Exodus 38

Introduction

Exodus 38 continues the account of building the tabernacle furnishings and structures, moving from description to execution. Where Exodus 27 gave the divine instructions for the bronze altar and courtyard, this chapter records Bezalel and his team actually constructing them. The chapter covers four major elements: the bronze altar of burnt offering (vv. 1-7), the bronze basin (v. 8), the courtyard enclosure (vv. 9-20), and a detailed inventory of materials used (vv. 21-31). The narrative is largely parallel to the instruction passages, confirming that the craftsmen built everything exactly as the LORD commanded — a theme of obedient faithfulness that runs through chapters 35-40.

The chapter contains two particularly remarkable details. First, the bronze basin was made from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (v. 8) — a unique notice that reveals both women's participation in tabernacle worship and the costliness of their devotion. Second, the inventory section (vv. 21-31) provides precise quantities of gold, silver, and bronze, linking the silver directly to the census tax of Exodus 30:11-16 and thereby confirming the number of 603,550 men counted in the census (Numbers 1:46). This meticulous accounting reflects the seriousness with which Israel handled the materials dedicated to God and provides a concrete picture of the enormous wealth poured into the construction of God's dwelling place.

The Bronze Altar of Burnt Offering (vv. 1-7)

¹ Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. ² He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze. ³ He made all the altar's utensils of bronze — its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans. ⁴ He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. ⁵ At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. ⁶ And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.

¹ And he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood — five cubits its length, five cubits its width, square, and three cubits its height. ² He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. ³ He made all the vessels of the altar — the pots, the shovels, the sprinkling bowls, the forks, and the firepans. All its vessels he made of bronze. ⁴ He made for the altar a grate, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending down to its midpoint. ⁵ He cast four rings at the four ends of the bronze grate as holders for the poles. ⁶ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made it hollow, with boards.

Notes

מִזְבַּח הָעֹלָה ("the altar of burnt offering") — The word מִזְבֵּחַ derives from זָבַח ("to slaughter, sacrifice") and literally means "a place of slaughter." The עֹלָה ("burnt offering") comes from עָלָה ("to go up, ascend") — the offering that "goes up" entirely in smoke to God. Unlike other sacrifices where portions were eaten, the burnt offering was completely consumed on the altar, representing total consecration to God. The instructions for this altar were given in Exodus 27:1-8.
The altar's dimensions — five cubits by five cubits by three cubits (roughly 7.5 feet square and 4.5 feet tall) — made it the largest single piece of furniture in the tabernacle complex. Its square shape symbolized completeness and stability. The acacia wood core overlaid with bronze made it both portable and fire-resistant. Bronze (נְחֹשֶׁת) is the metal associated with judgment and endurance throughout the tabernacle — it is used for everything in the outer court where sin was dealt with, while gold is reserved for the interior where God's presence dwelt.
קַרְנֹתָיו ("its horns") — The horns on the four corners of the altar served both practical and symbolic purposes. Blood from the sacrifices was applied to the horns (Leviticus 4:7, Leviticus 4:18), making them the point of atonement. The horns also functioned as a place of refuge — a person fleeing for his life could grasp the horns of the altar to claim sanctuary (1 Kings 1:50-51, 1 Kings 2:28). The phrase מִמֶּנּוּ הָיוּ קַרְנֹתָיו ("from it were its horns") emphasizes that the horns were not attached separately but formed as one piece with the altar, signifying the organic unity of judgment and mercy.
נְבוּב לֻחֹת עָשָׂה אֹתוֹ ("hollow, with boards, he made it") — The altar was not a solid block but a hollow frame of boards. This served a practical purpose: it made the altar light enough to carry on the march through the wilderness. Some scholars suggest the hollow interior was filled with earth or stones when the altar was set up for use, in accordance with the principle of Exodus 20:24 that altars should be made of earth or uncut stone. The word נְבוּב ("hollow") comes from a root meaning "to be hollowed out" and appears only here and in the parallel instruction in Exodus 27:8.

The Bronze Basin from the Women's Mirrors (v. 8)

⁸ Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁸ He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

Notes

הַכִּיּוֹר ("the basin") — The bronze basin, also called the "laver," was used by the priests for ceremonial washing of their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle or approaching the altar (Exodus 30:17-21). Failure to wash before serving was punishable by death, underscoring the principle that those who approach God must be cleansed. The instructions for the basin were given in Exodus 30:17-21, but notably, no dimensions are specified for it — it is the only major tabernacle furnishing without stated measurements.
בְּמַרְאֹת הַצֹּבְאֹת ("from the mirrors of the women who served") — This is one of the most striking details in the entire tabernacle narrative. The word מַרְאֹת means "mirrors," from רָאָה ("to see"). In the ancient world, mirrors were made of highly polished bronze or copper, making them both valuable and perfectly suited as raw material for a bronze basin. The women donated their personal mirrors — instruments of beauty and self-regard — to be melted down and recast as an instrument of priestly purification. This is a profound act of devotion: what once reflected human beauty now serves divine holiness.
הַצֹּבְאֹת ("the women who served") — The participle comes from צָבָא, a verb primarily meaning "to wage war, to serve in a host, to assemble for service." It is the same root as צָבָא ("host, army"), used of heavenly armies and of organized military or liturgical service. Its use here for women serving at the tabernacle entrance is remarkable. The same expression appears in 1 Samuel 2:22, where women are again described as serving at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The exact nature of their service is not specified — it may have included prayer, fasting, practical duties, or organized worship. What is clear is that these women had a recognized, formal role in the worship life of Israel. The Targum Onkelos translates this as "women who came to pray," while some rabbinic interpreters understood them as women who assembled for devotional purposes.
The theological significance of this verse should not be overlooked. The basin made from these mirrors became the instrument through which priests were ritually cleansed for service. The women's sacrifice of vanity's tools for the sake of holiness creates a powerful image: personal beauty surrendered so that God's servants might be made clean. Some patristic commentators saw in this a type of the Christian's surrender of worldly attachments for the sake of spiritual purification.

The Courtyard Enclosure (vv. 9-20)

⁹ Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun linen, ¹⁰ with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹ The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. ¹² The west side was fifty cubits long and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. ¹³ And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long. ¹⁴ The curtains on one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁵ And the curtains on the other side were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as well. ¹⁶ All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver. ¹⁸ The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, ¹⁹ with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the plating of their tops. ²⁰ All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

⁹ He made the courtyard. On the south side, toward the Negev, the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long, ¹⁰ with their twenty posts and twenty bases of bronze, and the hooks and bands of the posts were of silver. ¹¹ On the north side, a hundred cubits, with their twenty posts and twenty bases of bronze; the hooks and bands of the posts were of silver. ¹² On the west side, hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten posts and ten bases; the hooks and bands of the posts were of silver. ¹³ And on the east side, toward the sunrise, fifty cubits — ¹⁴ hangings of fifteen cubits on one side of the gate, with their three posts and three bases, ¹⁵ and likewise for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the courtyard were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands of the posts were silver, and the plating of their tops was silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver. ¹⁸ The screen for the gate of the courtyard was the work of an embroiderer, of blue and purple and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its width, corresponding to the hangings of the courtyard, ¹⁹ with their four posts and four bases of bronze. Their hooks were silver, and the plating of their tops and their bands were silver. ²⁰ All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard all around were bronze.

Notes

הֶחָצֵר ("the courtyard") — The courtyard was the outermost boundary of the sacred precinct, an open-air enclosure surrounding the tabernacle proper. Its dimensions — 100 cubits long (north and south) by 50 cubits wide (east and west), about 150 feet by 75 feet — defined the space where the people of Israel could approach God through sacrifice. The instructions for this enclosure were given in Exodus 27:9-19. Everything outside the courtyard was the common world; everything inside was sacred space.
קְלָעִים ("hangings/curtains") — These are not the heavy woven curtains of the tabernacle interior but lighter screens or hangings, from a root meaning "to sling" or "to screen." They were made of שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר ("fine twisted linen"), the same white linen used throughout the tabernacle. The white linen walls would have created a visual boundary of purity, separating the holy precinct from the surrounding camp. At five cubits (about 7.5 feet) high, the hangings were tall enough to prevent casual viewing from outside.
The courtyard's orientation is significant. The entrance was on the east side, meaning that anyone entering the courtyard walked westward toward the tabernacle — away from the rising sun. In surrounding pagan cultures, temples often faced east toward the sun. Israel's tabernacle reversed this orientation, with the worshiper turning away from sun worship and toward the God who dwells in darkness and cloud (1 Kings 8:12). The east side was divided into three sections: fifteen cubits of curtain on each side of the gate and a twenty-cubit embroidered screen at the center.
מָסַךְ שַׁעַר הֶחָצֵר ("the screen of the gate of the courtyard") — While the side curtains were plain white linen, the entrance screen was embroidered with תְּכֵלֶת (blue), אַרְגָּמָן (purple), and תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי (scarlet yarn). These were the same colors used in the tabernacle's inner curtains and the high priest's garments — royal and priestly colors. The embroidered entrance screen marked the gate as special, the single point of access into God's courts. The word רֹקֵם ("embroiderer") describes skilled decorative needlework, distinct from the more complex חֹשֵׁב ("designer") work used for the inner veil.
The material hierarchy is noteworthy throughout this section: bronze for the bases (which touched the ground), silver for the hooks, bands, and post caps (the connecting and covering elements), and the precious colors of blue, purple, and scarlet only at the entrance. This gradient of materials — from common to precious as one moves inward and upward — reflects the theological principle that proximity to God's presence corresponds to increasing holiness and glory.
יְתֵדֹת ("tent pegs") — The final detail in v. 20 notes that all the pegs securing the tabernacle and courtyard were bronze. These humble, utilitarian objects receive mention because even the smallest component of the tabernacle was made of dedicated material. Nothing in God's dwelling was improvised or common. The pegs anchored the entire structure against the desert winds — a reminder that the grandest structures depend on the most ordinary supports.

The Inventory of Materials (vv. 21-31)

²¹ This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses' command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²² Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses. ²³ With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen. ²⁴ All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. ²⁵ The silver from those numbered among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel — ²⁶ a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men. ²⁷ The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil — 100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent per base. ²⁸ With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them. ²⁹ The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. ³⁰ He used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar, ³¹ the bases for the surrounding courtyard and its gate, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and its surrounding courtyard.

²¹ These are the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as they were recorded at the command of Moses, the service of 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, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen. ²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary — the gold of the wave offering — was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. ²⁵ The silver of those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary — ²⁶ a beka per head, that is, half a shekel by the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men. ²⁷ The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil — one hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent per base. ²⁸ And from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them. ²⁹ The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. ³⁰ With it he made the bases for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grate, and all the vessels of the altar, ³¹ the bases of the courtyard all around and the bases of the gate of the courtyard, and all the tent pegs of the tabernacle and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around.

Notes

פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת ("the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony") — The word פְקוּדֵי ("accounts, records, inventory") comes from the same root פָּקַד ("to number, to attend to, to take account of") that gives its name to the book of Numbers (called בְּמִדְבַּר in Hebrew but often titled פְּקוּדִים in rabbinic literature). The double naming — "the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony" — emphasizes that this is not merely a tent but the dwelling place of the עֵדֻת ("Testimony"), the tablets of the covenant law housed in the Ark. The tabernacle's ultimate purpose was to house God's covenant presence among his people.
אִיתָמָר ("Ithamar") — Ithamar was the youngest of Aaron's four sons (Exodus 6:23). After Nadab and Abihu died for offering unauthorized fire (Leviticus 10:1-2), Ithamar and his older brother Eleazar remained as the priestly line. Ithamar was responsible for supervising the Levites' work on the tabernacle. His placement here as the administrator of the inventory reflects the principle that sacred materials required priestly oversight and accountability.
בְצַלְאֵל ("Bezalel") — The name means "in the shadow of God," from בְּצֵל ("in the shadow of") and אֵל ("God"). He was from the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe, and was specifically called and filled with the Spirit of God for this work (Exodus 31:1-5, Exodus 35:30-35). אָהֳלִיאָב ("Oholiab") means "the father's tent" or "tent of my father," a fitting name for one who builds God's tent. He was from the tribe of Dan. The pairing of Judah (the leading tribe) and Dan (one of the lesser tribes) in this sacred work demonstrates that artistic giftedness and divine calling transcend tribal hierarchy.
The three craft titles given to Oholiab — חָרָשׁ ("engraver"), חֹשֵׁב ("designer/inventor"), and רֹקֵם ("embroiderer") — describe distinct artistic skills. The חָרָשׁ worked in hard materials (metal, stone, wood), the חֹשֵׁב was a creative designer who conceived complex patterns, and the רֹקֵם executed decorative needlework in fabric. Together these titles describe a master craftsman capable of working across multiple media.
זְהַב הַתְּנוּפָה ("the gold of the wave offering") — The תְּנוּפָה ("wave offering") was a presentation offering waved before the LORD. The total gold was 29 talents and 730 shekels. A talent was approximately 75 pounds (34 kg), so the gold totaled roughly 2,200 pounds or about one metric ton — an enormous quantity for a recently freed slave population. This gold came from the voluntary contributions described in Exodus 35:20-29 and ultimately from the plunder of Egypt (Exodus 12:35-36), fulfilling God's promise that Israel would not leave empty-handed (Exodus 3:21-22).
בֶּקַע לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת ("a beka per head") — The בֶּקַע was half a shekel, about 0.2 ounces (6 grams) of silver. The word גֻּלְגֹּלֶת means "skull, head" — a per-capita reckoning. This was the census tax mandated in Exodus 30:11-16, where every man twenty years and older was required to give a half-shekel as "ransom money" (כֹּפֶר) for his life. The rich were not to give more and the poor were not to give less (Exodus 30:15) — each life was valued equally before God. The arithmetic confirms itself: 603,550 men at half a shekel each yields exactly 100 talents and 1,775 shekels (at 3,000 shekels per talent: 603,550 / 2 = 301,775 half-shekels = 100 talents x 3,000 + 1,775). This precise accounting links the tabernacle construction to the census of Numbers 1:46, which records the same figure of 603,550.
The allocation of silver is carefully specified: the 100 talents were cast into 100 socket bases — one talent per base — for the sanctuary walls and the veil. These bases formed the foundation on which the entire tabernacle structure rested. Each base weighed approximately 75 pounds, providing both stability and symbolic weight: the dwelling of God literally rested on the ransom money of his people. Every Israelite man's contribution was literally built into the foundation. The remaining 1,775 shekels of silver were used for the hooks, post caps, and bands of the courtyard pillars.
נְחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה ("the bronze of the wave offering") — The bronze totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels, roughly 5,300 pounds or about 2.4 metric tons. This bronze was used for the most utilitarian and exposed elements: the bases at the Tent of Meeting entrance, the altar and its grating and utensils, all the courtyard bases and gate bases, and every tent peg. Bronze bore the weight of the structure (bases), endured the fire of sacrifice (altar), and anchored everything against the wind (pegs). It was the workhorse metal of the tabernacle, appropriate for the outer court where the rough work of atonement — blood, fire, and ash — took place.
The meticulous inventory served multiple purposes. It demonstrated accountability — the leaders could show exactly how the people's offerings had been used, with nothing misappropriated. It also demonstrated the scale of Israel's generosity and the costliness of God's dwelling place. The combined weight of gold, silver, and bronze was approximately 8,900 pounds (over four tons) of precious and semi-precious metals. For a people who had been slaves only a year earlier, this represented an astonishing outpouring of wealth — all of it, ultimately, provided by God himself through the plunder of Egypt.

Interpretations

The number 603,550 in verse 26 has generated considerable discussion. Some interpreters take the number at face value as a literal census count, yielding a total Israelite population (including women, children, and elderly) of roughly two to three million people. Others have noted the logistical difficulties of sustaining such a population in the Sinai wilderness and have proposed alternative readings of the Hebrew word אֶלֶף, which can mean "thousand" but can also mean "clan," "military unit," or "chief." Under this reading, the 603,550 would represent 603 clans totaling 5,550 fighting men, or some similar smaller figure. Conservative evangelical and Reformed scholars generally defend the literal reading, noting that the miraculous provision of manna and water was precisely the means by which God sustained such a large population. The text itself presents the number without qualification, and the mathematical precision of the silver accounting (half-shekel per man yielding exactly the stated total) supports taking the figure as a straightforward census count. The theological point, however, is the same on any reading: every individual Israelite contributed to the foundation of God's dwelling, and no one was excluded from this corporate act of worship.