Êxodo 40

ARC · Chapter 40/40

1Fallou mais o Senhor a Moysés, dizendo:

2No primeiro mez, no primeiro dia do mez, levantarás o tabernaculo da tenda da congregação,

3E porás n'elle a arca do testemunho, e cobrirás a arca com o véu.

4Depois metterás n'elle a mesa, e porás em ordem o que se deve pôr em ordem n'ella; tambem metterás n'elle o castiçal, e accenderás as suas lampadas.

5E porás o altar de oiro para o incenso diante da arca do testemunho: então pendurarás a coberta da porta do tabernaculo.

6Porás tambem o altar do holocausto diante da porta do tabernaculo da tenda da congregação.

7E porás a pia entre a tenda da congregação e o altar, e n'ella porás agua.

8Depois porás o pateo ao redor, e pendurarás a coberta á porta do pateo.

9Então tomarás o azeite da uncção, e ungirás o tabernaculo, e tudo o que ha n'elle: e o sanctificarás com todos os seus vasos, e será sancto

10Ungirás tambem o altar do holocausto, e todos os seus vasos; e sanctificarás o altar; e o altar será uma coisa sanctissima.

11Então ungirás a pia e a sua base, e a sanctificarás.

12Farás tambem chegar a Aarão e a seus filhos á porta da tenda da congregação; e os lavarás com agua.

13E vestirás a Aarão os vestidos sanctos, e o ungirás, e o sanctificarás, para que me administre o sacerdocio.

14Tambem farás chegar a seus filhos, e lhes vestirás as tunicas,

15E os ungirás como ungiste a seu pae, para que me administrem o sacerdocio, e a sua uncção lhes será por sacerdocio perpetuo nas suas gerações.

16E fel-o Moysés: conforme a tudo o que o Senhor lhe ordenou, assim o fez.

17E aconteceu no mez primeiro, no anno segundo, ao primeiro do mez, que o tabernaculo foi levantado;

18Porque Moysés levantou o tabernaculo, e poz as suas bases, e armou as suas taboas, e metteu n'elle os seus varaes, e levantou as suas columnas;

19E estendeu a tenda sobre o tabernaculo, e poz a coberta da tenda sobre ella, em cima, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

20Tomou o testemunho, e pôl-o na arca, e metteu os varaes á arca; e poz o propiciatorio sobre a arca, em cima.

21E levou a arca no tabernaculo, e pendurou o véu da cobertura, e cobriu a arca do testemunho, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

22Poz tambem a mesa na tenda da congregação, ao lado do tabernaculo para o norte, fóra do véu,

23E sobre ella poz em ordem o pão perante o Senhor, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

24Poz tambem na tenda da congregação o castiçal defronte da mesa, ao lado do tabernaculo para o sul,

25E accendeu as lampadas perante o Senhor, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

26E poz o altar d'oiro na tenda da congregação, diante do véu,

27E accendeu sobre elle o incenso d'especiarias aromaticas, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

28Pendurou tambem a coberta da porta do tabernaculo,

29E poz o altar do holocausto á porta do tabernaculo da tenda da congregação, e offereceu sobre elle holocausto e offerta de manjares, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

30Poz tambem a pia entre a tenda da congregação e o altar, e derramou agua n'ella, para lavar.

31E Moysés, e Aarão e seus filhos lavaram n'ella as suas mãos e os seus pés.

32Quando entravam na tenda da congregação, e quando chegavam ao altar, lavavam-se, como o Senhor ordenara a Moysés.

33Levantou tambem o pateo ao redor do tabernaculo e do altar, e pendurou a coberta da porta do pateo. Assim Moysés acabou a obra.

34Então a nuvem cobriu a tenda da congregação, e a gloria do Senhor encheu o tabernaculo;

35De maneira que Moysés não podia entrar na tenda da congregação, porquanto a nuvem ficava sobre elle, e a gloria do Senhor enchia o tabernaculo.

36Quando pois a nuvem se levantava de sobre o tabernaculo, então os filhos de Israel caminhavam em todas as suas jornadas.

37Se a nuvem porém não se levantava, não caminhavam, até ao dia em que ella se levantava;

38Porquanto a nuvem do Senhor estava de dia sobre o tabernaculo, e o fogo estava de noite sobre elle, perante os olhos de toda a casa d'Israel, em todas as suas jornadas.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses sets up the tabernacle exactly as God had commanded, anoints and consecrates Aaron and his sons as priests, and the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle in a cloud, guiding the people throughout all their journeys in the wilderness.

Explanation

The final chapter of Exodus brings a deeply satisfying climax to the entire narrative of the book: after months of preparation, construction, and consecration, the tabernacle is finally raised, and God manifests his presence so intensely that 'the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle' (v. 34), to the point that not even Moses could enter. This moment culminates the journey that began with an enslaved people in Egypt, without a sanctuary, without freedom, and without a clear national identity, and ends with that same people having, in the midst of their camp, a visible and active dwelling place of God's presence. The pillar of cloud over the tabernacle by day, becoming fire by night, would continue to guide Israel through every stage of their journey, showing that God's presence was not an isolated event but a constant, dependable companion throughout the people's whole life in the wilderness. The book of Exodus, which began with slavery and despair, ends with the extraordinary fulfilled promise that God would truly dwell in the midst of his people.

Fun facts

  • The exact date the tabernacle was set up, 'in the first month, on the first day of the month' of the second year after leaving Egypt (v. 17), marks precisely one full year since the first Passover, showing a carefully organized chronological structure running through the entire book of Exodus.
  • The idea that God's glory was so intense that it kept even Moses from entering the tabernacle (v. 35) would be echoed centuries later at the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:10-11), where the same glorious cloud would keep the priests from continuing to minister, showing a theological continuity between the mobile tabernacle of the wilderness and the permanent temple in Jerusalem.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Êxodo 40:1God gives Moses the last sequence of instructions in the book: how to set up the now-finished tabernacle, piece by piece, on the right day.
  2. Êxodo 40:2This time marker places the tabernacle’s final assembly almost exactly one year after the exodus from Egypt, which also took place in the first month of the Israelite calendar. It was, then, about a year of journeying and detailed instructions before the sacred structure finally stood.
  3. Êxodo 40:3The ark was to be the first piece placed inside the tabernacle, already covered by the veil that would separate it from the rest of the space.
  4. Êxodo 40:4The table of the bread and the lampstand also had specific positions inside the sanctuary, with the lampstand already lit from the initial setup.
  5. Êxodo 40:5The incense altar was positioned very close to the ark, and only after all the interior pieces were in place would the entrance curtain be hung.
  6. Êxodo 40:6The sacrifice altar, being used outside, was positioned right at the entrance of the tabernacle, even before reaching the tent itself.
  7. Êxodo 40:7The washing basin stood between the entrance of the tent and the sacrifice altar, already filled with water for the priests’ ritual use.
  8. Êxodo 40:8Finally, the whole courtyard would be set up around the entire structure, with its own entrance curtain hung over it.
  9. Êxodo 40:9Anointing with that special oil, prepared in chapter 30, was the act that officially set apart the tabernacle and its objects for the exclusive use of sacred service. After this anointing, those items could no longer be used for any ordinary purpose.
  10. Êxodo 40:10The sacrifice altar would also undergo anointing with the sacred oil, becoming, according to the text, a most holy thing.
  11. Êxodo 40:11The washing basin, along with its base, would also be anointed and consecrated as part of the tabernacle’s set of sacred objects.
  12. Êxodo 40:12Before putting on any priestly garment, Aaron and his sons would go through the same full ritual washing already described in chapter 29.
  13. Êxodo 40:13This is the moment when the garments described in detail in chapters 28 and 39 are finally placed on Aaron for the first time, together with the anointing that officially consecrated him as high priest.
  14. Êxodo 40:14After Aaron, his sons would also be brought to the entrance of the tent to put on their own priestly tunics.
  15. Êxodo 40:15The anointing of Aaron’s sons follows the same pattern as their father’s anointing, establishing the priesthood as something permanent, passed down through the following generations.
  16. Êxodo 40:16It confirms that Moses carried out every one of these instructions exactly as God had commanded, without deviating from a single detail.
  17. Êxodo 40:17It marks the exact date of the final assembly: the first day of the first month of the second year after the exodus from Egypt, nearly a year of journeying and instructions.
  18. Êxodo 40:18Moses personally assembles the tabernacle’s basic structure: he fits the sockets, raises the boards, positions the bars, and sets up the pillars.
  19. Êxodo 40:19Over the framework of boards, Moses spreads the covering tent and the outer protective layers, following exactly the pattern given by God.
  20. Êxodo 40:20Moses places the tablets of the law inside the ark, fits the carrying poles, and positions the mercy seat on top, completing the most sacred piece.
  21. Êxodo 40:21The now-assembled ark is carried into the tabernacle, and the veil is hung to conceal it from the rest of the space, fulfilling the instruction given.
  22. Êxodo 40:22The table of the bread is positioned outside the veil, on the north side of the tabernacle, exactly as specified.
  23. Êxodo 40:23Moses arranges the loaves on the table, following to the letter the order God had given about how to set out this continual offering.
  24. Êxodo 40:24The lampstand is positioned on the opposite side from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle, maintaining the planned spatial balance.
  25. Êxodo 40:25Moses lights the lamps of the lampstand, completing the final step in setting up this particular piece.
  26. Êxodo 40:26The gold incense altar is placed right in front of the veil, in the intermediate position between the outer area and the most sacred place.
  27. Êxodo 40:27Moses burns the fragrant incense on this altar, activating for the first time the ritual function of the newly assembled piece.
  28. Êxodo 40:28The entrance curtain of the tent is hung, physically marking the boundary between the sacred interior and the outer area of the tabernacle.
  29. Êxodo 40:29The sacrifice altar is positioned at the entrance, and Moses immediately offers the first sacrifice there, inaugurating the altar’s use.
  30. Êxodo 40:30The washing basin is set up between the tent and the altar, and Moses fills it with water for the priests’ ritual use.
  31. Êxodo 40:31Moses, Aaron, and his sons use this basin to wash their hands and feet, carrying out the purification practice already established before.
  32. Êxodo 40:32This washing would become mandatory routine whenever they entered the tent or approached the altar for priestly service.
  33. Êxodo 40:33Finally, the whole courtyard is set up around the entire structure, and its entrance curtain is hung, marking the end of all of Moses’s work.
  34. Êxodo 40:34As soon as the assembly was finished, a visible cloud covered the tent as a sign of God’s presence now established there. It’s the same kind of cloud that had already accompanied the people since the exodus from Egypt, now concentrated over the new sanctuary.
  35. Êxodo 40:35God’s presence, described here as a force filling the space, was so overwhelming at this moment that it kept even Moses from entering. It’s a contrast with the closeness Moses had with God at other times, as in 33:11; here, the intensity of that particular instant surpassed even that.
  36. Êxodo 40:36From then on, the movement of the cloud determined when the people were to continue their journey: whenever it rose from the tabernacle, it was time to set out.
  37. Êxodo 40:37As long as the cloud stayed still over the tabernacle, the people waited in the same place, without starting a new journey.
  38. Êxodo 40:38This is the final pattern that would guide the people from then on throughout their journey across the wilderness: a visible cloud by day and a glow of fire by night over the tabernacle, signaling when to stop and when to move on.

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