Exodus 38:17

38:9-20 The walls of the court being of curtains only, intimated that the state of the Jewish church itself was movable and changeable; and in due time to be taken down and folded up, when the place of the tent should be enlarged, and its cords lengthened, to make room for the Gentile world.

And he made the court,.... The open court of the tabernacle, where the people met, of which, its pillars, sockets, hangings, hooks, and pins, an account is given, to Exodus 38:10 of which See Gill on Exodus 27:9 , Exodus 27:10 , Exodus 27:11 , Exodus 27:12 , Exodus 27:13 , Exodus 27:14 , Exodus 27:15 , Exodus 27:16 , Exodus 27:17 , Exodus 27:18 , Exodus 27:19 .

(17) The overlaying of their chapiters of silver. —Just as in Exodus 36:38 , we are informed that Moses, travelling beyond the letter of his instructions, overlaid the capitals of the pillars at the door of the Tabernacle itself with gold, so now we find that, without any express orders, he overlaid those at the door of the court with silver. In each case he was probably following his remembrance of the pattern seen in the mount ( Exodus 25:9 ; Exodus 25:40 ).

See the marginal reference. The women who assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting were most probably devout women who loved the public service of religion. The giving up of their mirrors for the use of the sanctuary was a fit sacrifice for such women to make (compare Exodus 35:22 note).

Verse 17. - The overlaying of their chapiters of silver . This is additional to what is recorded in ch. 27, and is parallel to what we find related of the tabernacle pillars in Exodus 36:38 . Filleted with silver . Rather, "connected with silver rods." Compare Exodus 27:17 . Exodus 38:17

38 . their chapiters and their fillets with gold ] For ‘chapiters’ we should now say capitals ; the ‘fillets’ (see on Exodus 27:10 ) were bands of metal surrounding the pillars just below the chapiters. In Exodus 26:37 the chapiters and fillets are not mentioned; and the five acacia-wood pillars are to be entirely overlaid with gold. As Di. points out, by the partial gilding a gradation would be obtained: ( a ) the pillars at the entrance to the Most Holy place overlaid entirely with gold ( v. 36, Exodus 26:32 ); ( b ) the pillars at the entrance to the Tent overlaid only at the top with gold ( Exodus 36:38 ); ( c ) the pillars at the entrance to the Court (like those of the Court generally, Exodus 27:17 , Exodus 38:17 ) overlaid only at the top with silver ( Exodus 38:19 ). Exodus 36:38

Preparation of the vessels of the dwelling: viz., the ark of the covenant ( Exodus 37:1-9 , as in Exodus 25:10-22 ); the table of shew-bread and its vessels ( Exodus 37:10-16 , as in Exodus 25:23-30 ); the candlestick ( Exodus 37:17-24 , as in Exodus 25:31-40 ); the altar of incense ( Exodus 37:25-28 , as in Exodus 30:1-10 ); the anointing oil and incense ( Exodus 37:29 ), directions for the preparation of which are given in Exodus 30:22-38 ; the altar of burnt-offering ( Exodus 38:1-7 , as in Exodus 27:1-8 ); the laver ( Exodus 37:8 , as in Exodus 30:17-21 ); and the court ( Exodus 37:9-20 , as in Exodus 27:9-19 ). The order corresponds on the whole to the list of the separate articles in Exodus 35:11-19 , and to the construction of the entire sanctuary; but the holy chest (the ark), as being the most holy thing of all, is distinguished above all the rest, by being expressly mentioned as the work of Bezaleel, the chief architect of the whole.

[Reformed Biblical] And whereas some object that the tabernacle was not yet built, it may be replied, either that this is to be understood of the tabernacle spoken of Exo_33:7, which might serve for that purpose till this was built; or that here is a prolepsis or anticipation, and that he speaks not of what the women now did, but of what they did after the tabernacle was built, which was before Moses writ these words. Exodus 38:9 Exodus 38:10 ## Upon the hooks they hanged the beasts to be sacrificed, as the Jews affirm. Exodus 38:11 Exodus 38:12 Exodus 38:13 Exodus 38:14 Exodus 38:15 Exodus 38:16 Exodus 38:17 Exodus 38:18 ## The height relates to its standing or hanging upright, and the ## breadth relates to the hanging itself, and the height of the hanging was taken in the breadth. Exodus 38:19 Exodus 38:20 Exodus 38:21 This doth not belong to the following account of gold and silver, but to the foregoing particulars of holy things relating to the tabernacle, for these only were committed to the care of the Levites , as it here follows, but this gold and silver was put into other hands. ## For the service of the Levites , i.e. for those holy uses and services which the Levites administered. Exodus 38:22 Exodus 38:23 Exodus 38:24 Every talent contained three thousand shekels. See Gen_23:15 Exo_30:13. It is not said that all this gold and following silver were used about the building of the tabernacle, for the people brought much more than enough , Exo_36:5.