Exodus 35

Sabbath Regulations

1 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, ¹"These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do.

2 ²Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

3 ³You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day."

Contributions for the Tabernacle

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.

5 ⁴Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. ⁵Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;

6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair,

7 tanned rams' skins, and goatskins;^[a] acacia wood,

8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

10 "Let ⁶every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded:

11 ⁷the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

12 ⁸the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the ⁹veil of the screen;

13 ¹⁰the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the ¹¹bread of the Presence;

14 ¹²the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the ¹³oil for the light;

15 ¹⁴and the altar of incense, with its poles, ¹⁵and the anointing oil and the ¹⁶fragrant incense, and ¹⁷the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;

16 ¹⁸the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the ¹⁹basin and its stand;

17 ²⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;

18 ²¹the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their ²²cords;

19 the ²³finely worked garments for ministering^[b] in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests."

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.

21 And they came, ²⁴everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, ²⁵and brought the LORD's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.

22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD.

23 And ²⁶every one who possessed ²⁷blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them.

24 ²⁸Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.

25 And every ²⁹skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

26 All the women ³⁰whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair.

27 And the ³¹leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece,

28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

29 ³²All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.

Construction of the Tabernacle

30 ³³Then Moses said to the people of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ³⁴skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,

32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze,

33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.

34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.

35 He has ³⁵filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver--by any sort of workman or skilled designer.

Exodus 35 Commentary

Chapter 35

The sabbath to be observed. (1-3) The free gifts for the tabernacle. (4-19) The readiness of the people in general. (20-29) Bezaleel and Aholiab called to the work. (30-35)

Verses 1-3 The mild and easy yoke of Christ has made our sabbath duties more delightful, and our sabbath restraints less irksome, than those of the Jews; but we are the more guilty by neglecting them. Surely God's wisdom in giving us the sabbath, with all the mercy of its purposes, are sinfully disregarded. Is it nothing to pour contempt upon the blessed day, which a bounteous God has given to us for our growth in grace with the church below, and to prepare us for happiness with the church above?

Verses 4-19 The tabernacle was to be dedicated to the honour of God, and used in his service; and therefore what was brought for it, was an offering to the Lord. The rule is, Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring. All that were skilful must work. God dispenses his gifts; and as every man hath received, so he ( 1 Peter. 4:10 ) materials to work on; those that were skilful, must serve the tabernacle with their skill: as they needed one another, so the ( 1 Corinthians. 12:7-21 )

Verses 20-29 Without a willing mind, costly offerings would be abhorred; with it, the smallest will be accepted. Our hearts are willing, when we cheerfully assist in promoting the cause of God. Those who are diligent and contented in employments considered mean, are as much accepted of God as those engaged in splendid services. The women who spun the goats' hair were wise-hearted, because they did it heartily to the Lord. Thus the labourer, mechanic, or servant who attends to his work in the faith and fear of God, may be as wise, for his place, as the most useful minister, and he equally accepted of the Lord. Our wisdom and duty consist in giving God the glory and use of our talents, be they many or few.

Verses 30-35 Here is the Divine appointment of the master-workmen, that there might be no strife for the office, and that all who were employed in the work might take direction from, and give account to them. Those whom God called by name to his service, he filled with the Spirit of God. Skill, even in worldly employments, is God's gift, and comes from above. But many are ready enough in cutting out work for other people, and can tell what this man or that man should do; but the burdens they bind on others, they themselves will not touch with one of their fingers. Such will fall under the character of slothful servants. These men were not only to devise and to work themselves, but they were to teach others. Those that rule should teach; and those to whom God has given knowledge, should be willing to make it known for the benefit of others.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 34:32
• 2. Exodus 31:15; See Exodus 20:9
• 3. Exodus 16:23
• 4. For ver. 5-9, see Exodus 25:2-7
• 5. See Exodus 25:2
• 6. ver. 25; Exodus 28:3; Exodus 31:6; Exodus 36:1, 2
• 7. See Exodus 26:1-30
• 8. See Exodus 25:10-16
• 9. Exodus 26:31, 33; Exodus 39:34; Exodus 40:3, 21; Numbers 4:5
• 10. See Exodus 25:23-29
• 11. Exodus 25:30
• 12. See Exodus 25:31-39
• 13. Exodus 27:20
• 14. See Exodus 30:1-10
• 15. See Exodus 30:23-33
• 16. See Exodus 30:34-38
• 17. Exodus 26:36
• 18. See Exodus 27:1-8
• 19. See Exodus 30:18-21
• 20. See Exodus 27:9-17
• 21. Exodus 27:19
• 22. Exodus 39:40
• 23. Exodus 31:10
• 24. See Exodus 25:2
• 25. Exodus 36:3
• 26. [1 Chronicles 29:8]
• 27. ver. 6, 7; Exodus 25:4, 5
• 28. Exodus 36:3, 6
• 29. ver. 10
• 30. [See ver. 21 above]
• 31. [1 Chronicles 29:6-8; Ezra 2:68]
• 32. Exodus 36:3
• 33. For ver. 30-34, see Exodus 31:1-6
• 34. [1 Kings 7:14; 2 Chronicles 2:14]
• 35. [See ver. 31 above]

Footnotes

• [a]. The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; also verse 23; compare 25:5
• [b]. Or garments for worship; see 31:10

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 35

This chapter begins with a renewal of the command of the sabbath, Ex 35:1-3 and contains an order for a freewill offering to be brought for the service of the sanctuary, and specifies the things to be brought, and for what uses, Ex 35:4-19 to which there was a ready compliance, and men and women, princes and the common people, everyone according to what they had in possession, brought and offered it freely, Ex 35:20-29 and for their encouragement, that their offering would not be in vain, they were informed there were two persons divinely inspired, to do, and teach to be done, all manner of work for the tabernacle, towards which they had made such a liberal and plentiful contribution, Ex 35:30-35.