Exodus 25:4-14

4 ¹blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair,

5 tanned ²rams' skins, goatskins,^[a] acacia wood,

6 ³oil for the lamps, ⁴spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ⁵ephod and for the breastpiece.

8 And let them make me a ⁶sanctuary, that ⁷I may dwell in their midst.

9 ⁸Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the ⁹tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Covenant

10 ¹⁰"They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits^[b] and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

11 You shall overlay it with ¹¹pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.

12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its ¹²four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.

13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.

Exodus 25:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 25

In this chapter an order is given for a freewill offering towards various things for the worship and service of God, and the materials to be offered, which would be useful and acceptable, are mentioned particularly, Ex 25:1-7, as also another order to build a sanctuary for God, after a model that he would give, Ex 25:8,9, and, an ark to put in the law on tables of stone, the fashion of which, and the various things belonging to it, are described, Ex 25:10-16, and a mercy seat with cherubim on it to be set over the ark, where the Lord promises to meet Moses and commune with him, Ex 25:17-22 and a table with various appurtenances to it to place the shewbread on, Ex 25:23-30 and a candlestick of gold, whose parts are described, and all the instruments relative to it, Ex 25:31-40.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 26:1, 31, 36
• 2. Exodus 26:14
• 3. Exodus 27:20
• 4. Exodus 30:7, 23, 34; Exodus 31:11
• 5. Exodus 28:4, 15
• 6. Hebrews 9:1, 2; See Exodus 36:1-4
• 7. Exodus 29:45; 1 Kings 6:13; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3
• 8. ver. 40
• 9. Exodus 26:1
• 10. Exodus 37:1-3; Deuteronomy 10:3; Hebrews 9:4
• 11. ver. 24, 25; Exodus 30:3, 4; Exodus 37:2
• 12. Exodus 37:3

Footnotes

• [a]. Uncertain; possibly dolphin skins, or dugong skins; compare 26:14
• [b]. A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters