Chapter Twenty-Five

1-9. Donations for the construction of the tabernacle. 10-22. The structure of the ark of the covenant. 23-30. The structure of the table in the sanctuary for the loaves of display. 31-40. The structure of the lampstand.

Exodus 25:1. And the Lord said to Moses, saying: Exodus 25:2. Tell the children of Israel that they should make offerings to me; from everyone who is willing, receive offerings for me. The tabernacle was constructed from voluntary offerings both because there were no other sources for acquiring the necessary materials, and because it, the dwelling place of the Most High (Exod 25:8), the God of all the people, is the common property of the entire nation. The appeal to the willing givers was so successful that afterward it was necessary to stop receiving offerings (Exod 36:5-6).

Exodus 25:3. These are the offerings that you shall receive from them: gold and silver and bronze, When the verse speaks of gold, it does not add the word “pure” (Exod 25:11), and therefore one can think that the offerings could include both refined and unrefined gold.

Exodus 25:4. And blue yarn, purple yarn, and scarlet material, and linen, and goat hair, Since the materials of the indicated colors (blue, purple, scarlet, and crimson) in combination with linen were used to construct the coverings of the tabernacle (Exod 26:1), the garments of the high priest (Exod 28:4-5 and others), and the law forbids joining threads of wool and linen together (Lev 19:19, Deut 22:11), it is evident that it was not woolen material. By “linen,” from which ten coverings of the tabernacle were made (Exod 26:1), the veil that separated the sanctuary from the holy of holies (Exod 26:31), the veil at the entrance to the tabernacle (Exod 25:36), and also the ephod, sash, and breastplate of judgment of the high priest were sewn (Exod 28:5 and others), the tunics, headbands, undergarments, and sashes of the priests (Exod 39:27-28), cotton material is probably meant. This is proved by the names that the Hebrews gave to this fabric. The term “fine linen” represents a variation of the Egyptian word “shesh,” meaning “linen,” and “byssus” is used to denote Syrian linen, distinct from Egyptian (Ezek 27:16). The peoples of the East did not strictly distinguish between linen and cotton (the Arabic “cotton” denotes both “linen” and “cotton,” as well as woven material made from cotton or linen).

Exodus 25:5. And red ram skins, and blue skins, and acacia wood, Red ram skins – tanned leather. The “tachash” skins – from what animal, dolphin, seal, or sea creature, they were obtained, is unknown. What is certain is that, designated to serve as the outer covering of the tabernacle (Exod 26:14), they were distinguished by their durability and waterproofness. Acacia wood was distinguished by its hardness and lightness, and was therefore the most suitable for constructing a portable tabernacle.

Exodus 25:6. Oil for the lampstand, aromatic spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, The aromatic spices for the anointing oil are listed in Exod 30:23-25; for the fragrant incense – in Exod 30:34-36.

Exodus 25:7. Onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastplate. The “shoham” stones – onyx or aquamarine; “setting stones” that need to be set in a mounting in the garment of the high priest (Exod 28:17-20).

Exodus 25:8. And they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in their midst; Exodus 25:9. Everything you shall do according to what I show you: the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its vessels; thus you shall do. As is evident from Exod 25:40, Acts 7:44, Heb 8:5, Moses was given not only verbal instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings, but he was also shown the very models of the building and the objects within it.

Exodus 25:10. You shall make an ark of acacia wood: its length shall be two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; Exodus 25:11. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it; and you shall make a gold molding around it; Made of Arabian acacia, about thirty vershoks long (a cubit – about 3/4 of an arshin), and about eighteen vershoks in width and height, the ark of the covenant was overlaid with gold sheets both outside and inside. Whether the molding was on the very top or below, the text does not say.

Exodus 25:12. And cast for it four gold rings and attach them on the four lower corners of it: two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. Four gold rings were attached, two on each side of the ark, probably on the transverse sides, but not the lengthwise ones (1 Sam 8:8).

Exodus 25:13. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold; Exodus 25:14. And you shall insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by means of them; Exodus 25:15. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark and shall not be removed from it. The poles were designated to carry the ark of the covenant without touching it with hands (Num 4:15). They were always to be inserted in the rings, except when it was necessary to cover the ark with coverings before transporting it to another place (Num 4:5-6).

Exodus 25:16. You shall put in the ark the testimony which I will give you. In the ark was to be placed the “testimony,” that is, the two tablets (Exod 31:18) which will be given (Exod 24:12).

Exodus 25:17. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold: its length shall be two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits; The Hebrew name of the mercy seat “kapporet” (from the verb “kafar” – to cover, to make invisible, to cleanse), the Greek ἱλαστήριον, the Slavonic “mercy seat” – was given to it because by sevenfold sprinkling upon it on the day of atonement the cleansing of the people from sins was accomplished (Lev 16:14-16).

Exodus 25:18. You shall make two gold cherubim; of beaten work you shall make them on the two ends of the mercy seat; Exodus 25:19. Make one cherub on one end, and the other cherub on the other end; the cherubim shall be part of the mercy seat on both ends. The exact form of the biblical cherubim of the tabernacle is unknown. They can be considered identical with the cherubim of the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 10:21). The cherubim were of “beaten work,” that is, their images were stamped out of gold. The place of their placement on the mercy seat was on both ends of it.

Exodus 25:20. The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall be one toward the other; toward the mercy seat shall be the faces of the cherubim. The wings of the cherubim should be raised upward, but not in the direct direction from the mercy seat upward, rather at an angle: with such an arrangement they would indeed “cover” the mercy seat. The faces of the cherubim should be turned one toward the other and at the same time toward the mercy seat; consequently, their heads were bowed toward the mercy seat of the ark. As is evident from the structure of the cherubim of Solomon’s temple (2 Chr 3:13), made after the image of the cherubim of the tabernacle, these latter had an upright position: “they stood on their feet.” There can be no question of a kneeling position of the cherubim.

Exodus 25:21. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I give you; Exodus 25:22. I will meet with you there, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you concerning the children of Israel. As the place of the direct presence and revelation of the Most High, by which He is called “sitting upon the Cherubim, which are upon the ark of the covenant” (2 Sam 6:2, Isa 37:16), and “speaking from the mercy seat which is upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim” (Num 7:89), the kapporet was the throne of the Lord, the external foundation for which was the ark with the tablets of the covenant, signifying that the dwelling of the Most High in the tabernacle is based upon the covenant that was made. The revelation will consist in the communication to Moses of all the commandments that the people will need to keep.

Exodus 25:23. And you shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high, Exodus 25:24. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it; Exodus 25:25. And you shall make around it a frame of a handbreadth, and make a gold molding for the frame around it; The table of acacia, about twenty-four vershoks in length, twelve in width and eighteen in height, was overlaid with sheets of pure gold (Exod 37:10-16), and is therefore sometimes called the “table of gold” (Lev 24:6). Around it was made a “gold molding.” As is evident from the depiction of the table for the loaves of display on the arch of Emperor Titus in Rome, by “molding” is meant a solid gold band about six inches in width, which enclosed all sides of the upper surface of the table. Since it was difficult to call a smooth overlay a “molding,” it can be thought that it was wave-like in form, or carved in the form of thin grooves and indentations. The reading of the LXX “wreathed work” (Slavonic: “wreathed molding”), – the term “wreathed” denotes a wave-carved board of a Doric cornice, points to such a form. Below the board on each side of the table was a binding, that is, a wall, connecting the legs and having a handbreadth in width. According to the drawing on the arch, this binding was a gold rod connecting all four legs of the table in one piece along the very center of their height, and the Greek name for it “crown” suggests that it was not smooth, but probably represented an imitation of a wreath of flowers.

Exodus 25:26. And you shall make for it four gold rings, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs; Exodus 25:27. Close to the frame the rings shall be, to hold the poles for carrying the table; Exodus 25:28. And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried by means of them; Four rings were to be attached at the four corners, at the four legs of the table, – in those places where the legs of the table were connected by the binding: “close to the frame the rings shall be.” The poles, designated for carrying the table, were inserted into the rings only at the time of transport.

Exodus 25:29. And you shall make dishes for it, and censers for it, and pitchers and bowls for pouring offerings; of pure gold you shall make them; The furnishings of the table include “kearot” – dishes (LXX: τρυβλία), according to rabbinical tradition – those forms in which the loaves were prepared and brought to the sanctuary as a display; “kapot” (LXX: θυίσκας), according to the same tradition – incense bowls, or cups in which incense was placed (Lev 24:7, Num 7:14), and finally “kesot” and “menakiot” – vessels for wine, as is evident from the expression added to them: “for pouring offerings.” “Kesot,” Greek “σπονδεῖα,” are large wine cups: “menakiot” – smaller ones.

Exodus 25:30. And you shall set the loaves of display on the table before me continually. There were to be twelve loaves (Lev 24:5) according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel, in two rows (Lev 24:6), six in a row, loaf upon loaf, as the Jewish tradition and Josephus speak of it and as the depiction of the table on the arch of Titus indicates, representing something like two raised cylinders. Prepared from a large amount of flour, – each loaf was to contain 2/10 of an ephah (Lev 24:5), the loaves were replaced with new ones every sabbath (Lev 24:8). The loaves are called loaves of display because they were before the face of the One Who Is. When the tabernacle was moved from place to place, according to the direction in Num 4:7, the table for the loaves of display was covered with a blue garment, upon which all the furnishings were placed together with the loaves of display, and then covered with a bright red cover and the leather “tachash.”

Exodus 25:31. And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base, its stem, its cups, its ornaments, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it; In contrast to other furnishings – the vessels of the tabernacle – the lampstand was made of pure gold. It was of “hammered work,” that is, the lampstand was not worked with a chisel, but was entirely cast from a talent of gold (Exod 25:39). The shaft of the lampstand was not to be of a simple uniform form, but was to consist of floral cups, spherical figures, similar to apples, and flowers. The cups, apples, and flowers were not to constitute decoration attached to the shaft of the lampstand, but were to form one whole with the shaft, were to be part of its composition.

Exodus 25:32. And six branches shall go out from the sides of it: three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it; From the shaft of the lampstand six side branches extended, three from one side and three from the other. As is evident from the depiction of the lampstand on the arch of Titus, they extended in an arched form, in the shape of a fan.

Exodus 25:33. Three cups made like almond blossoms, each with its bud and flower, shall be on one branch; and three cups made like almond blossoms on the other branch, each with its bud and flower; so for all six branches going out from the lampstand; The existence on each lateral branch of three floral cups, resembling the cup of an almond flower, suggests that there were also three buds and three flowers on each branch. In such a case, each lateral stem of the lampstand consisted of nine figures: first came an almond-like cup, then a spherical figure – an apple, and finally a flower. The silence about cups, apples, and flowers being of different sizes suggests that they were of the same dimensions. Because of this, the lower branches were to end at their upper end not at the same height as the upper stems, but lower, and lower by exactly the amount of space occupied by three figures: a cup, an apple, and a flower.

Exodus 25:34. On the shaft of the lampstand itself shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, each with its bud and flower; Exodus 25:35. And a bud under two branches of it, and a bud under two other branches of it, and a bud under the third pair of branches of it, for the six branches going out from the shaft; Exodus 25:36. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with it, the whole made of hammered gold of pure metal. On the shaft of the lampstand the same figures – cups, apples, and flowers – were repeated four times. Their placement is indicated by the remark about the location of the apples. The first was positioned somewhat lower on that part of the shaft from which the two lower branches extended; the second and third stood in the same relation to the middle and upper stems (Exod 25:35).

Exodus 25:37. And you shall make seven lamps for it, and the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it; As regards the form of the lamps, the biblical text says nothing. On the basis of Zech 3:9, where seven lamps are brought into relation with the mysterious stone with seven eyes, the ancient interpreters called them eye-shaped. In later Jewish tradition the lamps of the lampstand are spoon-shaped. Modern researchers, based on specimens of ancient lamps found in Palestinian soil, consider Moses’ lamps to be boat-shaped with spouts or oblong-round with two openings for the wick and for pouring oil. According to Exod 26:35, the lampstand stood not in the middle of the tabernacle, but on the southern side of its length, and, as Josephus testifies, its width did not correspond to the width of the tabernacle; it stood at an angle: the narrow side was turned toward the holy of holies and toward the entrance of the sanctuary, and the wide side – toward the table for the loaves of display, which was on the northern side of the tabernacle (Exod 26:35). And if this wide side of the lampstand is called the front side, then it is evident that the light falling upon it also fell upon the table of display. Such a direction of light could be explained by the structure of the lamps: they could have been closed except for two openings for the wick and for pouring oil, and if from the first opening, turned toward the table of display, the burning light was set forth, then the light from it fell upon the sacred table.

Exodus 25:38. And you shall make snuffers and trays for it of pure gold. The furnishings of the lampstand were snuffers, or tongs (Isa 6:6), designated for removing the carbon from the lamps, and trays – vessels for extinguishing it. * * * An upper short garment.