Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 26:18
And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.
18. for the south side southward ] lit., with not quite the same tautology as the English, towards (the) Negeb, southward. The ‘Negeb’ (properly, as Aram. shews, meaning dry land) is a geographical term denoting the arid district in the S. of Judah (Gen 12:9 RVm., Jos 15:21, and often); as this district was on the S. of Canaan, it became the most usual word in Heb. for ‘south.’ Its use in the Pent. is an indication that this was written after Israel had lived long enough in Canaan for ‘ngeb’ to have acquired this sense. The same pleonasm recurs in Exo 27:9, and in the || ||, Exo 38:9, Exo 36:23, Eze 47:19; Eze 48:28; and there are similar ones in Exo 27:13 (|| Exo 38:13), Num 34:15.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
18 25. The number of frames for each side of the Dwelling, and the arrangements for holding them firmly in their place.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle,…. As in the manner before described, so in number as follows:
twenty boards on the south side southward; which being a cubit and a half broad, made the length of the tabernacle fifteen yards according to the common account; but if these were cubits of twenty one inches, then its length was much greater.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Twenty of these boards were to be prepared for the side of the dwelling that was turned towards the south, and forty sockets ( foundations, Job 38:6) or bases for the pegs, i.e., to put the pegs of the boards into, that the boards might stand upright; and the same number of boards and sockets for the north side. , “southward,” is added to in Exo 26:18, to give a clearer definition of negeb, which primarily means the dry, and then the country to the south; an evident proof that at that time negeb was not established as a geographical term for the south, and therefore that it was not written here by a Palestinian, as Knobel supposes, but by Moses in the desert.
The form of the “sockets” is not explained, and even in Exo 38:27, in the summing up of the gifts presented for the work, it is merely stated that a talent of silver (about 93 lb.) was applied to every socket.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(18) On the south side southward.Rather, on the south side to the right. The tabernacle faced the east, and was regarded as looking in that direction. Thus its south wall was on the right.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. Twenty boards From this we learn the length of the mishcan or tabernacle of boards, namely, thirty cubits, (45 feet,) since each board was a cubit and a half wide . Exo 26:16.
South side southward Or, Negebward toward the right . The person is supposed to face the same way as the structure, namely, to the east, in which case the south would be to his right.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The costly furniture reminds us of what is said of the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:18 . But is not the whole intended to lead to Jesus? Rev 21:22 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
side = Hebrew. pe’ah = region.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Reciprocal: Exo 26:15 – boards Job 38:6 – foundations