Exodus 31

Introduction

Exodus 31 brings to a close the extended divine speech that began in Exodus 25, in which God gave Moses detailed instructions for the tabernacle, its furnishings, the priestly garments, and the consecration of Aaron and his sons. After seven chapters of intricate blueprints, a practical question remains: who will actually build all of this? God answers by naming two craftsmen — Bezalel and Oholiab — and declaring that he has filled them with his Spirit for the work. This is the first time in Scripture that a person is explicitly said to be filled with the Spirit of God, and remarkably the purpose is not prophecy or warfare but craftsmanship. The chapter affirms that artistic skill and manual labor, when directed by God, are forms of Spirit-empowered service.

The chapter then turns to a seemingly unrelated topic: the Sabbath. Yet the placement is deliberate. Having just commissioned the construction of the sacred dwelling place, God reminds Israel that even this holy work must yield to the rhythm of rest. The Sabbath is declared a perpetual sign of the covenant between God and Israel, grounded in creation itself. The chapter concludes with a single, powerful verse: God hands Moses the two stone tablets inscribed by his own finger — the physical embodiment of the covenant that the tabernacle is designed to house. The progression is striking: from the workers who build the house, to the rest that defines the people, to the law that anchors the relationship.

Bezalel Called by Name (vv. 1-5)

Notes

• קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם ("I have called by name") — The verb קָרָא ("to call") combined with בְשֵׁם ("by name") indicates personal, deliberate selection. God does not simply assign a task; he singles out a specific individual by name. This language of calling by name appears in Isaiah 45:3-4, where God calls Cyrus by name for a redemptive purpose, and in Isaiah 43:1, where God tells Israel, "I have called you by name; you are mine." Bezalel's calling is not a human appointment but a divine election for a specific vocation.

• בְּצַלְאֵל ("Bezalel") — The name means "in the shadow of God" (from בְּצֵל, "in the shadow of," and אֵל, "God"). He is the son of Uri ("my light"), son of Hur ("white/noble"). Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah, the leading tribe. Jewish tradition (in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 69b) identifies Hur as the son of Caleb and Miriam, making Bezalel Moses' great-nephew, though the biblical text does not make this connection explicit. Bezalel will later reappear in Exodus 35:30-35 and Exodus 36:1-7 when the actual construction begins.

• וָאֲמַלֵּא אֹתוֹ רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים ("I have filled him with the Spirit of God") — This is the first explicit statement in Scripture that God fills an individual with his Spirit. The verb מָלֵא ("to fill") is in the Piel (intensive), emphasizing the completeness of the filling. The רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים ("Spirit of God") is the same phrase used in Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation. Just as the Spirit was active in the creation of the world, the Spirit now empowers the creation of the tabernacle — God's dwelling place within the world. The theological implication is that craftsmanship, artistry, and technical skill are not merely natural talents but can be gifts of the Holy Spirit.

• בְּחָכְמָה וּבִתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת ("with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge") — These three terms form a comprehensive description of intellectual and practical capability. חָכְמָה ("wisdom") denotes skill and expertise — the ability to apply knowledge effectively. תְּבוּנָה ("understanding, intelligence") suggests discernment and the capacity to grasp how things work. דַּעַת ("knowledge") indicates technical knowledge and familiarity with materials and methods. The same triad appears in Proverbs 3:19-20, where wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are the attributes by which God established the heavens and the earth. Bezalel, filled with these divine qualities, becomes a sub-creator working under the Creator's direction.

• לַחְשֹׁב מַחֲשָׁבֹת ("to devise designs") — The verb חָשַׁב means "to think, to plan, to devise," and מַחֲשָׁבֹת are "plans, designs, inventions." The repetition of the root (cognate accusative) emphasizes creative thinking — not just execution but artistic imagination. The same root is used of God's thoughts in Jeremiah 29:11 ("the plans I have for you"). Bezalel is gifted not merely to follow instructions mechanically but to think creatively within God's design.

• וּבַחֲרֹשֶׁת אֶבֶן לְמַלֹּאת ("and in the cutting of stone for setting") — The word חֲרֹשֶׁת ("craftsmanship, engraving") appears only here and in v. 5b in the entire Old Testament, indicating specialized lapidary and woodworking skill. The verb מִלֵּא ("to fill, to set") is a technical term for setting gemstones into metal mountings, used also for the stones on the high priest's breastpiece (Exodus 28:17).

Oholiab and the Skilled Workers (vv. 6-11)

Notes

• אָהֳלִיאָב ("Oholiab") — The name means "the father's tent" or "my father is a tent" (from אֹהֶל, "tent," and אָב, "father"). His father's name, אֲחִיסָמָךְ ("my brother has supported"), is likewise known only from this context. Oholiab is from the tribe of Dan, one of the least prominent tribes. The pairing of Bezalel from Judah (the preeminent tribe) with Oholiab from Dan (the last son of Jacob's concubine Bilhah) is theologically significant: God's Spirit equips people from across the social spectrum. No tribe monopolizes divine giftedness. This pairing may also anticipate the distribution of the tabernacle's work across all Israel.

• וּבְלֵב כָּל חֲכַם לֵב נָתַתִּי חָכְמָה ("and in the heart of every skilled person I have placed wisdom") — The Hebrew reads literally "in the heart of every wise of heart I have given wisdom." The repetition is notable: those who are already חֲכַם לֵב ("wise of heart") receive additional חָכְמָה ("wisdom") from God. This suggests that God's gifting works with and amplifies natural ability rather than replacing it. In Hebrew thought, the לֵב ("heart") is the seat of intellect and skill, not merely emotion. A "wise heart" is a skilled mind.

• The inventory in vv. 7-11 recaps the entire set of instructions given in Exodus 25 through Exodus 30: the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 26), the ark and mercy seat (Exodus 25:10-22), the table (Exodus 25:23-30), the lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40), the altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-10), the altar of burnt offering (Exodus 27:1-8), the basin (Exodus 30:17-21), the priestly garments (Exodus 28), the anointing oil (Exodus 30:22-33), and the incense (Exodus 30:34-38). This list functions as a comprehensive summary, confirming that Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other artisans are responsible for executing the entirety of God's design.

• אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ("Tent of Meeting") — The name emphasizes the tabernacle's primary purpose: it is the place where God יָעַד ("meets, appoints to meet") with his people. The word מוֹעֵד comes from the root meaning "to appoint, to designate a time and place." The tabernacle is not merely a shrine but a meeting place — the point of contact between heaven and earth.

• בִּגְדֵי הַשְּׂרָד ("the woven garments") — The term שְׂרָד is rare and debated. It occurs only in connection with the tabernacle service (here and in Exodus 35:19, Exodus 39:1, Exodus 39:41). It likely refers to the finely woven or braided service garments used in the sanctuary, distinct from but related to the specifically "holy" garments of the high priest. The KJV renders it "cloths of service," the ESV "finely worked garments."

• כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ יַעֲשׂוּ ("according to all that I have commanded you, they shall make them") — The closing phrase emphasizes that the artisans' creativity operates within divine instruction. They are not free to improvise the design; they are empowered to execute it with excellence. The verb צָוָה ("to command") frames the entire tabernacle project: it begins with God's command and ends with confirmation that it was done "as the LORD had commanded Moses" (Exodus 39:42-43).

The Sabbath as Covenant Sign (vv. 12-17)

Notes

• אַךְ אֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ ("You must surely keep my Sabbaths") — The particle אַךְ ("surely, only, however") is emphatic and restrictive. It underscores the non-negotiable nature of the command. The plural שַׁבְּתֹתַי ("my Sabbaths") with the first-person possessive suffix is significant: the Sabbaths belong to God. They are not Israel's invention or cultural custom but God's own institution. The Rabbis interpreted the emphatic אַךְ as implying a limitation — "surely keep my Sabbaths" but not to the point of letting someone die; hence, the Sabbath may be broken to save life (pikuach nefesh).

• אוֹת הִוא בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם ("it is a sign between me and you") — The Sabbath is called an אוֹת ("sign"), the same word used for the rainbow as a sign of the Noahic covenant (Genesis 9:12-13) and circumcision as a sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17:11). Each major covenant has its visible sign. The Sabbath is the sign of the Sinai covenant — not merely a day of rest but a marker of identity. Keeping the Sabbath declares that Israel belongs to the LORD and the LORD to Israel.

• The placement of the Sabbath command here — between the tabernacle instructions and the giving of the tablets — is theologically deliberate. The Rabbis drew from this juxtaposition the principle that the Sabbath takes precedence over tabernacle construction: even the most sacred work must stop on the seventh day. The Mishnah (Shabbat 7:2) derives its thirty-nine categories of prohibited Sabbath labor from the types of work involved in building the tabernacle, creating a direct link between these two passages.

• מְחַלְלֶיהָ מוֹת יוּמָת ("whoever profanes it shall surely be put to death") — The verb חָלַל ("to profane, desecrate") is the Piel participle, describing habitual or willful profanation. The penalty clause מוֹת יוּמָת (infinitive absolute + Hophal imperfect of מוּת, "to die") is the standard formula for capital offenses in the Torah. The severity reflects the Sabbath's covenantal significance: to profane the Sabbath is to reject the sign of the covenant itself, which amounts to apostasy. A narrative example of Sabbath enforcement appears in Numbers 15:32-36, where a man gathering wood on the Sabbath is put to death.

• וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ ("that person shall be cut off from among his people") — The punishment of "cutting off" (כָּרַת, Niphal) is distinct from the death penalty and has been variously understood. Some interpreters take it as excommunication from the community, others as premature death at God's hand (divine punishment rather than judicial execution), and others as extinction of one's line (dying without descendants). The juxtaposition of both "put to death" and "cut off" in v. 14 may indicate that the death penalty is the judicial consequence while being "cut off" describes the spiritual or covenantal consequence.

• שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן ("a Sabbath of complete rest") — The doubling of the root שׁ-ב-ת intensifies the concept. שַׁבָּתוֹן is a noun denoting cessation or rest, and placed alongside שַׁבַּת it produces something like "a rest of resting" or "the most restful rest." The phrase communicates absolute cessation from work — not partial rest but complete withdrawal from productive labor.

• בְּרִית עוֹלָם ("an everlasting covenant") — The Sabbath is called a בְּרִית עוֹלָם, a perpetual or everlasting covenant. This same phrase describes God's covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:16), the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision (Genesis 17:7), and later the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). By calling the Sabbath an everlasting covenant, God elevates it above a mere law to a covenant institution — a constitutive element of Israel's relationship with God.

• שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ ("he ceased and was refreshed") — The verb שָׁבַת ("to cease, to stop") is the root behind שַׁבָּת. The verb נָפַשׁ ("to be refreshed, to catch one's breath") is striking when applied to God. It derives from נֶפֶשׁ ("breath, life, soul") and suggests something like "he took a breath" or "he refreshed himself." This is boldly anthropomorphic language — God does not grow weary (Isaiah 40:28) — yet it establishes a pattern for human imitation. If the Creator rested and was refreshed, how much more must his creatures? The language grounds the Sabbath not in Israel's weakness but in God's own rhythm of work and rest, established at creation (Genesis 2:2-3).

Interpretations

The relationship between the Sabbath and the Christian Lord's Day has been debated across traditions. (1) Sabbatarian views (held by Seventh-Day Adventists and some Reformed theologians) maintain that the seventh-day Sabbath remains binding on Christians, since it is grounded in creation and called an "everlasting covenant." (2) Lord's Day / Transfer views (held by many Reformed and Puritan theologians, following the Westminster Confession) argue that the moral substance of the fourth commandment transfers to Sunday, the first day of the week, in celebration of Christ's resurrection. The Sabbath principle of one day in seven for rest and worship remains, but the specific day has changed. (3) Fulfillment views (held by many Lutheran, dispensational, and new covenant theologians) argue that the Sabbath was a shadow pointing to the rest found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17, Hebrews 4:9-10). Christians are free from Sabbath observance as a legal obligation, though the principle of regular rest remains wise and good. Paul addresses the question directly in Romans 14:5-6, where he treats the observance of particular days as a matter of individual conscience.

The Tablets of Stone (v. 18)

Notes

• כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ ("when he had finished speaking with him") — The verb כָּלָה ("to finish, to complete") in the Piel infinitive construct marks the conclusion of the entire Sinai revelation that began in Exodus 20. The phrase emphasizes the completeness of God's communication: everything that needed to be said has been said. Now the words become stone.

• שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת ("the two tablets of the Testimony") — The tablets are called לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת ("tablets of the Testimony"), not "tablets of the law." The word עֵדוּת ("testimony, witness") frames the commandments as God's testimony — his witness to his own character and his covenantal expectations. The tablets function like a treaty document in ancient Near Eastern practice: copies of a suzerainty treaty were placed in the sanctuaries of both parties. Since Israel's God is both suzerain and Israel's God, both copies are placed in a single location — the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle. This is why the ark is called the אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת ("ark of the Testimony").

• כְּתֻבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים ("written by the finger of God") — The phrase אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים ("the finger of God") is a powerful anthropomorphism. God did not merely dictate the words; he inscribed them. The same expression appears in Exodus 8:19, where Pharaoh's magicians recognize the plagues as "the finger of God," and in Deuteronomy 9:10, which confirms that the tablets were "written with the finger of God." Jesus uses the phrase in Luke 11:20: "If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." The "finger of God" signifies the direct, personal action of God — unmediated and unmistakable. These are not Moses' words or even Moses' handwriting. They are God's own inscription, giving the tablets a unique authority among all written documents in Scripture.

• This verse serves as a literary hinge. It concludes the revelation on Sinai (chapters 25-31) and sets the stage for the crisis of Exodus 32, where Moses will descend the mountain with these tablets only to shatter them in anger at the golden calf. The contrast is devastating: while God was inscribing the covenant in stone with his own finger, Israel was melting gold to fashion an idol with their own hands. The tablets that symbolize God's faithfulness will be broken by the reality of Israel's unfaithfulness.