9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side, southward, hangings for the court of twined byssus; a hundred cubits the length for the one side,
And he made the court. On the south side southward, the hangings of the court were of twined byssus, a hundred cubits; their pillars twenty, and their bases twenty, of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. And on the north side, a hundred cubits; their pillars twenty, and their bases twenty, of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. And on the west side, hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their bases ten; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. And for the east side, eastward, fifty cubits; the hangings on the one wing of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their bases three; and on the other wing, on this side as on that side of the gate of the court, hangings of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their bases three. All the hangings of the court round about were of twined byssus; and the bases of the pillars of copper, the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals of silver; and all the pillars of the court were fastened together with [rods of] silver. -- And the curtain of the gate of the court was of embroidery of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; and the length was twenty cubits, and the height like the breadth, five cubits, just as the hangings of the court; and their pillars four, and their bases four, of copper; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their connecting-rods of silver. And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court round about were of copper.
And he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass-offering, and the sin-offering, [and] where they shall bake the oblation, that they bring them not out into the outer court, so as to hallow the people. And he brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and behold, in every corner of the court there was a court. In the four corners of the court there were enclosed courts, forty [cubits] long and thirty broad: these four corner courts were of one measure. And there was a row [of building] round about in them, round about those four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. And he said unto me, These are the boiling-houses, where those who do the service of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
He turned about to the west side, [and] measured five hundred reeds with the measuring-reed. He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall round about, five hundred long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.
And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; of artistic work shall it be made, with cherubim. And thou shalt attach it to four pillars of acacia-wood overlaid with gold, their hooks of gold; they shall be on four bases of silver. And thou shalt bring the veil under the clasps, and bring in thither, inside the veil, the ark of the testimony; and the curtain shall make a division to you between the holy [place] and the holiest of all. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat on the ark of the testimony in the holiest of all. And thou shalt set the table outside the veil, and the lamp-stand opposite to the table on the side of the tabernacle southward; and thou shalt put the table on the north side. And thou shalt make for the entrance of the tent a curtain of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, of embroidery. And thou shalt make for the curtain five pillars of acacia[-wood], and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold; and thou shalt cast five bases of copper for them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 27
Commentary on Exodus 27 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 27
In this chapter directions are given,
Exd 27:1-8
As God intended in the tabernacle to manifest his presence among his people, so there they were to pay their devotions to him, not in the tabernacle itself (into that only the priests entered as God's domestic servants), but in the court before the tabernacle, where, as common subjects, they attended. There an altar was ordered to be set up, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God: and this altar was to sanctify their gifts. Here they were to present their services to God, as from the mercy-seat he gave his oracles to them; and thus a communion was settled between God and Israel. Moses is here directed about,
And, lastly, he is referred to the pattern shown him, v. 8.
Now this brazen altar was a type of Christ dying to make atonement for our sins: the wood would have been consumed by the fire from heaven if it had not been secured by the brass; nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of God if it had not been supported by a divine power. Christ sanctified himself for his church, as their altar (Jn. 17:19), and by his mediation sanctifies the daily services of his people, who have also a right to eat of this altar (Heb. 13:10), for they serve at it as spiritual priests. To the horns of this altar poor sinners fly for refuge when justice pursues them, and they are safe in virtue of the sacrifice there offered.
Exd 27:9-19
Before the tabernacle there was to be a court or yard, enclosed with hangings of the finest linen that was used for tents. This court, according to the common computation of cubits, was fifty yards long, and twenty-five broad. Pillars were set up at convenient distances, in sockets of brass, the pillars filleted with silver, and silver tenter-hooks in them, on which the linen hangings were fastened: the hanging which served for the gate was finer than the rest, v. 16. This court was a type of the church, enclosed and distinguished from the rest of the world, the enclosure supported by pillars, denoting the stability of the church, hung with the clean linen, which is said to be the righteousness of saints, Rev. 19:8. These were the courts David longed for and coveted to reside in (Ps. 84:2, 10), and into which the people of God entered with praise and thanksgiving (Ps. 100:4); yet this court would contain but a few worshippers. Thanks be to God, now, under the gospel, the enclosure is taken down. God's will is that men pray every where; and there is room for all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ.
Exd 27:20-21
We read of the candlestick in the twenty-fifth chapter; here is an order given for the keeping of the lamps constantly burning in it, else it was useless; in every candlestick there should be a burning and shining light; candlesticks without candles are as wells without water or as clouds without rain. Now,