1
The altar of burnt offering was made of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.
2
He made horns for it on its four corners; its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.
3
He made all the utensils of the altar: the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze.
4
He made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, beneath the ledge, reaching from the lower part up to the middle of it.
5
He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles.
6
He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
7
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, so that it could be carried with them. He made the altar hollow, of boards.
8
He made the basin and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
9
He made the court: on the south side, the hangings of the court were of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits long;
10
its twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
11
On the north side, one hundred cubits; its twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
12
On the west side, hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten bases, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver.
13
On the east side, fifty cubits,
14
the hangings on one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases;
15
and on the other side of the gate of the court, on this side and that, were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases.
16
All the hangings around the court were of finely twisted linen.
17
The bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. All the pillars of the court were joined with silver bands.
18
The curtain for the gate of the court was embroidered work of blue, purple, scarlet, and finely twisted linen; twenty cubits long, and its height, which was also its width, was five cubits, corresponding to the height of the hangings of the court.
19
The four pillars and their four bases were of bronze; but their hooks were of silver, and their capitals, and their connecting rods, of silver.
20
All the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.
21
This is the account of the cost of setting up the tabernacle, that is, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was compiled at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.
22
Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses;
23
and with him was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and skilled worker, and a weaver of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. —
24
All the gold used for the work in all the holy place, namely the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
25
The silver from those of the congregation who were numbered was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel:
26
a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, for every one who was counted, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.
27
The one hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; one hundred bases from the one hundred talents, one talent for each base.
28
From the one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels he made the hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and joined the pillars with connecting rods.
29
The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.
30
From it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar,
31
the bases of the court all around, the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs of the court all around.
🔥🧼⛓️ Summary of Exodus 38 – The Altar, the Basin, and the Court of the Tabernacle
Exodus 38 continues the details of the building of the Tabernacle, focusing on the court and the furnishings for sacrifice and cleansing, and recording the amounts of the offerings of metal. All the work was done according to the command of the Lord, with care and faithfulness by Bezalel and the team of craftsmen.
1. The Burnt Offering Altar (verses 1–7)
- Made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze.
- Size: 5 cubits (±2.25 m) long and wide, 3 cubits (±1.35 m) high.
- Furnished with horns at the four corners, supporting tools, and carrying poles.
- This is the place where the sacrificial animals were burned, a symbol of atonement for sin.
2. The Washing Basin (verse 8)
- Made from the bronze mirrors belonging to the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
- Used for the priests’ washing before entering and serving—symbol of cleansing and holiness.
3. The Tabernacle Courtyard (verses 9–20)
- Built as a fence of fine linen, measuring 100 cubits (±45 m) on the long side, and 50 cubits (±22.5 m) on the wide side.
- Pillars and bronze bases, as well as the entrance curtain of purple, blue, and scarlet cloth.
- This was the place where the people gathered, but only the priests could go farther into the holy place.
4. Record of the Offerings (verses 21–31)
- Managed by Itamar (Aaron’s son) and carried out by Bezalel and Oholiab.
- Total offerings:
Gold: ±1 ton (29 talents, 730 shekels)
Silver: ±3.4 tons
Bronze: ±2.4 tons
- All were used to build the Tabernacle in an orderly and holy manner.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord is a God of order and values faithful stewardship.
- True worship requires self-cleansing (the washing basin) and atonement for sin (the altar of burnt offering).
- Every offering and every effort from the people is used for the glory of the Lord.
- Transparency and financial record-keeping in ministry are biblical principles.
- Women also contribute in worship and service, such as through the offering of their mirrors.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- The burnt offering altar points to Christ as the sacrifice for the removal of sin (Hebrews 10:10).
- The washing basin portrays the cleansing of heart and mind by the word (Ephesians 5:26).
- The Tabernacle courtyard is a symbol that the Lord provides a way of access to Him, though in a limited way before Christ came.
- The management of offerings shows that faith must be accompanied by integrity and accountability.
