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Êxodo 40

BLIVRE · Chapter 40/40

1E o SENHOR falou a Moisés, dizendo:

2No primeiro dia do mês primeiro farás levantar o tabernáculo, o tabernáculo do testemunho:

3E porás nele a arca do testemunho, e a cobrirás com o véu:

4E meterás a mesa, e a porás em ordem: meterás também o candelabro e acenderás suas lâmpadas:

5E porás o altar de ouro para o incenso diante da arca do testemunho, e porás a cortina diante da porta do tabernáculo.

6Depois porás o altar do holocausto diante da porta do tabernáculo, do tabernáculo do testemunho.

7Logo porás a pia entre o tabernáculo do testemunho e o altar; e porás água nela.

8Finalmente porás o átrio em derredor, e a cortina da porta do átrio.

9E tomarás o azeite da unção e ungirás o tabernáculo, e tudo o que está nele; e lhe santificarás com todos os seus utensílios, e será santo.

10Ungirás também o altar do holocausto e todos os seus utensílios: e santificarás o altar, e será um altar santíssimo.

11Também ungirás a pia e sua base, e a santificarás.

12E farás chegar a Arão e a seus filhos à porta do tabernáculo do testemunho, e os lavarás com água.

13E farás vestir a Arão as vestimentas sagradas, e o ungirás, e o consagrarás, para que seja meu sacerdote.

14Depois farás chegar seus filhos, e lhes vestirás as túnicas:

15E os ungirás como ungiste a seu pai, e serão meus sacerdotes: e será que sua unção lhes servirá por sacerdócio perpétuo por suas gerações.

16E Moisés fez conforme tudo o que o SENHOR lhe mandou; assim o fez.

17E assim no dia primeiro do primeiro mês, no segundo ano, o tabernáculo foi erigido.

18E Moisés fez levantar o tabernáculo, e assentou suas bases, e colocou suas tábuas, e pôs suas barras, e fez erguer suas colunas.

19E estendeu a tenda sobre o tabernáculo, e pôs a cobertura encima do mesmo; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

20E tomou e pôs o testemunho dentro da arca, e colocou as varas na arca, e encima o propiciatório sobre a arca:

21E meteu a arca no tabernáculo, e pôs o véu da tenda, e cobriu a arca do testemunho; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

22E pôs a mesa no tabernáculo do testemunho, ao lado norte da cortina, fora do véu:

23E sobre ela pôs por ordem os pães diante do SENHOR, como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

24E pôs o candelabro no tabernáculo do testemunho, em frente da mesa, ao lado sul da cortina.

25E acendeu as lâmpadas diante do SENHOR; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

26Pôs também o altar de ouro no tabernáculo do testemunho, diante do véu:

27E acendeu sobre ele o incenso aromático; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

28Pôs também a cortina da porta do tabernáculo.

29E colocou o altar do holocausto à porta do tabernáculo, do tabernáculo do testemunho; e ofereceu sobre ele holocausto e oferta de cereais; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

30E pôs a pia entre o tabernáculo do testemunho e o altar; e pôs nela água para lavar.

31E Moisés e Arão e seus filhos lavavam nela suas mãos e seus pés.

32Quando entravam no tabernáculo do testemunho, e quando se traziam ao altar, se lavavam; como o SENHOR havia mandado a Moisés.

33Finalmente erigiu o átrio em derredor do tabernáculo e do altar, e pôs a cortina da porta do átrio. E assim acabou Moisés a obra.

34Então uma nuvem cobriu o tabernáculo do testemunho, e a glória do SENHOR encheu o tabernáculo.

35E não podia Moisés entrar no tabernáculo do testemunho, porque a nuvem estava sobre ele, e a glória do SENHOR o tinha enchido.

36E quando a nuvem se erguia do tabernáculo, os filhos de Israel se moviam em todas suas jornadas:

37Porém se a nuvem não se erguia, não se partiam até o dia em que ela se erguia.

38Porque a nuvem do SENHOR estava de dia sobre o tabernáculo, e o fogo estava de noite nele, à vista de toda a casa de 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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