Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 38:21
This is the sum of the tabernacle, [even] of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, [for] the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
21. Superscription. These are the reckoning s of (the metals employed for) the Dwelling, (even) the Dwelling of the testimony (so Num 1:50; Num 1:53; Num 10:11; cf. on Exo 25:16), which were reckoned according to the commandment of Moses; (being) the work of the Levites, under the hand, &c. ‘ For the service’ is wrong grammatically (for the constr. see G.-K. 118m); the meaning is not that the reckonings were made for the Levites, but that they were the work of the Levites, done by them under the direction of Ithamar (cf. Num 4:28; Num 4:33; Num 7:8, where the same prep. is rendered under). For Ithamar see on Exo 6:23. ‘Reckoning’ is derived from the verb explained on Exo 30:12, and is cognate with ‘counted’ just below and ‘numbered’ in v. 25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
21 31. Account of the amount of metal employed in the construction of the Tent of Meeting. A ‘very late addition’ to the narrative (Di., in agreement with We. and others): notice (1) in v. 25 f. the census of Numbers 1 ( v. 46) is presupposed, although according to P (Num 1:1 compared with Exo 40:17) this did not take place till a whole month after the Tabernacle was completed and erected; (2) the Levites, who are first appointed to their official duties in Numbers 3, are already (cf. Num 4:33) represented as acting under Ithamar’s superintendence; (3) ‘wave-offering’ ( vv. 24, 29) appears in the same weakened sense as in Exo 35:22; (4) the writer, while passing over altogether the silver offered voluntarily (Exo 25:3, Exo 35:5 f., 24), to all appearance (comp. v. 26 with Exo 31:13-14) misunderstands Exo 30:11-16, treating the poll-tax there imposed, at the time of a census, in order to form a fund for the maintenance of daily worship, as if it were a contribution of silver in kind, for the construction of the sanctuary.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This is the sum … – This is the reckoning of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony as it was reckoned up according to the commandment of Moses, by the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, etc. The weight of the metals was taken by the Levites, under the direction of Ithamar. The tabernacle is called the tabernacle of the testimony, or the depository of the testimony, i. e. the tables of the law Exo 25:16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. This is the sum of the tabernacle.] That is, The foregoing account contains a detail of all the articles which Bezaleel and Aholiab were commanded to make; and which were reckoned up by the Levites, over whom Ithamar, the son of Aaron, presided.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This doth not belong to the following account of gold and silver, but to the foregoing particulars of holy things relating to the tabernacle, for these only were committed to the care of the Levites, as it here follows, but this gold and silver was put into other hands.
For the service of the Levites, i.e. for those holy uses and services which the Levites administered.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. This is the sum of thetabernacleHaving completed his description of the componentparts of the tabernacle, the inspired historian digresses into astatement respecting the gold and silver employed in it, thecomputation being made according to an order of Mosesby theLevites, under the direction of Ithamar, Aaron’s youngest son.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
This is the sum of the tabernacle,…. Not of the several parts of the tabernacle, and the several things belonging to it, before enumerated, as made and delivered to the care and custody of the Levites, but of the materials of which they were made, particularly the gold and silver, and the brass; the several sums and weight of which are given in the following verses:
[even] of the tabernacle of the testimony; in which the law, the testimony of the will of God, was put enclosed in the ark:
as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses; when it was brought in to him by the people, and delivered by him to Bezaleel, Aholiab, and the artificers;
[for] the service of the Levites; or by means of their ministry, who were employed in taking this account:
by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest; the youngest son of Aaron, who had the direction and oversight of this affair.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Estimate of the Amount of Metal Used. – Exo 38:21. “ These are the numbered things of the dwelling, of the dwelling of the testimony, that were numbered at the command of Moses, through the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.” does not mean the numbering (equivalent to 2Sa 4:9, or 2Ch 17:14; 2Ch 26:11), as Knobel supposes, but here as elsewhere, even in Num 26:63-64, it signifies “the numbered;” the only difference being, that in most cases it refers to persons, here to things, and that the reckoning consisted not merely in the counting and entering of the different things, but in ascertaining their weight and estimating their worth. Lyra has given the following correct rendering of this heading: “ haec est summa numeri ponderis eorum, quae facta sunt in tabernaculo ex auro, argento et aere .” It was apparently superfluous to enumerate the different articles again, as this had been repeatedly done before. The weight of the different metals, therefore, is all that is given. The “dwelling” is still further described as “the dwelling of the testimony,” because the testimony, i.e., the decalogue written with the finger of God upon the tables of stone, was kept in the dwelling, and this testimony formed the base of the throne of Jehovah, and was the material pledge that Jehovah would cause His name, His manifested presence, to dwell there, and would thus show Himself to His people in grace and righteousness. “That which was numbered” is an explanatory apposition to the previous clause, “the numbering of the dwelling;” and the words , which follow, are an accusative construed freely to indicate more particularly the mode of numbering ( Ewald, 204 a), viz., “through the service,” or “by means of the service of the Levites,” not for their service. “By the hand of Ithamar:” who presided over the calculations which the Levites carried out under his superintendence.
Exo 38:22-23 The allusion to the service of the Levites under Ithamar leads the historian to mention once more the architects of the whole building, and the different works connected with it (cf. Exo 31:2.).
Exo 38:24 “(As for) all the gold that was used ( ) for the work in every kind of holy work, the gold of the wave-offering (the gold that was offered as a wave-offering, see at Exo 35:22) was (amounted to) 29 talents and 730 shekels in holy shekel, ” that is to say, 87,370 shekels or 877,300 thalers (L.131,595), if we accept Thenius’ estimate, that the gold shekel was worth 10 thalers (L.1, 10s.), which is probably very near the truth.
Exo 38:25-28 Of the silver, all that is mentioned is the amount of atonement-money raised from those who were numbered (see at Exo 30:12.) at the rate of half a shekel for every male, without including the freewill-offerings of silver (Exo 35:24, cf. Exo 25:3), whether it was that they were too insignificant, or that they were not used for the work, but were placed with the excess mentioned in Exo 36:7. The result of the numbering gave 603,550 men, every one of whom paid half a shekel. This would yield 301,775 shekels, or 100 talents and 1775 shekels, which proves by the way that a talent contained 3000 shekels. A hundred talents of this were used for casting 96 sockets for the 48 boards, and 4 sockets for the 4 pillars of the inner court, – one talent therefore for each socket, – and the 1775 shekels for the hooks of the pillars that sustained the curtains, for silvering their capitals, and “for binding the pillars,” i.e., for making the silver connecting rods for the pillars of the court (Exo 27:10-11; Exo 38:10.).
Exo 38:29-31 The copper of the wave-offering amounted to 70 talents and 2400 shekels; and of this the sockets of the pillars at the entrance of the tabernacle (Exo 26:37), the altar of burnt-offering with its network and vessels, the supports of the pillars of the court, all the pegs of the dwelling and court, and, what is not expressly mentioned here, the laver with its support (Exo 30:18), were made. to work in (with) copper, i.e., to make of copper.
If this quantity of the precious metals may possibly strike some readers as very large, and was in fact brought forward years ago as a reason for questioning the historical credibility of our account of the building of the tabernacle, it has been frequently urged, on the other hand, that it looks quite small, in comparison with the quantities of gold and silver that have been found accumulated in the East, in both ancient and modern times. According to the account before us, the requisite amount of silver was raised by the comparatively small payment of half a shekel, about fifteen pence, for every male Israelite of 20 years old and upwards. Now no tenable objection can be raised against the payment of such a tribute, since we have no reason whatever for supposing the Israelites to have been paupers, notwithstanding the oppression which they endured during the closing period of their stay in Egypt. They were settled in the most fertile part of Egypt; and coined silver was current in western Asia even in the time of the patriarchs (Gen 23:16). But with reference to the quantities of gold and copper that were delivered, we need not point to the immense stores of gold and other metals that were kept in the capitals of the Asiatic kingdoms of antiquity,
(Note: Thus, to mention only one or two examples, the images in the temple of Belus, at Babylon, consisted of several thousand talents of gold, to say nothing of the golden tables, the bedsteads, and other articles of gold and silver ( Diod. Sic. 2, 9; Herod. 1, 181, 183). In the siege of Nineveh, Sardanapalus erected a funeral pile, upon which he collected all his wealth, including 150 golden bedsteads, 150 golden tables, a million talents of gold, and ten times as much silver and other valuables, to prevent their falling into the hands of the foe ( Ctesias in Athen. 12, 28, p. 529). According to a statement in Pliny’s Hist. Nat. 33, 3, on the conquest of Asia by Cyrus, he carried off booty to the extent of 34,000 lbs. of gold, beside the golden vessels and 500,000 talents of silver, including the goblet of Semiramis, which alone weighed 15 talents. Alexander the Great found more than 40,000 talents of gold and silver and 9000 talents of coined gold in the royal treasury at Susa ( Diod. Sic. 17, 66), and a treasure of 120,000 talents of gold in the citadel of Persepolis ( Diod. Sic. 17, 71; Curtius, v. 6, 9). For further accounts of the enormous wealth of Asia in gold and silver, see Bhr, Symbolik i. pp. 258ff.)
but will merely call to mind the fact, that the kings of Egypt possessed many large gold mines on the frontiers of the country, and in the neighbouring lands of Arabia and Ethiopia, which were worked by criminals, prisoners of war, and others, under the harshest pressure, and the very earliest times copper mines were discovered on the Arabian peninsula, which were worked by a colony of labourers ( Lepsius, Letters from Egypt, p. 336). Moreover, the love of the ancient Egyptians for valuable and elegant ornaments, gold rings, necklaces, etc., is sufficiently known from the monuments (see Rosellini in Hengstenberg’s Egypt, p. 137). Is it not likely, then, that the Israelites should have acquired a taste for jewellery of this kind, and should have possessed or discovered the means of procuring all kinds of gold and silver decorations, not to mention the gold and silver jewellery which they received from the Egyptians on their departure? The liking for such things even among nomad tribes is very well known. Thus, for example, after the defeat of the Midianites, the Israelites carried off so much gold, silver, copper, and other metals as spoil, that their princes alone were able to offer 16,750 shekels of gold as a heave-offering to Jehovah from the booty that had been obtained in this kind of jewellery (Num 31:50.). Diodorus Sic. (3, 44) and Strabo (xvi. p. 778) bear witness to the great wealth of the Nabateans and other Arab tribes on the Elanitic Gulf, and mention not only a river, said to flow through the land, carrying gold dust with it, but also gold that was dug up, and which was found, “not in the form of sand, but of nuggets, which did not require much cleaning, and the smallest of which were of the size of a nut, the average size being that of a medlar, whilst the largest pieces were as big as a walnut. These they bored, and made necklaces or bracelets by stringing them together alternately with transparent stones. They also sold the gold very cheap to their neighbours, giving three times the quantity for copper, and double the quantity for iron, both on account of their inability to work these metals, and also because of the scarcity of the metals which were so much more necessarily for daily use” ( Strabo). The Sabaeans and Gerrhaeans are also mentioned as the richest of all the tribes of Arabia, through their trade in incense and in cinnamon and other spices.
(Note: “They possess an immense quantity of gold and silver articles, such as beds, tripods, bowls, and cups, in addition to the decorations of their houses; for doors, walls, and ceilings are all wrought with ivory, gold, silver, and precious stones” ( Strabo ut sup.). In accordance with this, Pliny ( n. h. 6, 28) not only calls the Sabaeans “ ditissimos silvarum fertilitate odorifera, auri metallis, etc.,” but the tribes of Arabia in general, “in universum gentes ditissimas, ut apud quas maximae opes Romanorum Parthorum que subsistant, vendentibus quae e mari aut silvis capiunt, nihil invicem redimentibus .”)
From the Arabs, who carried on a very extensive caravan trade through the desert even at that time, the Israelites would be able to purchase such spices and materials for the building of the tabernacle as they had not brought with them from Egypt; and in Egypt itself, where all descriptions of art and handicraft were cultivated from the very earliest times (for proofs see Hengst. Egypt, pp. 133-139), they might so far have acquired all the mechanical and artistic ability required for the work, that skilled artisans could carry out all that was prescribed, under the superintendence of the two master-builders who had been specially inspired for the purpose.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. 22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. 23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. 24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. 27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. 29 And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. 30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, 31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
Here we have a breviat of the account which, by Moses’s appointment, the Levites took and kept of the gold, silver, and brass, that was brought in for the tabernacle’s use, and how it was employed. Ithamar the son of Aaron was appointed to draw up this account, and was thus by less services trained up and fitted for greater, v. 21. Bezaleel and Aholiab must bring in the account (Exo 38:22; Exo 38:23), and Ithamar must audit it, and give it in to Moses. And it was thus:– 1. All the gold was a free-will offering; every man brought as he could and would, and it amounted to twenty-nine talents, and 730 shekels over, which some compute to be about 150,000l. worth of gold, according to the present value of it. Of this were made all the golden furniture and vessels. 2. The silver was levied by way of tax; every man was assessed half a shekel, a kind of poll-money, which amounted in the whole to 100 talents, and 1775 shekels over, Exo 38:25; Exo 38:26. Of this they made the sockets into which the boards of the tabernacle were let, and on which they rested; so that they were as the foundation of the tabernacle, v. 27. The silver amounted to about 34,000l. of our money. The raising of the gold by voluntary contribution, and of the silver by way of tribute, shows that either way may be taken for the defraying of public expenses, provided that nothing be done with partiality. 3. The brass, though less valuable, was of use not only for the brazen altar, but for the sockets of the court, which probably in other tents were of wood: but it is promised (Isa. lx. 17), For wood I will bring brass. See how liberal the people were and how faithful the workmen were, in both which respects their good example ought to be followed.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 21-23:
“Sum,” paqad “to inspect, number,” as in Nu 26:63. In this text the word means the accurate numbering or counting of the materials used to the building of the tabernacle.
This text indicates that Ithamar, the youngest son of Aaron, was in charge of the service of the Levites. This could have been a factor in the later rebellion of Nadab and Abihu, see Nu 3:4; 26:61.
Verses 22 confirms that Bezaleel was the general superintendent of the entire construction project. His chief assistant was Aholiab, a highly skilled technician in textiles and other fine work.
It is important to note that in the actual construction of the tabernacle, the workmen followed exactly the pattern which God gave to Moses. This illustrates the importance of following God’s directives in every area of life today, Joh 2:5; Jas 1:22.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21. This is the sum of the tabernacle (302) As much as to say that this was the computation, or these the numbers; for he gives us to understand that not only was the tabernacle thus at once completed, but that its several parts were numerically distinguished, and consigned as it were to registers, (303) so as to be given in charge to the Levites, lest any part of it should be lost. For the reference here is not so much to the fabric, or the architecture of the tabernacle, as to its perpetual conservation, viz., that Ithamar the priest deposited its several parts with the Levites, and this in accordance with the command of Moses.
(302) “These are the counted – things.” — Lat. So also Ainsworth.
(303) “Afin que les Levites sceussent ce qu’ils devoyent avoir en garde;” in order that the Levites might know what they ought to have in charge. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE SUM OF THE GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE EMPLOYED IN THE TABERNACLE.
(21) This is the sum.Kalisch translates, These are the accounts; Canon Cook, This is the reckoning. The expression recurs in Num. 26:63.
The tabernacle of testimonyi.e., the dwelling which was to contain Gods testimony against sinthe Ten Commandments.
For the service of the Levites.Rather, a service of the Levites: i.e., a service which they rendered by the hand, or through the instrumentality of Ithamar. Ithamar was the youngest of the sons of Aaron (Exo. 6:23).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Sum Total Of What Was Used In Making The Dwellingplace ( Exo 38:21-31 ).
It will be noted that this is now dealt with commencing with the most valuable and going down to the least valuable. The gold was for the items in the inner Sanctuary, the silver for the sockets of the inner Sanctuary and the brazen copper for the court of the Dwellingplace and the things within it. The presumed intention is to outline the total amount of ‘precious metals’ use in the making of the Dwellingplace.
Exo 38:21-23
‘This is the sum of the things for the Dwellingplace, even the Dwellingplace of the Testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest, and Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Yahweh commanded Moses. And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroiderer in bluey-purple, and in purpley-red, and in scarlet, and in fine linen ’
The sum total of what was used is about to be detailed, ‘the sum of things for the Dwellingplace’. Note the emphasis at this stage when all was new on the fact that the Dwellingplace will house the Testimony. Note also that the materials were under the command of Moses, and that Ithamar dispensed them. Possibly he was the one among the sons of Aaron who had the necessary skills. He then passed the materials to the Levites, who no doubt watched over the work, and through them to the overseers, Bezalel and Oholiab and their helpers. The Levites had seemingly already gained a special position due to their ‘faithfulness’ at the time of the molten calf.
We are then informed that the skilled overseers had done all that Yahweh had commanded Moses. Bezalel had been in overall charge. Oholiab’s speciality had been in engraving, embroidering and weaving.
Exo 38:24-26
‘All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And the silver of those who were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. There was a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.’
We need to consider these verses carefully for if we do not we will misinterpret their input. Firstly we must recognise that what is being described is ‘the sum of the things for the Tabernacle — as they were assessed — by the hand of Ithamar’ (Exo 38:21). Then we are given the assessments for gold (Exo 38:24), silver (Exo 38:25) and brazen copper ( Exo 38:29) in that order. So the assessments are the totals of all that was collected. Thus while at a casual reading it appears as if the silver was that collected at a numbering of the people (in accordance with Exo 30:11-16), Exo 35:5; Exo 35:24 make quite clear that silver was also collected as a freewill offering, which must also be seen as included in the amounts stated, which are the sum total available for use.
We are first given the full total of the gold. It was 29 talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels (Exo 38:24), a huge amount considering their situation even though they had ‘spoiled the Egyptians’ (Exo 12:36). On the other hand the Egyptians might well have stripped themselves of their gold in order to get rid of the Israelites whose God had caused such problems. This was presumably all given by freewill offerings. Then we are told what the amount of silver collected was.
“And the silver of those who were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. There was a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.”
Firstly we note the description, ‘the silver of those who were numbered of the congregation.’ So the silver being described was given by ‘those who were numbered of the congregation’. They were its source. But it is extremely unlikely, indeed in view of the descriptions, impossible, that the freewill offerings (Exo 35:5; Exo 35:24) would be ignored here, for the whole purpose of the narrative is to show how much gold, silver and bronze went into the Sanctuary, and going by the amount of gold collected the silver by freewill offerings would presumably be even greater. That being so the 100 talents and 1,775 shekels must be seen as the total of all that was collected, including both that collected in the numbering and that collected by the freewill offerings (all collected from the males of the families, ‘those who were numbered’, but not necessarily limited per head). But to suggest that the freewill offerings of silver would be ignored when the freewill offerings of the gold and brazen copper were assessed is quite frankly incredible.
The note that follows must therefore be seen in that light. We must ask, what exactly is it saying? And in answer we would suggest that it is basically declaring that the total amount of silver collected and in use was the equivalent of what would have been collected if the numbering of men had amounted to 603,550 at half a shekel per head. It is looking at a theoretical situation and saying that the silver collected was so huge an amount that had it been collected in a census that is the number of men who would have been required to contribute it.
It may indeed be that there was no numbering, and that the whole is theoretical, that it is saying ‘had they been numbered this would have been the number of men required to make up all this silver’. It may in fact all have been collected in freewill offerings, and that Moses was so impressed by the amount collected that, in the light of Exo 30:11-16, he was simply trying to bring out its impressiveness. He may simply have been seeing in his mind’s eye such a numbering and be describing it in order to bring out the large amount of silver used. But it seems more probable that there was a numbering which contributed towards the total amount of silver received.
“ For every one who passed over to those who were numbered.” In the numbering the men were seen as having passed from the group waiting to be numbered to the group that had been numbered. This suggests a knowledge of the numbering of smaller groups. But there is nowhere else in Exodus where there is any suggestion that such a numbering ever actually took place. The first one is in Numbers 1. Thus their passing over may simply be in Moses’ mind as a theoretical exercise.
Alternately there may have been such a numbering at the time of the freewill offering, with the half shekels collected, with those then added to those gathered in the freewill offerings. But in the end it is the total amount of silver that is being emphasised, not the number of men, so that the one main point from it is that the Tabernacle contained so much silver that it was sufficient to ‘redeem’ 603,550 men. It is saying that that is the theoretical amount of men that the silver represented in the Dwellingplace indicated. The result is that that would therefore probably be seen as the number of the ‘ideal’ Israel. This probably explains why that is the number to which Numbers 1 works. It is a number obtained by using other symbolic numbers. See our commentary on that chapter. That being so, the phrase ‘and the silver of those who were numbered of the congregation was –’ may be seen as announcing the whole of the silver gathered from the men who were numbered, not just that gathered as a half shekel ransom.
Others take a different view and therefore have to suggest that the freewill offerings were ignored. But in our view that is to ignore the clear intention of the whole passage, which was not about numbering but about how much was collected.
With regard to gold it was plentiful in Egypt, being imported from the parts of North Africa to their south, a rich gold producing area. When the Israelites left Egypt they brought with them much of the silver and gold in Goshen (Exo 12:35), and possibly from wider afield, having been given it by Egyptians and others keen to see them gone.
The Use of the Silver.
Exo 38:27-28
‘And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made connecting rods (or fillets) for them.
Of the silver the talents were used for making the sockets for the Sanctuary itself. There were one hundred of them (40 + 40 + 16 + 4). The remaining silver items were made from the one thousand, seven hundred and seventy five shekels of silver.
The Use of the Brazen Copper.
Exo 38:29-31
‘And the brazen copper of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. And with that he made the sockets to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the brazen copper altar, and the brazen copper grating for it, and all the vessels of the altar, and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the Dwellingplace, and all the pegs of the court round about.’
The brazen copper of the offering is that brazen copper which was brought by the people in their free-will offering towards the Dwellingplace (35:24). The main use made of it is here described. With it was made the entrance sockets, the altar of burnt offering with its grating and vessels, the sockets for the pillars of the screen for the outer court and for the entrance, and all the tent pegs.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Summary of Gold, Silver, and Brass
v. 21. This is the sum of the Tabernacle, even of the Tabernacle of Testimony, as it was counted, v. 22. And Bezaleel, v. 23. And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning v. 24. All the gold that was occupied v. 25. And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the Sanctuary; v. 26. a bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the Sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. v. 27. And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the Sanctuary and the sockets of the veil and hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket, v. 28. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.
v. 29. And the brass of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
v. 30. And therewith he made, v. 31. and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the Tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
THE SUM OF THE TABERNACLE, OR WEIGHT OF THE METALS EMPLOYED IN IT. Before dismissing the subject of the construction of the tabernacle, Moses places on record the sum of the gold, silver and bronze contributed and consumed in the work. At the same time he informs us who was the accountant by whom the sum was made up (Exo 38:21), and what were the portions of the work formed of each metal (Exo 38:24, Exo 38:27, Exo 38:28, Exo 38:30, Exo 38:31). Incidentally he mentions the number of the congregation at this period (Exo 38:26), and the weight of the “sockets” or “bases” (Exo 38:27).
Exo 38:21
This is the sum. Or “numbering” (as in Num 26:63). The tabernacle of testimony. The tabernacle, i.e; of which the great glory was that it contained “the testimony” or “Two Tables.” Compare Exo 25:16. For the service of the Levites. Literally “a service of the Levites by the hand of Ithamar,” etc.i.e. “a service which was performed by the Levites at the command of Ithamar.” It is somewhat remarkable that the direction of the Levites should be assigned to Ithamar, rather than to Nadab or Abihu.
Exo 38:22
Bezaleel made all. The direction of the whole work by Bezaleel is here asserted more definitely and decidedly than elsewhere. Compare Exo 31:2-6; Exo 36:1, Exo 36:2.
Exo 38:23
Aholiab’s special gifts are here pointed out. He was
1. An artificer (a general term with no special application);
2. A skilled weaver; and
3. An embroiderer.
Altogether, his business was with the textile fabricsnot with the wood-work or the metal-workof the sanctuary.
Exo 38:24
The gold. The value of the gold has been estimated by Canon Cook at 175,075 13s. 0d. of our money; by Thenius at 877,300 Prussian thalers, or about 131,595. It was certainly under 200,000. De Wette and others have argued that the possession of so large a sum in gold at this time by the Hebrew nation is inconceivable. But most critics are of a different opinion. Gold was very abundant in Egypt at the period, being imported from Ethiopia, a rich gold-producing country (Herod. 3.23; Diod. Sic. 3.11), as well as taken in tribute from the nations of Asia. The wealth of Rhampsinitus (Rameses III.), a little later than the exodus, was enormous. According to the preceding narrative (Exo 12:35, Exo 12:36) much of the wealth of Egypt had, at the moment of their quitting the country, passed from the Egyptians to the Hebrews. If they numbered two millions of souls, their gold ornaments are likely to have been worth very much more than 200,000 of our money. On the shekel of the sanctuary, see the comment upon Exo 30:13.
Exo 38:25
The silver. The silver seems to have amounted to about four times the weight of the gold; but the value of it was very much less, not exceeding 40,000 of our money (Cook). It may seem surprising that this should have been so; but there are grounds for believing that both in Africa and in Asia gold was more plentiful than silver in the early ages. And it is certainly much more suitable for ornaments. Of them that were numbered. See above, Exo 30:12-16. The silver for the sanctuary was collected by a compulsory tax, of the nature of a church-rate. This produced the amount here given, No estimate is made of the weight of the silver freewill offerings (Exo 35:24), nor is any account given of their application. It has been suggested that they were returned to the donors as superfluous, which is certainly possible,
Exo 38:26
A bekah for every man. Literally, “for every head.” From twenty years old and upward. Compare Num 1:3, Num 1:22, etc. Six hundred thousand, etc. It is remarkable that this number agrees exactly with the sum total of the numbering in Num 2:32, which took place about six months later, and was exclusive of 22,000 Levites. Perhaps the number was lost in this place, and restored from Num 2:32, without its being recollected that the Levites were not included in that reckoning.
Exo 38:27
The sockets of the sanctuary and of the veil See above, Exo 36:24, Exo 36:26, Exo 36:30, and Exo 36:36. The numbers given are 40, 40, 16, and 4, making exactly the hundred.
Exo 38:28
Hooks for the pillars. See above, Exo 38:10, Exo 38:12, Exo 38:17, and Exo 38:19. Chapiters. See Exo 38:19. Filleted them. Rather, “connected them with rods”
Exo 38:29
The brass of the offeringi.e; the bronze which had been brought by the people in answer to the invitation of Moses (Exo 35:24).
Exo 38:30, Exo 38:31
The sockets. See Exo 36:38. The brazen altar and the brazen grate. See Exo 36:1 and Exo 36:4. The vessels. See Exo 36:3. The sockets of the court. See above, Exo 36:11, Exo 36:14, Exo 36:15, Exo 36:17, and Exo 36:19. The pins of the tabernacle and of the court. See above, Exo 36:20.
HOMILETICS
Exo 38:24-31
Great wealth worthily employed.
I. THE AMOUNT EXPENDED BY THE ISRAELITES WAS GREAT ABSOLUTELY. Although the materials contributed for the construction of the tabernacle are quite within the estimate which would reasonably be formed of the wealth of the Israelites from the general tenor of the narrative, yet they certainly reach altogether to such an amount of value as would constitute a very serious call on the resources of such a people. The worth of the metals alone was not far short of a quarter of a million of our money. (Gold, 175,000; silver, 40,000; bronze (say) 15,000total, 230,000.) The precious stones, the spices, the wood-work, the raw material for the cloths, the dyed rams’ skins and seals’ skins, have to be added, and would raise the sum total to at least 250,000. This was contributed by a population of about two millions; which may be regarded as equivalent to 10s. a family, or half-a-crown a head. Now the entire taxation for imperial purposes of each British subject is about 2 a head, of which the amount paid in direct taxation is not more than 5s. a head. So that the Israelite of the 13th or 14th century, b.c; paid at one time for church purposes of his own free will, half as much as the British subject of the present day pays directly for State purposes in the whole course of the year. Thus the amount was great absolutely, and showed a noble spirit in those who contributed.
II. THE AMOUNT EXPENDED WAS ALSO GREAT RELATIVELY TO THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPENDITURE. What was required was a structure sixty feet long by thirty, with a skirting for a court or precinct 150 feet long by seventy-five. The main structure, or tabernacle, would be about the size of a small college chapel. The precinct would be smaller than most churchyards. Yet upon these two objects, without making any estimate for labour, a quarter of a million of money was spent. On the first blush, one asks, how was it possible for so enormous an outlay to be made? The answer is, by the lavish use of the precious metals, especially gold. That the structure might be rich, splendid, magnificent, gold and silver were lavished upon it, both externally and internallyscarcely any wood was seennothing caught the eye but costly fabrics of rich colour, and masses of silver or gold. A warm, harmonious, rich result was no doubt produced; and nomadic Israel, unable to compete with the settled nations in the size and grandeur of its “holy place,” erected for itself a sanctuary, which in its own way was unequalled and unique.
III. THE OBJECT OF THE EXPENDITURE WAS A WORTHY ONE. If a people have temples at all, men will always judge their religious views, more or less, by them. If Israel was to have a place of worshipand it may be doubted whether any race of men will ever be able to do without oneit would certainly be subjected to rough criticism and comparison. The Egyptian temples were magnificentof vast size, of the most solid construction, of handsome material, elaborately painted and adorned; they delighted those who worshipped in them, and challenged the admiration of extraneous beholders. Israel, in the desert, could not possibly vie with these. But it might construct a work perfect in its kind, of a different class, which would compensate for smallness of size by richness of material and artistic elaboration. It could show in this way its sense that men should give to God of their best. It could secure an extraordinary degree of beauty, finish, and elegance. The nations among which the tabernacle passedeven those who heard an account of itmust have been impressed with the feeling that here was a people which thoroughly believed in its God; which thought nothing too good for him; which was ready for his sake to submit to much self-sacrifice. And the people itself must also have been impressed by its own work. No such apostasy as the worship of the calf ever took place after the tabernacle had been constructed. It was no longer faith, but sight, which told them, that “God was in the midst of them.” The sense of this begat a courage and a confidence, which supported the nation under many trials, and many temptations. They had never to regret the outlay which they had made upon their “tent-temple.”
Application.There has been much church-building in modern times, but in no instance such a lavish outlay as that here held up to our imitation. Germany, indeed, has completed the Dom of Cologne; but not much of the money was subscribed; for the most part, it came out of the general taxation of the country. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Calcutta, have raised cathedrals; but the cost has not been very considerable. The spirit of munificence has been shown rather by individuals than by any nation; and, in England at any rate, the nineteenth century will not, it is to be feared, be signalised among others by the completion of any really first-rate ecclesiastical edifice. New dioceses are formed; but new cathedrals, worthy of taking rank with the masterpieces of former times, do not arise. The prevailing practice is to convert a parish church into a cathedral. May it not be hoped that ere long some new diocese, where wealth abounds, will devote to its cathedral some such amount as the Israelites in the desert contributed towards their tabernacle, and raise an edifice which will prove to the world that Post-Reformation England does not yield to the England of the Middle Ages in the virtue of Christian munificence?
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Exo 38:21-31
The enumeration of the metals used.
This served a useful purpose
1. As an account rendered to the people of what had been done with their gifts.
2. As gratifying a very laudable wish of the contributors to know how much the sum-total of their contributions amounted to.
3. As giving a just idea of the splendour and costliness of the building.
4. As a testimony to the liberality, willingness, and unstinting self-sacrifice of all classes in the congregation.
5. As specially indicating the destination of the atonement-moneythe making of the “sockets” on which the tabernacle was reared (Exo 38:27).
6. As a lesson of exactitude in church finance. A church is not at liberty to deal in a slovenly manner with its receipts and disbursements. Careful accounts should be kept and published. This
(1) Gives confidence in the management;
(2) is an encouragement to giving;
(3) prevents charges of maladministration;
(4) is a prevention against waste.J.O.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Exo 38:21. This is the sum of the tabernacle, &c. Houbigant renders this verse, Now this is the sum of the things which were brought for the tabernacle of the testimony, and which, by the command of Moses, were counted by the Levites; Ithamar, the son of Aaron, being their head. The latter clause might be rendered, perhaps, more agreeably to the Hebrew, which the ministry of the Levites, under the conduct of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, counted, or summed up at the command of Moses. Mr. Chais renders it thus: a quoi furent employees les Levites sous la conduite d’Ithamar: to which the Levites were employed under the conduct of Ithamar.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The sum total of the people’s offerings is here enumerated. The gold was altogether 29 talents and 730 shekels: about 150 thousand pounds of our money. And the silver was 100 talents, and 1775 shekels; amounting to about 34 thousand pounds of our money. The brass was in quantity about 6637 pounds weight. Isa 60:17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
counted = accounted.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
tabernacle of testimony: Exo 25:16, Exo 26:33, Exo 40:3, Num 1:50, Num 1:53, Num 9:15, Num 10:11, Num 17:7, Num 17:8, Num 18:2, 2Ch 24:6, Act 7:44, Rev 11:19, The word tabernacle is used in many different senses, and signifies:
1. A tent or pavilion Num 24:5, Mat 17:4, 2. A house or dwelling Job 11:4, Job 22:23, 3. A kind of tent, which is designated, to speak after the manner of the men, the palace of the Most High, the dwelling of the God of Israel Exo 26:1, Heb 9:2, Heb 9:3, 4. Christ’s human nature, of which the Jewish tabernacle was a type, wherein God dwells really, substantially, and personally Heb 8:2, Heb 9:11, 5. The true church militant Psa 15:1, 6. Our natural body, in which the soul lodges as in a tabernacle 2Co 5:1, 2Pe 1:13, 7. The token of God’s gracious presence Rev 21:3by the hand: Num 4:28-33, Ezr 8:26-30
Ithamar: Exo 6:23, 1Ch 6:3
Reciprocal: Exo 16:34 – General Num 4:32 – the instruments
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 38:21. This is the sum of the tabernacle That is, this is the charge of the foregoing work of the tabernacle, under the direction of the two chief workmen. For the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar The particle for is not in the original, and therefore it may be better rendered, By the ministry of the Levites, under the conduct of Ithamar. By Mosess appointment the Levites took and kept an account of the gold, silver, and brass, that was brought in for the use of the tabernacle, and how it was employed. Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was appointed to draw up this account. The gold amounted to twenty-nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, which sum of gold, at the rate of f5,250 to a talent, and f1.
15s. to a shekel of gold, will be found to have amounted to upward of f150,000 English. As to the silver, there being six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty, who offered each of them half a shekel, as Exo 38:26 informs us, three hundred and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels were thus raised, which sum amounts to thirty-five thousand two hundred and seven pounds, English. The raising of the gold by voluntary contribution, and silver by way of tribute, shows that either way may be taken for the defraying of public expenses, provided that nothing be done by partiality.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
38:21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, [even] of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, [for] the service of the {c} Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.
(c) That the Levites might be in charge of it, and minister in the same, as did Eleazar and Ithamar, Num 3:4.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The raw materials 38:21-31
Moses also recorded an estimate of the amount of metal used (Exo 38:21-31). Coined money did not exist until the eighth century B.C. when the Lydians in Anatolia (modern Turkey) invented it. [Note: The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., s.v. "Money," by A. F. Walls.] Consequently the shekel Moses referred to was a measure of weight (not quite half an ounce). [Note: Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed., s.v. "Metrology," by E. McChesney, revised by Merrill F. Unger, pp. 720-25.] The materials included slightly over a ton of gold (Exo 38:24), almost four tons of silver (Exo 38:25-28), and about two and a half tons of bronze (Exo 38:29-31).