Êxodo 36

ARC · Chapter 36/40

1Assim obraram Bezaleel e Aholiab, e todo o homem sabio de coração, a quem o Senhor déra sabedoria e intelligencia, para saber como haviam de fazer toda a obra para o serviço do sanctuario, conforme a tudo o que o Senhor tinha ordenado.

2Porque Moysés chamara a Bezaleel e a Aholiab, e a todo o homem sabio de coração, em cujo coração Deus tinha dado sabedoria: a todo aquelle a quem o seu coração movera que se chegasse á obra para fazel-a

3Tomaram pois de diante de Moysés toda a offerta alçada, que trouxeram os filhos de Israel para a obra do serviço do sanctuario, para fazel-a, e ainda elles lhe traziam cada manhã offerta voluntaria.

4E vieram todos os sabios, que faziam toda a obra do sanctuario, cada um da obra que elles faziam,

5E fallaram a Moysés, dizendo: O povo traz muito mais do que basta para o serviço da obra que o Senhor ordenou se fizesse.

6Então mandou Moysés que fizessem passar uma voz pelo arraial, dizendo: Nenhum homem nem mulher faça mais obra alguma para a offerta alçada do sanctuario. Assim o povo foi prohibido de trazer mais,

7Porque tinham materia bastante para toda a obra que havia de fazer-se, e ainda sobejava.

8Assim todo o sabio de coração, entre os que faziam a obra, fez o tabernaculo de dez cortinas, de linho fino torcido, e de azul, e de purpura, e de carmezim, com cherubins; da obra mais esmerada as fez.

9O comprimento de uma cortina era de vinte e oito covados, e a largura de outra cortina de quatro covados: todas as cortinas tinham uma mesma medida.

10E elle ligou cinco cortinas uma com a outra; e outras cinco cortinas ligou uma com outra.

11Depois fez laçadas de azul na borda de uma cortina, á extremidade, na juntura: assim tambem fez na borda, á extremidade da juntura da segunda cortina.

12Cincoenta laçadas fez n'uma cortina, e cincoenta laçadas fez n'uma extremidade da cortina, que se ligava com a segunda: estas laçadas travavam uma com a outra.

13Tambem fez cincoenta colchetes de oiro, e com estes colchetes uniu as cortinas uma com a outra; e foi feito assim um tabernaculo.

14Fez tambem cortinas de pellos de cabras para a tenda sobre o tabernaculo: de onze cortinas as fez.

15O comprimento de uma cortina era de trinta covados, e a largura de uma cortina de quatro covados: estas onze cortinas tinham uma mesma medida.

16E elle uniu cinco cortinas á parte, e seis cortinas á parte,

17E fez cincoenta laçadas na borda da ultima cortina, na juntura: tambem fez cincoenta laçadas na borda da cortina, na outra juntura.

18Fez tambem cincoenta colchetes de metal, para ajuntar a tenda, para que fosse uma.

19Fez tambem para a tenda uma coberta de pelles de carneiros, tintas de vermelho; e por cima uma coberta de pelles de teixugos.

20Tambem fez taboas levantadas para o tabernaculo, de madeira de sittim.

21O comprimento de uma taboa era de dez covados, e a largura de cada taboa era de um covado e meio.

22Cada taboa tinha duas coiceiras, pregadas uma com a outra: assim fez com todas as taboas do tabernaculo.

23Assim pois fez as taboas para o tabernaculo: vinte taboas para a banda do sul ao meio dia:

24E fez quarenta bases de prata debaixo das vinte taboas: duas bases debaixo de uma taboa ás suas duas coiceiras, e duas bases de baixo d'outra taboa ás suas duas coiceiras.

25Tambem fez vinte taboas ao outro lado do tabernaculo da banda do norte,

26Com as suas quarenta bases de prata; duas bases debaixo de uma taboa, e duas bases debaixo de outra taboa.

27E ao lado do tabernaculo para o occidente fez seis taboas.

28Fez tambem duas taboas para os cantos do tabernaculo aos dois lados,

29As quaes estavam juntas debaixo, e tambem se ajuntavam por cima com uma argola: assim fez com ellas ambas nos dois cantos.

30Assim eram oito taboas com as suas bases de prata, a saber, dezeseis bases: duas bases debaixo de cada taboa.

31Fez tambem barras de madeira de sittim: cinco para as taboas d'um lado do tabernaculo,

32E cinco barras para as taboas do outro lado do tabernaculo; e outras cinco barras para as taboas do tabernaculo d'ambas as bandas do occidente.

33E fez que a barra do meio passasse pelo meio das taboas d'uma extremidade até á outra.

34E cobriu as taboas d'oiro, e as suas argolas (os logares das barras) fez d'oiro: as barras tambem cobriu d'oiro.

35Depois fez o véu d'azul, e de purpura, e de carmezim, e de linho fino torcido; d'obra esmerada o fez com cherubins.

36E fez-lhe quatro columnas de madeira de sittim, e as cobriu d'oiro: e seus colchetes fez d'oiro, e fundiu-lhe quatro bases de prata.

37Fez tambem para a porta da tenda o véu d'azul, e de purpura, e de carmezim, e de linho fino torcido, da obra do bordador,

38Com as suas cinco columnas e os seus colchetes; e as suas cabeças e as suas molduras cobriu d'oiro: e as suas cinco bases eram de cobre.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Bezalel, Aholiab, and other craftsmen begin building the tabernacle; the people bring so many offerings that Moses has to order them to stop contributing, and the curtains, boards, and structures of the sanctuary are made according to the divine instructions.

Explanation

This chapter presents a rare and delightful detail in Scripture: for the first and only time in the entire sacred text, the people have to be stopped from continuing to give, because 'the people bring much more than enough' (v. 5) for the work of the tabernacle — a remarkable contrast to the usual stories of scarcity or reluctance to contribute. This overflow of generosity reflects a moment of genuine, collective spiritual enthusiasm, showing what can happen when a people commit wholeheartedly to a purpose they recognize as truly sacred. The detailed technical execution of the work, following precisely the specifications God gave Moses in earlier chapters, demonstrates faithfulness both in spiritual vision and in practical execution — true worship of God involves both the intention of the heart and excellence in the work carried out.

Fun facts

  • This is the only recorded case in the Bible where a leader has to publicly order the people to stop giving to a religious cause (v. 6), an episode sometimes cited in modern church administration contexts as a rare and positive 'problem of too much generosity.'
  • The near word-for-word repetition of the technical instructions already given in chapters 26-27, now describing their actual execution, is a common literary technique in the Old Testament for emphasizing the exact faithfulness with which God's work was carried out, without deviating from the original instructions.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Êxodo 36:1After all the preparation, the execution of the work begins: Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other talented craftsmen get to work following God’s instructions.
  2. Êxodo 36:2Moses formally summons each of the gifted craftsmen, gathering specifically those who felt personally moved to take part in the construction.
  3. Êxodo 36:3The craftsmen receive from Moses all the material already donated by the people, and offerings keep arriving spontaneously every morning, even with the work already underway.
  4. Êxodo 36:4The craftsmen themselves, busy with different parts of the work, have to stop and report an unexpected problem to Moses.
  5. Êxodo 36:5The problem is abundance: the people brought far more material than needed to complete the entire planned construction.
  6. Êxodo 36:6It’s a rare detail in the Bible: the people donated so much material voluntarily that Moses had to order the donations stopped, because there was already more than enough for the whole project. It shows the level of generosity and popular engagement in that particular project.
  7. Êxodo 36:7It confirms that the material really was more than sufficient, a rare case in the Bible of a surplus of donations instead of a shortage.
  8. Êxodo 36:8Here begins the practical execution of the instructions given earlier in chapters 25 and 26: the craftsmen actually made the curtains embroidered with cherubim just as they had been designed. It’s the start of the detailed account of how the orders were carried out, step by step.
  9. Êxodo 36:9It reproduces, now in the execution, the same measurement of the inner curtains already specified in chapter 26: about forty feet by less than six feet wide.
  10. Êxodo 36:10The craftsmen join the ten inner curtains into two sets of five, following the original plan to the letter.
  11. Êxodo 36:11Loops of blue fabric are sewn onto the edges of each set of curtains, exactly as specified before.
  12. Êxodo 36:12The fifty loops on each side are positioned precisely so they will fit together perfectly at the moment of final joining.
  13. Êxodo 36:13Fifty gold clasps, matching the number of loops, permanently join the two sets of curtains into a single covering.
  14. Êxodo 36:14The second layer of covering, made of goat hair, is also made at this point, with the eleven curtains called for in the original plan.
  15. Êxodo 36:15The goat-hair curtains follow the same measurements specified before, a bit larger than the inner linen curtains.
  16. Êxodo 36:16The craftsmen divide these eleven curtains into sets of five and six, exactly as God had instructed in chapter 26.
  17. Êxodo 36:17The same system of loops used on the inner curtains is repeated here to join the two sets of the outer covering.
  18. Êxodo 36:18Copper clasps, instead of the gold ones used on the inner layer, join this second goat-hair covering.
  19. Êxodo 36:19As in chapter 26, this is the execution of the tabernacle’s protective outer layer. The near-identical repetition between the order given earlier and the execution recounted here is a common style in the book of Exodus, reinforcing that everything was done exactly as commanded.
  20. Êxodo 36:20The rigid framework of acacia boards, which would form the tabernacle’s walls, is also built at this stage.
  21. Êxodo 36:21Each board is made following exactly the measurements specified before: about fifteen feet tall.
  22. Êxodo 36:22The joints at the base of each board are made to let them connect firmly to one another.
  23. Êxodo 36:23Twenty boards are set aside specifically for the south side of the structure, following the original plan to the letter.
  24. Êxodo 36:24Forty silver sockets are cast to support these twenty boards on the south side, two for each one.
  25. Êxodo 36:25The north side receives the same treatment, with another twenty boards made in the same configuration as the south side.
  26. Êxodo 36:26The silver sockets on the north side also total forty, following exactly the pattern already established.
  27. Êxodo 36:27The narrower west wall is closed off with just six boards, as specified in the original plan.
  28. Êxodo 36:28Two extra boards are set aside specifically to reinforce the rear corners of the structure.
  29. Êxodo 36:29These corner boards are fitted together in a special way, joined at the bottom and the top by a ring, exactly as planned.
  30. Êxodo 36:30In total, the west wall adds up to eight boards resting on sixteen silver sockets, confirming the faithful execution of the design.
  31. Êxodo 36:31Bars of acacia wood are made to run horizontally across the boards on each side of the structure.
  32. Êxodo 36:32Five bars are assigned to each of the three sides with boards—south, north, and west—completing the reinforcement system.
  33. Êxodo 36:33A center bar, longer than the others, is positioned to run through the boards from end to end.
  34. Êxodo 36:34The boards and bars are overlaid with gold, with gold rings made specifically to hold the bars in their proper place.
  35. Êxodo 36:35The veil that would separate the two parts of the sanctuary is woven with the same materials and the same cherubim pattern specified before.
  36. Êxodo 36:36Four acacia pillars overlaid with gold are made to support this veil, resting on silver sockets.
  37. Êxodo 36:37The entrance curtain of the tent is also made at this point, using the same combination of colored fabrics and fine linen.
  38. Êxodo 36:38This entrance curtain is fitted with five gilded acacia pillars, but with copper sockets, unlike the silver sockets used for the inner veil.

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