Chapter Forty

40:1–11. The command of God to set up the tabernacle and to perform the anointing. 40:12–15. Consecration of Aaron and his sons. 40:16–33. Moses’ fulfillment of God’s command. 40:34–38. The cloud overshadowing the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Exodus 40:2. On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, As we see from verse 17 of this chapter, the setting up of the tabernacle took place on the first day of the first month of the second year after the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt.

Exodus 40:3. and you shall place the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall cover the ark with the veil; Exodus 40:4. and you shall bring in the table and arrange on it its utensils, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps; Exodus 40:5. and you shall place the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant and hang the veil at the entrance to the tabernacle; Exodus 40:6. and you shall place the altar for burnt offerings before the entrance to the tabernacle of the tent of meeting; Exodus 40:7. and you shall place the basin between the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it; Exodus 40:8. and you shall set up the courtyard all around and hang the veil at the gate of the courtyard. Exodus 40:9. And you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it shall be holy; Exodus 40:10. and you shall anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its furnishings, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy; Exodus 40:11. and you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. Exodus 40:12. And you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and wash them with water, Exodus 40:13. and you shall clothe Aaron in the sacred garments, and anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve as a priest to me. Exodus 40:14. And you shall bring his sons and clothe them in tunics, Exodus 40:15. and you shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, so that they may serve as priests to me, and their anointing shall be an ordination for them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations. The command is repeated that was previously given (Exod 30:25-30).

Exodus 40:16. And Moses did all that the Lord commanded him; so he did. Exodus 40:17. In the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. Exodus 40:18. And Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, placed its boards, put in its bars, and set up its pillars; Exodus 40:19. and he spread the covering over the tabernacle, and put the tent covering on top of it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:20. And he took and put the covenant in the ark, and inserted the poles into the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark; In the ark was placed the covenant, that is, the tablets; and besides them there was nothing in it. The rod of Aaron that budded was placed before the ark of the covenant (Num 17:10); a vessel of manna was set before the ark (Exod 16:34); and the book of the law was placed “beside the ark” (Deut 31:26). Accordingly, the author of 3 Kings notes: “In the ark there was nothing except the two stone tablets, which Moses put there” (1 Sam 8:9, cf. 2 Chr 5:10). The testimony of the Apostle Paul (Heb 9:3-4) may be based, perhaps, on Hebrew tradition.

Exodus 40:21. and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and hung the veil, and covered the ark of the covenant, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:22. And he placed the table in the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, Exodus 40:23. and he set in order on it the bread before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:24. And he placed the lampstand in the tabernacle of the tent of meeting opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle, Exodus 40:25. and he set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:26. And he placed the golden altar in the tabernacle of the tent of meeting before the veil Exodus 40:27. and he made an offering of fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:28. And he hung the veil at the entrance to the tabernacle; Exodus 40:29. and he placed the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance to the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and made a burnt offering and a grain offering on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:30. And he placed the basin between the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, Exodus 40:31. and Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet from it: Exodus 40:32. when they went into the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Exodus 40:33. And he set up the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung the veil at the gate of the courtyard. Thus Moses finished the work. Exodus 40:34. And the cloud covered the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle; The cloud was a symbol of the presence of the Lord (Exod 14:19-20). Having previously overshadowed the tent that Moses had set outside the camp after the incident of the golden calf (Exod 33:9), it now covered the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, which served as an indication of God’s favor.

Exodus 40:35. and Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, because the cloud overshadowed it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The glory of the Lord appeared in the form of a terrible “consuming fire” (Exod 24:17) to an ordinary mortal, which served as a barrier for Moses from entering the tabernacle. Besides, this required a special command from the Lord (Exod 24:16).

Exodus 40:36. Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would depart on all their journeys; Exodus 40:37. but if the cloud was not lifted, they did not journey until the day it was lifted, Exodus 40:38. for the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. The cloud that overshadowed the tabernacle took the place of the pillar of cloud and fire for the Hebrews (Exod 13:21-22).