The Sabbath Command Before the Work Begins

Moses assembled Israel and began his instructions for building the tabernacle with a command about the Sabbath (Exodus 35:1–3). The people could work for six days, but the seventh was to be a day of solemn rest to Jehovah. They were not to kindle a fire in their dwellings on that day. Placing this command before the appeal for materials established that even work on a sanctuary did not set aside Jehovah’s instruction concerning rest. The command had particular force because the project would require cutting wood, working metal, spinning thread, weaving cloth, and assembling numerous fitted parts. Skilled workers and willing donors were both subject to the same covenant requirement. Earlier instructions had likewise connected observance of the Sabbath with the making of the sanctuary (Exodus 31:12–17). The builders therefore had to carry out Jehovah’s command by following both His design for the tabernacle and His limits on when they could work. The Sabbath regulation belonged to the covenant given to Israel, and its placement here explains how the construction was to proceed under that covenant.

Materials Given by Willing Israelites

Moses next called for a contribution from those whose hearts moved them to give (Exodus 35:4–9). The requested materials included gold, silver, copper, colored yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, animal skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, and stones for the priestly garments. This was a practical inventory tied to identifiable parts of the sanctuary. Gold would be used for sacred furnishings and their fittings, while silver and copper would serve other specified purposes in the structure and courtyard (Exodus 37:1–28; 38:1–7, 24–31). Linen and colored yarn would become curtains, screens, and garments, and oil would supply the lamps (Exodus 35:6–8, 11–19). Moses also invited skilled people to make the tent, its furniture, its implements, and the clothing for Aaron and his sons (Exodus 35:10–19). The Israelites then brought personal ornaments, fabrics, skins, wood, and metals, each person contributing what he or she possessed and wished to offer (Exodus 35:20–24). Women skilled in spinning prepared the colored material and goats’ hair, while the leaders supplied stones, spices, and oil (Exodus 35:25–28). The record identifies both the gifts and the labor, showing how the congregation supplied what Jehovah had commanded for the work (Exodus 35:29).

Appointed Craftsmen and Shared Skills

Jehovah named Bezalel, the son of Uri from the tribe of Judah, for a leading role in the work (Exodus 35:30). Moses said that Jehovah had filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and ability in many kinds of craftsmanship (Exodus 35:31–33). The described work was concrete: designing objects, working gold, silver, and copper, setting stones, and carving wood. Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan, worked alongside him and shared in teaching others (Exodus 35:34–35). The ability to teach mattered because the project required many workers to make parts according to one set of instructions. The passage also mentions craftsmen, embroiderers, and weavers, whose different skills served the same assigned purpose. Moses called everyone whom Jehovah had given the understanding to do the work and everyone whose heart moved him to take part (Exodus 36:1–2). The reference to the Spirit concerns the ability Jehovah gave these craftsmen for their appointed task; the passage describes no general rule about personal guidance apart from Jehovah’s stated commands. Their skill was exercised within the pattern Moses had received, for the work was to be done “according to all that Jehovah has commanded” (Exodus 36:1).

More Than Enough for the Work

The craftsmen received the contributions from Moses, and the Israelites continued bringing voluntary offerings morning after morning (Exodus 36:2–3). Eventually the workers left their tasks to report that the people were bringing more than the project required (Exodus 36:4–5). Moses responded with a proclamation throughout the camp forbidding further contributions for the sanctuary (Exodus 36:6). The people were restrained because the available material was sufficient for all the work, with some remaining (Exodus 36:7). This detail marks a clear point in the construction account: the workers assessed what had been received against what the prescribed design required. Moses accepted their report and stopped the collection once its purpose had been met. The surplus did not lead to an enlarged tabernacle or additional furnishings beyond Jehovah’s instructions. It showed that the congregation’s voluntary response had supplied the needed materials. The narrative then turns from collecting resources to making the structure and its contents.

Curtains, Coverings, and Supporting Frames

The skilled workers first made ten curtains of fine twisted linen with blue, purple, and scarlet material and cherubim worked into them (Exodus 36:8–13). Each curtain had the same dimensions, and sets of five were joined by loops and fifty gold clasps to form one tabernacle covering. Above it they made eleven goats’ hair curtains, joined with copper clasps, followed by coverings of dyed ram skins and another outer material (Exodus 36:14–19). The workers also made upright acacia-wood frames, each with two tenons fitted into silver bases (Exodus 36:20–30). Twenty frames stood on each long side, while the rear used six frames and two corner frames. Acacia-wood bars held the frames together, and the frames, rings, and bars received gold covering as specified (Exodus 36:31–34). The inner curtain bearing cherubim and the entrance screen were also made from the prescribed colored material and fine linen (Exodus 36:35–38). These measurements and connections describe a structure whose sections could be joined securely and later taken apart for travel. The repeated attention to loops, clasps, bases, and bars records how the commanded design was carried out in physical materials.

The Ark and the Furnishings Inside the Tent

Bezalel made the ark from acacia wood, overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and fitted it with gold rings and carrying poles (Exodus 37:1–5). He made its gold cover, often called the mercy seat, with two cherubim facing toward it and spreading their wings above it (Exodus 37:6–9). The ark was intended to hold the testimony, which Moses later placed inside it before bringing it into the tabernacle (Exodus 40:20–21). The workers also made a gold-covered table with poles and vessels, including dishes and containers used in its service (Exodus 37:10–16). A lampstand of hammered pure gold had six branches extending from its central stem, with cups shaped like almond blossoms (Exodus 37:17–24). Its seven lamps and accompanying implements were made for the lighting prescribed in the sanctuary. The incense altar was a smaller square structure of acacia wood covered with gold and fitted with poles for carrying (Exodus 37:25–28). Holy anointing oil and fragrant incense were prepared as part of the same work (Exodus 37:29). Each object had a specified form and place in Jehovah’s arrangement for worship, rather than a form chosen independently by its maker.

The Altar, Basin, and Courtyard

Outside the tent, the craftsmen made the square altar of burnt offering from acacia wood overlaid with copper (Exodus 38:1–2). Its utensils included pots, shovels, basins, forks, and fire holders, and it had a copper grating and poles for transport (Exodus 38:3–7). They made the copper basin and its stand from mirrors contributed by women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting (Exodus 38:8). The account does not give a list of these women’s duties, but it does identify the source of the copper used for the basin. Around the tent and altar the workers constructed a courtyard with fine linen hangings, supported by pillars and bases (Exodus 38:9–17). Its entrance had an embroidered screen of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, measuring twenty cubits across (Exodus 38:18–19). Copper pegs were made for the tabernacle and the surrounding court (Exodus 38:20). The finished arrangement placed the altar and washing basin between the courtyard entrance and the tent, as Moses’ later assembly of the sanctuary confirms (Exodus 40:29–33). The courtyard established a defined place for the altar and for access to the tent, while the basin supplied water for the washing required of those serving there.

Materials Counted for the Sanctuary

Exodus records an accounting of the metals used in the tabernacle under the direction of Ithamar, Aaron’s son (Exodus 38:21). The gold contributed amounted to twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels by the sanctuary shekel (Exodus 38:24). The silver totaled one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, including the half-shekel amount recorded for each of 603,550 men aged twenty years and upward (Exodus 38:25–26). One hundred talents of silver were used to cast one hundred bases for the sanctuary and its curtain, one talent for each base (Exodus 38:27). The remaining 1,775 shekels served for hooks, coverings for pillar tops, and bands (Exodus 38:28). The copper amounted to seventy talents and 2,400 shekels and was used for the altar, its implements, bases, and pegs (Exodus 38:29–31). These figures connect contributed metal with named parts of the finished structure. They also distinguish the counted silver from the voluntary gifts described earlier, allowing the reader to follow the uses assigned to both. The accounting belongs to the construction narrative because the sanctuary was made from actual materials supplied, measured, and put to work.

Garments Made for Priestly Service

The workers next made the garments prescribed for Aaron and his sons, again following what Jehovah had commanded Moses (Exodus 39:1). Aaron’s ephod was made with gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen; thin sheets of gold were cut into threads and worked into the fabric (Exodus 39:2–5). Two onyx stones set on its shoulders bore engraved names of the sons of Israel (Exodus 39:6–7). The breastpiece carried twelve stones in four rows, with each stone engraved for one of the twelve tribes (Exodus 39:8–14). Rings, gold chains, and a blue cord secured the breastpiece to the ephod so that it would remain in place during service (Exodus 39:15–21). The blue robe had a reinforced opening and a hem with alternating pomegranates and gold bells (Exodus 39:22–26). Fine linen tunics, head coverings, undergarments, and an embroidered sash were also made (Exodus 39:27–29). A plate of pure gold was engraved “holy to Jehovah” and fastened to the turban with a blue cord (Exodus 39:30–31). The materials, engraved names, secure fastenings, and inscription identify the garments as equipment for the priestly office, made to the specifications Jehovah had given.

Moses Inspects the Finished Work

When construction ended, the Israelites brought the tabernacle and its parts to Moses for inspection (Exodus 39:32–41). The presentation included the tent coverings and frames, the ark, table, lampstand, altars, basin, courtyard hangings, and priestly garments. This comprehensive inventory allowed Moses to examine the work that had been made under his supervision. Exodus states that the Israelites had done it “according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses” (Exodus 39:42). Moses looked at the work and saw that they had made it as Jehovah had commanded, and he blessed them (Exodus 39:43). His inspection did not replace the measurements and instructions already given; it confirmed that the completed objects followed them. The blessing came after the examination, at the point when the separate parts were ready to be set in place. The passage attributes the completed work to the sons of Israel as a whole, while also naming Bezalel, Oholiab, and other craftsmen for their particular tasks (Exodus 35:30–35; 38:22–23). The movement from instruction to construction to inspection gives the reader a means of checking the work against Jehovah’s stated requirements.

The Tabernacle Is Erected

Jehovah directed Moses to set up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, and it was erected on that day in the second year (Exodus 40:1–2, 17). Moses placed the bases, raised the frames, inserted the bars, set up the pillars, and spread the tent and its covering above them (Exodus 40:18–19). He put the testimony in the ark, attached its poles and cover, brought it into the tent, and screened it with the curtain (Exodus 40:20–21). Outside that curtain he placed the table on the north side and arranged the bread before Jehovah (Exodus 40:22–23). He set the lampstand opposite it on the south side and lit its lamps (Exodus 40:24–25). The gold incense altar stood before the curtain, while the screen closed the tent entrance (Exodus 40:26–28). Moses placed the altar of burnt offering near that entrance and offered a burnt offering and grain offering upon it (Exodus 40:29). He then positioned the basin between the altar and the tent, filled it with water, and set up the surrounding courtyard and its gate screen (Exodus 40:30–33). The order of assembly records the position and use of the principal furnishings and ends with the statement that Moses finished the work.

Anointing and Priestly Preparation

Jehovah’s instructions for setting up the tabernacle also required Moses to anoint the structure and its furnishings, setting them apart as holy (Exodus 40:9–11). The command named the altar of burnt offering and its utensils specifically, declaring the altar most holy. The basin and its stand were likewise to be anointed and set apart. Jehovah further instructed Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance, wash them with water, and clothe Aaron in the holy garments (Exodus 40:12–14). Aaron and his sons were to be anointed for their service as priests (Exodus 40:13–15). Exodus 40 gives these instructions before describing the erection and placement of the furnishings. Its account of that day also explicitly records Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons washing their hands and feet when approaching the tent or altar (Exodus 40:30–32). The fuller account of the priestly ordination ceremonies appears in Leviticus 8:1–36, where the washing, clothing, anointing, and sacrifices are narrated in detail. The tabernacle’s erection and the priests’ consecration therefore belong to the same commanded arrangement, while the two books give different levels of detail about its establishment.

Jehovah’s Glory Fills the Completed Tent

After Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, a cloud covered the tent of meeting and Jehovah’s glory filled it (Exodus 40:33–34). Moses could not enter the tent at that moment because the cloud remained over it and the glory filled the structure (Exodus 40:35). The account gives that reason directly; it does not say that Moses had built the tent incorrectly or that Jehovah had rejected his service. Earlier in Exodus, Jehovah had said that He would meet Israel at the tent of meeting and dwell among them (Exodus 29:42–46). The cloud’s arrival following the completed work visibly marked the fulfillment of that stated purpose. Yet Moses’ inability to enter showed that he did not control Jehovah’s presence or gain unrestricted access because he had supervised the building. Leviticus opens with Jehovah calling Moses and speaking to him from the tent of meeting, so Exodus 40:35 does not describe a permanent end to communication (Leviticus 1:1). The text gives no length for Moses’ inability to enter while the glory filled the tent. Its emphasis falls on Jehovah’s action: the people had finished the work He commanded, and He made His presence known at the completed sanctuary.

The Cloud Guides Israel’s Journeys

Exodus ends by describing how the cloud would govern Israel’s movements after the tabernacle was in use (Exodus 40:36–38). When it rose from above the tabernacle, the Israelites set out on a journey. When it remained, they stayed where they were until it rose. By day the cloud of Jehovah was over the tabernacle, and by night fire was visible in it to all the house of Israel (Exodus 40:38). The sign was therefore connected to a particular place in the camp and could be seen by the people whose movements it directed. Earlier, the pillar of cloud and fire had led Israel after the departure from Egypt (Exodus 13:21–22). At the close of Exodus, its presence over the completed tabernacle joins that guidance to the sanctuary established among them. The people’s decision to move or remain was tied to the observable lifting or resting of the cloud, as the passage states. The final scene leaves the tabernacle standing at the center of Israel’s worship and its journeys under Jehovah’s direction.

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