Exodus Chapter 38
More on Building the Tabernacle
A. Items associated with the outer court.
1. (Exodus 38:1–7) The altar (according to the command and description in Exodus 27:1–8).
He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width — it was square — and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze. He made all the utensils for the altar: the pans, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the firepans; all its utensils he made of bronze. And he made a grate of bronze network for the altar, under its rim, midway from the bottom. He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, as holders for the poles. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with bronze. Then he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to bear it. He made the altar hollow with boards.
The altar of burnt offering, often called the brazen altar, stood in the outer court of the tabernacle and was the first object encountered upon entering. Made of acacia wood and overlaid with bronze, it represented both strength and judgment. The wood symbolized humanity and mortality, while the bronze represented judgment and endurance through fire. The altar was square, indicating balance and perfection in God’s design. Its horns, made of the same piece as the altar, symbolized power and mercy, where one could take hold for refuge (1 Kings 1:50–51).
The utensils of the altar were all made of bronze, which withstood intense heat. The grate of bronze network allowed air to circulate and the ashes to fall below, showing the completeness of the burnt offering consumed by fire. The poles overlaid with bronze made the altar portable, reminding Israel that God’s presence and sacrificial system traveled with His people. The altar being hollow with boards made it light enough to carry, yet still sturdy. This altar pointed forward to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on Calvary, where judgment fell upon the sinless substitute for mankind’s redemption.
2. (Exodus 38:8) The bronze laver (according to the command and description in Exodus 30:17–21).
He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
a. From the bronze mirrors of the serving women: Exodus 30:17–21 gave the original command to build this container for the water of ceremonial washing. Here, we learn that the bronze used for the laver came, at least in part, from the polished metal mirrors of the women of Israel. It is striking to consider that these women surrendered what reflected their own beauty to contribute to something used for the priests’ purification. In doing so, they exchanged self-focus for holiness.
It is a spiritual truth that many today remain fixated on self, always gazing into the mirror of their own pride, rather than fixing their eyes upon Christ. These women provide a model of surrender, forsaking vanity for sacred service. The believer is called to do the same, surrendering all that reflects self-glory to glorify the Lord.
From a New Testament perspective, this act foreshadows the cleansing power of God’s Word. As Paul wrote, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). Likewise, James wrote that the Word of God acts as a mirror: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22–25).
As G. Campbell Morgan observed, “It was highly significant that the brass of these mirrors was employed to construct that laver in which the priests must wash on approaching the altar or entering the Tabernacle. It is in the beauty of holiness men must worship, and by the surrender of everything of the flesh.” Their sacrifice reflected a transformation from self-centered reflection to spiritual cleansing, underscoring that purity precedes true worship.
Trapp adds a convicting application: “Let those who view themselves oft in their looking-glasses take his counsel who said, ‘Art thou fair? Be not like an Egyptian temple, varnish without and vermin within. Art thou foul? Let thy soul be like a rich pearl in a rude shell.’” In essence, external beauty is fleeting, but holiness and a pure heart before God hold eternal value.
b. The serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting: This brief reference reveals a group of devout women who gathered regularly to serve the Lord at the entrance of the tabernacle. These women likely performed duties of cleaning, assisting, and maintaining the sacred area for priestly service. The Hebrew word translated “assembled” carries the sense of being organized or marshaled, as an army would be for service. It signifies disciplined and consecrated devotion.
Cole notes, “The verb translated minister is rare and interesting, and is used in only one other place of women in the service of the sanctuary (1 Samuel 2:22). It really means ‘organized in bands for war,’ but it is used of ordinary Levitical service (Numbers 4:23, etc.).” This language paints a powerful picture of spiritual warfare — these women were not passive helpers, but organized servants in the battle for holiness and reverence before God. Their example reminds the Church that spiritual service requires order, discipline, and dedication, all offered in humility and purity before the Lord.
3. (Exodus 38:9–20) The court with its pillars and linen fence (according to the command and description in Exodus 27:9–19).
Then he made the court on the south side; the hangings of the court were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long. There were twenty pillars for them, with twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. On the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars and their twenty bronze sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. And on the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits, with ten pillars and their ten sockets. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver. For the east side the hangings were fifty cubits. The hangings of one side of the gate were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and their three sockets, and the same for the other side of the court gate; on this side and that were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. All the hangings of the court all around were of fine woven linen. The sockets for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver; and all the pillars of the court had bands of silver. The screen for the gate of the court was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine woven linen. The length was twenty cubits, and the height along its width was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. And there were four pillars with their four sockets of bronze; their hooks were silver, and the overlay of their capitals and their bands was silver. All the pegs of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were bronze.
The court surrounding the tabernacle was a large open area that set apart the sacred space of worship from the rest of the camp. Its dimensions were one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, forming a rectangular enclosure with fine linen hangings. These linen curtains symbolized righteousness and purity, standing as a barrier that separated the holy dwelling of God from the everyday life of the people. The pillars supporting the curtains rested in bronze sockets, representing judgment, while their tops and bands were made of silver, signifying redemption.
The materials carried deep symbolic meaning. Bronze, being forged through fire, represented God’s judgment against sin, while silver was the metal of redemption, as seen in the ransom money each Israelite paid (Exodus 30:11–16). The combination of these two metals showed that access to God is made possible only through redemption from judgment. The linen hangings provided a picture of righteousness that surrounded the sanctuary. As Isaiah wrote, “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).
The eastern gate of the courtyard was distinct, measuring twenty cubits wide and woven with blue, purple, and scarlet thread into fine linen. These colors were rich in meaning: blue symbolized heaven and divinity, purple represented royalty, and scarlet symbolized sacrifice. Together they foreshadowed Christ — the heavenly King who shed His blood for mankind. The gate, being the only entrance, reminded the people that there was only one way to approach God. This pointed prophetically to Jesus Christ, who declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
The pegs and fittings of bronze throughout the tabernacle reinforced the theme of stability and endurance in judgment. Nothing in the construction was arbitrary; every material, color, and measurement was designed to reveal aspects of God’s holiness and the means of reconciliation through sacrifice. The court, therefore, represented both separation and invitation — God was holy and set apart, yet through the ordained way of the altar and the gate, He invited man to come to Him.
B. An inventory of the materials for the building of the tabernacle.
1. (Exodus 38:21–23) The leaders of the work.
This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which was counted according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. And with him was Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer, a weaver of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and of fine linen.
a. By the hand of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest: Ithamar, one of Aaron’s sons, was responsible for overseeing the Levites who managed the materials for the tabernacle. This was an enormous logistical task requiring organization, accountability, and integrity. Ithamar’s faithful oversight demonstrated responsible stewardship in sacred service. Everything connected with the house of God required order and transparency.
b. Which was counted according to the commandment of Moses: This meticulous record-keeping revealed God’s expectation for honesty and diligence in all spiritual work. Thomas wrote, “The exact calculation teaches the necessity of thoroughness and accuracy in all things connected with money for religious work.” Even in sacred matters, God expects stewardship that reflects His order and righteousness.
By modern estimations, the combined value of materials used in the tabernacle would exceed thirteen million dollars, with a total weight near nineteen thousand pounds — over nine tons. This was a monumental project involving vast quantities of gold, silver, and bronze. Yet, despite the wilderness setting, the people had these resources because, as Scripture records, “The LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:36). The wealth of Egypt was transformed into the materials for God’s dwelling place.
Bezalel, from the tribe of Judah, and Aholiab, from the tribe of Dan, led the construction. This pairing of men from different tribes — one from the royal tribe and the other from a northern tribe — signified the unity of God’s people in service. Their craftsmanship in engraving, design, and weaving reflected divine inspiration, for they worked under the filling of the Spirit of God (Exodus 35:31–35). This demonstrates that true ministry requires both spiritual empowerment and skilled labor.
2. (Exodus 38:24) The inventory of gold.
All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
a. Twenty-nine talents: The total amount of gold used in the tabernacle was immense, especially when one considers the nomadic state of the Israelites in the wilderness. A single talent was approximately seventy pounds (about thirty-two kilograms). Therefore, twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels would equal roughly two thousand and thirty pounds (around nine hundred and twenty kilograms) of pure gold. This gold was used in the construction and overlaying of the sacred furnishings of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place — the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense.
The use of such an abundance of gold symbolized divine glory and purity. Gold, being the most precious and incorruptible of metals, represented the very nature of God — holy, eternal, and unchanging. The gold of the tabernacle reflected God’s majesty and presence among His people. Just as the interior of the tabernacle glowed with golden brilliance, so the believer’s heart, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is to radiate the glory of God.
This gold was described as “the gold of the offering,” meaning it was freely given by the people as a voluntary contribution. God’s dwelling was built not by coercion, but by the willing hearts of His people. As Exodus 25:2 records, “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.” Their generosity toward the Lord’s house demonstrated hearts transformed by gratitude and obedience.
3. (Exodus 38:25–28) The inventory of silver.
And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary: a bekah for each man (that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone included in the numbering from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. And from the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil: one hundred sockets from the hundred talents, one talent for each socket. Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them.
a. The silver from those who were numbered: Exodus 30:13–16 established that each Israelite male, twenty years old and above, was to give a half-shekel as atonement money to the Lord during a census. This silver was used as a ransom payment, signifying redemption and belonging to God. It served as a tangible reminder that every life in Israel was redeemed by God’s provision and mercy.
The immense total — one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels — came from six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men. Each contribution may have seemed small individually, yet collectively it formed the foundation of God’s dwelling place. The silver was used to make the sockets for the boards of the tabernacle and the bases for the veil, upon which the holy structure rested. Symbolically, this reveals that the entire sanctuary stood upon a foundation of redemption. Just as the physical tabernacle stood upon silver bases, so the spiritual house of God — the Church — stands upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
Peter affirmed this truth when he wrote, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The silver in the tabernacle served as a shadow of that greater redemption to come.
The remaining silver — one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels — was used to make hooks and bands for the pillars and to overlay their capitals. Even the smallest details of the structure bore the mark of redemption, showing that nothing in God’s design was without spiritual meaning or purpose.
4. (Exodus 38:29–31) The inventory of bronze.
The offering of bronze was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. And with it he made the sockets for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils for the altar, the sockets for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and all the pegs for the court all around.
The bronze used in the tabernacle totaled seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels, or roughly five thousand pounds (over two metric tons). Bronze, a durable alloy of copper and tin, was symbolic of judgment and endurance through fire. Its use in the altar of burnt offering, the laver, and the sockets for the courtyard signified that sin must be judged before one could approach a holy God.
Bronze was the metal of the outer court — the area of sacrifice and cleansing. The worshiper could not enter the holy place without first passing the altar of burnt offering and the bronze laver. These represented the two foundational principles of spiritual access: atonement through sacrifice and cleansing through sanctification. The altar pointed forward to the cross of Christ, where sin was judged, and the laver pointed to the daily cleansing of the believer through the Word of God.
Every socket, peg, and base made of bronze contributed to the stability of the structure, showing that God’s dwelling rests upon the unchanging reality of His righteous judgment. The tabernacle stood firm because its foundation was both pure and just — a reflection of the divine nature of the God who dwelt within.
