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Exodus 26

KJV · Chapter 26/40

1Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

2The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.

3The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.

4And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.

5Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.

6And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

7And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.

8The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.

9And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.

10And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

11And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.

12And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

13And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.

15And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.

16Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

17Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

18And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

19And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

20And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:

21And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

22And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.

23And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

24And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.

25And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

26And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

27And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.

28And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.

29And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.

30And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.

31And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:

32And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

33And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

34And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.

35And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.

36And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.

37And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Instructions are given in detail for building the curtains, boards, and veils that would form the physical structure of the tabernacle, including the separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

Explanation

This chapter continues the technical instructions for building the tabernacle, now focusing on the physical structure that would house the sacred objects described in the previous chapter. The careful layering of curtains (fine embroidered linen, goats' hair, dyed rams' skins, badgers' skins) created a sanctuary that was portable yet dignified and protected against the elements of the desert. The veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, embroidered with cherubim, physically established the distinction between God's closest presence (where the ark stood) and the rest of the sacred space, reflecting the idea that access to God's utmost holiness required careful, reverent separation. This structure, though temporary and mobile, would later be replaced by a permanent, monumental version in Solomon's temple, but the spiritual principles of separation and holiness established here would remain constant.

Fun facts

  • The veil separating the Most Holy Place, mentioned in this chapter, is the same kind of structure (though in a later, larger version in the Jerusalem temple) that, according to the Gospels, tore 'from the top to the bottom' at the moment of Jesus' death (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing for Christians a renewed and direct access to God's presence.
  • The detailed dimensions and proportions of the tabernacle, when compared by archaeologists and historians to other portable sanctuaries from ancient Egypt and the Near East, show technical construction similarities to royal ceremonial tents of the period, suggesting that the technology described was plausible and contemporary to the time of the Exodus.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Exodus 26:1The tabernacle’s inner walls were, in practice, large fabric curtains embroidered with cherub figures, not rigid walls. They were hung over a wooden frame covered in gold, forming an enclosed space inside the large tent.
  2. Exodus 26:2Each of the tabernacle’s ten inner curtains measured about 42 feet long by 6 feet wide, standardized measurements so they would fit together perfectly.
  3. Exodus 26:3The ten curtains were sewn into two large panels of five, forming two bigger pieces before being joined to each other.
  4. Exodus 26:4Loops of blue fabric along the edges of each panel served as attachment points for the gold clasps described in the next verse.
  5. Exodus 26:5Fifty loops on each side ensured that the two panels lined up perfectly when they were joined.
  6. Exodus 26:6Gold clasps fastened the loops of the two panels, turning the ten separate curtains into a single continuous covering for the tabernacle.
  7. Exodus 26:7Over this embroidered inner covering, a second, sturdier layer made of goats’ hair served as the outer protective tent.
  8. Exodus 26:8The eleven goat-hair curtains were a little larger than the inner ones, giving enough slack to cover the whole structure from above.
  9. Exodus 26:9These eleven curtains were divided into groups of five and six, with the sixth doubled over at the front of the tent, forming a kind of flap at the entrance.
  10. Exodus 26:10The same system of loops used on the inner curtains was repeated here, allowing the two groups of goat-hair curtains to be joined.
  11. Exodus 26:11Unlike the inner curtains, which used gold clasps, this outer layer was fastened with bronze clasps, a material more resistant to the weather.
  12. Exodus 26:12The extra length of the goat-hair curtain, being a little longer than the inner ones, hung over and covered the back of the tabernacle.
  13. Exodus 26:13Likewise, the side overhang of this outer curtain hung down along the sides of the structure, ensuring the inner curtains stayed protected.
  14. Exodus 26:14Outside the embroidered curtains and the goat-hair canvas, the tabernacle also had two more layers of weather protection: ram skins dyed red and, over everything, a tougher layer (the “badgers’ skins,” probably the hide of a sea animal) to protect against the desert’s rain and sun.
  15. Exodus 26:15Besides the curtains, the tabernacle had a rigid frame of acacia boards set upright, forming the tent’s inner walls.
  16. Exodus 26:16Each board measured about 15 feet high by roughly 2 feet 3 inches wide, standardized dimensions for the whole structure.
  17. Exodus 26:17Fittings at the base of each board, like tenons, allowed them to connect firmly to one another along the wall.
  18. Exodus 26:18Twenty of these boards made up the south side of the tabernacle, one of the longer walls of the rectangular structure.
  19. Exodus 26:19Each board rested on two silver sockets, fitted onto the tenons at its base, giving the whole wall stability and level footing.
  20. Exodus 26:20The north side of the tabernacle was built identically to the south side, with another twenty boards in the same configuration.
  21. Exodus 26:21The silver sockets on the north side followed exactly the same pattern as the south side, two for each board.
  22. Exodus 26:22The back wall of the tabernacle, facing west, was narrower, made up of only six boards.
  23. Exodus 26:23Two extra boards, placed specifically at the rear corners, gave structural reinforcement where the side and back walls met.
  24. Exodus 26:24These corner boards were fitted together in a special way, joined at both the base and the top by a ring, reinforcing where the walls met.
  25. Exodus 26:25In total, the west wall came to eight boards, each resting on two silver sockets, following the pattern of the other walls.
  26. Exodus 26:26Horizontal bars of acacia wood ran across the boards on each side, binding the whole structure together and keeping it from coming apart.
  27. Exodus 26:27The same system of bars was repeated on all three sides of the structure, south, north, and west, giving stability to the whole set of boards.
  28. Exodus 26:28A longer central bar ran across the boards from end to end, further reinforcing the rigidity of each wall.
  29. Exodus 26:29Like other pieces of the tabernacle, the boards and bars also received an overlay of gold, with gold rings to hold the bars in place.
  30. Exodus 26:30Repeats the requirement to follow exactly the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain, this time applied to assembling the board structure.
  31. Exodus 26:31A veil embroidered with cherubim, made of the same colored fabrics used in the inner curtains, marked the most important division inside the tabernacle.
  32. Exodus 26:32The veil was hung on four acacia pillars overlaid with gold, resting on silver sockets, physically separating the two parts of the sanctuary.
  33. Exodus 26:33The tabernacle had two rooms: a larger one, the “holy place,” where the priests entered for daily service, and a smaller one, the “most holy” place, where only the ark stood. This veil separated the two, and only the high priest could pass through it, and only once a year.
  34. Exodus 26:34The ark’s golden lid, the mercy seat, was placed specifically inside the innermost, most sacred space, set apart by the veil.
  35. Exodus 26:35The table of bread and the lampstand stood outside the veil, on opposite sides of the sanctuary’s main space, one to the north and the other to the south.
  36. Exodus 26:36An embroidered curtain, similar to the inner veil but a separate piece, covered the entrance of the tent, marking the division between the sanctuary and the outer area.
  37. Exodus 26:37This entrance curtain was held up by five acacia pillars overlaid with gold, resting on bronze sockets, unlike the silver sockets of the inner veil.

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