Exodus 38:9

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 .

Exodus 38:9 . He made the court — The inner utensils of the court being thus completed, they proceeded to make the court itself, which was a large oblong square, fenced in with thick, well-wrought hangings; the size, dimensions, and workmanship of each side whereof have been described in Exodus 27:9-19 . This court represented the state of the Old Testament church; it was a garden enclosed; the worshippers were then confined to a little compass. But the enclosure being of curtains only, intimated that that confinement of the church to one particular nation was not to be perpetual. The dispensation itself was a tabernacle dispensation, moveable and mutable, 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.

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).

9. the court—It occupied a space of one hundred and fifty feet by seventy-five, and it was enclosed by curtains of fine linen about eight feet high, suspended on brazen or copper pillars. Those curtains were secured by rods fastened to the top, and kept extended by being fastened to pins stuck in the ground.

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.