do:
and two rings
shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it; Jarchi says,
at the upper corners, near the mercy seat were they placed, two on one side and
two on the other, at the breadth of the ark; but it is more likely they were
fixed in the lower part of it, as Ramban, at the feet of it; and in the length
of the ark, as Josephus writesF13Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 5 .
Exodus 25:13 13 And
you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
YLT 13and thou hast made staves of shittim wood,
and hast overlaid them [with] gold,
And thou shall
make staves of shittim wood,.... Of the same, wood the ark was made of,
see Exodus 25:5 and
overlay them with gold; cover them with plates of gold, so that they appeared
to be all of gold, the wood being not to be seen.
Exodus 25:14 14 You
shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be
carried by them.
YLT 14and hast brought the staves into the rings on
the sides of the ark, to bear the ark by them,
And thou shall
put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark,.... This
shows for what use the rings were; namely, to put the staves into them and the
use of the staves thus put was:
that the ark
might be borne with them; which staves overlaid with gold, and put into golden rings,
figured the ministers of Christ, enriched with the gifts and graces of his
Spirit, and possessed of the truths of the Gospel, more precious than gold and
silver; who bear the name of Christ, and carry his Gospel into the several
parts of the world.
Exodus 25:15 15 The
poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
YLT 15in the rings of the ark are the staves, they
are not turned aside from it;
The staves
shall be in the rings of the ark,.... Not only be put into
them, but remain in them, yea, always:
they shall not
be taken from it; or, as the Septuagint version is, be immovable; so that those
gold rings in the ark may signify the churches of Christ, which are
instrumental to bear his name, and spread his truth in the world, comparable to
rings for their circular form, being the purest and most perfect bodies of men
on earth, and to gold rings for their worth and value, preciousness,
excellency, and duration; and with whom the ministers of the Gospel, comparable
to golden staves, are always to be, and never depart from them: or else they
may signify the perfect and precious doctrines of Christ, in which his
ministers are always to be; either in meditation on them, or in preaching of
them, and by which they are always to abide, see 1 Timothy 4:15.
Exodus 25:16 16 And
you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
YLT 16and thou hast put unto the ark the testimony
which I give unto thee.
And thou shall
put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee. Which was the
principal use of it: by the "testimony" is meant the law, written on
two tables of stone; so called, because it was a testification of the mind and
will of God, what he would have done or omitted; and as the Israelites had
declared their approbation of it, and assent unto it, and had promised
obedience to it, therefore, should they transgress it, it would be a testimony
against them: now this was put into the ark, and preserved there, see Deuteronomy 10:1,
which may signify that the law was in the heart of Christ, and which he
undertook to fulfil, and with pleasure did it; that he is become the fulfilling
end of the law for righteousness to them that believe in him; and that it
remains with him as a rule of walk and conversation to his people, so far as it
is of a moral, holy, and spiritual nature.
Exodus 25:17 17 “You
shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its
length and a cubit and a half its width.
YLT 17`And thou hast made a mercy-seat of pure
gold, two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth;
And thou shall
make a mercy seat of pure gold,.... Or "covering"F14כפרת "opertorium", Montanus; "tegmen sive
operimentum", Vatablus; "operculum", Piscator. ; so Jarchi and
Aben Ezra; for so the word properly signifies; and what is meant was no more
than a cover of the ark, which was open at the top, and this was the lid of it,
and exactly answered to it, as appears by the dimensions afterwards given of
it; and because the root of this word in one form signifies to propitiate or
make atonement, some render it the "propitiatory" or
"propitiation"F15"Propitiatorium", V. L.
Pagninus, Munster, Tigurine version. ; which is favoured by the apostle in Hebrews 9:5 and to
which he seems to refer, Romans 3:25 and the
rather since God is represented sitting on this, as showing himself propitious
and well pleased with men, by his communing with them from hence; the
Septuagint version takes in both senses, rendering it the "propitiatory
covering"F16
ιλαστηριον επιθεμα Sept. "operculum propitiatorium", Junius &
Tremellius. : this being called by what name it will, was typical of Christ; he
is the seat of mercy, or, as it is in the New Testament expressed, the throne
of grace; whereon, or in whom God shows himself to be gracious and merciful to
the children of men; all the stores of mercy are in him, and all the vessels of
mercy are put into his hands; the mercy of God is displayed in the mission of
him as a Saviour, and is glorified by him in a way consistent with his justice
and holiness; through him only special mercy is communicated to sinful men, to
whom God is only merciful in Christ: and Christ himself is all mercy to his
people; his ways of old were mercy and truth, and all his works, especially his
great work of redemption, are done in mercy and pity to them; he shows himself
to be merciful to them, by sympathizing with them, and supporting them under
all their temptations and afflictions, in granting them all the necessary
supplies of grace here, and by bestowing eternal life on them hereafter: he is
their "covering", the covering of their persons by his righteousness,
imputed to them, and of their sins, by his blood shed for them, and sprinkled
on them, and of the law, by his satisfaction for the transgressions of it;
whereby they are secured from the avenging justice of God, and wrath to come:
and he is the "propitiation" or "propitiatory", who has
made atonement and reconciliation for sin; and in and through whom God shows
himself propitious to his people, he being pacified, his wrath appeased, and
his justice satisfied by his obedience and sufferings: and this mercy seat,
being of "pure gold", without any alloy or mixture in it, may denote
the purity of Christ's obedience, righteousness, and sacrifice, in the
completeness of salvation by him, without any works of righteousness of men;
the worth and excellency of Christ, and of these blessings of his, and the
preciousness of his blood, and the continued virtue and efficacy of it, and of
his righteousness and sacrifice, by which the propitiation is made:
two cubits and
a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof: which are
exactly the dimensions of the ark, to which this was a lid or cover, see Exodus 25:10 in the
mystical sense it intimates, that Christ, in his nature, obedience, sufferings,
and death, is the end of the law for righteousness, which is entirely commensurate,
and answers to all its demands: his holy nature is answerable to the holiness
and spirituality of the law; his righteousness to all that obedience it
requires, and his sufferings and death to the penalty of it; so that, through
Christ, we have a righteousness to justify us before God, as long and as broad
as the law is, though the commandment is exceeding broad, Psalm 119:96. Aben
Ezra observes, that there is no mention made of the thickness of the mercy
seat; and the same Jarchi takes notice of, but adds, that, according to their
Rabbins, it was an hand's breadth, and the Targum of Jonathan says,"and
its thickness an hand's breadth.'
Exodus 25:18 18 And
you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at
the two ends of the mercy seat.
YLT 18and thou hast made two cherubs of gold,
beaten work dost thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat;
And thou shalt
make two cherubim of gold,.... Which some take to be in the form of
birds, and others of winged animals, such as the like were never seen, so
Josephus; the Jews commonly suppose they were in the form of young men, which
they observe the word signifies in the Chaldee language; others, that they were
in the form of an ox, the face of an ox and a cherub being the same, Ezekiel 1:10 and
indeed their form is best discerned from account of them in Ezekiel, and in the
Revelation, and from the latter we best learn what they were; they were
hieroglyphics or emblems, not of the two Testaments, as many of the ancients,
nor of the angels, since they are distinguished from them, much less of the
trinity of persons in the Godhead; but either of the saints and true believers
in Christ in common, of both dispensations, legal and evangelical, and so
signified by the number "two"; and being made of gold may denote
their excellency, worth, and value in the esteem of Christ; for the precious
sons of Sion are comparable to fine gold for their preciousness, solidity, and
duration, as well as for their sincerity and simplicity; or rather of the
ministers of the word in particular; and these may be signified by two, and at
the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New; and the
ministers of the word in all ages, and particularly during the reign of antichrist,
are called the two witnesses that prophesy in sackcloth; and being said to be
of gold, may respect the grace of God bestowed on "them", comparable
to gold, the gifts of the Spirit of God they are furnished with, as well as the
precious truths of the Gospel committed to their trust:
of beaten work
shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat; not of gold
melted and poured into a mould, and so received the form of the cherubim; nor
were they first made by themselves, and then placed at the two ends of the
mercy seat, and soldered to it; but they were made of the same mass of gold
with the mercy seat, and beaten out of it with an hammer, and planished and
smoothed, and so wrought up into this form, as appears by the following verse;
and may denote the union of believers to Christ, who are one body and one
spirit with him; and the union of the Old and New Testament churches in him,
and who are but one church, one body, of which he is the head; and as he is the
foundation of the apostles or prophets, on whom they are laid, he is the
cornerstone in which they are united; and so it may likewise signify the
nearness of the ministers of the word to Christ, their dependence on him, and
their partaking of the same gifts and graces of his Spirit, only in measure,
being made by him able ministers of the Gospel.
Exodus 25:19 19 Make
one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the
cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.
YLT 19and make thou one cherub at the end on this
side, and one cherub at the end on that; at the mercy-seat ye do make the
cherubs on its two ends.
And make one
cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end,.... The
situation of the cherubim is particularly explained, lest, as Jarchi observes,
it should be thought that there were two at both ends of the mercy seat;
whereas there were only one at one end, and another at the other, opposite to
each other, and both pointing to the mercy seat; which may express the
situation and office of the ministers of the word under each dispensation, who
are so placed as to derive all their gifts and graces from Christ, and to point
him out unto the sons of men as the only way of salvation, the only
propitiation for sin, and through whom alone grace and mercy are to be had:
even of the
mercy seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof; this is not
so much intended the more to inculcate and confirm the situation of the
cherubim, as more fully to explain the matter of which they were made; for it
was "of" or out of the mercy seat that they were made, at the two
ends of it; that is, they were made not only of the same kind of metal with
that, but out of the same mass or lump of gold that was; a lid of gold being
made commensurate to the ark, what remained above that measure, at the ends of
it, were beaten and formed into two cherubim.
Exodus 25:20 20 And
the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy
seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the
cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
YLT 20`And the cherubs have been spreading out
wings on high, covering the mercy-seat over with their wings, and their faces
[are] one towards another -- towards the mercy-seat are the faces of the
cherubs.
And the
cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high,.... From whence it
appears they were in the form of winged creatures, as the seraphim in Isaiah's
vision, and the living creatures in those of Ezekiel and John; and their wings
did not hang down by them, or on the side of them, but were stretched out
upwards towards the heaven above their heads; denoting the readiness, agility,
and swiftness of the ministers of the word to do the work and will of Christ,
as well as their expectation of all the supplies of gifts and grace from him to
enable them to do it:
covering the
mercy seat with their wings; which reached each other; though, as JarchiF17T.
Bab. Succah, fol. 5. 2. Vid. Gloss. in ib. says, between them and the mercy
seat there was a hollow of ten hands' breadth; so high were they stretched
upwards, though they met each other:
and their faces
shall look one to another; and which is expressive of the harmony,
concord, and agreement of the true and faithful ministers of Christ one with
another; who all agree in preaching Christ, and him crucified, and in the
several momentous and important doctrines of the Gospel:
towards the
mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be; as before observed, it
may denote their directing souls to Christ as the only way of salvation,
keeping always in all their ministrations this great truth in view, atonement
and satisfaction by the blood and sacrifice of Christ, and salvation alone by
him; which they make the rule of their ministry, and from which they never
swerve, taking care not to deliver anything contrary to it, or which may serve
to cast a veil over it.
Exodus 25:21 21 You shall put the mercy
seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will
give you.
YLT 21`And thou hast put the mercy-seat on the ark
above, and unto the ark thou dost put the testimony which I give unto thee;
And thou shalt
put the mercy seat above upon the ark,.... Over it, as a
covering for it: this situation of the mercy seat above the ark, where the law
was, signifies, that there is no mercy but in a way of righteousness, or of
satisfaction to the law of God, and in a consistence with the honour of it; and
the cherubim over the mercy seat making a throne for the majesty of God, in
which he sat, and the ark below a kind of footstool for him, shows that Christ,
the mercy seat and propitiatory, stands between God and his law, and is the
mediator between God, and men the transgressors of that law, and by fulfilling
it has covered the sins of his people, which are violations of it; and being
above it, and having magnified and made it honourable, is able to suppress its
charges and accusations, and secure from its curse and condemnation:
and in the ark
thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee; or
"after thou shalt put in the ark", &c.F18ואל הארן "postquam in
area", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. Vid. Nold. Concord Ebr.
part. p. 290. , as the particle "vau" is sometimes used; the sense
is, that then the mercy seat should be put above, and upon the ark, as the
covering of it, after the law, or the two tables of testimony, were put into
it; for then it was covered, and not to be opened any more; see Exodus 40:20.
Exodus 25:22 22 And
there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the
Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the
children of Israel.
YLT 22and I have met with thee there, and have
spoken with thee from off the mercy-seat (from between the two cherubs, which
[are] on the ark of the testimony) all that which I command thee concerning the
sons of Israel.
And there I
will meet with thee,.... With Moses, and so with the high priest in later times, when
he should enter into the holy of holies, and with the people of God as
represented by him, when he should go in and inquire for them of the Lord:
and I will
commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim; converse with
him and them about whatsoever they should apply unto him for, these being the
symbols of the divine presence: hence the Lord is frequently described as
"dwelling between the cherubim which are upon the ark of the
testimony"; that is, which cherubim are upon it, being on the mercy seat,
which was the cover of it; or rather "which is upon"F19אשר על "quod est",
Vatablus. , which mercy seat is upon the ark of the testimony, as it properly
was; and here the Lord promises to commune
of all things
which I shall give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel: what they
shall do, respecting those things which by Moses, or the high priest, they
should inquire the mind and will of God about: this may signify that the way to
communion with God lies through Christ, the mercy seat and propitiation,
through his blood and righteousness, through the vail, that is to say, his
flesh; and the encouragement to it is from him, our great high priest, and from
his propitiatory sacrifice; and the enjoyment of it is through him; our
fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; God speaks to us by
him, and reveals himself in him.
Exodus 25:23 23 “You
shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length,
a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
YLT 23`And thou hast made a table of shittim wood,
two cubits its length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its
height,
Thou shalt also
make a table of shittim wood,.... As the sanctuary or tabernacle was an
house for God to dwell in, he would have the proper furniture of an house, as a
table, candlestick, &c. This table was to be in the same place with the ark
and mercy seat; they were set in the holy of holies, where there were nothing
else; but this in the holy place, on the north side of it, Exodus 26:35 its
principal use was to set the shewbread on, as after mentioned, and was typical
of Christ, and communion with him, both in this life, and that to come. There
is the table of the Lord, to which his people are now admitted, where he sits
down with them, and they with him, to have fellowship with him in the
ministration of the word and ordinances, of which he is the sum and substance;
and this is very desirable and delightful, and an instance of his condescending
grace, Song of Solomon 1:12,
and he will have a table in his kingdom hereafter, where his saints shall eat
and drink with him, in which their chief happiness will consist, Luke 22:30 This
table may be considered as typical of Christ himself, for he is both table and
provisions and everything to his people; and of him in both his natures; in his
human nature, it being made of shittim wood, incorruptible; for though Christ
died in, that nature, yet he saw no corruption, he rose again and lives for
evermore; in his divine nature, by the gold it was covered with:
two cubits
shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a
half the height thereof; it was two Jewish square cubits in length, which are about six
English square feet and above half, viz. ninety four inches, according to
Bishop CumberlandF20Ut supra. (Of Scripture Weights and Measures,
ch. 2. p. 34, 36.) . It was neither so long nor so broad as the ark by half a
cubit, but was of the same height with it, being about thirty two inches high
and three quarters, according to the Jewish and Egyptian cubit, which was about
twenty one inches and more and was a proper height for a table; and this
measure, no doubt, takes in the thickness of the table, and the height of the
seat, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe.
Exodus 25:24 24 And
you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around.
YLT 24and hast overlaid it [with] pure gold, and
hast made for it a crown of gold round about,
And thou shalt
overlay it with pure gold,.... Cover it with a plate of gold, so that
the wood was not seen; which may denote either the excellency of Christ's human
nature, being pure and spotless, and adorned with the grace of the Spirit of
God without measure; or rather of his divine nature, which is the head of
Christ, and said to be as the most fine gold, for in him dwells all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily:
and make
thereto a crown of gold round about; that is, on both sides
and at both ends; for though it is called a crown, it was a square, and this
was both to ornament the table, and to keep from falling off of it what was set
upon it. Jarchi says, it was a sign of the crown of the kingdom, for a table
signifies riches and greatness, as they say a king's table: and indeed this was
the table of the King of kings, who has on his head many crowns, and one must
be made upon his table.
Exodus 25:25 25 You
shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a
gold molding for the frame all around.
YLT 25and hast made for it a border of a
handbreadth round about, and hast made a crown of gold to its border round
about.
And thou shalt
make unto it a border of art hand's breadth round about,.... Jarchi
says, their wise men are divided about this; some say it was above, round about
the table; others say it was below, fixed from foot to foot at the four corners
of the table, and the board of the table lay upon the border:
and thou shalt
make a golden crown to the border thereof round about; this was not
the same spoke of in the former verse, but another; that was above, and upon
the table, this below and under it; or rather that was, as it may be better
expressed, a lip, rim, or border, that went round within the tableF21So
R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 61. 2. ; and this crown, surrounded that on the
edge of it.
Exodus 25:26 26 And
you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners
that are at its four legs.
YLT 26`And thou hast made to it four rings of gold,
and hast put the rings on the four corners, which [are] to its four feet;
And thou shalt
make for it four rings of gold,.... As the ark had, and for the same use as
the rings of that were, though whether cast, as they were, is not said:
and put the
rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof; as there were
four feet at the four corners of the table, to each foot a ring was fastened;
the use of these follows.
Exodus 25:27 27 The
rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table.
YLT 27over-against the border are the rings for
places for staves to bear the table;
Over against
the border,.... Or "under" it, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin
versions. Jarchi says the rings were fixed to the feet over against the top of
the border:
shall the rings
be for placing of the staves to bear the table; into these rings staves
were to be put, to carry the table from place to place, when it was necessary,
as while they were in the wilderness, and before the tabernacle had a fixed
settled place for it; for wherever the tabernacle was carried, the ark and the
table were also: where the church of Christ is, there he is, and there are the
word and ordinances; and which are sometimes moved from place to place, as from
the land of Judea into the Gentile world, from the eastern part of the world to
the more northern; and that by the ministers of the word, who bear the name,
and carry the Gospel of Christ into the several parts of the world, as this
table was bore by the Levites, Numbers 4:7.
Exodus 25:28 28 And
you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the
table may be carried with them.
YLT 28and thou hast made the staves of shittim
wood, and hast overlaid them with gold, and the table hath been borne with
them;
And thou shall
make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold,.... In like
manner as the staves for the ark, and which were made of the same wood:
that the table
may be borne with them; when moved from one place to another; these staves did not
remain in the rings, as the staves for the ark did; but, as Josephus saysF23Antiqu.
l. 3. c. 6. sect. 6. , were taken out, because they otherwise would have been
in the way of the priests, who came every week to it, to set the shewbread on;
and these were put in only when they carried it from place to place, as appears
from Numbers 4:8.
Exodus 25:29 29 You
shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You
shall make them of pure gold.
YLT 29and thou hast made its dishes, and its bowls,
and its covers, and its cups, with which they pour out; of pure gold thou dost
make them;
And thou shall
make the dishes thereof,.... On which the shewbread loaves were set. Jarchi says they
were of the form of the bread, and that there were two sorts, one of gold, and
one of iron; in the iron one the bread was baked, and when they took it out of
the oven, they put it into the golden one until the morrow of the sabbath, when
they set it in order upon the table; and that form is called
"Kaarah", which we render a dish:
and the spoons
thereof; or rather "cups"; these, Jarchi says, were censers, in
which they put the frankincense; and there were two of them for the two
handfuls of frankincense, which they put upon the two rows of shewbread, Leviticus 24:7.
JosephusF24Antiq. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 6. calls them vials, and says,
that on the bread were put two golden vials full of frankincense:
and the covers
thereof, and the bowls thereof, to cover withal; the one to cover the
bread, and the other to cover the frankincense; or all the above said vessels
were to cover the table, and with them all it must be pretty well covered with
vessels. The Jews give a different account of these two last, and of their use,
which we render "covers" and "bowls": the first of these
Jarchi says were like the half of hollow reeds divided to their length, made of
gold; and three of them were laid in order on the top of every loaf, so that
one loaf rested upon these reeds; and they separated between loaf and loaf, so
that the air could come in between them, and they did not become mouldy; the
latter, he says, were props like stakes of gold standing on the ground, and
they were higher than the table, even as high as the rows of bread; and they
were forked with live forks, one above another, and the tops (or ends) of the
reeds, which were between each loaf, rested upon these forks, that so the
weight of the upper loaves might not be too heavy for the lower ones, and break
them. A like account of them Ben Melech gives, and observes, that some make the
first word to signify the props, and the second the reeds; and so they are
interpreted by MaimonidesF25Pirush in Misn. Menachot, c. 11. sect.
6. ; and, according to the MisnahF26Menachot, ib. , the props were
four, and the reeds twenty eight. According to the Septuagint version, these
were vessels used in libations, or drink offerings; and the last clause is
rendered in it, "with which thou shall pour out": wine or oil, and so
in some other versions; but it will be difficult to find any use for such
libations or drink offerings at this table.
Exodus 25:30 30 And
you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
YLT 30and thou hast put on the table bread of the
presence before Me continually.
And thou shall
set upon the table shewbread before me always. Which consisted of twelve
cakes loaves, set in two rows upon the table, and stood there a whole week, and
every sabbath were renewed; and when the old ones were took away, which were
eaten by the priests, new ones were set, so that they were always before the
Lord; and being continually before him, were called shewbread, or "bread
of faces", being always before the face of God. This was a memorial of the
goodness of God in daily providing bread for the people of Israel, and was
presented to him as a thankful acknowledgment of it, and being the same they
ate at their own tables; and this being eaten by the priests, was expressive of
the communion between God and them, they being guests of his, and feeding on
the same provisions. This shewbread may be considered either as typical of the
church and people of God, who are all one bread, 1 Corinthians 10:17,
these pure and unleavened cakes may denote their purity, simplicity, and
sincerity, being without the leaven of malice and wickedness; the number
twelve, the twelve tribes of Israel, the whole spiritual Israel of God; their
being called shewbread, or bread of faces, the presentation of themselves to the
Lord in public worship, and their being ever under the eye and care of God;
their being set on the table, their standing in Christ, and security by him,
who is the foundation of the apostles and prophets; and being set in rows,
their order and harmony; being renewed every sabbath, the constancy of their
worship, and the succession of them in all ages; the frankincense put on each
row, the acceptance of their persons and services through the incense of
Christ's mediation; the border round about them, the power of Christ around
them to keep them from falling: or else as typical of Christ himself, of his
being the food of believers, the bread of life: the shewbread of fine flour may
fitly signify Christ, the finest of the wheat, the corn of heaven, the bread that
comes from thence; its quantity, twelve cakes, the sufficiency of food with
him, bread enough and to spare for the whole Israel of God; its continuance,
the permanency of Christ as the food believers have always to feed upon; the
frankincense on it, the gratefulness of Christ to such, to whom his flesh is
meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed; and being set for priests, and only
for them, may show that Christ is only food to such who are made priests to
God: or this may be an emblem of the intercession of Christ, who is the Angel
of God's presence, ever before him, and represents the whole Israel of God, for
whom he intercedes; and his intercession is continual, he ever lives to make
intercession for them, and that is always acceptable to God. The twelve loaves,
JosephusF1Antiqu. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 7. says, signify the year
divided into so many months.
Exodus 25:31 31 “You shall also make a
lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its
branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of
one piece.
YLT 31`And thou hast made a candlestick of pure
gold, of beaten work is the candlestick made; its base, and its branch, its
calyxes, its knops, and its flowers are of the same;
And thou shalt
make a candlestick of pure gold,.... Another piece of household furniture,
and an useful one, especially in a house where there are no windows, as there
were none in the tabernacle, denoting the darkness of the legal dispensation,
see 2 Kings 4:10. This
candlestick was set in the holy place, on the south side of it, opposite the
shewbread table, Exodus 26:35 and
was typical of the church of God; so the candlesticks John had a vision of
signify seven churches, Revelation 1:13,
the general use of which is, to hold forth light put into it, for it has none
of itself, but what is put there by Christ: and this is not the light of nature
and reason, nor the law of Moses, but the Gospel of Christ; which where it is
set, gives light and dispels darkness; is useful to walk and work by; does not
always burn alike, and will shine the brightest in the end of the world: this
light is put into the candlestick by Christ the fountain of all light, and from
whom all light is communicated, particularly the Gospel; and being put there,
lost sinners are looked up by it, strayed ones are brought back, hypocrites are
detected, and saints are enlightened, comforted, and refreshed: and this
candlestick being made of "pure gold", may denote the worth and value
of the church of God, and the members of it, their splendour, glory, and purity
they have from Christ, and their duration; and thus the seven churches of Asia
are compared to seven golden candlesticks, Revelation 1:12,
and under the form of a golden candlestick is the Gospel church set forth in Zechariah 4:2.
JosephusF2Antiq. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 7. is of opinion the candlestick
has some mystical meaning in it, it being of seventy parts, as he says, refers
to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, through which the seven planets take their
course, whom MiltonF3Paradise Lost. B. 12. ver. 254, 255, 256.
follows:
of beaten work
shall the candlestick be made; not of gold melted, and poured into a
mould, from whence it might take its form; but it was beaten with an hammer out
of an entire mass of gold, and not the following parts made separately, and
then joined:
his shaft, and
his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same; not only of
the same metal, but beaten out of the same mass and lump of gold; these are the
several parts of the candlestick: the "shaft" is the trunk and body
of the candlestick, which stood in the middle of it, and in which the several
parts united; and may either be typical of Christ, who is principal and head of
the church, and stands in the middle of it, and is the cement of the several
parts of it, and is but one, the one head, Mediator and Saviour; or else the
church universal, of which particular ones are parts: its "branches"
may either signify the several members of churches, who are in Christ as
branches, and hold forth the word of light; or else minister, of the Gospel,
who have their commission and gifts from him, and are held by him as stars in
his right hand; or else particular churches, which are branches of the church
universal: its "bowls", which were to hold oil for the lamps, may
denote men of capacity in the churches, full of the gifts and graces of the
Spirit, able to teach others also: and the "knops" and "flowers"
were for decoration, and may signify the graces of the Spirit, with which
private members and believers are adorned; or the gifts of the Spirit with
which the ministers of the word are furnished, and appear beautiful, publishing
the glad tidings of salvation by Christ.
Exodus 25:32 32 And
six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out
of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.
YLT 32and six branches are coming out of its sides,
three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of
the candlestick out of the second side;
And six
branches shall come out of the sides of it,.... Out of the trunk or
shaft, being beaten out of it:
three branches
of the candlestick out of one side, and three branches of the candlestick out
of the other side; Jarchi takes what we render the "shaft" to be the
lower part of the candlestick, from whence three feet went out below; and the
"branch" or "cane", for it is in the singular number in the
preceding verse, he takes to be the middle branch or trunk, that went up from
the middle of the foot upwards, and upon it was the middle lamp, in the form of
a censer, to pour oil into the midst of it; and the six branches went out from
the sides of that, here and there drawn obliquely, and went up to the height of
the candlestick, which is the middle branch or cane; and they went up from the
midst of that middle cane, one above another, the lowermost long, and that
above it shorter than that, and the uppermost shorter than that; for the height
of the tops of them were equal to the height of the middle cane, that is, the
seventh, from whence the six went out.
Exodus 25:33 33 Three
bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with
an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms
on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so
for the six branches that come out of the lampstand.
YLT 33three calyxes made like almonds in the one
branch, a knop and a flower, and three calyxes made like almonds in one branch,
a knop and a flower; so for the six branches which are coming out from the
candlestick.
Three bowls
made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch,.... There
were three bowls or cups in the form of almond nuts to each branch, which were
either to hold oil for the lamps, as before observed, or, as others think, to
catch the snuff which fell from them; and there were a "knop", which,
according to the signification of the word, was in the form of a pomegranate,
and a flower, which the Targum of Jonathan renders a lily; and they are both in
Scripture emblems of the saints endowed with the gifts and graces of the
Spirit:
and three bowls
made like almonds in the other branch; on the other side of the
candlestick, opposite to the former:
so in the six
branches that come out of the candlestick; there were the same
number of bowls, with a knop and a flower in the rest of the branches, as in
those mentioned.
Exodus 25:34 34 On
the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms,
each with its ornamental knob and flower.
YLT 34`And in the candlestick [are] four calyxes
made like almonds, its knops and its flowers;
And in the
candlestick shall be four bowls,.... That is, in the trunk or body of it;
the branches had but three apiece, but this being larger had four: and these
were also
made like unto
almonds, with their knops and their flowers; as the bowls on the
branches had with them.
Exodus 25:35 35 And
there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a
knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third
two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the
lampstand.
YLT 35and 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, [are] to the six branches which are coming out of the candlestick;
And there shall
be a knop under two branches of the same,.... According to Jarchi,
from the middle of the knop (which was like a pomegranate, or, as others, like
an apple) two branches were drawn from the two sides of it, here and there; so
they teach in the work of the tabernacle, the height of the candlestick was
eighteen hands' breadth: this clause is repeated twice in this verse,
signifying there should be a knop under each of the three branches on one side,
and three on the other side: for it follows:
according to
the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick; out of the
trunk of it, as in Exodus 25:32.
Exodus 25:36 36 Their
knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be
one hammered piece of pure gold.
YLT 36their knops and their branches are of the
same, all of it one beaten work of pure gold;
Their knops and
their branches shall be of the same,.... Of the same metal,
gold, and of same mass:
all of it shall
be one beaten work of pure gold not made in parts, and then put and soldered
together, but the whole candlestick in all its parts and branches were to be
beaten out of one piece of gold.
Exodus 25:37 37 You
shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they
give light in front of it.
YLT 37and thou hast made its seven lamps, and [one]
hath caused its lights to go up, and it hath given light over-against its
front.
And thou shall
make the seven lamps thereof,.... Which were, six of them, on the top of
the six branches that came out of the sides of the candlestick, and the seventh
on the top of the shaft which ran up in the middle of it; which no doubt were
made of gold as well as the rest, and may signify the many members of churches
bearing the lamp of a profession: or the several gifts and graces of the
Spirit, which are sometimes, because of the perfection of them, called the
seven spirits of God, and are compared to seven lamps of fire burning before
the throne, Revelation 4:5 or
else the ministers of the Gospel, who are the lights of the world:
and they shall
light the lamps thereof; Aaron and his sons, the priests in successive generations:
that they may
give light over against it to the table of shewbread, which was
opposite to it on the north side of the tabernacle, and so by the light of
these lamps the priests could see to place the shewbread in its order; or the
candlestick itself, the lamps being so placed as to give light to the whole
body of it, that it might be seen in all its parts very distinctly; unless it
can be thought that these lamps were separate from the candlestick, and set
around the sides of the holy place, and gave light to it: and this may rather
seem to be the case, since these lamps are spoken of after the whole of it is
said to be one beaten work of pure gold; but then we have no account of the
lamps of the candlestick, unless they are supposed to be included in the
branches; wherefore the first sense seems best.
Exodus 25:38 38 And
its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold.
YLT 38`And its snuffers and its snuff dishes [are]
of pure gold;
Which, according to
Jarchi, was a sort of forks with which they took the wicks out of the oil, and
put them in the lamps; or, as some think, the snuffers, but they are
distinguished from tongs, 1 Kings 7:49 and
the snuffdishes thereof shall be of pure gold; in which the tongs or snuffers
were put, or into which the snuff itself was put that was snuffed off. Jarchi
says they were a sort of small cups, in which they put the ashes of the lamp,
morning by morning, when they trimmed the lamps from the ashes of the wicks
which burned in the night, and were extinct: so Ben Gersom and Lyra say they
were vessels full of water where those were put which were snuffed off, that
they might not make a smoke, which is not improbable.
Exodus 25:39 39 It
shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
YLT 39of a talent of pure gold he doth make it,
with all these vessels.
Of a talent of
pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. The common
talent weighed sixty pounds, but the sacred talent was double, and weighed one
hundred and twenty pounds, as says Jarchi, and so Ben Melech: a talent of gold
amounted to 5067 pounds, three shillings and ten pence of our money, according
to Bishop CumberlandF4Of Scripture Weights and Measures, p. 121. .
(Assuming a troy weight of 12 ounces to a pound, and an ounce of gold worth
$400 U.S., than a talent would be worth about $600,000. Editor.)
Exodus 25:40 40 And
see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown
you on the mountain.
YLT 40And see thou and do [them] by their pattern
which thou art shewn in the mount.
And look that
thou make them,.... Or see that they are made by workmen employed:
after their
pattern, which was showed thee in the mount; from whence it appears,
that as Moses was showed the model of the tabernacle, so also of the
candlestick, and of all its appurtenances, and of every other vessel in it; and
he is strictly charged to look carefully and diligently to it, that everything
be done exactly according to the model he had a view of, in which everything
was particularly described, and nothing was left to the will, humour, and fancy
of men.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》