Exodus 31

Provision of Skilled People

1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.

3 And I have filled him [with] the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every [kind of] craftsmanship,

4 to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze,

5 and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every [kind of] craftsmanship.

6 And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all [the] skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you--

7 the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony and the atonement cover that [is] on it and all the equipment of the tent,

8 and the table and all its equipment, and the pure [gold] lampstand and all its equipment, and the incense altar,

9 and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment, and the basin and its stand,

10 and the garments of woven material, and {the garments of the sanctuary} for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests,

11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. According to all that I have commanded you, they will make [it].

Provision of Rest from Work

12 And Yahweh spoke to Moses [and] said,

13 "And you, speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations, [in order] to know that I [am] Yahweh, who consecrates you.

14 And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it--that person will be cut off from among his people.

15 [On] six days work can be done, and on the seventh {is a Sabbath of complete rest}, {a holy day} for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death.

16 The {Israelites} will pay attention to the Sabbath [in order] to fulfill the Sabbath throughout their generations [as] a lasting covenant.

17 It [is] a sign between me and the {Israelites} forever, because [in] six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased and recovered."

18 And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 31 Commentary

Chapter 31

Bezaleel and Aholiab are appointed and qualified for the work of the tabernacle. (1-11) The observance of the sabbath. (12-17) Moses receives the tables of the law. (18)

Verses 1-11 The Israelites, who had been masons and bricklayers in Egypt, were not qualified for curious workmanship; but the Spirit who gave the apostles utterance in divers tongues, miraculously gave Bezaleel and Aholiab the skill that was wanting. The honour which comes from God, is always attended with a work to be done; to be employed for God is high honour. Those whom God calls to any service, he will find or make fit for it. The Lord gives different gifts to different persons; let each mind his proper work, diligently remembering that whatever wisdom any one possesses, the Lord put it in the heart, to do his commandments.

Verses 12-17 Orders were now given that a tabernacle should be set up for the service of God. But they must not think that the nature of the work, and the haste that was required, would justify them in working at it on sabbath days. The Hebrew word /shabath/ signifies rest, or ceasing from labour. The thing signified by the sabbath is that rest in glory which remains for the people of God; therefore the moral obligation of the sabbath must continue, till time is swallowed up in eternity.

Verse 18 The law was written in tables of stone, to show how lasting it is: to denote likewise the hardness of our hearts; one might more easily write on stone, than write any thing good on our corrupt natural hearts. It was written with the finger of God; by his will and power. God only can write his law in the heart: he gives a heart of flesh; then, by his Spirit, which is the ( 2 Corinthians. 3:3 )

Footnotes

• [a]. In other words, "specifically chosen"
• [b]. Or "understanding," "discernment," "cleverness"
• [c]. Literally "the garments of the holiness" or "the holy garments"
• [d]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [e]. Or "profaners," those who treat it as common
• [f]. Literally "a Sabbath of 'Sabbathation.'" "Sabbathation" is not a real word, but devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase
• [g]. Literally "holiness"
• [h]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [i]. Or "keep the Sabbath to do/observe the Sabbath"
• [j]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [k]. Or "rested"
• [l]. Or "breathed freely," "got his breath"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 31

In this chapter an account is given of the persons whom God had chosen, and qualified for the work of building the tabernacle, and all things relating to it, and for the direction and oversight thereof, Ex 31:1-6 and an enumeration is made of the several things that were to be wrought, some in one way, some in another, Ex 31:7-11 the law of the sabbath is repeated, and the violation of it made death, Ex 31:12-17 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that at the close of the above orders, two tables of stone, with the law written upon them by the finger of God, were given to Moses, Ex 31:18.