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Read Exodus Chapter 27

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1And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

2And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

3And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

4And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.

5And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

7And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

8Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

9And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

10And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

11And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

17All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

20And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

21In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Exodus 27

In short

God gives detailed instructions for building the altar where burnt offerings will be made, and for constructing a large courtyard around it with walls of linen and pillars. He also commands that pure olive oil be kept burning continually on the lampstand, cared for by Aaron and his sons.

What the text says

Verses 1-8 describe the altar itself. It is made of acacia wood, square, five cubits on each side, and three cubits high. Four horns project from its corners. All its tools for handling ashes and coals are made of bronze. A bronze grate sits inside it. Four rings are attached to the grate so that wooden poles can be inserted to carry the altar. The altar is built hollow with wooden boards.

Verses 9-18 describe the courtyard around the tabernacle. Linen curtains hang along all four sides, supported by wooden pillars set in bronze bases. The south and north sides are each 100 cubits long with 20 pillars each. The east and west sides are 50 cubits wide. The gate opening has decorative linen in blue, purple, and scarlet colours. All the pillars have silver hooks and decorative bands.

Verse 19 states that all the tabernacle's tools and pegs are made of bronze.

Verses 20-21 command the Israelites to bring pure beaten olive oil. Aaron and his sons must keep the lamp burning every evening until morning before the Lord. This is a permanent rule.

Takeaways

  • The tabernacle had a specific physical structure designed by God down to the materials and measurements.
  • The people had ongoing responsibility to maintain the light before God as a sign of devotion.
  • Both the altar and the courtyard used bronze, silver, and fine linen to create a sacred space.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.