1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and thou shalt screen the ark with the veil.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.
5 And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.
6 And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.
9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and it shall be holy.
10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar shall be most holy.
11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it.
12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water.
13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them;
15 and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
16 Thus did Moses: according to all that Jehovah commanded him, so did he.
17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars.
19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy-seat above upon the ark:
21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil.
23 And he set the bread in order upon it before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
25 And he lighted the lamps before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil:
27 and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
28 And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.
29 And he set the altar of burnt-offering at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
30 And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash.
31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat;
32 when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.
36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys:
37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 40
Commentary on Exodus 40 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 40
In this chapter,
Exd 40:1-15
The materials and furniture of the tabernacle had been viewed severally and approved, and now they must be put together.
Exd 40:16-33
When the tabernacle and the furniture of it were prepared, they did not put off the rearing of it till they came to Canaan, though they now hoped to be there very shortly; but, in obedience to the will of God, they set it up in the midst of their camp, while they were in the wilderness. Those that are unsettled in the world must not think that this will excuse them in their continued irreligion; as if it were enough to begin to serve God when they begin to be settled in the world. No; a tabernacle for God is a very needful and profitable companion even in a wilderness, especially considering that our carcases may fall in that wilderness, and we may be fixed in another world before we come to fix in this.
The rearing of the tabernacle was a good day's work; the consecrating of it, and of the priests, was attended to some days after. Here we have an account only of that new-year's-day's work.
Exd 40:34-38
As when, in the creation, God had finished this earth, which he designed for man's habitation, he made man, and put him in possession of it, so when Moses had finished the tabernacle, which was designed for God's dwelling-place among men, God came and took possession of it. The shechinah, the divine eternal Word, though not yet made flesh, yet, as a prelude to that event, came and dwelt among them, Jn. 1:14. This was henceforward the place of his throne, and the place of the soles of his feet (Eze. 43:7); here he resided, here he ruled. By the visible tokens of God's coming among them to take possession of the tabernacle he testified both the return of his favour to them, which they had forfeited by the golden calf (ch. 33:7), and his gracious acceptance of all the expense they had been at, and all the care and pains they had taken about the tabernacle. Thus God owned them, showed himself well pleased with what they had done, and abundantly rewarded them. Note, God will dwell with those that prepare him a habitation. The broken and contrite heart, the clean and holy heart, that is furnished for his service, and devoted to his honour, shall be his rest for ever; here will Christ dwell by faith, Eph. 3:17. Where God has a throne and an altar in the soul, there is a living temple. And God will be sure to own and crown the operations of his own grace and the observance of his own appointments.
As God had manifested himself upon mount Sinai, so he did now in this newly-erected tabernacle. We read (ch. 24:16) that the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, which is said to be like devouring fire (v. 17), and that the cloud covered it on the outside, and the glory of the Lord filled it within, to which, probably there is an allusion in Zec. 2:5, where God promises to be a wall of fire round about Jerusalem (and the pillar of cloud was by night a pillar of fire) and the glory in the midst of her.