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"Have them make an ark of acacia wood - two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high..."
- Exodus 25: 10, NIV, see link below.
Chapter 25
1 - 5 Summary and Discussion:
YHWH spoke to Moses saying,
Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring Me "terumah" (offering / contribution / tribute) from every "ish" (man / each (could be sex specific, but maybe not)) "asher" (who / which) gives "nadab" (volunteer / willingly) with "leb" (heart /mind) you "laqach" (receive / take / accept / etc) My "terumah" (offering / contribution / tribute). And this is the offering you shall take...
"zahab" (gold), "keseph" (silver / money), and "nechosheth" (brass / bronze) and "tekeleth" (blue / violet) "argaman" (purple (a dyed garment)) and "shani" (scarlet / crimson) and "shesh" (linen) "ez" (goat 'hair') and "or" (skins / leather) "ayil" (ram / leader) "adom" (red (dyed)) and "or" (skins / leather) "tachash" (skin.......
We have no idea what animal this was. Because it was involved with the tabernacle it HAS to be a 'clean' animal. Which WASN'T most of the words used in the various translations- badger (kjv), porpoise (niv), etc. Neither of which 'divided the hoof' or 'chewed the cud'. In any case, it was tanned leather, and it was needed for the Tabernacle. We'll look at this word one more time in the next chapter.
.... / leather) and "ets" (wood / timber) "shittah" (shittim / acacia (thorn tree)).
This is an odd list of items when you consider you are dealing with a bunch of fleeing refugees from one of the major powers of the Old World.
Until you remember an odd set of verses from the end of chapter three and then come to pass in chapter 12, beginning at verse 31 and following. When they moved out of 'one of the major powers...', they took everything worth taking. Some English versions use the word "plundered" in verse 36. It fits.
6 - 7 Paraphrase and Discussion:
and lamp oil, and spices, and incense, and gemstones...
Two words stand out here, they when you look at Exodus as a literal 'play by play', have no meaning yet.
in the "ephod" (girdle / shoulder-piece) and "choshen" (breastplate).
Both are part of the regalia of the High Priest when fulfilling his duties in the Tabernacle / Temple of GOD. And which, as of this point in chapter 25, do not exist, and have not been directed by God to be made. Yet. ...stand by until chapter 28.
8 - 9 Summary:
Let them make a "miqdash / miqqedash" (sanctuary / holy place) - that I may "shakan / shaken" (abide / reside / dwell / etc) "tavek" (middle / among) them...
Then God tells him that he is going to "raah" (show / see / be seen) the "tabnith" (form / likeness / model / pattern) of the "mishkan" (tabernacle / dwelling) and all its furnishings and "ken" (thus) they shall make it. The words here indicates that Moses saw a Vision of the completed tabernacle in some detail, so he was then able to describe it to the craftsmen below.
10 - 16 Comment and Discussion:
This is probably the most studied descriptive section of the entire Old Testament by those who don't necessarily believe in it. Its only serious competition would be Ezekiel's wheels in chapters 1 and 10 of his book, or Noah's boat in Genesis 6. With the Ark of the Covenant, it has been built several times, and then studied for everything from its electromagnetic properties to basic construction. See link below as an example, there's also a link a very modern way to reproduce the item, from a mail order kit (gold not included)!
A cubit in the OT is usually defined as about 18 to 20 inches (44 - 53 cm). But, that is speculation based on history and tradition, no bronze rod that is labeled "Egyptian Royal Cubit Stick" has ever been found.
The "shittah / shittiym" (Acacia Tree) is a known species that, when young, has lots of thin, needle-like, thorns that can be up to 3 inches (7 cm) long on the branches. Mature trees have fewer thorns, some may not have any, and grow up to 65 feet (20 meters) tall. The tree is native to the Nile valley and most of Africa, and is known in the wild throughout the Middle East and into India. Oddly enough, the sap and inner bark are not only edible, they have medicinal uses. The wood of mature trees is dense and durable (comparable to hickory) and is still used as tool handles and for boat building.
The description of the 'overlay of gold' is most famously seen in works like the Golden Coffin of Nedjemankh, which found its way out of Egypt during the revolution in 2011, and ended up in New York, it has since been returned. See links below.
And the box was to have a gold "zer" (border / crown / molding) on it.
They are to put rings on the corners with acacia poles for it to be carried, and the poles are not to be removed. And they are to put the "eduth" (ordinance / testimony) He will give them in it.
17 - 21 Comment and Discussion:
The primary word in this verse is "kapporeth" which is translated as 'Mercy Seat'. This 'seat' was not a bench or chair that we would recognize. From the description of the measurements, this is the entire lid of the chest, with the gold "kerub" (cherub / cherubim) of "miqshah" (hammered work (meaning one solid piece of metal beaten into shape instead of melted and cast)) sitting at each end.
The cherubim face each other and have wings stretched out above the lid, covering it.
Then the instruction to put the Ordinance that He will give them in it is repeated.
22
And I will "yaad" (meet / assemble) with you there and will "dabbar" (speak / conversation) with you from "al" (above / on) the Mercy Seat, from "bayin" (between) the cherubim on the "aron" (ark / chest) of the "eduth" (ordinance / testimony), about "kol" (all / everything) which I "tsavah" (command / ordain) to you the sons of Israel.
This is the statement by God that He will no longer be using mountains and burning bushes to talk to them.
23 - 30 Comment and Discussion:
As we will see later, the Ark will be inside the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, the furniture we're being told about now will be inside the Holy Place, but outside of the Ark's enclosure. This is where the Priest performs his duties such as the bringing of the bread and lighting the lamps, and burning incense.
The table of acacia wood was to be just under three feet (1 meter) long, a foot and a half (.5 m) wide, and a just over two feet high. Covered in gold, with gold trim, and four rings to carry it on poles, like the Ark.
The table service shall also be of gold. And they shall set on the table the "lechem" (bread / meal) of the "panim" (presence / face) before Me "tamid" (continually / always).
31 - 39 Comment and Discussion:
This is the instructions for the "menorah" (lampstand). It is to be of hammered gold, with a main shaft and six branches. And all of the ornimentation on it was to be one piece of gold. The bowls on each side should look like "shaqad" (almond (flowers is implied)) with "kaphtor" (capital / bulb / knob) on the branches.
And on the main stand four bowls like almond flowers with knobs. And under the first two branches two more bowls, and so on. The description gets very complicated and repetitive, so there is some discrepancy as to what various artists depict.
Then there were the lamps themselves, of which there were seven, with wick trimmers and trays of gold. This is interesting because pure gold will not take, nor hold, a cutting edge, so exactly how the wick trimmers worked is a mystery.
Also, no where in this description, or later on when it was being made, with all its knobs and bowls, does the text tell us either how tall it was to be, or how wide it was, only that it used a "kikkar" (talent (estimated ancient weight of 130 pounds (59 kilos) as versus Babylonian talent of 75 pounds (35 kilos)) of gold for the menorah and the utensils. And we need to consider the softness of pure gold, and the fact that it is extremely heavy, so the thing could not have been overly large and still be self supporting.
Let's put it this way, if you take a gallon jug of water it weighs, give or take, eight pounds. If you fill the same container with Iron it would weigh 65 pounds. Lead - 95. Pure solid gold in a gallon jug would weight 161 pounds. Meaning, the menorah was either short and skinny, or the talent weight of the Exodus was more than we've been told it was.
40
"raah" (see) "asah" (make / accomplish) them "tabnith" (pattern / likeness) you "raah" (saw / seen) on the "har" (mountain).
End Chapter 25
"Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle - eleven altogether."
- Exodus 26: 7, NIV, see link below.
Chapter 26
1 - 6 Summary, review and comment:
"eth" (("oh, by the way") Not typically translated; used as a direct object marker) "mishkan" (tabernacle) "asah" (make / accomplish) "eser / asarah" (ten) "yeriah" (curtain) "shesh" (linen) "shazzar" (intertwine / 'fine'), "tekeleth" (blue) and "argaman" (purple) and "shani" (scarlet (usually- bright red)) -
... the passage then goes on to describe "chashab" (cunning / contrived / considered) work woven into the fabric.
Our verse two lists the length and width of the curtains. Then we have the measurements in cubits, and how they are to be "chabar" (linked / joined) to one another, the fringe fifty loops of blue yarn along the edges of the curtains, and the gold clasps, fifty of them, to make them one curtain.
Yes, the instructions for the drapery in the Tabernacle get as specific as the cloth, and colors the curtains are to be made of and how they are trimmed.
The ancient purple dye that was the color of royalty has been a known commodity since around the time of the Exodus, about 1400 BC.
As we've said before in these studies, and will probably say again, the famous Tyrian purple dye, made from the Murex snail, under Jewish Law, is NOT 'clean' for ceremonial use, and can NOT be 'made clean'. While the snail based dye was long lasting (non-fading). And is the stuff of legend, there were other sources, including flowers, and blends of other dies to get the desired color.
However, at this time, during the Exodus, those laws were not YET in effect. So it is possible, if unlikely, that the purple here was the snail based one. In any case, whatever its source, the color purple was the color of royalty, and was to be in the Tabernacle, on order from GOD. So, whatever the source, that's how it was to be.
7 - 14 Summary and Review:
This set of verses specifies that eleven curtains of "ez" ('Angora' goats, specifies female, less than three years old). Then it discusses the length and width, in cubits. And that they shall be coupled, and then 'kaphal" (doubled (two layers)), with fifty loops on the edges.
The clasps on the loops are to be "nechosheth" (bronze (perhaps: brass)). And any "serach" ('remnant') shall hang over the back of the tabernacle, a cubit on each side.
They shall make a covering for the tent of "or" (skin / leather) "ayil" (ram) and skins "tachash" (... ... ???? (let's look at that word again))
Both The 1560 Geneva Bible: "& a couering of badgers skins aboue" and the The 1611 King James: "and a couering aboue of badgers skinnes" specify an animal that is named as unclean in Leviticus 11:5 and Deuteronomy 14:7.
The American Standard, first published in 1960, with revisions in 1995 and 2020 (as the New American Standard) can't make up their mind. They have everything from porpoises, to seal skins, to finally "fine leather", see links below to various editions of that translation. And, for the record, no marine mammal is 'clean' under Jewish law. However, we're going to repeat what we said about the purple, the actual LAW is still some time in the future, so, it is possible that it was.... whatever, skins.
For its part, the New International Version ducks the matter all together and simply says "other durable leather".
This same word comes back into play in chapter 35 and following. The translations still didn't know what to do with it.
The note in the Interlinear: and skins "tachash" (... 'animal with fur' ... (probably an antelope)).
15 - 29 Summary and Review:
They cut lumber from really big acacia trees. Given the standard of a cubit is about 18 inches, ten cubits will be approximately 15 feet (4.5 meters) long, by a cubit and a half wide (just over two feet (.7 meter) wide), and a bunch of them.... and overlay them with gold.
The "eden" (foundation / base (implies 'strength'), and rings at the top will be of "keseph" (silver).... and a bunch of them.
And the "beriach" (bars / bolts (does not specify wood or metal)) as holders between the rings will be overlaid with gold.
All of this stuff, some of which was very large, overlaid with gold, would be heavy, and fragile (in terms of damaging the gold overlay while moving and putting together, and taking apart, remember this 'building', and all this stuff, has to Move!).
30
And you shall "qum" (stand up / establish) the "mishkan" (tabernacle / dwelling place) in the "mishpat" (decree / manner) you were "raah" (saw / shown) on the mountain.
Implying that GOD showed Moses a vision of what it was to look like, and said "build this".
31 - 35 Summary and Review:
They are to "shazar" (weave / intertwine) a "paroketh" (veil / curtain) with listed colors, and "shesh" (linen (made from flax plant fiber)) with an "chashab" (planned / 'thought out' / (artistic)) design of "kerub" (cherub / cherubim).
Note 1:
The Cherubs of the Old Testament are not, we repeat and emphasize, are NOT the chubby childlike angels of greeting card fame.
The last time we saw one was with a flaming sword to close the way back into the Garden in Genesis 3. One is described as flying and carrying GOD upon a storm wind in 2 Samuel 22 : 11. They are also apparently the 'living creatures' around the Throne in Ezekiel 1 and 9 with the wheels and burning coals for eyes. And are seen around the Throne beginning in chapter 4 of Revelation.
Note 2:
This is the first veil that hung between where the Ark was and where the furniture was inside the inner temple. Whether or not this is the exact same veil (given how many times the temple was sacked and burnt) is irrelevant. However, it is in the same position of the veil that had something happen to it as recorded in Matthew 27 : 51, Mark 15 : 38, and Luke 23 : 45.
End Notes
The veil will be hung on four wooden pillars overlaid with gold, and gold hooks with four silver sockets and clasps, and you'll bring in the Ark of the Testimony...
... a "badal" (separation / divider) the "paroketh" (veil / curtain) for you between "qodesh" (sacred space / holy space (sanctuary) and the "qodesh qodesh" (holy of holys / sacred space of sacred space).
The other furniture goes outside the veil, in specific places based on direction.
36 - 37 Summary and Review:
The door will be a woven screen (curtain) of color threads and linen, finely woven by a "raqam" (to weave / embroider (implies skilled work)). And wooden pillars for the screen, overlaid with gold, with gold hooks and bronze sockets.
End Chapter 26
Selected Resources:
All links will open in a new tab/window, all were working as of original date of posting:
Interlinear English / Hebrew: Chapter 25 https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/25.htm
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Exodus-Chapter-25/ and
New International Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2025&version=NIV
Other Translations of Exodus 26:
American Standard Bible https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2026&version=ASV
New American Standard https://biblehub.com/nas/exodus/26.htm
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2026&version=NASB
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Exodus-Chapter-26/
The 1560 Geneva Bible http://www.genevabible1560.com/pdf/Old%20Testament/Exodus%20original%20format.pdf
"The Ark of the Covenant from an Engineering Perspective:
These guys built an Ark from a kit and took photos of the process. NOTE: In Exodus, Mr. Bezalel the craftsman, didn't have a pre-cut kit delivered, or the power tools seen in the pictures: Building an Ark of the Covenant from our kit https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/building-an-ark-of-the-covenant-from-our-kit.265184/
The thesis of this paper is this: It might be entirely possible that the sequences described in the Torah pertaining the the fire that emerges from the Ark of the Covenant are explainable by the physics of high energy electrical fields, hence while awesome, are not a miracle in the sense of needing divine intervention to work."
https://davekauffman.ca/the-ark-of-the-covenant-from-an-engineering-perspective/
A gold covered item that did some traveling: The Metropolitan Museum of Art https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/nedjemankh-gilded-coffin
the gilded coffin of Nedjemankh: Museum of Looted Antiquities https://mola.omeka.net/exhibits/show/welcome/item/2235
"A cubic foot of iron is 491 lb. Gold is really heavy at 1206 lb for a cubic foot."
Densities of materials https://www.etantdonnes.com/MACHINE/TABLES/metalDensity.htm
The Color Purple... In Ancient Israel https://biblearchaeology.org/research/topics/amazing-discoveries-in-biblical-archaeology/4813-the-color-purple-in-ancient-israel
Tyrian purple dye was first manufactured by the Phoenicians in the 16th century BCE. https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/ancient-color/purple.php
Includes ideas for purple not based on a snail:
Native Plant Dyes https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/dyes.shtml
NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.
http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org
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