Exodus 31:2

31:1-11 The Israelites, who had been masons and bricklayers in Egypt, were not qualified for curious workmanship; but the Spirit who gave the apostles utterance in divers tongues, miraculously gave Bezaleel and Aholiab the skill that was wanting. The honour which comes from God, is always attended with a work to be done; to be employed for God is high honour. Those whom God calls to any service, he will find or make fit for it. The Lord gives different gifts to different persons; let each mind his proper work, diligently remembering that whatever wisdom any one possesses, the Lord put it in the heart, to do his commandments.

Had pitched upon, chosen, and distinguished him particularly from all other men to be the architect or chief master builder of the tabernacle, and to be the director and overseer of the whole work relating to it: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it,""I have called with a good name Bezaleel";''as if respect was to be had to his name Bezaleel, as given him by God, and very expressive and significant; whereas the phrase of calling "by name" does not signify the imposing of a name upon him, but the singular and personal choice of him to an office: indeed, his name Bezaleel is very significant, and may be rendered, "in the shadow of God"; and he was under the shadow, influence, and protection of the Lord, and was called to be concerned in making those things, which were shadows of good things to come; and he may be considered in all as a type of Christ, who is the chief and master builder of his church, has the care and oversight of it, and under whom others work; for except he built the house, they labour in vain that build it; he was called by name, or eminently chosen to this work, he took not this honour to himself, but was called of God, as Bezaleel was, and was hid and abode under the shadow of the Almighty all the while he was concerned in it, see Psalm 91:1 . the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; Bezaleel's father's name was Uri, which signifies, "my light"; and his grandfather's name Hur, which has the signification of liberty or freedom;

(2) I have called by name. —It is a high honour to be called of God by name. He thus calls only those whom He appoints to some great work, as Moses ( Exodus 3:4 ; Exodus 33:12 ), Samuel ( 1Samuel 3:10 ), and Cyrus ( Isaiah 45:3-4 ). Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur.—Hur, the grandfather of Bezaleel, is generally supposed to be identical with the Hur who supported Moses’s hands (Exodus 17:12), and was left joint regent with Aaron when Moses went up into Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:14). There is, however, no evidence of this beyond the identity of the name. Of the tribe of Judah.—Descended from Judah through Pharez, Hezron, and Caleb (1Chronicles 2:5; 1Chronicles 2:18-20).

Exodus 35:30-35 . This solemn call of Bezaleel and Aholiab is full of instruction. Their work was to be only that of handicraftsmen. Still it was Yahweh Himself who called them by name to their tasks, and the powers which they were now called upon to exercise in their respective crafts, were declared to have been given them by the Holy Spirit. Thus is every effort of skill, every sort of well-ordered labor, when directed to a right end, brought into the very highest sphere of association. There appears to be sufficient reason for identifying Hur, the grandfather of Bezaleel, with the Hur who assisted Aaron in supporting the hands of Moses during the battle with Amalek at Rephidim Exodus 17:10, and who was associated with Aaron in the charge of the people while Moses was on the mountain Exodus 24:14. Josephus says that he was the husband of Miriam. It is thus probable that Bezaleel was related to Moses. He was the chief artificer in metal, stone, and wood; he had also to perform the apothecary's work in the composition of the anointing oil and the incense Exodus 37:29. He had precedence of all the artificers, but Aholiab appears to have had the entire charge of the textile work Exodus 35:35; Exodus 38:23.

Verse 2. - I have called by name . God "calls by name" only those whom he appoints to some high office, as Moses ( Exodus 3:4 ; Exodus 33:12 ), Cyrus ( Isaiah 45:3, 4 ), and here Bezaleel and Aholiab. He honours us highly in even condescending to "know us by name," still more in "calling" us. Bezaleel is traced to Judah in Chronicles through five ancestors - Uri, Hur, Caleb, Hezron, and Pharez, Judah's son by Tamar. The genealogy, though less contracted than most of those in Exodus, probably contains two or three omissions. The son of Hur . Hur, the grandfather of Bezaleel, is thought to be the person mentioned in Exodus 17:10 , and Exodus 24:14 . Exodus 31:2

2 . called by name ] i.e. specially chosen: cf. Isaiah 45:3-4 (of Cyrus). Bĕẓal’çl ] i.e. ‘In the shadow (i.e. protection, Numbers 14:9 RVm.) of God’; cf. the Ass. name Ina-ṣilli-Bel, ‘In the shadow of Bel’ (cited by Bä.). There are no sufficient grounds for identifying the Ḥur here with the Ḥur of Exodus 17:10 , Exodus 24:14 . The whole series Ḥur, Uri, Bĕẓal’çl occurs again in 1 Chronicles 2:19 f., in the ‘family’ of Caleb, one of the three leading clans of Judah; but the relation of the two series of names to each other is uncertain: 1 Samuel 30:14 appears to shew that even in David’s time the Caleb-clan was not yet actually part of Judah (comp. the writer’s Genesis , p. 327; and DB., EB. , s.v. Caleb). In v. 6 Oholiab is associated with Bĕẓal’çl; but Bĕẓal’çl is evidently regarded as the constructor in chief: he always takes the first place ( Exodus 36:1-2 ; cf. Exodus 38:22 f.), and is often mentioned alone ( Exodus 37:1 , and implicitly in vv. 10, 17, 25, &c.).

2. See, I have called—Though the instructions about the tabernacle were privately communicated to Moses, it was plainly impossible that he could superintend the work in person, amid the multiplicity of his other duties. A head director or builder was selected by God Himself; and the nomination by such high authority removed all ground of jealousy or discontent on the part of any who might have thought their merits overlooked (compare Mt 18:1). by name Bezaleel—signifying "in the shadow or protection of God"; and, as called to discharge a duty of great magnitude—to execute a confidential trust in the ancient Church of God, he has his family and lineage recorded with marked distinction. He belonged to the tribe of Judah, which, doubtless for wise and weighty reasons, God all along delighted to honor; and he was the grandson of Hur, a pious patriot (Ex 17:12), who was associated, by a special commission, with Aaron in the government of the people during the absence of Moses. Moreover, it may be noticed that a Jewish tradition affirms Hur to be the husband of Miriam; and if this tradition may be relied on, it affords an additional reason for the appointment of Bezaleel emanating from the direct authority of God.

The Builders (cf. Exodus 35:30-36:1 ). - After having given directions for the construction of the sanctuary, and all the things required for the worship, Jehovah pointed out the builders, whom He had called to carry out the work, and had filled with His Spirit for that purpose. To "call by name" is to choose or appoint by name for a particular work (cf. Isaiah 45:3-4 ). Bezaleel was a grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, who is mentioned in Exodus 17:10 ; Exodus 24:14 , and was called to be the master-builder, to superintend the whole of the building and carry out the artistic work; consequently he is not only invariably mentioned first ( Exodus 35:30 ; Exodus 36:1-2 ), but in the accounts of the execution of the separate portions he is mentioned alone ( Exodus 37:1 ; Exodus 38:22 ). Filling with the Spirit of God signifies the communication of an extraordinary and supernatural endowment and qualification, "in wisdom," etc., i.e., consisting of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and every kind of workmanship, that is to say, for the performance of every kind of work. This did not preclude either natural capacity or acquired skill, but rather presupposed them; for in Exodus 31:6 it is expressly stated in relation to his assistants, that God had put wisdom into all that were wise-hearted (see at Exodus 28:3 ). Being thus endowed with a supernaturally exalted gift, Bezaleel was qualified "to think out inventions," i.e., ideas or artistic designs.